this is where the magic happens

This is the theatre where we're going to see Diru next month. Plenty of places in the vicinity for food & lavatories. Which is especially helpful if you plan to sit in line for 6 or 7 hours.

It was very easy to locate, & there is some lovely architecture nearby. A church stands just across the street from the subway when you arrive on 23rd St. (& right next to the subway we'll have to take back). Here is a close-up of the archway. There was also the clock tower, on the same part of the block as the theatre. Once I got back to the Times Square area & hit my haunts, I took a slightly different route back to get to the subway (just on a whim; I'll be doing the usual the day of the show), & found this hotel. Groovy, ne?

While I forgot to stop in Sephora to get the make-up I'd run out of (I'm doing okay with my stand-in stuff, but I'll have to hit Menlo Park one of the weekends before the show, 'cuz that mall & the City are the only places where I can get it), but had a nice time looking around Kinokuniya & Book Off. There was a lot of stuff I'd have liked to buy, but things were SOOOOO expensive! They had some DVD's, live stuff from Diru & Vamps & a Hyde 'best of + concert video' set, all of which cost WAY too much, esp. when I'm saving my money for the Diru show. Thought I might find some CD's, but no joy. They still had Vamps' "Evanescent" single in Kinokuniya, but I still think $12 is too much to pay for 2 songs, one of which I already have. I was hoping something like the Kozi solo stuff or Gackt's "Crescent" might show up, but no sign of the former. The latter, they had on what might have been vinyl or some kind of album-sized laser-disc (it was in a case, so I couldn't tell; I just saw the word 'digital' on there), but I didn't know if I could play it or even afford it. They had "Machine Girl", but since I haven't seen it yet, I didn't know if it was worth $20. I found a cheap copy of "Pistol Opera" in Book Off, which I've been wanting to see for years - the visuals are so bold! - but it was a Japanese print, & I didn't think it had subtitles. They also had the "Moon Child" special edition, the DVD + commemorative book (I'm assuming it's the photobook I've swiped seen so many pics of on the 'net), but I already have the movie, & I didn't want to shell out $40 for the set. And that's to say nothing of the pretty, black & white Goth-Loli dress I saw in Kinokuniya...$375!!! Unless that thing has been on Mana's body, ain't no way I'm shelling out that much for any garment.

Looked at a few interesting books, too. There was a whole rack with J-zines featuring Gackt, for some reason. I know he's popular, & is in a lot of them, but so many at once! If only I could read better...they're a bit too pricey just to look at pretty pictures (pretty as he is, lol). Anywho, as per my M.O., checked out the GL Bible section; looks like they got a new issue (33, I think they're up to), & of course, Mana-sama was in it. Oddly enough, so was Courtney Love! (Understand, I adore Courtney, but it was really weird seeing her in that particular publication.) Also found a book called "Tokyo Gaikokujin" (Tokyo Foreigners), with pictures of the Japanese domeciles of foreign-born residents. There were Americans, Indians, all sorts. (*is jealous*) It was all in Japanese, so I couldn't tell too much about it (it was also expensive). Another book had these little cartoons, & it was written in both English & Japanese. Really funny stuff! It was called "You know you've been in Japan too long..." Strangely, a couple of the things in there already apply to me! I also learned there is a term for what I am: a henna gaijin. Gaijin or Gaikokujin means 'foreigner', but a henna gaijin is a 'wannabe Japanese'. And I definitely wanna be!

I'm always a bit sad & envious, but moreso sad, when I'm in those places, because my knowledge is so lacking. Even the things I can read seem overwhelming, 'cuz there's so MUCH that I can only glance at things (or I'd be there all night!), & what I can read, I have to read VERY slowly. But it gets balanced out by how comfortable I am there, & I just keep telling myself, "Someday." I hope I'm not lying to myself.

In any case, a gaijin dude I'd seen in one of the aisles at Kinokuniya recognised me when he saw me later in Book Off. I didn't get a chance to check the upstairs manga section at Book Off (I can't remember if they have English stuff up there or if it's all Japanese; I usually spend most or all of my time there mired in music & movies), but I couldn't find any Banana Fish. I did find out, though (at home, not in the City), that "Monster" might start showing on Sci-Fi/Syfy next week (they do Anime on Monday nights). Toshie said that's pretty good.

I got to use a little practical Japanese, though, in Chiyoda Sushi, where I absolutely had to go (after passing up buying the Kill Bill set for $14 - I might be able to get them cheaper in Princeton), as I hadn't eaten since breakfast & it was nearly dinner time, so I was getting a bit dizzy. They're really nice in there. Had a lovely meal of brown rice, pumpkin tempura, & these mixed vegetable batter-cooked thingies (not tempura, though; I don't know what you'd call them), with Calpis (a sort of milky soda) to drink. Picked up some foods for home, too - dorayaki (bean paste-filled wheat cake), daifuku (sort of marshmallowy things), hijiki onigiri (a rice/seaweed thing; hijiki is, I think, brown rice & dark seaweed), burdock with carrots & sesame seeds (burdock is some kind of root; I usually get either that or lotus root when I go there, whichever is available), & a dinner bowl of whitefish & other assorted yummy things over white rice. Oh, & another bottle of Calpis.

After that, it was back Penn Station to catch the train. I lucked out, 'cuz it started boarding 10 minutes early. I'd brought a book with me (Koji Suzuki's "Dark Water"), so I got in some reading on the way there & back.

And that was my day.