2004
Osaka to Kings Cross
14/03/04 07:08 in: Japan
Alarm went off at 0645. Ordered American breakfast as could not face more pickles and sticky rice. Scrambled eggs and bacon and 4 cups of coffee so a v good start to the day. Taxi to Kyoto Railway Station for 0800 and caught train to Kansai Airport which is an amazing place and very futuristic looking, incredibly clean and efficient.
Bought a few more last minute presents including sweets and biscuits for the office. Flight uneventful and very long - plenty of space to spread out as the plane wasn't full. Arrived back at Heathrow pretty much on time and caught the Heathrow Express. Went from Kings Cross to Cambridge and got back to Robin's mum's house at 1900. Much needed bath, food and sleep.
Bought a few more last minute presents including sweets and biscuits for the office. Flight uneventful and very long - plenty of space to spread out as the plane wasn't full. Arrived back at Heathrow pretty much on time and caught the Heathrow Express. Went from Kings Cross to Cambridge and got back to Robin's mum's house at 1900. Much needed bath, food and sleep.
Kyoto
13/03/04 07:07 in: Japan
Robin didn't go a bundle on the futons even though I thought they were very comfortable. We ended up piling one on top of the other with a duvet in between as well. The whole of the Ryokan was freezing cold so we put all the rather antiquated heaters on. A Japanese woman arrived to put the futons away and then breakfast arrived at 830 am prompt. The only food we recognised was a slice of orange. Everything else was indescribable, although I was thankful to see that there was no raw fish or raw egg. Robin managed to eat all of it though. We both consumed about a gallon of green tea to wash down a wide variety of unidentifiable and inedible objects like pickled cherries and seaweed. The pickled cherries made your mouth shrivel up. We went out to look at the japanese garden and stood in the sun which was much warmer than inside. We found the plumbing, heating and wiring all rather worrying. Trying to work out how to turn the lights on proved to be a bit of a mystery all round. The heated toilet seat was worthy of note as was the rather explicit diagrams on the side of the toilet indicating how it all worked!
We decided to go and find a cafe before sightseeing and were very happy to discover a Starbucks down the road - 'real' food including chocolate chip cookies and coffee! First temple stop - Yasaka Shrine where we were lucky enough to see a Japanese wedding in full swing. I also managed to coax a group of Japanese children into posing for a photo. Weather absolutely beautiful - sunny and warm. Wandered all through the Maruyama Park where there were amazing flower displays and modern sculptures. All the paths were lined by lanterns ready for the start of a festival. We sat by a large pond decorated with bamboo and watched a heron and a turtle basking on a rock in the sun. Saw a second Japanese wedding but this time in westernised dress.
Walked back into the city along one of the main shopping streets which went on for miles of immaculate shops with beautiful window displays. Popped into the Kyoto Museum of Contemporary Art which was beautifully presented but little to look at. There was a blossom tree growing into the open air on the fifth floor. Went for lunch at McDonalds but just a bacon and cheese meal this time with no teriyaki. More endless shops from there but this time in long arcades forever with thousands of people everywhere enjoying the sun on a Saturday afternoon. Sat in another branch of Starbucks to top up energy levels. Third cup of decaff in a week - now so used to the routine that it didn't matter when the girl at the counter explained it all in Japanese. I knew she was saying that my coffee would take five minutes and that she would come and find me!
We walked back to the hotel stopping off at a shop to buy some emergency provisions just in case the evening meal proved to be challenging. Once back at the Ryokan, we decided to sample the Japanese wooden bath which was only around four feet by two feet. Dinner proved to be a pleasant surprise as we had beef sukiyaki cooked at our table in our room by the Japanese owners in traditional dress. It was very nice food, even the tofu was OK. We passed on the pickles and soup though.
After dinner we ventured out to try and find the lantern festival taking place in the old town. Unfortunately to no avail - we think we were probably too late. We did see a proper geisha whilst walking through the streets of Kyoto. Also met a very friendly Japanese family, who insisted on taking our photo; I think his hands were as cold as mine judging by the camera shake.
