Thailand, and Back

Do forgive my long absence! Since the last time I've posted, I've spent 10 days in Thailand!
 And though I won't go over the specifics of my antics like I did last time with Korea, I've had a great time in the Land of Smiles, and here are some pictures!

I got to know Khao San road very well. If I had taken this picture at night, it'd just be a wall of flesh.

Dropped by the Grand Palace, too. You know what else was grand? The amount of tourists.

Visited lots of markets. Like this one, built on top of the Maeklong Railway.

Or the floating market at Amphaya.

Thailand, like the rest of Asia, is rich in art, be it dance...

...or the martial variety.

I got to spend some time on the beaches of Koh Samet Island...

...Which has amazing fire shows by the way.

As well as the jungles of Kanchanaburi Province, where I was kissed by fish...

...Slapped by monkeys...

...And washed by an elephant. A pretty good time all in all, I'd say!

Rent-A-Dog!

Not a real dog by the way.

Sunny days in June are kind of a heaven-send, and I was resolved not to spend today indoors, enjoy some greenery, and have the benefit of companionship all three. And luckily I found the perfect way to kill three birds with one stone! Today's expedition took me to Yoyogi, a part of Tokyo located between Shibuya and Shinjuku, known for nothing if not its enormous park.
 Here, conveniently situated only a few blocks away from Yoyogi Park, is a quaint little shop named Dog Heart, which fortunately isn't a restaurant. In principle, Dog Heart isn't too far removed from the rabbit cafe I had visited not too long ago. It's a small space where you can sit down and have a coffee, and, as you'd guess, enjoy the company of dogs. Lots and lots of them. Though most of the members of the pack are poodles, there's a fair number of beagles, and a single golden retriever, which, incidentally, must feel a little out of place in the company of dogs half its size, but didn't look any worst for it. As a matter of fact, most of the dogs looked quite happy.

 But sitting in a room surrounded by nine poodles, two beagles and a golden retriever wasn't what I had come for! Instead, Dog Heart also offers a different service - that of renting one of its hearty residents! At the price of 3600 yen an hour, it doesn't totally break the bank, but it's not exactly cheap either. I signed a few forms and agreed to all the clauses saying I couldn't let my dog get hit by a car and was responsible for bringing back her poop, and presto! Seeing as the retriever was currently reserved, I chose a slightly sullen looking beagle amongst the droves of poodles (some of which were literally jumping up and down, in hopes of being picked perhaps.) And just like that, I had bought an hour of Marin the beagle's time!

 I can't say I'm much of a dog person at heart, and I really don't know much about dogs to begin with, so I can't tell if Marin the beagle was as happy to spend an hour with me as I was to spend an hour with her. None the less, I took her to Yoyogi park as advised by the staff of Dog Heart, and she spent a good amount of our time together with her nose in the bushes. There was the one time she happened to find dog food on the ground and I had to grab her and run off somewhere else because the contract I had signed had told me not to feed the dog anything. I think Marin the beagle kind of resented that. But still! I was quite stoked that I got to feel like a genuine dog owner and make the best of the one sunny day we've had in weeks. After most of our time together had passed, Marin got a little tired and so I opted to carry her back home rather than walk her, which she actually didn't seem to mind too much.

 By the time I got back, though, there was actually a line of customers forming, seeming to be ready to rent a dog too, so it seems like the business is doing quite well for itself. I wouldn't be too surprised if there were regulars, even, who rent the same dogs on a weekly basis. Though I'm not quite sure Marin the beagle took to me much, I was pretty proud of myself without entirely knowing why. Regardless, if renting a dog seems like something you'd want to do, I could hardly think of a better location to do it at, so there! Dog Heart is like a good dog. It's...good!

A Tochigi Day Trip - Part 3 - Kayabuki Tavern

I confess, when I originally planned the whole Tochigi day trip thing, I planned it around the one place I knew I absolutely had to visit. I made my 7PM reservation for the Kayabuki tavern a week early, and then realized we would be traveling on train a total of four hours, which seemed a little excessive. It was only then I thought of filling the day with a whole lot of other activities.
 So what's so special about the Kayabuki? The food's good. Also, two of the waiters are monkeys.
 That's right. Two of the waiters are monkeys.

Fukuchan isn't exactly light.

