Soundtrack:  "Sugartown" - Nancy Sinatra (Yeah, I know I used this song

already, but it fits perfectly and it's my favorite song of right now, so there.)

The night of the Tiny Vices opening...

Hey look, I made a skate video! Haha. Here's Ryan and Jerry fucking around

in the gallery while poor Tim slaves away over last minute preparations.

It's shitty quality, so I dunno if you can hear Tim, all grumpy, going "Don't

hit the wall, you guys!" And I also dunno if you can hear Ryan admonishing

Jerry, "Why can't you stay on? You're a pro skater!"

Photo ops

Americans!

These are the Vice Japan equivalents of Thomas and Jesse. Japanese Jesse even looks like American

Jesse!

Professor Bear! Apparently he lives there now, who knew?

On the night before I got to Tokyo, the guy on the left took the boys to watch a tranny porn being

filmed. I can't believe I missed that! (Note Paul in the background there. New Yorkers were everywhere!)

Ryan and Yu, a rad photographer in the show.

I kept asking people where to find the "Fruits," you know, all the teenagers who dress up in crazy

outfits like these:

They're supposed to hang out in Harajuku but we went there

and I only saw one. I really wanted to see them! Maki said that kids don't really dress crazy anymore,

they all just wanna look like Paris Hilton now. Bleh! But then I asked Yu and he invited me to a party

the next night where he said there would be lots of them. Unfortunately I couldn't go because I had to go

to the Vice xmas party... Next time for sure, Yu!

Anyway! Girls kept making Ryan sign things for them, it was weird.

Well there goes a perfectly good pair of boots.

The boys were getting kinda loopy...

From jet lag, you think?

Post-show dinner at a super "authentic" (I think) type place where you had to take your shoes off

and the table was sunk down into the ground...

And they cook the food in little stoves on the table. I had no idea what to do with these little fish guys.

Most of our dinner companions barely spoke English. I asked them to

sing me any American songs they knew and here's what they came up

with. Not bad eh?

Passing secret dinner notes...

and staggering home after a loooong night.

THE NEXT NIGHT:

There was a piano bar in our hotel, just like in Lost In Translation. I totally felt just like Scarlett

Johanson! Just kidding, I felt like Bill Murray.

I go all the way across the world for a Vice party. Makes sense.

All the girls were wearing hot pants.

Not kidding.

She wins.

Hello, taxi critter!

Got back to the hotel and these lovebirds were at it again. And that's basically it! I got back on a

plane the next morning, watched Talladega Nights a few more times, and arrived back at home,

all depressed at New York's lack of subway penguins and brightly colored vending machine beer.

But oh! This is cool: I left Japan Sunday morning at 11am and I got to New York on Sunday morning

at 9am! I totally went back in time! I was one psyched nerd.

Japan was awesome, but sadly I didn't get to do karaoke or see a "love hotel." Boo! I wanna go back!

P.S. Now go look at Tim's gorgeous Tokyo photos on TinyVices.com for some cross-referencing!