tokyo hatelist top 5

[Guest jmatsu]

recent five

1.undercover aoyama- while i like undercover and the shop, i hate the male staff (minus one). i want to punch the longhaired sized 3 sales rep in the head. arguably the worst industry attitude in tokyo (hasn't changed in years).

2.neighborhood harajuku- the staff was always decent to me, but alwyas come off as obnoxious to most nonjapanese customers. so obnoxious that i felt the need to complain.

3. the recent door man at lafabrique- on a total powertrip. thinks he can speak english, but sucks. i hate the fact that alot of their events have eliminated the in's and out's policy. once you're out, you're only in again if you pay again.

4. beligan beer bar in shibuya (parco 3)- very good selection of expensive belgian beer. pretty good food. FAT GUY waiter with middle lengthed hair and glasses is terrible. speaks casually and doesn't adhere to the employee vs. customer hierachy. want to punch him in the head.

5.the brazilain buffet on aoyama st.- food is mediocre. i hate the fact that the staff get all pissed when you try to flag them down for more meat. alot of the gaijin (not all) clientel piss me off because they treat the salad bar like a sizzler's salad bar. beware the clientel. they're all cheap and got no class whatsoever.

any other bad experiences or shit you hate in tokyo??

[prima]

how about on the other end of the spectrum jmatsu?

[Guest jmatsu]

how about on the other end of the spectrum jmatsu?

in japan it shouldn't matter. there is no other end of the spectrum.

[englandmj7]

1. Strip clubs - muy expensivo (I made the second word up in case you couldn't tell)

2. Not getting invited to chill in Nigo's hot tub with that red wolf, a case of Pocari Sweat, and one of those pink ice cream cones with cherry eyes .

3. Nigerian street hustler dudes that will inevitably spread and ultimately ruin the country

4. A pint of Guiness cost me $12 at this one crappy bar

5. Not enough Hard Gay

I don't think I played correctly.

[Guest jmatsu]

1. Strip clubs - muy expensivo (I made the second word up in case you couldn't tell)

2. Not getting invited to chill in Nigo's hot tub with that red wolf, a case of Pocari Sweat, and one of those pink ice cream cones with cherry eyes .

3. Nigerian street hustler dudes that will inevitably spread and ultimately ruin the country

4. A pint of Guiness cost me $12 at this one crappy bar

5. Not enough Hard Gay

I don't think I played correctly.

embarrassed to say that i have yet to go to a japanese strip club. do tell!

"not enought hard gay?" more like too much hg! preschool kids in my mom's old neighborhood still mimick him with there constand air humps and "hooooooos" and "sei X3's."

[mizanation]

whatsup with crappy japanese customer service? is it the new hayari? in new york, customer service by a japanese person usually sucks. so, it's happening in japan now too?

[cuddlysheep]

getting westernized too much too soon. blame it on the americans.

[englandmj7]

embarrassed to say that i have yet to go to a japanese strip club. do tell!.

Unfortunately, there were only about 3 actual Japanese girls in the place I went. They did have an absurd number of exquisitely hot Russian and Brazilian girls though. So I ended up getting a really long free dance from this gorgeous Brazilian girl that worked there and she asked me to take her to dinner the next night. The condition was that it was to this very, very pricey Brazilian steakhouse (can't recall the name). I was leaving to go to Takayama the day after, plus I'm married, so it didn't happen. Either way, she was extremely convincing but I know 100% that all she wanted was an expensive dinner. So yeah, this was after I dropped around $200 for a couple short dances with other girls.........but this was Roppongi, so maybe it's different in other places. I just remember these drunk salarymen foaming at the mouth and literally throwing cash at these 6' blonde Russian girls. They don't make it easy for the rest of us cheapos.

"not enought hard gay?" more like too much hg! preschool kids in my mom's old neighborhood still mimick him with there constand air humps and "hooooooos" and "sei X3's."

Awesome.

[mizanation]

^^^ funny, a couple of my buddies picked up a couple strippers at a club (a regular dance club, not a strip club). all they wanted was a free dinner and some company. so, i guess, if you take out the stripper part, it was a regular date?

[englandmj7]

^^^ funny, a couple of my buddies picked up a couple strippers at a club (a regular dance club, not a strip club). all they wanted was a free dinner and some company. so, i guess, if you take out the stripper part, it was a regular date?

Yeah. She was really nice. She even offered to take me there in her own car.

[mizanation]

i guess when you're dealing with drunken middle-aged salarymen everyday, cats like us are a nice change. my friend took me to a hostess club one time and one of the girls was practically begging me to go out with her. never did call her, wasn't my type, i guess.

