Tin Man's throne: the rise and fall of a Roppongi royal | The Japan Times

Tin Man's throne: the rise and fall of a Roppongi royal | The Japan Times

What goes on, what goes on!  This is a fascinating story. 

As you've probably gathered, I'm not a Roppongi person, not a nightclubber.  For people who do love the Roppongi nightlife, I don't frown upon such activities.  You know, dancing, hook-ups and all that stuff.  Not even the occasional use of illicit substances that may or may not be mind-altering.  I'm not judging at all. 

There was a time when I could dance all night, consume massive quantities and do a little mutual touching with similarly inclined strangers, but I was always what we disparagingly refer to as a "hipster" these days.  I wasn't into dressing up in designer brands and hunting down the newest club beats when I wanted to get sweaty.  I wore cheap t-shirts or gas station shirts I bought with friends at the flea market and I wanted 80s hits played ironically, the occasional Madonna or Michael Jackson track slipped in sincerely and a whole lot of rock and roll, funk and straight up R&B. 

To get my fill of this stuff, I find karaoke the most efficient provider these days, and the last time I drank a beer I fell asleep about an hour later.  I'm still up for live shows, but most of the ones I'm interested in take place on nights before workdays and very far away in Nagoya, Tokyo or Osaka.  When I was in my 20s, I could have shown up, caught the last shinkansen back and work the next morning feeling a little muzzy but available.  At twice that age, there's no way.  It would take me two days to recover, so I can't be bothered unless I can check into a hotel and make it an overnight trip.  Besides, my wife cannot bear cigarette smoke and I don't want to subject her to that kind of unpleasantness.  I can't have fun when she's feeling miserable.  To sum up, these days I'm a very boring person at night. I like to read or watch a movie or just watch my wife do Sudoku.

Let the kids have their fun while they're able.  That's my motto.  On the other hand, I can't resist a sordid story of people slipping along the edges of legality.

Never write about Roppongi?  My second blog entry on the area today.  But no more.  Back to other kinds of foolishness.