strike

last night was one of those really cool saturday nights. not the kind of saturday night when you go completely crazy, not the kind of saturday that leaves you feeling sorry the next day...but the kind of saturday night when you get to enjoy some good wholesome fun, the kind of fun that is way too often put into the 'uncool' basket but the kind of fun that is always- well fun when you get around to doing it. i'm talking bout pizza and bowling. i have had japanese pizza once before, but never attempted bowling tokyo style. both were much the same as home but as with everything, there was a definite japanese twist. the first stop was to shakey's ikebukuro. at first glance it appeared to be your typical all american style family pizza restaurant. upon scanning the menu i was reminded that i was indeed in tokyo. the drinks menu offered the 'fasy nabel' and the 'flaffy duck'... i decided on the fasy nabel and from the huge selection of pizzas we ended up ordering a tuna and corn pizza and a crab, egg and brocolli pizza (distinctly japanese flavours).  while they looked a little uninviting initially, they were quite a taste sensation.



on a full tummy we wandered towards the bowling alley. i wasn't sure what to expect but had some wild tokyo disco bowling fantasies running through my head. after a jam packed elevator ride to the 5th floor of a neon clad building, i was consumed by the 'seen one you've seen em all' feeling. although upon closer inspection this was no regular bowling alley, this was a pokemon bowling alley.



getting there a little before 9pm, things were pretty low key. there were the usual crowds and lining up but there was no disco, bumper bowling or any of the cutsie crazy things i expected from a tokyo bowling alley. but the night was still young and i was in for a few surprises. after collecting our shoes from the 'bowling shoe vending machine' i noted that tokyo bowling shoes had a added coolness factor that i had not seen in other alleys.

just as we were limbering up and mentally preparing for strike after strike, the clock hit 9 - party time! the bright fluro lights dimmed and the black lights came on and the special balls came out. hello kitty bowling balls for the girls and baseball bowling balls for the boys. this was cosmic bowling tokyo style.