[Guest jmatsu]

whatsup with crappy japanese customer service? is it the new hayari? in new york, customer service by a japanese person usually sucks. so, it's happening in japan now too?

undercover has always had a bad rep. i actually went with a friend of mine who happens to be the editor in chief of tokyo/yokohama walker. he's alittle old, but dresses in all that typical roen/hys/undercover shit while not in the office. zamiang is closed so we check out the 2nd floor. no welcomes...nothing. there is a new spring light jacket he wants to try on in a 1. there is only 2 on display. tokyowalker politely asks register boy if he can try on the 1. register boy's face is all bent out of shape and he sighs in disgust. just entire communication process and context in japanese with registerboy is infuriating. tokyowalker ends up purchasing it, but his first one of many credit cards is declined. on the second try he produces a platinum card. register boys demands a security code. mind you this is in aoyama (not kabuki-cho), and asking for a security code is still undeard of, and to one like the editor in chief of a major magazine it's basically a slap in the face.

seriously the younger generation in tokyo's biz ethics and service has been shit for a while. i am constantly reminded of this.

[mizanation]

seriously the younger generation in tokyo's biz ethics and service has been shit for a while. i am constantly reminded of this.

that really sucks. great customer service has always been one of the most unique and greatest things about japan.

[Guest jmatsu]

i guess when you're dealing with drunken middle-aged salarymen everyday, cats like us are a nice change. my friend took me to a hostess club one time and one of the girls was practically begging me to go out with her. never did call her, wasn't my type, i guess.

you probably know that this is known as "dohan."

dohan used to be that the girls would take a client out for dinner before heading to the club/kabakura. now it is the other way around. what is happening to japan...esp tokyo??

[Guest jmatsu]

there is going to be a new law passed about fixed gear bikes. brakes are going to be mandatory because of recent accidents and subsequent deaths.

this sucks for fixie purists in tokyo i guess.

[Servo2000]

Hand brakes?

Unless they're the kind of brakes that get set off by pedaling backwards, I don't see that it changes anything. You could just continue not using them, but like you said, fixie purists.

I don't know shit about fixies, I ride BMX.

[Guest jmatsu]

Hand brakes?

Unless they're the kind of brakes that get set off by pedaling backwards, I don't see that it changes anything. You could just continue not using them, but like you said, fixie purists.

I don't know shit about fixies, I ride BMX.

i don't ride a fixie either. i have friends that do. i just think that it's fucked up that they'd actually make that law...

[fade to black2]

i was at Undercover on my latest trip to tokyo and the service was cordial...wasn't proactively friendly, but i tried on a bunch of stuff without buying and the guy who was working the floor was polite and i didn't sense any attitude from him. It was a nice surprise.

my tokyo top 5 hatelist:

1. Number (N)ine stall at Isetan Shinjuku - attitude like their life depended on it...the few times i've went by i've gotten pretty cold service. I was tryin on pants one time and didn't know about the shoes off in the fitting stall policy, the dude practically flipped. Another time I was inquiring about the price of a shirt, the guy gives me a totally blank stare then practically yanks out the black tag and points to it, i dunno i just don't feel like they match up to the excellent retail service i get most elsewhere in Tokyo.

2. Inakaya - i walked in to this joint once in roppongi because i was in the mood for some robatayaki (sp?), didn't know it was a tourist trap and ended up paying dearly for it. Never felt so ripped off in my life.

3. Communication difficulties - most places i go in tokyo i have a really hard time communicating with locals, it could even be in high end boutiques, restaurants, whatever...it's a shame because i always say, Hong Kong service has the language skills, but NOT the right attitude, whereas in Tokyo, the service is fantastic attitude-wise but the language barrier gets frustrating.

4. Metro prices - the JR is pretty reasonably priced, but as soon as I gotta switch to a metro route even for maybe one stop, i end up paying the same or more than when i was taking 4-5 stops on the JR.

5. Prices for european goods - Tokyo has arguably the best selection of clothes by European designers in the Asia Pacific region, i'd say even better than Stateside, yet the inflated prices make most items unattainable.

Other end of spectrum:

1. Being able to smoke in Yohji Yamamoto Aoyama - other than Isetan, L'eclaireur, i'd say YY Aoyama rounds out the three destinations in Tokyo that are must-stops for me. I was in there last time and felt like lighting up a cigarillo, the staff gladly obliged and pulled out an ashtray from their third floor office. Love the VIP style treatment that i'd never dream of getting in Hong Kong.

[Guest jmatsu]

1. Being able to smoke in Yohji Yamamoto Aoyama - other than Isetan, L'eclaireur, i'd say YY Aoyama rounds out the three destinations in Tokyo that are must-stops for me. I was in there last time and felt like lighting up a cigarillo, the staff gladly obliged and pulled out an ashtray from their third floor office. Love the VIP style treatment that i'd never dream of getting in Hong Kong.

yeah smoking in the boutiques is pretty nice. you obviously can't smoke in isetan or any dept shop sections, but the smoking section aren't too far away. i''ve been in Y3 like twice. no ones ever in there, so i dont know if you can smoke there as well...

doverstreetmarket's token bald white guy can't speak japanese and is by far the worst dressed. i guess he's just a prop though...

i'm not to familiar with HK, cause i only went a couple times. i don't give a fuck though they don't charge tax and everyone seemed pretty cool. except for the ape shop. not that i wanted to buy anything, but around 4 years ago they seemed like they didn't even want to let us in the door.

