Kind of a weird selection for breakfast with the broccoli and chicken nuggets, but I can’t fault having a lot of choices. My stay in Tokyo was at the JR Hotel Mets in Akihabara, which is listed as 3-Stars. The room had some slightly strange proportions. The space around the bed was narrow, but the TV was huge (46 inches, I think). Kind of a reversal of hotels back home where the room is large and the TV is like 27-32 inches. As is typically for Japan, there was also a large shower room. These are rooms where the tub and shower are together in their own separate space from the toilet. Below is a picture of the one at my apart The strange breakfast combination above is from the buffet. JR Mets uses this style for breakfast, so part of the weird selection is my fault. Still, having chicken nuggets offered as a breakfast item at all is a little strange. Not that I'm complaining.

And back to Akihabara, now with actual crowds. The night life is much busier than daytime. That's it for Tokyo. It's back to Akita tomorrow morning. I didn’t get to see all the places I wanted, so I'll just have to come back again in the future. Maybe in November, when the university I tried to study at has its festival days.

The Owls were well cared for. If you can't accept owls as pets under any circumstance, then stop reading here. This won't change your mind, but at the very least you can take some solace in the fact that they appear relaxed, fed, monitored, and healthy. Walking away from Owl Village Harajuku, I did not have any feelings of regret or depression. It is true that the room they are in is pretty small to be keeping owls and also having customers in, but I was satisfied that the staff are prioritizing the owls above all else. Here are some of the things I took notice of: -Upon entering, the owl room was closed. The room is closed from 10 minutes to, until 15 minutes after, the hour. This is break time. -The staff immediately pointed out two owls that could not be touched or interacted with. One was in heat. The other was a snowy owl that was rescued from another café which closed down. The snowy owl is "in training", which means that nobody can touch or bother him until he feels comfortable. As it stands, he hides out under the counter with his bird bath tub when people are around. -The owls are tethered sometimes. It is mostly to stop them from flying into the glass during times when it is really clear out and hard to distinguish the windows. That said, all the owls I saw during my visit were free to move around, which they absolutely took advantage of. One of them enjoys hopping down on the floor and walking through the crowd. She seems to position herself as the centre of attention.  -The staff weigh the owls daily. I saw a lady weighing two or three of them over the course of my visit. This is important for monitoring their health. The owl named Chai is apparently getting a little fat. -Instructions and rules are given regarding what people can and can't do, as well as how each kind of owl should be petted. Small ones, you stroke their head. Medium, head or back. Large ones, only the back. -There is an age restriction, so little kids can't run screeching through the room and grabbing at the owls. -There is also a noise restriction. Owls are sensitive to noises, so the atmosphere in the café is very subdued and relaxed to make sure the owls are also relaxed. -They had the window open when I was there. This lets fresh air in through the screen. The owls are not sitting around in stale air all day. -They have pictures and video of the owls' visits to the nearby park. They do get outside. This happens in the mornings when the weather is nice. They are brought to Yoyogi Park, which is a large public park located in nearby Shibuya. -They are fed mainly chicken and quail meats (owls are carnivores, in case you were not aware). -I saw no signs of stress. There are stuffed toys around that they like to pounce on and grab with their feet. To sum this all up: Based on what I have seen, I do believe the staff's assertion that the owls are family. They truly do appear to love the owls under their care. Another customer at one point asked one of the staff how she could distinguish between all of the owls and remember what each one likes and doesn't like. Well, you learn that stuff by caring enough to observe and commit those things to memory. I think that realization went a long way towards me putting faith in the staff and their "family" thing. If you need more evidence, then remember what I mentioned in my context post. Those ladies don't need to do any of these things that prioritize the owls. That is unfortunately evident by all the other cafés that don't seem to take nearly as high a level of care as what I saw here. I think the fact that the staff does do those things says something about their genuineness.  Now, do I want these kinds of places to go out of business? Yes. No matter how well a place like this treats the animals in their care, there is still a problem created of other people being inspired to try the same thing, except with more cut corners and cost saving. There is also a problem of trying to push the envelope to ever more exotic limits. This is how things evolved from cats and dogs to stuff like penguins in the first place. It would be better if the demand for non-domesticated type animal cafés dropped. So if you just ask me for general recommendations of things to do and see in Japan, an Owl Cafe will not be on my list for you. But if an experience like this is something you specifically want, then Owl Village Harajuku is the only one I would be comfortable recommending. Based on my research, any other place will likely end with you having regrets, sadness, or an uncomfortable feeling. Or maybe even all three. Thank you for reading. Now, it is time to post owls.

