Last Exit from Ikebukuro
We went out in style on our final evening in Tokyo. After my last class with Osada Steve at Studio SIX, it was Gaijin Night at the Studio. At around 7, the Oz contingent appeared: Mark, Aleni and Lani from Sydney.
Steve opened the proceedings with some hot newaza with Aiko-chan, the lady with the amazing tiger back tattoo. As soon as he’d finished, he turned to me saying it was time for me to do a spot. A hard act to follow. Hmm, no pressure! Anyway, I did a floor session with Electric Fairie, which Steve said was 100% for energy, if somewhat over-complicated.
Unfortunately, I missed Mark’s show as we had to leave for Arisue’s birthday party and we still had to grab something to eat before embarking on what promised to be a serious drinking session.
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A lightning sashimi later, the birthday gift problem solved by a well-stocked cake shop, and we were on the Yamanote line heading for Madder in Kabukicho with a hastily scrawled map.
Amazingly, I figured that this was the bar that Kogure had taken me to on a previous visit and managed to locate it without too much trouble. Madder is like many Tokyo mistress bars, tiny yet lavishly decorated and is equipped with the ubiquitous suspension points.
Arisue was taking time off from the ropes as he had spent the rest of the day shooting for his new instruction book, to be published in English. However, several of the guests seemed to have set up a kinbaku corner at one end of the bar, whilst the rest of us were lavished with snacks and drinks by the glamorous tranny mama-san, Sakura.
Proving it’s a small world, who should walk through the door but a girl we had met only a few nights before at Miura Takumi’s rope workshop.
Inevitably, I ended up stringing up Electric Fairie and, as if I hadn’t had enough pressure for one night, Sakura switched on the smoke machine and disco lighting. Hopefully, this disguised the odd fumble due to a number of whiskey and Cokes.
We eventually stumbled out onto the streets of Shinjuku to hail a cab and catch an hour or so’s sleep before getting the Narita Express to the airport. Sayonara to Japan for another year and a red-eyed flight back to Blighty.
On the bright side, London weather has perked up and the sakura are still in bloom here...and there are plenty of cute girls to be tied up.
Esinem blogs and binds from his home base in the UK.