We decided to go and find a cafe before sightseeing and were very happy to discover a Starbucks down the road - 'real' food including chocolate chip cookies and coffee! First temple stop - Yasaka Shrine where we were lucky enough to see a Japanese wedding in full swing. I also managed to coax a group of Japanese children into posing for a photo. Weather absolutely beautiful - sunny and warm. Wandered all through the Maruyama Park where there were amazing flower displays and modern sculptures. All the paths were lined by lanterns ready for the start of a festival. We sat by a large pond decorated with bamboo and watched a heron and a turtle basking on a rock in the sun. Saw a second Japanese wedding but this time in westernised dress.
Walked back into the city along one of the main shopping streets which went on for miles of immaculate shops with beautiful window displays. Popped into the Kyoto Museum of Contemporary Art which was beautifully presented but little to look at. There was a blossom tree growing into the open air on the fifth floor. Went for lunch at McDonalds but just a bacon and cheese meal this time with no teriyaki. More endless shops from there but this time in long arcades forever with thousands of people everywhere enjoying the sun on a Saturday afternoon. Sat in another branch of Starbucks to top up energy levels. Third cup of decaff in a week - now so used to the routine that it didn't matter when the girl at the counter explained it all in Japanese. I knew she was saying that my coffee would take five minutes and that she would come and find me!
We walked back to the hotel stopping off at a shop to buy some emergency provisions just in case the evening meal proved to be challenging. Once back at the Ryokan, we decided to sample the Japanese wooden bath which was only around four feet by two feet. Dinner proved to be a pleasant surprise as we had beef sukiyaki cooked at our table in our room by the Japanese owners in traditional dress. It was very nice food, even the tofu was OK. We passed on the pickles and soup though.
After dinner we ventured out to try and find the lantern festival taking place in the old town. Unfortunately to no avail - we think we were probably too late. We did see a proper geisha whilst walking through the streets of Kyoto. Also met a very friendly Japanese family, who insisted on taking our photo; I think his hands were as cold as mine judging by the camera shake.
Osaka
Early start in order to check out of hotel and get cab to Tokyo Station in plenty of time to catch bullet train. Lucky we had lots of time so that Robin could go to the bullet train shop and buy bullet train souvenirs for the team and Em. Station was amazing - immaculately clean with an army of Japanese women in pink uniforms lined up to get the next train ready. The bullet trains look more like aeroplanes than trains - very hi-tech. The platforms are divided into carriage areas so that you can locate where to stand really easily.
The trip to Osaka is three hours. First stop was still within Tokyo called Shinagawa. Next stop was Atami which followed views of mountains, industrial buildings and houses. Fabulous view of the Pacific Ocean from the train. We loved the tunes that the train made when approaching each stop - talking trains! Third stop - Shizuoka although we could not see Mt Fuji when we went past it because of low cloud. Fourth stop - Hamamatsu and then Nagoya where the station was dwarfed by the biggest Marriott hotel imaginable. Endless mile upon mile of factories and motorways and it is impossible to tell where one place stops and the next starts. Very dull and cloudy in the west so not much to look at. Saw some other UK Bowie fans on the train. Penultimate stop was Kyoto. The train announcement said we would be making a brief stop here. Difficult to tell where all the temples were from the brief encounter with the station but no doubt we will find out tomorrow.
Osaka - totally different to Tokyo. A big industrial and commercial city and none of the class of Tokyo. Hotel room overlooks McDonalds so went there for lunch and had a teriyaki burger, fries and grape fizzy pop. Don't recommend a teriyaki burger. Went for a walk around and found huge electronics dept store with one floor just for cameras but unfortunately not long enough there to spend any money. Joined the e-cafe so Robin could check his email. Got tube back and there is a station right underneath the hotel.
Went to Osakajokoen station and walked up through the park to the venue which is next to the 16th century castle. Met JunJun and picked up the tickets again successsfully. Very plush venue and we had first row seats at the left of the stage. Bowie was stunning, phenomenal and awesome and if anything even better than Tuesday in Tokyo. Great songs, great band and fabulous noisy crowd - much more rock'n'roll than Tokyo and lots of leather jackets and jeans and punk haircuts. 'Bring Me The Disco King' was stunning as ever but we were just a few feet from him as he sang it off his gantry above us. Also he finally got the words completely right for 'Quicksand' which made it even better. After show ended we met up again and flocked in several taxis to the Bowie fans' party at the 'Little Wonder' cafe. Amazing place tucked away in a side street but packed out with Bowie memorabilia - posters, books, magazines, CDs and more. A lot of items were hand made by the people who run the cafe. About 20 people turned up and chatted while octopus doughballs were cooked. Another first.