While waiting to get into the Gundam Shop, I went through an arcade in the mall. Included in that was a large area devoted to Crane/Prize Games. These kinds of arcades are very popular in Japan. Unlike ones back home, however, these tend to have some pretty awesome prizes. They typically cost ¥100 per play ($1). It took me ¥600 for the Fox plush and ¥800 for a One Piece figure for my friend (so about $14 for both). As you can see in the video below, it can be real easy to lose a lot of money. Watching it get so agonizingly close is a big motivator to pop in just one more coin. Even more so if there is someone hovering over your shoulder just waiting for you to give up so they can swoop in. Finally, all those random Claw Game trick/advice videos YouTube kept randomly recommending to me have paid off. Remember, don't go straight for the grab. The claw is too weak. Nudge and position instead. If it is a plush toy, look for the tag. If you are really good, you might be able to hook the plastic holding that tag with the claw.

Today I went to visit The Gundam Base Tokyo. Gundam is an anime/manga series created by Hajime Yatate and Yoshiyuki Tomino and owned by Sunrise Inc. (now Bandai Namco Filmworks) that began in 1979 involving giant piloted robots called Mobile Suits. While the different series have varying levels of seriousness to them, they typically share common themes about the human condition, cost, politics, horrors, and suffering of warfare. There are also more lighthearted series aimed at younger audiences, usually featuring little Gundams that are actual characters instead of mobile suits being piloted by humans. In terms of cultural impact in Japan, the Gundam series is comparable to Star Wars, and is also referred to as space opera. It generates nearly $800-million a year and references to it are found everywhere, from postage stamps to military project code-names. It is extremely popular among males of all ages, with estimates putting the male-to-female fanbase ratio at 90:10. (Nikkei Cross Trend - Feb. 2024) The Gundam Base Tokyo is a centre for Gundam merchandise, particularly model kits, which is often referred to by the portmanteau "Gunpla" (Gundam Plastic Models). I enjoy assembling them whenever I have the time and money to do so. There are different grades used to signify the general level of mastery needed to assemble them, making it accessible across a wide age-group. The basics are: -SD "Super Deformed" - Smallest and easiest to build. -High Grade -Real Grade -Master Grade -Perfect Grade - Most complex. Tend to be larger than other grades. Outside The Gundam Base Tokyo, they have a life-sized statue of a Gundam, which is certainly imposing at nearly 20 metres in height. It also changes throughout the day, such as by lighting up certain parts and even transforming (notice that the headpiece has opened up from one picture to another).

After a long day of wandering the Tokyo Game Show, I return to my hotel in Akihabara. Akihabara (秋葉原), also known as “Electric Town” or “Akiba”, is a major shopping district in Tokyo famous for its electronics stores. It has also become a mecca for what those in Western countries would call “geek” culture. There are many shops catering to anime, manga (comics), video games, and all sorts of hobbies/interests/ entertainment. There are also things like themed cafés and arcades. On Sunday afternoons, the main section of Chuo Dori Avenue that passes through the district is closed to vehicle traffic and made a pedestrian‑only zone, allowing people to walk freely through a roughly half‑kilometer stretch of road and more easily get from one store to another. (Early morning, before the chaos begins.)

Lots of cool things to see at TGS. Too bad you have to wrestle the crowds in order to do so. I had fun and came back with a bunch of promotional merchandise. I will also never do it again. I barely made it back to the hotel with how exhausted I was. Left the hotel at 7am and didn't get back until 6pm. Spent about an hour and a half traveling to the convention centre. 30 minutes trying to find the tent where I could get my ticket. 2 hours in line waiting to go through bag check/security, which didn't start until the doors opened. 30 minutes after security until I actually got into the building. 26 degrees real feel. Thank merciful god it was an overcast day. Then 5 hours wandering around before 2 more hours of traveling. In the end, I probably went 7am to 6pm on my feet without rest. Also probably sweated enough to fill a pool. So, yeah. Glad I did it. Also, never again.

I never thought I would get to do this. E3 may be dead and gone, but TGS is still alive and kicking. The Tokyo Game Show (TGS) is an annual Video Game Convention/Trade Show held in Chiba, Japan. Although the majority of games on display are from Japanese developers and publishers, there are an increasing number of international companies taking part. The first two days of the convention are restricted to business representatives, but the last two days are open to the public. This year's show will bring together nearly 1,000 companies from over 40 countries and has an estimated attendance of roughly 270,000 people. Needless to say, it will be an extremely crowded and busy event.

