been there only once during my previous visit and do not seem to remember the way, I get directions to the Champion karaoke from friends.
I follow the directions, which could not be any more precise. Turn left out of the Hilton,
walk to Nishi-Shinjuku metro station, cross the main road, turn right and keep walking till
you pass a Mister Donut, turn left, walk a block and you are there.
However, by mistake, I take the left just in front of the Mister Donut, instead of the left
after passing it. I am assuming that walking a block would lead me to the bar.The time is
11PM and the whole place is swarming with people. It is as if it is daytime, such are the
crowds of people, mainly young guys and girls.
I walk through the crowds on the street. A pretty good-looking Japanese girl (actually most
Japanese girls look cute and doll-like) is standing on the pavement. As I near her, she smiles
and the following conversation takes place between us.
Girl : Hi.
Me : Hi. Do we know each other ?
Girl : Would you like a massage ?
Me : Massage ? No thank you.
Girl : A massage and much more. Only 10000 Yen.
Me : Sorry. I am not interested.
I move on. There are guys sitting on the pavement railings. One of them jumps in front of me.
Guy : Hi. You need nice Japanese girls ?
Me : What ? Sorry, I am not looking for that.
Guy : It's very cheap.
Me : Doesn't matter. Not interested, Thanks.
He must have seen me talking with that girl and assumed that I might be a potential customer.
From there on, it is all about fending off these guys, who are soliciting customers. It's all done
in the open, with no fear of the law. Maybe it is not illegal here, who knows. Anyway, while trying to avoid these people, I walk more than a block, but do not see the Champion bar.
So, I cross the road (to avoid walking through the soliciting crowd again) and walk back
towards Mr.Donuts. I am halfway across a small street, when a black guy comes over.
I had seen him last time I was here and know that he also is looking for customers for his
club (an euphemism for brothels).
Actually, I had taken a snap of him then. See attached photo - a little blurred though.
I try to avoid his outstretched hands and try to walk past with a smile. But he would not
have it that way.
Guy : Hi, man. What's up ?
Me : Nothing, man. Just looking for a karaoke bar.
Guy : Man, you can atleast give a handshake. Nothing wrong in that, right ?
Me : Okay. And we shake hands.
Guy : Where are you from, man ?
Me : India.
Guy : India ? Cool man, we play cricket with you guys.
Me : Yeah, man. The West Indies are a pretty good team.
Note : Actually I care zilch about cricket, given the kind of guys we have for our cricketers,
who care two hoots for the country. All they care for is the endorsements coming their way.
More shakehands due to this cricket thing.
Guy : OK, let me tell you. You can have a real nice time. And very cheap too.
Me : Sorry, man. I am not looking for that.
Guy : Are you sure, man ? I can get the best girls and won't cost you much.
Me : No, man. I am meeting some friends at a karaoke bar, but can't seem to find the place.
Do you know where the Champion's bar is ?
Guy : Champions bar ? Its over there.
Me : Thanks a lot, man.
We were actually standing and talking a few metres from the bar.
I am relieved to get inside the bar, where it is business as usual. A mostly white crowd with
a few Japanese girls and a really drunk young Japanese guy. Get myself a beer and just stand watching the action. Many English songs are being sung by the crowd, but I don't seem to
know or have even heard them before. Then a guy sings a Japanese song, followed by a girl
who again opts for a Japanese song.
They used to have a couple of chairs around a round table, at one end of the bar. While the
table is still there, the chairs are not available. So, unlike last time, I have to stand. After
some time, I lean against the wall. A white guy, who has been singing for some time, takes
his drink and comes over to the round table.
Guy : Hi man, are you the bouncer ?
Me : What was that again ?
Guy : I mean, are you the bouncer of this club ? Asking because you have been standing at
the corner watching all the action.
Me : No, man. I am just here for a few beers and to hear some good karaoke.
Guy : Oh, sorry, my mistake.
Me : Thats fine.
Guy : So where are you from ?
Me : India.
Guy : India ? Cool. I grew up in Trinidad and had lots of Indian friends. Many of them are in Bangalore.
Me : That's cool.
Guy : Yeah. I attended an Indian wedding once - my first one. No one told me that they do
not serve liquor at Indian weddings. So anyone that drinks (which is, most of the guests)
goes out, has a drink and comes back. It was funny. And man, no one also told me that it
goes on for 8 hours.
Me : Yeah, Indian weddings can be long. Infact some communities have it spread over 2-3 days.
Guy : 2-3 days ? Thats amazing. BTW, how do you like Tokyo ?
Me : Nice and safe place. Like it.
Guy : Yeah, the safest place I have ever been to. I sometimes get up at 4AM and go for a jog. If I try the same thing in the U.S. where I live now, I could get mugged or even shot.
Then, Martin and his friend Akki come over to our table. He is from England and been here
for 12 years now. Speaks fluent Japanese. His friend Akki, however is yet to master English
as fluently as he knows Japanese. She starts off in English, but gets stuck every so often and switches to her native tongue.
Then there was the Dubya look-alike (a little bit older though), who just knew how to get
exactly between my camera and whoever it is that I was photographing. Frustrating guy.
And to top it, he had to smoke a cigar (a stinking one at that) inside a closed bar measuring
at the max some 100 sq. feet. God, how I wished I could yank that cigar and throw it out.
I spend around 2 hours there and finally decide to head back to the hotel at around 1:30AM. The black guy is still there at the cross-road.
Guy : Hi man. So how was it ?
Me : Good, man. Had some beer and karaoke.
Guy : What do they do there, man ?
Me : They let you sing karaoke and also have beer / liquor.
Guy : You sure thats the only thing ? Or do they have drugs ?
Me : Drugs ? No man. None that I could see.
Guy : So, how about the girls I told you earlier ?
Me : No man. I am not looking for that. Good night, man.
Guy : Good night, man.
I walk the 1.5 km or so distance back to the hotel. I am tired, and all I look forward to
is the soft bed of the Hilton Tokyo. The place that has been home for the last 3 weeks
and for another week to come.
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