Osaka Setlist
01 Rebel Rebel
02 Hang On To Yourself
03 New Killer Star
04 Fame
05 Cactus
06 All The Young Dudes
07 China Girl
08 Reality
09 5:15 The Angels Have Gone
10 The Man Who Sold The World
11 Hallo Spaceboy
12 Sunday
13 Heathen (The Rays)
14 Under Pressure
15 Slip Away
16 Looking For Water
17 Quicksand
18 The Loneliest Guy
19 Be My Wife
20 Sound And Vision
21 Ashes To Ashes
22 I'm Afraid of Americans
23 "Heroes"
(Encore)
24 Bring Me The Disco King
25 A New Career In A New Town
26 Five Years
27 Suffragette City
28 Ziggy Stardust
The trip to Osaka is three hours. First stop was still within Tokyo called Shinagawa. Next stop was Atami which followed views of mountains, industrial buildings and houses. Fabulous view of the Pacific Ocean from the train. We loved the tunes that the train made when approaching each stop - talking trains! Third stop - Shizuoka although we could not see Mt Fuji when we went past it because of low cloud. Fourth stop - Hamamatsu and then Nagoya where the station was dwarfed by the biggest Marriott hotel imaginable. Endless mile upon mile of factories and motorways and it is impossible to tell where one place stops and the next starts. Very dull and cloudy in the west so not much to look at. Saw some other UK Bowie fans on the train. Penultimate stop was Kyoto. The train announcement said we would be making a brief stop here. Difficult to tell where all the temples were from the brief encounter with the station but no doubt we will find out tomorrow.
Osaka - totally different to Tokyo. A big industrial and commercial city and none of the class of Tokyo. Hotel room overlooks McDonalds so went there for lunch and had a teriyaki burger, fries and grape fizzy pop. Don't recommend a teriyaki burger. Went for a walk around and found huge electronics dept store with one floor just for cameras but unfortunately not long enough there to spend any money. Joined the e-cafe so Robin could check his email. Got tube back and there is a station right underneath the hotel.
Went to Osakajokoen station and walked up through the park to the venue which is next to the 16th century castle. Met JunJun and picked up the tickets again successsfully. Very plush venue and we had first row seats at the left of the stage. Bowie was stunning, phenomenal and awesome and if anything even better than Tuesday in Tokyo. Great songs, great band and fabulous noisy crowd - much more rock'n'roll than Tokyo and lots of leather jackets and jeans and punk haircuts. 'Bring Me The Disco King' was stunning as ever but we were just a few feet from him as he sang it off his gantry above us. Also he finally got the words completely right for 'Quicksand' which made it even better. After show ended we met up again and flocked in several taxis to the Bowie fans' party at the 'Little Wonder' cafe. Amazing place tucked away in a side street but packed out with Bowie memorabilia - posters, books, magazines, CDs and more. A lot of items were hand made by the people who run the cafe. About 20 people turned up and chatted while octopus doughballs were cooked. Another first.
Osaka Setlist
01 Rebel Rebel
02 Hang On To Yourself
03 New Killer Star
04 Fame
05 Cactus
06 All The Young Dudes
07 China Girl
08 Reality
09 5:15 The Angels Have Gone
10 The Man Who Sold The World
11 Hallo Spaceboy
12 Sunday
13 Heathen (The Rays)
14 Under Pressure
15 Slip Away
16 Looking For Water
17 Quicksand
18 The Loneliest Guy
19 Be My Wife
20 Sound And Vision
21 Ashes To Ashes
22 I'm Afraid of Americans
23 "Heroes"
(Encore)
24 Bring Me The Disco King
25 A New Career In A New Town
26 Five Years
27 Suffragette City
28 Ziggy Stardust
Kyoto
11/03/04 07:06 in: Japan
Breakfast at Hotel Toyo and then subway to Shin-Osaka station where we caught the bullet train to Kyoto. Taxi from the massive Kyoto station complex to the ryokan through tiny backstreets with stone flag pavements, lanterns and antique shops. Couldn't check in so left our bags and walked by the river to the station and then got completely lost on the subway trying to get back to the station. There are only two lines on the Kyoto subway so this takes some doing.
