tokyo revisited.

tokyo was a blur.


a fantastic, beautiful blur.


as with any trip overseas, you need more time. there's never enough of it. never enough time to explore. to shop. to eat. to take it all in. but a week isn't bad. it's just enough to make you want to keep coming back for more.

there's too much to write and too many pictures to show. instead of a long post, i'll try to make this as short and sweet as possible -- "try" being the operative word.

here then, are a few mental snapshots (followed by actual snapshots)*

*please click to enlarge.

-walking. shopping. and people watching. it takes up entire days. and it's some of the most fun you'll ever have. finding side streets and alley-ways. discovering shops and cafes. watching people near and far.

star girl.


smile.


it does.


punk.


waiting in harajuku.


all dressed up.


boy wonder.



-randomly stumbled upon "the garden." initially we thought it was a cafe. housed in an amazing glass building, we decided to check it out. a ride in the glass elevator took us up, up and away until we were high above shibuya and harajuku. stepping out of the elevator, we realized that "the garden" wasn't in fact a cafe. rather, it was a decked out hair salon. tokyo's hippest were busy at work, cutting, coloring, washing. it was quite a sight. this chance encounter led to us making appointments for cuts of our own. the mohawk was going to become a reality. and what better place to take the plunge?

the glass building.


waiting.


the salon's dog. i was going for his look.


they literally wash and massage your head for a good 30 minutes.


a little nervous.


uh-oh.


ta-da!


*where are the pictures of margaux's haircut you might be asking...? as she will attest, her cut wasn't nearly as "exciting" as mine. thus, the lack of photos. but i can assure you that her hair looked wonderful (though there were some tense, nervous moments...a non-english speaking hairdresser will do that to you).

-spent a night at the park hyatt. it was our "lost in translation" experience. the park hyatt is widely considered the premier hotel in tokyo. the lobby is on the 41st floor and the panoramic views are incredible. dinner at the new york grill on the 52nd floor was amazing (remember bill murray having drinks at the adjacent bar in the movie...). we splurged on the $200 kobe beef. i can honestly say it was the best piece of meat i've ever had. also got my first ever massage. it was shiatsu. it was a mistake. it hurt so bad i had tears in my eyes. so much for a relaxing massage.

margaux's "lost in translation" moment.


my moment.


the pool overlooks the city.


a zoomed in view.


the kobe beef.


a japanese couple celebrating.


room with a view.



-a few more random pictures.