Unique Places in Tokyo - The "Gold Gae".
Head Straight out of the East JR (Kabuki-Cho) Shinjuku Station Exit.
Walk straight past Shinjuku Dori (street), once you get to Yaskuni Dori (street)
Look for the Mr.Donuts and a large tree. Below the tree is a small path.
Follow the Yellow Brick Road!
Golden Gae is the COLLEST OF COOL.The strangest of strange the most mis-mtached,
psychotically tranced, intellectual, artiest little neighborhood/bar/pleasure palace in all Japan.
It's kinda like a shrink wrapped version of Vegas, minus the booze plus one order of shroooooms.
Minus the rude drunks, violence and gambling plus one order of gentle people and historical
hospitality. There's nothing like in Canada and I dare say the rest of the world.
I highly recommend going "Bar Hopping" (about 3 inches over is the next bar) there at least one time while in Tokyo.
"Golden Gae" is of to one side of Kabuki-Cho and made up of maybe a hundred or so of the tiniest of tiny little bars.
And EACH ONE IS A JEM!
What's most noticeable when you first get there is just how small, compact, old and UNIQUE these bars are.
Most of them can barely fit 9 people at a time and the interiors are just STUNNING! Glamourous, scary,
sporty, punky - whatever the theme. These folks are SMALL THEME PARKS!
There are "pro-wrestling" bars, so just slap on your "tiger mask 2" and take a shot in his memory (God rest his soul)
make yourself at home. "The Who" bar has a HUGHE collection of classic rock (ie "The Who") run by "Johnny" (the Japanese) bartender himself!
There's a hardcore punk rock bar run by a a very well behaved young Japanese lady..."The Hair of The Dog" I think?
A flamenko bar with live acoustic performances as well dancing. There are barns manned by cross dressers, photographers,
poets and artists.These are real intellectuals - the remnants of Tokyo's 50's, 60's and 70's art heritage days.
If you're able to speak Japanese its a MUST...entrance fee 700 Yen, great conversations = FREE!
I even hung out a place that Byork visits when she's in town!
The reason these places are so small is because there old. Post war Japan was not rich in those days.
At one time the area served as a black market as well as brothel hub. (this is what I've been told - so If I'm wrong please please correct me!)
just after WW2. Indeed they are some of the oldest "houses" in Shinjuku! It's wild to imagine that Shinjuku was at one time made up of tens
of thousands of such similar tiny buildings just after WW2.
So join me in raising a glass to all the hard work 3 generations of salaryman put in to turn this great city
from what was once row upon row of small stores into the mega-city we now call "Shinjuku"!