The Kayabuki tavern's owner has had pet monkeys for over two decades. At some point it occurred to him to have his pet monkeys, which could already do simple tricks, bring customers items such as hand cloths and simple orders such as beer. The idea was a success, and now Kayabuki has been featured on television shows around the world. Having met the monkeys personally, I can assure that Fukuchan and Yacchan are both very real and have lost nothing of their wild demeanor during their years of service to the tavern. They're well-trained and know to behave in the presence of customers (though they do occasionally howl and scream and jump.) Their offspring, though present within the tavern, haven't yet earned the right to become waiters, and are still in training.
 In order not to put too much strain on the animals, the monkeys are only allowed to work two hours a day, during which they dress in uniform. As I wrote above, the monkeys are extremely well-trained and put on shows for customers at certain times, where they jump through hoops and do other similar tricks, though I haven't seen this for myself. Allegedly, Fukuchan is also 4th Dan karate practitioner - though I'm not sure how this is possible.

Millo notably unamused to be kept waiting.

 Our experience at the Kayabuki tavern wasn't all smiles and laughter, though. As it turned out, the tavern was unusually crowded on that day, and it was plain to see that they were short-staffed. Being that this was the case, there was no way for the staff to effectively bring out everyone's orders and handle the monkeys at the same time, so we didn't get to experience the monkey waiters firsthand despite having sat there for two and a half hours. We were quite disgruntled by the time they did actually bring out the family of monkeys, and when they did, they offered customers only private time with them and the cost of 1000¥ per person.

 Unwilling to leave Utsunomiya without making contact with the monkeys, we gladly paid for the private session, which almost every other patron in the restaurant did as well. No doubt we would have not even had a turn if Ken hadn't told the staff we were in a hurry to get back to Tokyo. Despite the shortness of the time we had, it was hard to stay disappointed after that. Not only did the monkeys not mind the presence of people, but they seemed to actually love it. We had barely even sat down with them that they were jumping on our shoulders and into our arms, with the children being especially affectionate. Fukuchan, head of his family and largest of the bunch, was eager to impress and constantly challenged us by opening his mouth wide and showing his teeth if we made eye-contact with him, but he remained docile and offered lots of handshakes. Meanwhile, the owner gave the monkeys a variety of masks, which they wore without much complaint but eventually took off when they grew tired of.
 By then it was already time for us to return home after our eventful day, satisfied that we had seen a side of Tochigi that we hadn't, until then, known existed.

The Falconer's Cafe

 It seems I'm on a roll this month, when it comes to themed restaurants at least. But hey, I'm a sucker for gimmicks, and I have to eat at least twice a day anyhow, so why not try as many as I can, I figured.
 The theme this time? Birds of prey. Hawks and falcons, to be specific. And so, with only an address in mind and no idea quite what to expect, I made my way to the Falconer's Cafe in Mitaka - and entered to a falcon screaming at me from a meter or so away.

 The falconer's cafe is, for lack of a better word, much more humble than the majestic birds it showcases. The venue itself is quite small, with a few tables on one side and a small aviary on the other, effectively keeping the birds separated from customers without keeping them too far apart or out of sight. Now, having had no idea how the place operated before walking in, I was actually kind of expecting something similar to the amazing owl cafe I had been to a little more than a year ago. Which is to say, grab a bird, put him on your head, whatever floats your boat. Unfortunately for me (though it's probably better for the raptors,) customers are not allowed to touch them inside the Falconer's Cafe. Well, that's probably safer anyhow.
 But somehow, the novelty of sitting in a cafe in the presence of six hawks/falcons does kind of wear off after a short while. The raptors themselves are beautiful. I don't recall having ever been so close to one in the past, but they're truly awesome to behold, and it's hard not to admire them. But without any other incentive to stick around other than just looking at the birds from a safe distance, the Falconer's Cafe is effectively a zoo with one exhibit only.
Plus, it's a little hard to just sit down and have a conversation, because, you know, the birds tend to scream. Very loud.

This guy is straight out of a movie set.

 Of course, maybe that's not the point of Falconer's Cafe. From what I gather, real falconers are also allowed to bring their own birds to the venue, so maybe this place is more of a meeting place between raptor owners, and the whole cafe business is just what keeps the place running. The owner is a quiet, stern man who looks very much like a bird of prey himself, and his passion as a falconer was apparent, if for nothing other than the various pictures of him and his birds adorning the whole cafe. I can't imagine it's easy to make much money as an expert on birds of prey, so if this is how he pays the bills, then hey, I'm glad it's what's working out for him.
 I wonder how he carries the birds around, though, because it might be a little difficult to bring them on a train? I'll never really know, and that almost saddens me as much as not walking out of this place with a picture of me majestically posing with a falcon on my arm. Can't win them all!

