I am at a manga kisaten (comic coffee-house) in Takadanobaba. You get a big comfy executive chair, a phat computer system, and a Playstation 2. Video games and DVD's are included in the price. The, non-alcoholic, drink bar is gratis as well. A shaving set or slippers will each run you 120yen. And I'm using the internet for 450yen an hour. My god, why didn't I discover this earlier? If you need to, like so many do, you can buy some privacy via the "pair seat", a special mini-room for couples. They even have an "all night package" in order to flip the bird to that devilry we call the last train.

So much of Tokyo culture and business is defined in terms of or as a response to the train system. The trains stop before 1:00AM. After that, your only option is a taxi, which are expensive to begin with and shoot up in price after one o'clock. This is why people start drinking at six in the afternoon. But a special breed of businesses have thrived like mold in the shadow cast by the last train. And the manga kisa is particularly strong fungus. This is truly the dorkiest place ever; I'm home.

Also Alan is in town visting with me, you can check his postings at Chibinet.com.
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