Single exposure of dancers at Warehouse’s Pink! Photo: Karen Dion

To be fair, underneath its dirt, alienating neon glare and eardrum-lacerating racket, there is something comforting about Roppongi: no pretensions, no dress code; just rowdy bar after rowdy bar, drinking, dancing, fun, and a couple of familiar looking American chain restaurants. After a few nights’ walking up and down Roppongi-dori you are certain to find new friends, though you may lose your wallet.

The Tokyo club scene took a blow in 2008 with the closure of Nishi-Azabu’s long running and much beloved Space Lab Yellow but Yellow’s departure was marked with an appropriately fabulous closing party and the following three clubs are more than filling the gap.

The mother of all Tokyo clubs, ageHa is a giant warehouse in an industrial district a little outside of metropolitan Tokyo. The complimentary shuttle bus that runs hourly to and from nearby Shibuya station might sound like a drag, but is actually part of the fun.

ageHa’s marquis adds a touch of Hollywood.
Photo: Karen Dion

If you take the party bus, you are most likely to bond with partygoers as excited and giddy from convenience store-bought Chūhai as yourself. The journey takes you across the Bay Bridge and past the giant glittering Ferris wheel before depositing you right outside ageHa.

Open since 2002, ageHa attracts the biggest DJs in the world. On any weekend you can catch the likes of Tiesto, Armin van Buuren, Fatboy Slim or Paul van Dyck.

Its four dance floors accommodate up to 5,000 people, and there are an outdoor swimming pool, four bars, an outdoor dance tent, and a store selling ageHa merchandise. You can even get ageHa brand condoms in restroom vending machines.

ageHa is what you can confidently call a super club; it is the biggest club in Japan and there’s even another branch in Taipei.

ageHa.com
2-2-10 Shin Kiba,
Koto-ku,
Tokyo 136-0082
(03) 5534-2525

Womb’s notable disco ball is the biggest in Japan.
Photo: Karen Dion

Have you seen the movie Babel? Do you remember the scene where the deaf schoolgirl takes an Ecstasy pill and goes to a club? The club was Womb.

Womb’s incredible laser system played a major role in that scene and it is a central part of the experience at this cavernous space discreetly located on Love Hotel Hill in Shibuya.

It’s not just the lasers though; Womb regularly draws international artists such as The Chemical Brothers, Sven Vath and John Digweed.

You will almost always see Womb in the Top Ten on World’s Best Clubs lists and, just for good measure, it also has Japan’s biggest mirror ball.

womb.co.jp
2-16 Maruyama-cho,
Shibuya-ku,
Tokyo 150-0044
(03) 5459-1383

Warehouse is a little less well known than ageHa and Womb, yet is just a ten-minute walk from Roppongi and open on weeknights as well as weekends.

Chaotic Video from the Tokyo Decadence fetish party:

The playlist is eclectic at Warehouse: on different nights you can hear house, techno, R ‘n’ B or Hip Hop, and you will see go-go dancers up on the podiums and pole most nights.

Perhaps most fun are the themed nights: look out for Pink! Pole dance Night, Bikini Night and the Tokyo Decadence fetish party.

Warehouse.com
B1F Fukao-building,
1-4-5, Azabu-juban,
Minato-ku,
Tokyo 106-0045
(03) 6230-0343

Community Connection

Is Japan in your future? Matador’s Japan Focus Page centralizes our content about the nation. From descriptions of local customs and foods and insiders’ tips on where to eat to advice on speaking the Okinawan dialect, it’s a varied resource of unexpected information for the savvy traveler.

You can hear the whole story on NPR’s Planet Money, but this video stars Billy Scafuri and Adam Lustick as economists Fredrich Hayek as John Maynard Keynes battling for more than the right to be the best MC. The two theories presented in the video are the foundation of how most economists see economic cycles.

Community Connection

Still worried about the economy? You can find out which 5 cities are the best to live in if the economy keeps tanking on MatadorAbroad or find out how to deal with the economy through spiritual activism on BNT.

