13 Oct 2008 - Salon & Musica

Leap of Faith Haircut: Curiously, all of the employees at the salon I found online were men (in fact, it has been surprising to me to notice that many salons have more male hairstylists than female). Although there were some jitters about going to a new salon with a new hairstylist, and not being sure that we would be able to communicate, this turned out to be my best salon experience to date. To begin with, I enjoyed the most vigorous hairwashing ever. The nice fellow who washed my hair started by placing a light cloth over my face. He made sure that the water was the right temperature and then he went to task. He was scrubbing my head with such umph that my whole body was moving in the chair (which was very cushy). There was also a brief neck massage to release tension and a very good towel wrap before I went back to the stylist’s chair.

My hairstylist was quite the character. He looked like a 'rocker-rock' from the late 80’s or early 90’s. He was very friendly, quick to give travel recommendations, and he 'worked' my curls. He was also very efficient, which I loved. I was done in an hour—something that hasn’t happened for me in years…..The price was also very affordable and the salon is in an area of Tokyo that is becoming one of my favourites, Roppongi.

The Glories of Roppongi:
After leaving the salon, Kerwood gave me a 'shortlist' walking tour of the area. He directed me past the immense Chinese embassy with several guards outside. A little beyond this was a beautiful park. Many of the trails were rough stones and dirt, so it felt very old. We couldn't resist sneaking this photo of a fellow reading next to a stream/waterfall. It looked so peaceful.
Kerwood then took me to an open-air theatre next to the Asahi TV building. This is the area of Tokyo that will be hosting the Tokyo International Film Festival shortly. The pond of water had gorgeous pink lotus blossoms with a curving path through a traditional park area. And, of course, you can see the very famous Mori building from here.....
.....there is an exquisite museum in the Mori building and Kerwood has been graced with the good fortune to teach in an elite law office on the 38th floor! Stunning views, to be sure (only special people are allowed access to this part of the building;).

'Maman': A fascinating (and only slightly creepy) sculpture at the base of the Mori building. What can't be seen in this photo are the white capsules in the body of the spider--clearly indicating that this spider is expecting. From Roppongi, we made our way to Aoyama to search out a music festival....

Bossa Nova Festival: After bumbling our way through Aoyama, Ker and I were treated to a most fantastic free music festival. (A nice sidebar to initially getting lost is that we found an old, important-looking building that we need to go back and see again, as well as a stunning promenade). Part of the bumbling was due to the fact that we had a map that was completely in Japanese. When we found a stage, I stiltingly asked which venue it was (because the schedule was also only in Japanese). The stage-hands were very helpful in pointing out the obvious (as Ker and I went to the front of the venue, there was a table set up with volunteers and a huge sign that was colour-coded to match the map we had—oh well, it was fun to try to get information from the backstage volunteers).


The first show that we saw was being held in a Lexus showroom. People were squeezed into the most unfathomable spots in the room because we had to leave space around the hot red car in the centre (Ker says it was one of their roadsters—looked fast and fun to drive!). We saw Silvio Anastacio (guitar) and Gustavo Anacleto (saxophone) perform. They were playful with their music and had great energy. It was a little bit difficult to get the crowd involved, however there was a handful of people who were really getting down.

As soon as that show was done, we moved to an open-air venue and listened to Marquinhos Lopes play the guitar. How can one person create so much rhythm in their music?!? It was a beautiful fall afternoon to savour an outdoor concert. We felt so lucky to have been able to find it and to be in Tokyo where something is happening all the time. And did I mention the best part--that it was all free :)?