Rabbit Cafes - They Have That, Too

This shop sign really says it all.

I don't know much about rabbits, but for the facts that they're generally rumored to be unfriendly pets and that they're lagomorphs rather than rodents. Incidentally, that probably means I know a little more than the average person, but none the less, that doesn't leave me with much. But hey, I was willing to make a change and learn a thing or two, and so I visited a rabbit cafe for the first time on Saturday. Yes, it appears that rabbit cafes exist on top of cat cafes and owl cafes and penguin bars. This particular one was called Ra.a.g.f, which is quite difficult to read, and was located in Harajuku, but they seem to also have a branch in...Jiyugaoka, was it?
 Anyway, I went there.

 At a glance, Ra.a.g.f was suspiciously small, as if it were actually a one-room apartment turned into a cafe. It turns out Ra.a.g.f actually is a one-room apartment turned into a cafe. The business seemed to be doing rather good though, as I was unable to enter without a reservation at first, and told to come back after an hour, which I did. At first I wondered why such a healthy looking venture operated in such a tiny venue. But it turns out there's might be a reason for that, and I'll get back to that later.

 If you like rabbits, well, you'll find rabbits here. Ra.a.g.f (it's kind of annoying to write as well) has a solid dozen of the little critters, and you're allowed to pet them at will, or hold them if you ask nice enough. All the rabbits even seem to be different breeds, with one of them being particularly huge and twice the size of the other rabbits. They also let one rabbit at a time run loose in the common room, and as it turns out, the rabbits I had a chance to interact with were rather carefree and seemed to approach people without much of a second thought. The reason they only let one rabbit out at a time, I learned, is because two rabbits of the same gender are likely to fight, and two of the opposite gender are likely to mate. Fair enough, then.

Poop Machine is the only name you get.

But also, rabbits poop a lot. Unlike cats, they seem to poop indiscriminately of where they are or what they're doing, which might explain why they keep the venue small, lest they lose some of the poop. Even though they appeared to have a pooping zone, I'd say that they pooped there about 25% of the time, and that's pretty generous. And it's as much as staff can handle to pick up after the poop of a single rabbit, let alone several. And they throw it into the pooping zone, which might mislead you to think the rabbits actually poop there a lot. So if it disturbs you to sit on a spot where a rabbit might have pooped a few minutes prior to you coming in, then maybe avoid Ra.a.g.f? But rabbit poop is actually odorless and, from what I heard, edible for humans (and a recommended meal in case of a survival situation.)
 So yeah, go to Ra.a.g.f, chill with rabbits, chill with rabbit poop, eat rabbit poop,  get kicked out for eating rabbit poop, do what you like there!

Sunshine Aquarium

I dare say, if there's one thing that unites the people in Japan, it may just be love for fish. And I guess that might be a healthy thing, considering it's an island country. Nothing wrong about liking one's neighbors. But really, to prove my point, Tokyo has, what, four aquariums? Is there any other city in the world with four aquariums? Practically every major city in Japan has an aquarium. Montreal basically has half of one.
That being said, I had never actually been to one of Tokyo's in the three years I've lived in the city. So I figured I'd check one out, given that I live two subway stations away from one - that would be the Sunshine Aquarium.

 Truth be told, I like fish too. I have a tender spot in my heart for weird, alien-looking things, and God knows there's a lot of undersea critters that fit that description. Sunshine Aquarium definitely has its few, on top of the crowd favorites.

D'aww, yeah!

My personal favorite was actually the Sunfish (also known as Mola Mola or Mambo depending on where you're from.) Apparently, those aren't widely kept in aquariums. It was kind of hard for me not to be fascinated by the slow-moving giant, what with it looking like a huge face floating in space. But if that's not your thing, then you'll be glad to know that Sunshine Aquarium also has its share of "popular" fish too, like sting rays, a shark, moray eels, a school of sardines, seals, otters, penguins and even pelicans.
Ask anyone though, and they'll tell you the main highlights of the aquarium are the seals' glass playground in the exterior section of the park, or the jellyfish tunnel. While I'll admit the latter is kind of amazing in and of itself, the downside to it is that the aquarium itself is built on top of Sunshine City, which happens to be one of the most crowded malls in Tokyo. It's quite difficult to stand inside that jellyfish tunnel without being surrounded by a mob of equally enthused people, let alone have the kind of romantic moment the aquarium seems to want to advertise.
 If you're in the area, by all means, have a look for yourself, or better yet, bring a date, but the only way to make the best of it is to pick the time wisely.