Here’s one way, while in Turkey, to delay gratification:

Community Connection

Looking for more treats? Pop over to MatadorAbroad to be even more tempted to head to New Orleans for Mardi Gras with Indulgence in New Orleans: A Guide to 7 Classic Desserts.

Posto Pizza/Bakano

For the first time, my adventure started at night (it is Buenos Aires, after all). Pizza seemed fitting given that I’d pissed quite a few Argentines off with my previous take on how many people in the world screw up a food that is God’s gift. I ordered take-out from two recommended joints and scrammed home to examine what was inside of the two boxes.

Posto Pizza’s Hongos Blanco pie (three kinds of mushrooms) was frigging delicious. It had a bit of a tart taste given the involvement of Portobello shrooms but it worked. I ate three slices before moving on, only abandoning it out of my duty to chomp its mozza-brother sitting nearby.

The second pizza, a Napolitana con Rucala, came from Bakano’s location in Barrio Norte. Their (very attractive) staff seemed wildly confused that I ordered it while holding a box from another restaurant. More of a thin crust boutique-y affair, it was delicious. I housed it in minutes. Just the right amount of crust, cheese and greenery. Pretty too look at, pretty to eat.

Impression: Standing corrected. There is some good pizza in Buenos Aires. Mood: Dreaming about tomorrow.

Posto Pizza, Billinghurst 1608, Palermo.
Bakano, Aguero 1669, Recoletta.

Comedor Nikkai

I met up with Nights co-editor Kate Sedgwick at Nikkai, a Japanese restaurant housed in the same building as the Asociacion Japonesa. Note: don’t push the door until you almost break it. It’s a slider, not a puller.

Kate made poor decisions and ordered something curry-like. I knew that there would only be one thing I’d be ordering – the chirasi (a damn good bargain at 57 pesos, given the amount of fish).

When it came I knew that I’d made the right decision. Loads of fresh fish done up all pretty (one even looked like a rose), heaped over sushi rice, chopped mushrooms and plenty of other japanese vegetables. My only lament was as it always in Buenos Aires; an extreme lack of tuna. It’s just not done here. This did not detract at all from the fact that I was left lapping sushi rice from a little green bowl, like some starved, homeless dog.

Comedor Nikkai, Ave. Independencia 732, San Telmo.

Impression: Still my favorite Japanese in Buenos Aires and one of my favorites in the world, if for no other reason that it feels like some back alley restaurant that Gremlins would live in. Mood: Fishy burps.

El Gauchito

I left Kate looking at her bus time table book, as she does most hours of the day. I hiked it a few blocks down to grab a couple of empanadas from an old favorite, El Gauchito. It’s really just a counter inside of a door, with hundreds of different empanadas staring you in the face.

I ordered one pollo and another one that looked hammy. The two ladies behind the counter pretended to leave the room as I scarfed them at the tiny counter but I know they both watched and judged secretly. I ordered two more to go, hoping that they’d keep for a day in the fridge. I don’t get to San Telmo often but when I do, this is ritual.

El Guachito, Ave. Independencia 414, San Telmo.

Impression: Good, cheap empanadas. Mood: Lethargic and wondering how much more of this I can do.

El Cisno Blanco

I tripped to Barrio Chino (Chinatown) after reading Hal Amen’s quiet rave in Matador’s piece about our favorite Buenos Aires spots. The area is about six square blocks and much more manageable than those C-towns of New York and San Francisco. It was still just as lively, with hoards of locals and tourist clammoring down the streets filled with restaurants, supply stores and trinket shops.

I ignored my never-ending urge for Thai food and found a table outside of El Cisno Blanco, a cute restaurant about a block out of the main fray. It was late afternoon and I was the only customer, doted on by a lovely woman who helped me through the menu. I figured that this was also a great opportunity to order a big, honking cerveza.