Had a superb chinese lunch on the 11th floor of the department store on top of the station. Rather bizarre eating chinese food in Japan but we were anxious to eat something filling before returning to the Ryokan for a traditional Japanese dinner. Feeling a bit tired after all the late night excitement of the post concert Little Wonder party last night - think temple sightseeing might be tomorrow. Robin continues to be captivated by the fact that everything in Japan talks to you including today's latest revelation, a talking bus stop! Robin attempted to record a talking tube station on his camera.
After lunch we went to the roof garden of Kyoto Station. Amazing views over Kyoto and out to surrounding mountains, although very grey, dull and much colder than in Tokyo. Shopped in station dept store obviously owned by Japan Railways - JR Isetan. Impressive shop with abundance of shop assistants dressed in purple tartan outfits with short culottes and tartan berets. Bought souvenirs, all of which were beautifully wrapped. We then went to the second shopping centre in the station where we bought more Japanese souvenirs, again all beautifully wrapped.
Completely exhausted we headed for Starbucks to get second cup of decaff coffee in week. Small and packed Starbucks we were amazed to find ourselves sitting next to a woman called Eri from Bowienet, who we had met at the concert in Osaka the night before. Eri had been to the Bowie press conference in Tokyo and had recorded the whole interview with Bowie. She asked us to check her written transcript and listen to the recording. Eri was planning to publish the interview on Bowienet. She showed us some photos of when she had met Bowie in New York and had been on stage with him.
We then returned to the Ryokan on the tube, checked in and had our traditional japanese meal served. Our room was on the ground floor with doors opening onto the Sukiya style garden with lime trees over 150 years old. After our showers in what was described as a westernised bathroom but contained an extremely short wooden bath, we dressed in kimonos and tabi (socks) ready for our dinner which was served very promptly at 1900 by a Japanese woman in traditional dress. The food comprised of much beautifully presented but very tasteless food - we thought it was very disappointing after all the build up. The evening started to take on signs of a Brian Rix farce as the Japanese woman kept coming in and out to clear the room and put down our futons. We got a fit of the giggles and could not stop laughing. The Japanese woman seemed very concerned about not being able to find us a night light and eventually returned with one that she plugged in. Meanwhile Robin had located the other light which he pointed out to her. She seemed to find this very funny and unplugged the existing light to replace it. We heard her going off up the corridor laughing loudly to herself! Once we thought it was safe to come out we locked the door and had some much needed beer.
Had a superb chinese lunch on the 11th floor of the department store on top of the station. Rather bizarre eating chinese food in Japan but we were anxious to eat something filling before returning to the Ryokan for a traditional Japanese dinner. Feeling a bit tired after all the late night excitement of the post concert Little Wonder party last night - think temple sightseeing might be tomorrow. Robin continues to be captivated by the fact that everything in Japan talks to you including today's latest revelation, a talking bus stop! Robin attempted to record a talking tube station on his camera.
After lunch we went to the roof garden of Kyoto Station. Amazing views over Kyoto and out to surrounding mountains, although very grey, dull and much colder than in Tokyo. Shopped in station dept store obviously owned by Japan Railways - JR Isetan. Impressive shop with abundance of shop assistants dressed in purple tartan outfits with short culottes and tartan berets. Bought souvenirs, all of which were beautifully wrapped. We then went to the second shopping centre in the station where we bought more Japanese souvenirs, again all beautifully wrapped.
Completely exhausted we headed for Starbucks to get second cup of decaff coffee in week. Small and packed Starbucks we were amazed to find ourselves sitting next to a woman called Eri from Bowienet, who we had met at the concert in Osaka the night before. Eri had been to the Bowie press conference in Tokyo and had recorded the whole interview with Bowie. She asked us to check her written transcript and listen to the recording. Eri was planning to publish the interview on Bowienet. She showed us some photos of when she had met Bowie in New York and had been on stage with him.
We then returned to the Ryokan on the tube, checked in and had our traditional japanese meal served. Our room was on the ground floor with doors opening onto the Sukiya style garden with lime trees over 150 years old. After our showers in what was described as a westernised bathroom but contained an extremely short wooden bath, we dressed in kimonos and tabi (socks) ready for our dinner which was served very promptly at 1900 by a Japanese woman in traditional dress. The food comprised of much beautifully presented but very tasteless food - we thought it was very disappointing after all the build up. The evening started to take on signs of a Brian Rix farce as the Japanese woman kept coming in and out to clear the room and put down our futons. We got a fit of the giggles and could not stop laughing. The Japanese woman seemed very concerned about not being able to find us a night light and eventually returned with one that she plugged in. Meanwhile Robin had located the other light which he pointed out to her. She seemed to find this very funny and unplugged the existing light to replace it. We heard her going off up the corridor laughing loudly to herself! Once we thought it was safe to come out we locked the door and had some much needed beer.