The Bar With Penguins Inside

In my last few days back in my hometown, Montreal had just opened its first cat cafe. In comparison, being that Tokyo has 39 of them at this point, opening a cat cafe is no longer as exciting and daring a business venture as it once was. And so it became that "The Bar With Penguins Inside" opened.
 The first of its kind in Tokyo, I suspect the penguin bar is nothing if not a giant ploy to one-up the other crazy restaurants and cafes and bars opening throughout the metropolis.
But boy, does it work.

Though I've had no luck getting in in the past, I was successful in doing so this time by simply agreeing to go in at whatever time they said they had an opening on. The bar does tend to get pretty full (on weekends especially,) so an advance reservation is probably recommended, and the website even allows you to do so in English. I eventually got the following phone call after dropping in an online reservation for 8 o' clock.

 "Hello, mister....Sheen?"
 "Sean."
 "You...uhh...reservation...uhh..."
 "Yes?"
 "..."
 "I can come in at 8?"
 "No."
 "Oh."
 "..."
 "What time are you open?"
 "Oh. You speak Japanese?"
 "Kind of."
 "You can come at 10."
 "Alright bye!"

 Well, he gets credit for trying.
 As you enter the penguin bar, frames of penguins adorn the walls and screens appear to be playing that "March of the Penguins" documentary narrated by Morgan Freeman. And, at the back of the room, are the three stars of the establishment. Granted, they're separated from the rest of the bar by a wall of glass, but yes, The Bar With Penguins Inside is true to its name. As much as I would have liked the penguins to actually walk around the bar and mingle with them, I'm pretty sure that has more to do with licensing and making sure the animals aren't being treated in a bizarre or cruel manner.

We had a moment there.

 Once you get to meet them, they're pretty friendly! They come up to the glass and greet you in their wobbly kind of way, and open their mouths as if to nibble on your fingers while they swim around.
 Truth be told, other than that and the sparse decorations and screens, the place runs like any other run-of-the-mill bar, with food and drinks being rather normal. The party room looked rather disappointing, being the farthest away from the penguins. There were iron-cast pig heads on the walls, and that was a little strange.
 I guess you could raise the argument that putting penguins in a bar with loud drunk people, behind a glass wall is inhumane and whatnot, but it'd be a pretty boring argument that everyone's heard already. Just being honest! Yes, though, that's a valid concern. But speculation brings us nowhere.
 So if you want to pose with penguins, or, as the bar's website mentions, hold a wedding after-party reception, then check out The Bar With Penguins Inside. It...holds true to its name!

Sakuragaoka Has Goats

If you've ever taken a walk in Shibuya around mid-afternoon, you might've come across a pair of young ladies walking goats up and down the busy streets. Regular people don't really own that kind of pet in Tokyo, so you can just about guess that, yes, indeed, some restaurant/bar/cafe out there is home to those two goats. The place in question is Sakuragaoka, south of Shibuya station. I went in with Ken for a closer look.
 The goats, named Chocolat and Sakura respectively, casually chill outside of the cafe in a small, cozy looking enclosure, and you can actually smell them from a little bit away. It's not that they smell terrible or anything, but goats smell like goats. Y'know, that barnyard smell. I tried to stick my hand in and pet Chocolat, but he headbutt my hand. The damage was more emotional than anything else though. How rude. Chocolat's a bit of an asshole.

  Heading in, though, the cafe's got a pleasant, soft-bosanova, chill atmosphere, which I guess isn't unexpected of a cafe. It's spacy and the lights are dim, and it has a bit of a vintage look to it.
 I had stumbled upon reviews for Sakuragaoka at an earlier point and was surprised to see how highly regarded the food was. I can at least vouch that their lunchtime menu pork chop made for a pleasant lunch, and Ken was quite happy with their choice of salad dressing.

:>

  Sakuragaoka isn't a cafe with a theme, I realized quick enough, and I should probably stress that. The goats, I have no fucking idea what they're actually there for, as it's clear that they're part of the backdrop and don't really serve any other purpose - not even that of being eaten. Maybe they simply belong to the owner and he or she decided to just annex their pen to the cafe, which doesn't really do anything to highlight their presence at all. Point being, Sakuragaoka is a cafe with goats, not a goat-cafe, however much I was hoping it would be.