Six small wontons went down great with the beer – all homemade. The piled-high Pollo Saltado c/Anana (Pineapple Chicken) came next and was the best Chinese food I’d eaten all year. Every element was fresh and the dish felt labored over, much more so than a normal rush-job meal you’d get a similar place back home. The whole thing ran about 50 pesos.

El Cisno Blanco, Arribeños 2328), Barrio Chino (Belgrano).

Impression: A dreamy curb-side meal with great atmosphere and staff. Mood: Buzzed and happy.

Del Carmen Panaderia Confiteria

I had been doing a slutty dance with this mini-cheesecake all week. Its six creamy inches had been cooing to me from the window of the bakery below my apartment, vying for my attention with an equally tarty ricotta pie. Let’s just say I paid for it, took it upstairs and gave it what it asked for.

Del Carmen Panaderie, Guemes 2991, Barrio Norte.

Impression: Loads of homemade cakes and pies to choose from. Great little bakery. Mood: Distended. Taking a break and waiting for the main event in a few hours.

Casa SaltShaker

It’s not worthy of SaltShaker to be thrown at the end of a day like this but I’ve wanted to take a seat at this oft-mentioned closed-door restaurant for a year. Like many, I’d used Dan’s blog as the basis for most of my eating decisions while in Buenos Aires and he’s never steered me wrong. I wanted to see what he’d cook up.

Dan and host Henry greet each of the guests (10 maximum) with smiles and usher in conversation, bringing together strangers in a way that feels neither heavy-handed nor understated. Within minutes we were given a strawberry infused vodka cocktail that went down quick and easy. Fruity yet not sweet, a perfect summer starter.

Each meal here is based on a historical (“or hysterical”) cue. Today’s menu was inspired by the re-unification of The Ukraine, something that nobody present seemed to know much about. It did allow for a jumping-off point when working out the the recipes on the menu, all of which had some basis in the food of that region.

We sat down at the dining room table (kind of like being at your stylish and well-read rich aunt’s house) and spent two hours eating and drinking. Wine pairings rolled along with each dish presented, all of it explained by Dan, who spent equal time socializing and cooking.

The food that followed was wowzers. Vegetarian caviar (on homemade rye toast) was followed by a chilled, surgery-red beet soup. Pasta dumplings filled with boingy cheese came next, spiced up with a fiery soy and chili sauce (pictured). Duck Kiev finished the theme out, complete with a homemade sour cream dip. Dessert was orgasm city, pretty much designed for what gets me off: A tart made with raspberry and almond. Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Not a minute of the evening felt highfalutin, even if it was designed as such an occasion. Henry and I both cracked up when I picked the wrong spoon for my soup – this is not a place of judgement.

Casa SaltShaker is more than a restaurant. It’s an elevating culinary and social event, one that made me feel bouncy and smiley as I walked out the door. I don’t think I’ll ever see or taste anything quite like the place again.

Casa SaltShaker, Location disclosed upon booking, Barrio Norte.

Impression: A happy place. Mood: Bliss with a distended gut.

Community Connection

Matador has Buenos Aires Covered. Be sure to check BsAs articles on everything from urban volunteering to surviving as a vegetarian to one of the world’s best Monday night parties.

Original Photo of Quincy Jones by World Economic Forum with tweaks by Kate Sedgwick and licenced CC.

Organized by Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie, artists invited to be part of the the 25th anniversary recording of the ’80’s hit include Usher, Natalie Cole and John Legend with the hopes that Grammy weekenders will stay over a day in L.A. after the award show is broadcast January 31st to bring the song back to life.

Jones produced the original version in 1985 to benefit famine relief efforts in Africa.

Last Friday’s Hope for Haiti Now telethon (which raised $58 million toward the relief effort) aired a new song featuring Jay-Z, Rihanna, Bono and The Edge called Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour) coordinated by producer Swiss Beatz.