Day four
10/03/04 07:05 in: Japan
Lazy start to day and long breakfast and wrote postcards. Walked down to Shiba-koen station and got train to Yotsuya and then wandered backstreets.
Lovely soup and noodle lunch in very up market station food hall. Weather absolutely stunning - warmest day so far. Feels like Spring. Made after lunch purchase of perfume and aftershave as it turned out to be considerably cheaper than even duty free at Heathrow. Caught different tube line Marunouchi - to Shinjuku area of Tokyo. I pressed my nose up against the glass counters inside Tiffanys and dreamt of being Holly Golightly. Also went into Gucci but it didn't get our vote.
Next stop - the National Gardens. Gardens were lovely and magnolia blossoms starting to show. Met some talking gates, a taking drinks machine and, finally, an entire talking park which played 'Auld Lang Syne' as we left. Should have brought a tape recorder instead of a camera ...
Ponds had carp, heron and possibly a cormorant. Walked back to subway and went to Tokyo International Forum which was typically space age. Finally found a Starbucks so could get some decaffinated coffee at last, although the man serving advised it would take three or four minutes - he then forgot to bring it! Headed back to the tube via Tokyo's financial district and past the main railway station. Passed a talking bank and some talking trees. We opted for a Japanese meal in the hotel - interesting food. Very bland, lots of chewy, tasteless substances. Robin managed to eat more of the sashimi than I did - neither of us ate the thing that looked very like a garden snail! Washed it all down with large bottles of excellent Asahi beer. Packed our cases ready to leave for Osaka in the morning.
Lovely soup and noodle lunch in very up market station food hall. Weather absolutely stunning - warmest day so far. Feels like Spring. Made after lunch purchase of perfume and aftershave as it turned out to be considerably cheaper than even duty free at Heathrow. Caught different tube line Marunouchi - to Shinjuku area of Tokyo. I pressed my nose up against the glass counters inside Tiffanys and dreamt of being Holly Golightly. Also went into Gucci but it didn't get our vote.
Next stop - the National Gardens. Gardens were lovely and magnolia blossoms starting to show. Met some talking gates, a taking drinks machine and, finally, an entire talking park which played 'Auld Lang Syne' as we left. Should have brought a tape recorder instead of a camera ...
Ponds had carp, heron and possibly a cormorant. Walked back to subway and went to Tokyo International Forum which was typically space age. Finally found a Starbucks so could get some decaffinated coffee at last, although the man serving advised it would take three or four minutes - he then forgot to bring it! Headed back to the tube via Tokyo's financial district and past the main railway station. Passed a talking bank and some talking trees. We opted for a Japanese meal in the hotel - interesting food. Very bland, lots of chewy, tasteless substances. Robin managed to eat more of the sashimi than I did - neither of us ate the thing that looked very like a garden snail! Washed it all down with large bottles of excellent Asahi beer. Packed our cases ready to leave for Osaka in the morning.
Day Three
Day Three - Tuesday 9th March
Sampled cold green tea fresh from the vending machine. Not for the faint hearted and definitely reminiscent of an unmentionable substance! More sausages and bacon for breakfast at the hotel so set off very happy. Wandered through the streets of Tokyo past the World Trade Center and towards the Sumida river. Stunning views across the Sumida river to the Rainbow Bridge with the planes taking off in the distance. Beautiful cityscapes. Walked some distance around the Hama-rikyu Gardens - an official hunting ground for the Tokugawa Shogunate in the 17th century. Gardens were lovely with a few of the the trees just coming into blossom.
Took river boat trip on the Sumida - forty minutes under 12 different bridges. Fascinating buildings including weird golden flame designed by French designer Philip Starck.
Got off the boat at Asakusa and found another dept store where we managed to order some food - shrimp egg fried rice in a cafe using the tried and tested method of pointing at the plastic food in the display cabinet outside! Robin continues to be captivated by the tuneful doors on the tube trains on the blue line and is threatening to record the sound using one of his techno whizzy cameras tomorrow!
