Somewhere New
I’ve been feeling like I’ve been in a bit of a rut lately, so after a pretty good week, I wanted to explore a little this weekend. While most of the new places I went didn’t pan out, I’m still proud of myself for trying.
This past weekend was a long weekend, which is always a nice treat. On long weekends especially, I always try to go into Tokyo, since 3 days spent laying around the house is far too long. I had some vague notions of what I wanted to do, but like most things I figured I would just play it by ear.
So I headed to my usual haunt in Shinjuku, but instead of going to my usual first bar, I wanted to mix things up. Instead, I went to a standing bar I’d passed before, and often seen featured on various Instagram videos. It was much tinier than some of the other bars, maybe fitting 10 people inside, with a few tables outside.
It’s still pretty cold here, so they had a space heater set up. Depending on where you were standing though, it very much felt like you were simply drinking on a street corner. Thankfully, the drinks were rather good, though probably sweeter than most people would prefer. One of the reasons I wanted to try this bar was because I thought it might be a good place to talk to new people.
Like many places here in Tokyo, it’s small, compact, and you’re up close and personal with strangers. This is true of other bars I like, but because this was standing only, it seemed to encourage a bit more interaction. I ended up inserting myself into a conversation, and had a nice time chatting with two other people for about a half hour.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have a great position, since the space heater was blocked, leaving me to get progressively colder. After reaching a natural lull in the conversation I excused myself, and went on my way. I had one other place in the area I’d been meaning to check out, and I was already on a roll, so why not go now?
This place I imagined to be a more club-like venue that featured a lot of drag shows and dancers before devolving into drunken tomfoolery. The cover charge was steeper than I’d like, but I got two drink tickets with it, so it mostly felt like a wash. But as I entered, I got the feeling this place wasn’t for me.
It was smaller than I expected, with a tiny elevated stage, a few tables and booths, and a bar. It was also blaring music, and not the kind I liked. I’m sure people would be quick to correct me, but to me it falls under the broad EDM category of music. Hardly any vocals, just lots of bass and rhythmic beats, and very loud.
I tried to get through my drink and warm up to the place, but in the 20 minutes I spent there I only really found myself getting more uncomfortable. Between the music, the flashing lights, and my general discomfort, I was very overstimulated. There was supposed to be a show in another hour or so, but there was no way I could wait it out here.
As I made my escape, I wanted something a bit quieter, and for whatever reason, karaoke was what came to mind. I hadn’t really found a great karaoke bar in Shinjuku, but I had just heard about one while I was at that first standing bar. Apparently somewhat famous, being visited by Freddie Mercury who became friends with the owner.
Finding the bar was a bit tricky, but as I walked in and sat down, I was a bit disappointed. It wasn’t bad, but didn’t quite feel like what I was looking for. It felt a little dingy, being mostly grey and surprisingly, not very good sound. I was directed to the bar, but all the music came from behind me, making me feel a bit isolated.
It didn’t help that I was the only foreigner. I chatted with an older gentleman next to me for a bit, but he left fairly quickly after I arrived. I ended up putting a song in the queue, hoping it might either shift my own energy, or encourage other patrons to approach me. I picked a Japanese song for that very reason.
Once at a bar I did a song in Japanese, probably not very well, but people began making conversation with me after I finished. It showcased I can at least speak some Japanese, though that was a bit of a different environment. It took about 20 minutes to reach my song, and I mostly just wanted to leave rather than wait my turn.
When it was my turn, I got a mic, but could barely hear the song, and it felt like the mic was barely on. I got basically zero reaction, from the bar, including the people closest to me. I finished the song, asked for the check, and left. I’ll have to continue my search for a karaoke spot next time I’m in the area it seems.
After 3 misses, I was ready for somewhere familiar. I headed to my favorite bar, and proceeded to dance for the next few hours. For the first time all night, time seemed to fly, and I really enjoyed myself. It wasn’t a particularly notable night, I didn’t meet anyone, nor was it the best night of dancing ever, but it was fun.
Of the new places I went, the first one was probably the best, and once the weather warms up a bit, I would probably try returning. The standing nature of the bar feels like it encourages people to meet and chat, which I quite liked. The other 2 I think I can safely say I won’t be returning to.
Trying out new places can certainly be a bummer when they don’t work out, but honestly, having enough energy and interest in going somewhere new is a bit of a victory all on its own. Just a few weeks ago I could hardly muster interest in going to my favorite bar, so going to a total unknown is quite the victory.
Even if the result turns out to be a bit of a let down, the feeling of pride in doing something new, for going beyond your comfort zone, tends to make it feel worthwhile. Having the energy to do something new isn’t easy, and it’s not always tangibly rewarding either. In this case, the best part of my night was the familiar, and that’s okay, but challenging myself to go somewhere new was rewarding in itself.
As the night grew late, I found somewhere to spend the night. The next morning, I found myself with a fair bit of energy. Maybe on a roll from trying new places, there was one more place I wanted to go. Unlike the other attempts, this one I really quite loved. That’ll be a story for the next article though.
