Travel Blog: Jiyugaoka / Best Shiatsu Ever / Kodomo Live!

Got up early and while Hilary was getting ready, I decided to walk around the Imperial Palace, right outside our hotel. I used to walk around that area a lot as a kid and would often bike there with my Mom. Remember those bike rides mom with our hip bikes with the old lady baskets?! The moat of the imperial palace spans a pretty large area and the walk is really nice.

Anna, (my awesome sister) hooked us up with Tatsuya, a shiatsu massage expert, for our wedding present. We got good vibes from the beginning through our email correspondence back and forth. A big shout out to Anna for bringing us all together. She has a way of making magic happen, and that is exactly what followed… We had setup two consecutive sessions that day starting at 1:30. Tatsuya's space is located in Jiyugaoka; a super cool neighborhood with trendy clothing shops and lots of stuff that women like. Hilary found some chic clothing and and loved area. We also found some omiage (gifts) for friends and family. The area reminded us both of Brooklyn. Tatsuya's space was a little hard to find; it was actually in more of a residential area so there wasn't any sign. But we found it thanks to some help from a local couple walking a cute dog named cherry blossom. Tatsuya greeted us at the door and our vibe about him was confirmed. Hilary went first, so I just wandered around the area for about an hour. I ended up photographing a lot of the houses and alleys around since they looked very cool in the afternoon light. When I came back, Hilary's session had gone a little longer (which I was secretly hoping mine would also be… it was!) so I went out to photograph some more. When I came back Hilary was in the super relax zone; clearly on cloud 9. She said it was the best shiatsu she's ever had. After my session, I could definitely say the same. Tatsuya's intuition and precision worked wonders. There were some definite tight spots for me, and in a few small movements, Tatsuya easily worked them out. I felt great afterwards; not sleepy, and actually kind of energized.

We had a great conversation and Tatsuya wanted to take us to his favorite cafe called "Soda Bar". It was around the corner, so we went and ordered a few of his favorite dishes: Butta-Shoga-Yaki (Thinly sliced pork cooked in a ginger sauce) and a quiche. The pork dish was so good that we ordered another. In Japanese they call ordering another (or seconds) "okawari". I asked the chef if she could tell me what was in the sauce and she wrote out the recipe for me! The secret is grated apples in the sauce. We thought the meal was over, but then the surprise came. A platter of homemade cookies, cakes, and pastries with a lovely message etched out in chocolate saying "Congratulations Hilary and Chris. Welcome To Japan!" It was so kind of him to do all that and all the deserts were amazing. The was even a set of cookies that resembled the islands making up Japan. I had a cappuccino with mine and it was excellent. By far the best one I've had in Japan. Perfectly foamed milk integrated with a smooth and mild espresso.

It was getting late and I was scheduled to play a show that night at 8pm, so we headed back to the hotel to pick up my gear (mac book!) and meet up with my friend Atsushi in Shibuya (he plays guitar) and together head over to the club. We were running a little late, so we opted to take a cab from the hotel to Shibuya.

We got to the venue and I started setting up and doing a sound check with Hiro and Atsushi. Hiro brought his iPad attached to a keyboard. (he was using an iPad app for his synth!) We did a little warm up rehearsal, and it was sounding pretty good, so after a little beer break we started. My good old time and family friend Marisa Yamano came out and brought a friend with her. It was so great to see her again and re-connect after all these years. (1999 I think!) Tatsuya also came out which was incredibly kind of him. Hilary (my awesome wife) showed her awesomeness in awesome ways. She filmed the show and took some killer pics and talked to all my friends there and a strange girl who kept inviting Hilary to a party the next day but didn't know the address. They all thought she was awesome too. The show went great; Atsushi rocked out on the guitar and played some nice slow tones along with my tracks. He also played some of the melody lines of the songs which sounded nice on guitar. Hiro played some cool pad parts on his iPad synth. We played a little over an hour. The vibe was just right; low lighting in an intimate and cool space and a killer sound system. After the show we hung out and just talked for a while over some nice cold beers. It was really the perfect ending to an amazing trip.

It was pretty late when we got back to the hotel. From our bed we could see the Tokyo skyline twinkling and the orange glow of Tokyo Tower. We were still pretty energized from the show, so to wind down we ate some instant ramen (which is awesome by the way) while watching the first episode of LOST.