2005-03-25 - 6:02 p.m.

First of all, if Diaryland was a person, I would punch him/her in the face. Where are all my pictures?...Howdy from a place that’s not Tokyo. I tried the whole way home to magically turn Shanghai into Tokyo. I chanted, meditated, threw a tantrum, and even tried to use the Force (from Star Wars, mom) but nothing worked. The plane still landed in Shanghai. Tokyo is so clean and beautiful. We didn’t even see much of it, because we followed Jason around so much, but I still love it. Mike has invented a new scoring system for Shanghai, and so far it’s Shanghai=0, Lots of other places Especially Tokyo=1.
Mike, Joe, and Danielle (the other couple from Shanghai that we went with-Mike works with Joe) and I got into Tokyo around 11:00 and went straight to a bar. The people were so friendly and nice and kept whooping and hollering at us (in a good way.) It was so fun that we went back every night!

Here we are with our new best friends. The next night we went to see Jason play with Green Day. Mike’s friend Jackson and his girlfriend Ryoko live there, and if it wasn’t for them,

I would STILL be in the Greater Tokyo area, lost as a goose in the underground train system somewhere. We made it to the venue (hour and a half ride!) and saw an amazing show. Before I had anything to do with anyone having anything to do with Green Day, they were my favorite band. Now that Jason plays with them, I get so excited I pee my pants (another story for another time)!!!!! In my professional opinion as a crazed fan, they put on the best live show ever. Best taped show ever. Best any kind of show ever. They could come out on stage with Fisher Price instruments and still leave me giddy and ecstatic by the time it’s over. So enough gushing from me. See for yourself.

We went two nights in a row and the venue was huge! The fans were so excited and very friendly. Everyone is friendly in Tokyo. I think it’s against the law to be rude. On the way home, our crew got a little rowdy. Jackson says we were being quite disrespectful. Mike and Jackson led Green Day sing-a-longs with Japanese girls, I was doing back flips on the handle bars, Mike tried to sleep in the overhead compartment, Kathryn, Darrin (more friends-the ones we met up with in Thailand), Jackson, Mike and I tried to duck tape each other to various poles and to each other, and to top it all off, one girl actually MOONED the train. We were a sight indeed. I sincerely apologize to the people of Tokyo. Our last night, NO ONE was at the bar but the bartender and us.
Jason got behind the bar and taught the bartender how to make a Sazerach (sp?) and a Cheech. Good times. I pretended that I was a photographer and took pictures all night. Does anyone besides me get a little tipsy and do that?

Here I am trying to perfect the official Japanese schoolgirl pose. I look more like a wannabe member of the Rainbow Brite crew. The next day we got to see a teeny bit of Tokyo. Here we are near a big park/shrine.That's Kathryn,Darin, me and Mike, and Jackson and Ryoko.

Here’s Mike with huge sake bottles. They wouldn't let him drink it all.

Here’s our interpretive dance/prayer ritual entitled “Please Make Shanghai Turn Into Tokyo”

Harajuku - fashion fashion fashion!!

Here’s a cute little Harajuku girl and Mike.

Here’s me and the members of the Sesame Street Gang on Qualudes. And look, these people are confused.
They think they are in the stinky alley full of fish guts by our house. Cheer up, oh trend-setting teens! You live in TOKYO!!!!! Oh yeah and there was an earthquake too! We’re on the World Disaster Tour it seems. Jason and Adrienne and all of Green Day were so sweet to us. And Jackson and Ryoko and Kathryn and Darrin were so sweet and happy and nice too. Tokyo was full of love, man! I cried like a baby when we left Jason. It just made me sad to see him and not my twinny twin twin, Janna. I have to go now. I am a busy girl. For my next adventure, I am going on a local TV show called Star Shanghai or something. It’s like the Gong show. I tap dance on the show, then they give me a challenge to do. I have three days to learn a dance from the Peking Opera, which I have to perform on TV as well. If their panel of judges likes me, I get a prize. I am not kidding about this. I have officially lost my mind! Xoxo, Julie

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