Hoot Hoot!

That's one handsome bird.

No, it's not stuffed. That's an honest-to-god owl perched on my shoulder. It's real, quite lively, and will kindly nibble at your finger if you try to touch his chest.
 "But Sean!" says you. "That's a wild animal! It'll claw your eyes out!" Well, in normal circumstances, yes. But you see, this is an Owl Cafe! It's an interesting concept. Come in, have a drink, and play with a bunch of owls of varying sizes. They're sprouting up all around Japan, and Tokyo got its own not so long ago. This particular one is located in Tsukishima. That's rather convenient for me. I walk there quite easily.
 A fair warning! It's not all that easy to get in. The place has enough space for 10 people standing. You can't reserve by phone, so you have to actually get to the place, reserve, and then come back later in the day at the appointed time. It's not likely you'll manage to walk in. At least not during a weekend.

But that aside, once you do get it, it's quite a treat! There are a dozen different owls of varying sizes and species. Once everyone is seated and has ordered a drink (which is a requirement), the rules are spoken, and they're pretty reasonable. Treat the animals kindly. Don't cause panic. Ask if you want to hold an owl. And, most especially, don't let the big guys next to the small guys. Big owls eat smaller birds. That'd suck.
 Actually, all the owls in the owl cafe are actually for sale! They'll all cost you a fortune though, with the biggest ones a whopping 500,000¥. That's around 5800$ or so.
 Handling the owls made me think they're quite nice for pets, though! They're quiet, they don't smell, and they're pretty bad-ass to top it all off. The owls in the cafe are all docile and thoroughly domesticated, so they're very easy to handle and don't tend to shy away from being touched, held, or perched on your body.
Do I recommend a visit? Hell yes I do. Set aside the initial hassle of getting in, the place will only run you down a mere 800¥ or so, and that nets you a whole hour. You really can't go wrong.

The Deer of Nara

I've been sitting on the most amazing thing about Nara. If you've been to Japan and subsequently Nara, or if you're Japanese, you know right away what I'm talking about.
 One has only to stroll into Nara Park for an amazing encounter with the deer of Nara.

 Protected by law, the deer of Nara Park number around 1200 and are beloved by tourists and the local populace alike. Their presence can be attributed to the fact that they figure very prominently in the Shinto religion that was once the head religion in Japan. It used to be punishable by death to kill one of the deer, but that hasn't happened in many centuries.
These deer are tame. And by that, I mean they don't give a shit about anything, really. Get close, pet them, chase them around, see if that phases them in one bit. It generally doesn't.
As a matter of fact, you see them approaching people more often, eager to get their hands on anything they can eat. The deer are notorious for lifting skirts and eating paper - yes, that includes your guidebooks and maps. You better watch out!

Alright, ready? Here's the kicker:

Damn right, the deer will even bow to you if you tip your head to them first. It's a fact most foreigners I've met were totally clueless about, but with you as my witness, it works. They've learned a handful of nifty tricks to get their hands (hooves?) on the deer crackers that are sold around the park for 150¥ for a set of 10.
I'll leave you guys with a quick video I shot of the park.

So Many Goldfish

Fancy!

So word on the street had it that Nihombashi Matsui Hall was holding an exhibit showcasing goldfish as modern art. Nihombashi's actually one metro station down from where I live. Sweet deal, right? Let's spend an otherwise empty Saturday morning checking what all the talk is about. I can dig goldfish. I own two. They're named Cabin and With.
 And hey, as it turns out,  the goldfish (or Kingyo as they're called in Japanese) exhibit is actually worth its 10 bucks. Sure as hell, as you'd expect on a Saturday during its opening hour, it was crowded as all hell and worst. But the exposition itself was quite spectacular, featuring somewhere between 20 to 30 different types of goldfish (I didn't know there were any more than five different kinds) in a variety of eye catching or innovative arrangements, complete with complimentary lighting effects. It really made for a rich mood, and I'd imagine it'd have been quite different if not for the crowd.

WHAT IS THE MEANING TO OUR LIVES?