Second night at the Budokan was just as surreal as the first. Walking through the gates of what looks like a Japanese palace did not have the same feel as the NEC in Birmingham or getting off the Jubilee Line at Wembley Arena. Tonight was unbelievable. The man and his band really rocked opening with 'Rebel Rebel' followed by 'Hang Onto Yourself'. Bowie offered to come back to Japan to play the whole of 'Low'. We met JunJun again who said she cried in 'Quicksand' last night. We also met some more Bowienetters from England - easy to spot because at least a foot taller than anyone else in the crowd. When we left we were starving so we had the Japanese equivalent of hot dogs : noodles cooked with cabbage, onions and soy sauce from one of many street vendors. Catching the tube proved challenging as we failed dismally to purchase tickets for the right line and had to resort to arm waving and pointing. However we eventually managed to get back to the hotel with no major disasters.
Full Tokyo Setlist
01 Rebel Rebel
02 Hang On To Yourself
03 New Killer Star
04 Fashion
05 Cactus
06 All The Young Dudes
07 China Girl
08 Reality
09 5:15 The Angels Have Gone
10 The Man Who Sold The World
11 Hallo Spaceboy
12 Sunday
13 Heathen (The Rays)
14 Under Pressure
15 Slip Away
16 Looking For Water
17 Quicksand
18 The Loneliest Guy
19 Afraid
20 Be My Wife
21 A New Career In A New Town
22 Ashes To Ashes
23 I'm Afraid of Americans
24 "Heroes"
(Encore)
25 Bring Me The Disco King
26 Five Years
27 Fall Dog Bombs The Moon
28 Suffragette City
29 Ziggy Stardust
Sampled cold green tea fresh from the vending machine. Not for the faint hearted and definitely reminiscent of an unmentionable substance! More sausages and bacon for breakfast at the hotel so set off very happy. Wandered through the streets of Tokyo past the World Trade Center and towards the Sumida river. Stunning views across the Sumida river to the Rainbow Bridge with the planes taking off in the distance. Beautiful cityscapes. Walked some distance around the Hama-rikyu Gardens - an official hunting ground for the Tokugawa Shogunate in the 17th century. Gardens were lovely with a few of the the trees just coming into blossom.
Took river boat trip on the Sumida - forty minutes under 12 different bridges. Fascinating buildings including weird golden flame designed by French designer Philip Starck.
Got off the boat at Asakusa and found another dept store where we managed to order some food - shrimp egg fried rice in a cafe using the tried and tested method of pointing at the plastic food in the display cabinet outside! Robin continues to be captivated by the tuneful doors on the tube trains on the blue line and is threatening to record the sound using one of his techno whizzy cameras tomorrow!
Second night at the Budokan was just as surreal as the first. Walking through the gates of what looks like a Japanese palace did not have the same feel as the NEC in Birmingham or getting off the Jubilee Line at Wembley Arena. Tonight was unbelievable. The man and his band really rocked opening with 'Rebel Rebel' followed by 'Hang Onto Yourself'. Bowie offered to come back to Japan to play the whole of 'Low'. We met JunJun again who said she cried in 'Quicksand' last night. We also met some more Bowienetters from England - easy to spot because at least a foot taller than anyone else in the crowd. When we left we were starving so we had the Japanese equivalent of hot dogs : noodles cooked with cabbage, onions and soy sauce from one of many street vendors. Catching the tube proved challenging as we failed dismally to purchase tickets for the right line and had to resort to arm waving and pointing. However we eventually managed to get back to the hotel with no major disasters.
Full Tokyo Setlist
01 Rebel Rebel
02 Hang On To Yourself
03 New Killer Star
04 Fashion
05 Cactus
06 All The Young Dudes
07 China Girl
08 Reality
09 5:15 The Angels Have Gone
10 The Man Who Sold The World
11 Hallo Spaceboy
12 Sunday
13 Heathen (The Rays)
14 Under Pressure
15 Slip Away
16 Looking For Water
17 Quicksand
18 The Loneliest Guy
19 Afraid
20 Be My Wife
21 A New Career In A New Town
22 Ashes To Ashes
23 I'm Afraid of Americans
24 "Heroes"
(Encore)
25 Bring Me The Disco King
26 Five Years
27 Fall Dog Bombs The Moon
28 Suffragette City
29 Ziggy Stardust
Budokan first night
Big breakfast at hotel and glorious sunny day. Went to Zojoyi temple and Shiba Park and then tube to Ginza with very friendly help from locals. It was interesting watching people come into the temple and pray. Coins were thrown into a large wooden box with slats on the top and then some sort of incense powder was sprinkled on to the smouldering ashes. There were rows of tiny statues representing the souls of stillborn children each holding plastic windmills.
