Oktoberfest '09..

Yep: Oktoberfest in Tokyo, in May..

Headed over to Hibiya park on Saturday for my first ever Oktoberfest experience and right from the first tall Munchner Weisse I knew I'd made the right choice. Beer and sausage enthusiasts have been swarming down here all month, and while it was certainly packed, and difficult to find a table, the lines for the beer and food weren't too bad at all. We sat for a while while sampling the said brew, and then headed over to the stage area for what turned out to be truly one of the most entertaining and interactive performances I've seen. The lederhosen-clad, croth-grabbing German natives plowed through their set, partaking in the amber where they could and generally sending the crowd into an ever escalating state of feverish excitement. In short, Oktoberfest was awesome..

Hells Bar..

Last weekend Sangenjaya's Hells Bar bar had one of the best parties I've been to in a long time. It was the official launch party of new event Cafe Kitsch, as well as the birthday celebration of Tokyo's very own resident Spyderman, and despite them not being able to turn up their bass bins (a residential thing), and the star dj not showing up (a night before thing), this little place kicked and sparkled in fine style.

The bar staff were going as hard as anyone there, and that's saying something..







The unisex toilet certainly gave credibility to the kitsch factor, with that big old vinyl sofa and an old school beatbox playing Bob Marley on entry..





Elmo was an early casualty..







And here's Jonny!



Finally, for those in need of a little bedtime story, a promo vid that Jonny put together..

People of the night.. 03

Another return to the night time fun that is The Treasure Chest..

Bar Bourbon Street..

While stumbling back towards 246 and an impending taxi ride home after the bloggers dinner last week, I took it upon myself to seize the moment and go visit my buddy Pedro at the bar he manages, Bar Bourbon Street. Pedro, while being totally surprised to actually see me walk through the door, reveled in giving me the grand tour of his fine little establishment, and while top shelf liquor all looks the same to me, I found it pretty impressive! I also lucked out in that I was able to catch Steve Gardner finishing off his set of fine Mississippi style blues..