On the weekend, I ventured to Kichijoji, 20 minutes outside central Tokyo. It's a really cool area - trendy shops, tons of drinking spots and a great park, with a huge lake that people pedalo across.
My friend and I wandered around in the rain, ducking and diving into the covered shopping streets and then settling down at a yakitori restaurant/ bar. The venue in question dates back to 1928 and is very traditional, serving cheap beer and a range of yakitori, or 'meat on sticks'. We ate chicken meatballs, gyoza (dumplings) and chicken livers. As you can see from the pictures below, it had an old-school vibe, with a wooden interior and a fairly rowdy lunchtime crowd.
On the way back to the train station, we were accosted by two young Japanese girls, dressed in maid outfits. They invited us into the maid cafe where they worked. I had read about these establishments in my guidebook and we were intrigued so popped inside for a beer. For about twice the price of a normal beer, you get assigned a hostess who chats to you. Nothing wrong with that, but the girls were 15 and 16 respectively. And they were serving us beer and telling us how nice our eyes were! I know I have nice eyes, but still...
It cost seven times the price of a beer to take a photo, so you won't be able to see the crazy colours and anime cartoons of the interior, but I did get a photo outside with the girls which you can see at the top. I left feeling slightly dirty, although it was an interesting experience and always nice to get a confidence boost!
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