Robin was very successful in his attempts to order us some lunch in a cafe in the basement of a dept store. This involved arm waving and pointing at the plastic food in the window. Shortly after two bacon and egg sandwiches arrived. HMV Store was pretty impressive - we both managed to spend some money with little difficulty. Had a look around the basement food halls in the department store which were fabulous. Ladies in subway were shouting against each other to sell their chocolates and biscuits.
Dashed back to hotel for quick change before heading to the Budokan to meet JunJun and collect our tickets. Found JunJun very easily and she took us to the ticket office where we were successful in getting our tickets for both Tokyo concerts. Two very happy and relieved people. Bowie was awesome to use Robin's favourite adjective. We were six rows from the front and met some people from Bowienet who had also come over from Europe as well as two who had just been around Australia and seen all the shows there for two weeks. How do these people find the time and money ? Highlights included three tracks from 'Low' plus 'Quicksand' off 'Hunky Dory'. The man really rocked as did his band. Concert started at 7:30pm and was over by 9:30pm so we went home on the tube with all the people coming home from work. Lots of street vendors outside afterwards with little stalls selling photos and keyrings by gaslight - photos won't do it justice.
Full setlist from Tokyo
01 Rebel Rebel
02 New Killer Star
03 Fame
04 Cactus
05 All The Young Dudes
06 China Girl
07 Never Get Old
08 The Loneliest Guy
09 The Man Who Sold The World
10 Hallo Spaceboy
11 Sunday
12 Heathen (The Rays)
13 Under Pressure
14 Life On Mars?
15 Looking For Water
16 Quicksand
17 Days
18 Sound And Vision
19 Be My Wife
20 A New Career In A New Town
21 Ashes To Ashes
22 I'm Afraid of Americans
23 "Heroes"
(Encore)
24 Five Years
25 Suffragette City
26 Ziggy Stardust
Robin was very successful in his attempts to order us some lunch in a cafe in the basement of a dept store. This involved arm waving and pointing at the plastic food in the window. Shortly after two bacon and egg sandwiches arrived. HMV Store was pretty impressive - we both managed to spend some money with little difficulty. Had a look around the basement food halls in the department store which were fabulous. Ladies in subway were shouting against each other to sell their chocolates and biscuits.
Dashed back to hotel for quick change before heading to the Budokan to meet JunJun and collect our tickets. Found JunJun very easily and she took us to the ticket office where we were successful in getting our tickets for both Tokyo concerts. Two very happy and relieved people. Bowie was awesome to use Robin's favourite adjective. We were six rows from the front and met some people from Bowienet who had also come over from Europe as well as two who had just been around Australia and seen all the shows there for two weeks. How do these people find the time and money ? Highlights included three tracks from 'Low' plus 'Quicksand' off 'Hunky Dory'. The man really rocked as did his band. Concert started at 7:30pm and was over by 9:30pm so we went home on the tube with all the people coming home from work. Lots of street vendors outside afterwards with little stalls selling photos and keyrings by gaslight - photos won't do it justice.
Full setlist from Tokyo
01 Rebel Rebel
02 New Killer Star
03 Fame
04 Cactus
05 All The Young Dudes
06 China Girl
07 Never Get Old
08 The Loneliest Guy
09 The Man Who Sold The World
10 Hallo Spaceboy
11 Sunday
12 Heathen (The Rays)
13 Under Pressure
14 Life On Mars?
15 Looking For Water
16 Quicksand
17 Days
18 Sound And Vision
19 Be My Wife
20 A New Career In A New Town
21 Ashes To Ashes
22 I'm Afraid of Americans
23 "Heroes"
(Encore)
24 Five Years
25 Suffragette City
26 Ziggy Stardust
Cambridge to Tokyo
06/03/04 07:02 in: Japan
Train Cambridge to Liverpool St, tube to Paddington, train to Heathrow. Flew over Hamburg, Stockholm, St Petersburg and all the way across Russia and Siberia until Khabarovsk and then south over Japan. Read More...