Successfully navigated Tokyo Station for the first time, somehow. (Stock Photo of Tokyo Station Terminal - Credit: ASKA) First opened in 1914, it is one of the largest stations in the world. It is nearly 3 times the size of Union Station in Toronto (184,000m2 compared to about 640,000m2) and sees roughly 400,000 boarding passengers a day. That’s just the people getting on trains, though. That figure doesn’t count those disembarking or simply riding through. I have seen some places suggesting that over 1 million people pass through per day. It can be a daunting task to get where you want to go. This is especially true because of how busy it is at all times. This was 11:30 AT NIGHT. You are physically pushed into the subway car by the crowd until no-one else can fit. Make no wonder that they have some cars specifically reserved for women. That said, it beats going through the nearby Shinjuku Station, which is the busiest in the world and gets about 650,000 boarding passengers per day. Some statistics suggest that 3.6 million people use that station every day.

First time taking the Shinkansen. Looking forward to it. Shinkansen (新幹線), composed of kanji for New / Main / Line, are high‑speed trains. They are commonly called Bullet Trains in English. Japan loves trains, and these types were instrumental in connecting faraway places in Japan with the capital to help foster economic growth during the 60’s. Modern Shinkansen typically travel at speeds between 280 and 320 km/h. This one will go from Akita Station to Tokyo Station, a route distance of nearly 600km, in about 4 hours (including 7 stops at other stations along the way). If it didn’t have any stops, it would likely take half that time. This would be akin to making the TCH drive between St. John’s and Corner Brook in 2 hours. Cost of a ticket? About $175 Canadian for the basic seats. You can get a ticket in Green Class (basically Premium Economy/Business class on a plane) for only $225. Some routes also have a Gran Class, which is similar to First Class and some Business Class seats on airlines. Japan Railway East also offers a 5‑Day Pass option for roughly $300 that lets you ride as much as you want on their routes within a 5 consecutive day window. Below is a model of the lead car for Akita Shinkansen in Akita Station. Also, a model of what once was.

Finally, some people may be thinking that listing out these things is just an attempt to ease my conscience and justify a selfish desire. That by doing this I am simply becoming part of the problem by contributing to the industry. I won’t argue that. I’m not claiming to have the high ground or that I’m a champion of animal welfare because I read through Google reviews and looked at pictures instead of blindly running in to the nearest café and plastering pictures all over Facebook about how great it was. I’m also not here to judge others for doing that, even if I do wish that the demand would disappear and push many of these places to close. My aim with these posts is simply to provide context to a complicated part of my trip and advocate for people to carry out due diligence. When considering whether or not to visit a location, buy from a business, or support a cause, make sure you research. Check the website, check what other websites say about it, read the reviews (and not the 5-Star ones. I’m talking about the 1 and 2-Stars). Maybe the things you learn will stop you from doing something entirely. That would certainly be disappointing, but it beats the depression, sadness, and possible trauma from choosing to stay ignorant and simply hoping that the reality will end up matching your imagination. That’s what happened to me when it came to trying to see foxes. As for something a bit less controversial, there is a cat cafe/shelter I plan to visit next year, so look forward to that if you cannot be comfortable with this.

Given the understandable concerns surrounding some of these businesses, this became a difficult decision for me to make when it came time to plan my first trip within Japan. Originally, I had wanted to visit an outdoor fox village, but quickly discovered that instead of it being more of an animal sanctuary environment, it was simply a tourist trap where the animals are not properly catered to, as they should be. This idea repeated itself with many other café and animal interaction locations. The through line for all of them is that customers are clearly the main focus. I hope that everyone reading this will agree that priority #1 should be the animals, not the people. After a lot of research, I decided to make a reservation at Owl Village Harajuku. Owls are my favourite animal, but by their very nature you will likely never get the chance to ever see them, let alone interact with them. It is, to put it simply, a once‑in‑a‑lifetime experience. That said, I could not bring myself to go to many of the Owl Cafés that I found on Google. The reasons all tended to be the same as what I mentioned above. The businesses catered to the customers above all else. Owls tended to be tied on to perches and posts while being kept close together inside well‑lit cafés or rooms. No space to stretch wings or ability to move away from a person if they didn’t want to be touched. From what I have read and seen online; Owl Village Harajuku seems to at least be the best out of these places. -The owls are (supposedly) all born and bred in Japan, not taken from the wild. -The operating hours of the café are only from 12pm-6pm. -The owls are divided from the café portion. Glass is supposed to be soundproofed. -25 minutes of every hour is supposedly a rest period for the owls to avoid overexposure to people. -They are taken on trips outdoors. -They are not tied down all the time. -The capacity of the café is only about 8-10 people (this means making a reservation is important). -There are signs telling you whether or not a particular owl can be touched. Now, how much of this is true and how much of it is just lip‑service for the sake of appearances? I guess I will find out. Here’s hoping that I do not regret the decision.