[fade to black2]

oh man, dover street market tokyo was a total disappointment. The guy you mentioned was really poorly dressed, and the space felt claustrophobic with a poor selection.

Well HK service has improved over the years, but my comment was directed at certain high end boutiques such as Joyce, where the vibes from sales staff doesn't really put a non-regular customer at ease. I went in there trying some suits once and the guy serving me seemed kinda pushy and irritable, even to a point of being slighly patronizing, acting like i knew nothing about the construction and fit of certain brands. They'll never be outwardly hostile on the surface, but it's a subtle feeling of condescension and impatience, which actually sums up a lot of HK mentality on the whole.

[Kasper]

-nigerians: i don't know when grapping ppl by the arm has started to be acceptable...

-Ishihara Shintaro: still can't believe that that ppl elect that fucking fascist cunt

-NHK guys trying to have me pay for their propaganda tv (double hate for english speaking nhk collectors)

-subway/train closing so early + no night bus + taxis cost an arm and a leg

-lack of non-japanese food + ridiculously high cost of non-japanese food.

-summer temperature

-lack of proper insulation and heating in most houses / apartment: for a country that is so technologicaly advanded, i'll never get why houses are so cheaply built, especially considering the price you pay for rent...

[2000dB]

oh man, dover street market tokyo was a total disappointment. The guy you mentioned was really poorly dressed, and the space felt claustrophobic with a poor selection.

Haha, that guy freaks me out. They have weird staff there, the old dude, the blad guy, etc.

I've had bad service at Neighborhood the few times I went (never bough anything for myself either). Undercover is just very plain IMO, the staff doesn't do anything.

The thing that pissed me off the most while in Tokyo was the inability of the imigration people in the ward offices to speak ANY other language than japanese, even in big wards. Led to a lot of confusion and wasted time.

[herpsky]

x-posting:

Those undercover SAs are pretty gay.

The tall skinny guy with a pony tale (?) who wears all black is such an ass.

I know there's another cocksucker who is annoying as hell.

I asked him if he had a KLAUS tee in sz 3 in stock and he was like,

"bimyou desune~~~." he didn't even answer my fucking question.

I bet he didn't like me b/c

1) I ain't a stick

2) I didn't look very loaded (let me tell you i had 60,000 yen in my wallet

3) didn't look goth-y

the stores in isetan tend to have crappy SAs

except comme des garcons (they even called up the new store in seibu to see if they stocked a pair of junya jeans in my size )

[cuddlysheep]

someone should take a pic of this dude.

[herpsky]

I sometimes wonder what these "cool" SAs do when they are not at work.

Like their clothes are so cool and avant-garde that they almost look non-human.

It's kinda hard to describe but I just can't picture those guys hanging out at taverns and shit.

[mizanation]

you probably know that this is known as "dohan."

dohan used to be that the girls would take a client out for dinner before heading to the club/kabakura. now it is the other way around. what is happening to japan...esp tokyo??

this was definitely not a dohan attempt. this girl sweated me hard, maybe that was the turn off....

i have a friend who only dates kyabakura girls, his game is optimized for them.

[l3ootlegs]

i like numbernine sales. they are not so bad. the guy also on magazine sometimes for photoshot.

[DaBestSpoona]

I sometimes wonder what these "cool" SAs do when they are not at work.

Like their clothes are so cool and avant-garde that they almost look non-human.

It's kinda hard to describe but I just can't picture those guys hanging out at taverns and shit.

they spend hours arranging their depressingly small 100sq foot apatos so they could be featured in smart room or room +

[Guest jmatsu]

x-posting:

Those undercover SAs are pretty gay.

The tall skinny guy with a pony tale (?) who wears all black is such an ass.

I know there's another cocksucker who is annoying as hell.

I asked him if he had a KLAUS tee in sz 3 in stock and he was like,

"bimyou desune~~~." he didn't even answer my fucking question.

I bet he didn't like me b/c

1) I ain't a stick

2) I didn't look very loaded (let me tell you i had 60,000 yen in my wallet

3) didn't look goth-y

the stores in isetan tend to have crappy SAs

except comme des garcons (they even called up the new store in seibu to see if they stocked a pair of junya jeans in my size )

when you say crappy SAs in isetan, what do you mean? i have to assume that they at least pretend to put forth the effort. you've got old ladies, wives, and families shopping in departments. i know isetan/most departments runs their shit like army regiments, so i'd expect (and i've never had complaints) that the service would be okay. with SA's.

[Guest jmatsu]

Haha, that guy freaks me out. They have weird staff there, the old dude, the blad guy, etc.

QUOTE]

are you talking about the old guy with classes and a full head of hair? if so i always find him very pleasant. he's been working for garcon's forever. he has always been ultra friendly....

probably every single employee besides the white bald guy is full time.