CK in Japan, Fall Days 5-7 (Pt. 2)...Oishii Camembert

And I thought today would be a humdrum day.  Boy was I wrong!  the day started with my visit to Odaiba that I spoke about in the previous post.  And for evening entertainment my AKB friends advised me that AKB48 Team K's Umeda Ayaka makes a weekly appearance at Tokyo Tower as a DJ.  So after a short rest I headed to Hamamatsuchō, and my long walk to Tokyo Tower!

This was another excellent suggestion!  I had been to Tokyo  Tower before, but I had never gone up to the observatory.  It costs about 800 yen, and you go up about 150 meters to a two-story panoramic observation deck, complete with a restaurant, gift shop, and Club 333.  That is where Umechan would be appearing.

BTW, Christmas is in full force in Tokyo already.  Ayaka, along with Kobayashi Kana and Oku Manami attended the official Tower holiday festival the other day.  So like Akihabara and my hotel, the tower is already set for the holidays!

Umechan was just sitting at a table reading notes as the engineer spun songs.  It was a really nice selection that fit the mood of the place really well.  Sort of a romantic, but cool set of music.  And Ayaka has an extremely soothing speaking voice.  It created the perfect atmosphere for the romantic setting.  Here are a couple of pics from the mid-span of Tokyo Tower...

What a romantic place.  My favorite view was the one of Odaiba where you could see the ferris wheel there changing color in a carnival of lights.  Unfortunately it was to far away to show in the picture.  Oh I wish i had a girl with me.  Well, I had Umechan.  But that doesn't really count, does it?  There were about 10-20 fans standing by the DJ table while I was there.  At one point she kept glancing at me.  I couldn't tell if she was thinking "This guy is an AKB fan?"  or maybe it was "Who is this weirdo that is watching the show?"  In either case, I had enough atmosphere for one night, so I headed to the elevators. 

EDIT:  I found out later that my friend Hiro had sent her a message on her blog that day to look for me at the event.  And since I was the only non-Japanese I could see hanging out in the vicinity of Club 333, that must have been why she kept looking my way.  Had I only known!

When you leave they don't let you all the way down, but instead let you off on the 4th floor.  That way you have to pass through the mall and all of it's shops and restaurants to get out of the place.  I was already thinking about food as I hadn't eaten a morsel since that "Jambalaya" I had in Odaiba.  So when I turned the corner the answer to my hunger pangs were right in front of me...

Yes, there is a Pizza-LA at Tokyo Tower.  And yes, they are playing a Promotional Video by Buono! on the restaurant screens.  So it gave me a warm feeling to see Momo, Airi and Miyabi while I mowed down a slice of Camembert pizza with a side of french fries.  Slice, soda and fries for 680 yen.  I must admit the first moment I saw the restaurant I thought "this will be great for the blog!"  So here is a pic of what a Pizza-la slice actually looks like.

After that i headed back to Shinagawa and my hotel.  For a day that started out as nothing, I sure had an awesome time!  I went to the land of Idoling!!! in the morning.  Saw Umechan's live appearance at Tokyo Tower, And then topped it off with a slice from the restaurant chain that Buono! made famous to international fans!!!

Yes, it was awesome.  Now I just need to rest up for my big day tomorrow.  Seeing Infinity twice.  Wish me luck!

CK in Tokyo