As it turns out, goldfish have always been featured more or less prominently in Japanese art (though not as much as their big cousin the koi fish.) Many examples of old woodblock paintings were put up to help establish the point.
 Nowadays in Japan goldfish appear in different places through different mediums. Why just the other day I was walking down a street where one of the restaurants had them in flower pots outside. It got me wondering whether the same, or this whole exhibit, could ever be seen in North America and still hold the same meaning or catch the same audience.
 I've got to say I enjoyed the hour I spent in the hall altogether, with the highlight probably being the fountain piece pictured above.
On a side note, if you're in Tokyo, the exhibit's up until the third week of September or so! They also serve alcohol in the evening, though I'd stake my money drinks aren't cheap.

Kasai Rinkai Koen

Summer's been raging on with furious Tokyo heat and most of my friends have undertaken various trips outside of the country. I really had no excuse not to check out Kasai Rinkai Park, located a 10 minutes train ride away from my mighty apartment of Hermit Fortress.

 Actually, the park is also one station down from Disneyland, which unfortunately kind of puts it in its shadow. Lots of people actually haven't heard of this place, despite it being, you may quote me on this, probably the best park I've been to in Japan. It's actually pretty awesome. (And yes, if you put 2 an 2 together, I live 12 minutes away from Disneyland. Surprise! And I still haven't gone yet.)
 There's enough here for you to spend the day. Complete with an aquarium, a birdwatching area and a giant Ferris wheel, the park really has a little something for everyone, be it couples, families, or the odd guy who'll do it solo-dolo.
 I didn't go into the aquarium, which apparently features tuna a lot. I guess that'll come in handy when the species go extinct from over-fishing and they have the last 10 or so. They can then sell them to a rich Japanese guy for loads.

How awesomely scenic!

Personally, the birdwatching area really took me. Surrounding a vast marsh, the area is protected by wooden enclosures through which people can look. Some of the birds will actually come pretty close! There's a whole variety as indicated by the various signboards adorning the place, but it's a bit of a sport for the patient man, which I only rarely am. Still, in the 40 minutes or so I spent, I did manage to catch sight of a few bird-things here and there. (No really, I don't know what's what. Anyone care to help me identify the thing on the left?)

The view from the Diamond and Flower Ferris wheel

 The Ferris wheel, named the Diamond and Flower Ferris wheel after its decorative illuminations, was the world's second tallest at the time of its construction in 2001 (it's still 10th now and the current tallest in Japan) and provides a good view of the surrounding area - including the Disney resorts. From what I gather, you can also see Mount Fuji on a clear day, but I had no such luck. Its whole rotation takes 17 minutes, which is advertised as "maximum kiss time." That's pretty cheeky.



And that was my tour of Kasai Rinkai Koen! Go there! It's nice!

Lions and White Tigers and Bears

When I asked my brother what he wanted to do in Tokyo, his list was quite bare.

1. See the Daibutsu
2. Buy shoes
3. See a white tiger

 As it figures, and I only learned of this recently, there is a place a little out of Tokyo where they do hold a white tiger, and that happens to be Tobu Dobutsu Koen - Tobu Zoo. So, sure as hell, we went.

Now, see, the zoo itself actually doubles as a theme park and is located in quite a suburban zone. In spite of the first and due to the second, the park finds itself pretty damn empty on weekdays, asides from old couples and the odd family on vacation. I was actually surprised they kept the theme park running, and as I reckon, most people go in for the zoo.
 And shit, as it so turns out, the zoo is quite nice - it better be, for two and a half times the entry fee of Ueno Zoo, not to mention the long train ride.
 But the zoo is spacious, well kept, and heck, the animals seem a hell of a lot healthier. I don't see lions and bears on a regular basis, but now that I've been to both zoos, even a pedant like myself can tell that the ones in Tobu look hell of better nourished and generally less...stressed out? Than the ones in the big city zoo.

What I also thought was pretty cool was the interactive exhibits one could just walk into a mingle with the animals in. Of course, they don't have these for tigers or elephants or crazy animals like that, but they did do it for the squirrel monkeys and kangaroos. Now if you're Australian, that ain't a thing because you have the damn beasts jumping around your backyard any way, but I've never touched a kangaroo before. They're fuzzy. And they're pretty ugly up close.

And of course, the star of the exhibit, much like Ueno has its pandas, was the white tiger we came for. Almost as interesting as the beast itself was the swarm of middle-aged women around the enclosure. We did come at the right time, though, seeing as the tiger had just recently produced four cubs and we got to see them wrestle and nestle with each other. No doubt it won't be too long before those are sold to some other zoo in another country, so the time was ripe indeed and it was satisfying for the eye.