You can see a higher quality video of the song at Rolling Stone and read about its production. You can buy a copy for yourself now through iTunes, along with other songs featured during the airing of the show including performances by Alicia Keys, Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige, Shakira and Sting among many others.

100% of the purchase price goes toward relief efforts by reliable organizations including Oxfam, the United World Food Programme, and the Red Cross.

Community Connection

Add MatadorChange to your roster of sources to keep you informed in the latest relief efforts in Haiti and find out what you can do to help.

Locals with all their accoutrements. Photo: Corey Ann, Feature Photo: Hoggheff aka Hank Ashby aka Mr. Freshtags

Mardi Gras may be about indulgence and debauchery, but you’ve got to be serious about your preparations. Die hard revelers actually sleep next to the parade route overnight or bring their frat buddy’s beat-up couch out to the median. This isn’t entirely necessary, but you should still get out to the route early to avoid some traffic and to secure a good spot. Use a tarp or blanket to stake out your space.

Mardi Gras Revelers Smile for the Camera.
Photo: Bengt E Nyman

Wear your walking shoes. Mardi Gras parades—unless they’re very small—inevitably involve a hike from your car or hotel to the parade route. You’ll probably be standing for long periods of time, so that’s another reason to make sure you’ve got good footwear.

You’ll want good shoes to protect your feet from the inevitable broken glass, spilled beer, and unidentifiable liquids that accumulate on the streets.

You’re not going to be happy if you have to walk a mile with your arms full of stuff. But an ice chest and folding chairs with wheels, or devise a method of rolling them. Many parade-goers also wheel ladders to the route so they can see over the crowds standing on the ground and catch beads more easily. Cup holders on items like chairs, ice chests, even ladders are clutch.

Beads, trinkets, plastic cups, and more fly off of floats during Mardi Gras parades. Take a handful of sturdy bags with you to put everything in, and you might want to consider bringing a wagon to help you get everything home once the parades are over. If you run out of bags, get a grip and remember: beads might be shiny, but they’re just pieces of plastic.

Doubloons depicting Willie Nelson and Michael Keaton.
Photo: howieluvzus

Some parades throw custom doubloons, shiny metallic trinkets that, for whatever reason, are a popular throw. Should you see one on the ground, do not, under any circumstances, reach for it with your bare hands. The locals step on doubloons and other coveted objects if they hit the ground as a quick way to claim them for themselves.

Putting your hand on the ground to pick something up that you haven’t stepped on first is a good way to lose a finger.

Late winter/early spring means unpredictable weather for the U.S. Gulf Coast. Mardi Gras can be wet and cloudy, hot and humid, cold and windy, or all three. If you’re coming in from out of town, bring layers and check the weather before you head out to a parade. You should wear sunscreen even if it’s cloudy.

New Orleans at Night during Marti Gras.
Photo: Larry Johnson

If you’re standing outside all day, you’re going to need to eat and drink. Parades can be very lengthy events, and there’s not always easy access to restaurants. Plus, Mardi Gras is a celebration of indulgence; what would it be without rich food and copious alcohol?

Mardi Gras is so notorious for bathroom emergencies that New Orleans band Benny Grunch and the Bunch wrote a song about it called “Ain’t No Place to Pee on Mardi Gras Day,” which is funny ’til it happens to you.

Hitch your wagon to a clown. Photo: Infrogmation

Parade routes may have port-o-potties, but the lines will be extremely long so you should come up with a contingency plan ahead of time. Creative solutions range from building a makeshift bathroom in your truck bed to bringing a tent and a bucket. With that in mind, you should probably bring some hand sanitizer, too.

Mardi Gras day is a great excuse to act like a kid – or an idiot. Costumes are an acceptable way to get in the spirit, especially if you coordinate as a group and reference local or national politics/events/culture. Ironic cross-dressing is also popular.

Community Connection

Wanna know what’s sweet to eat at Mardi Gras? Pop over to MatadorAbroad to drool over Indulgence in New Orleans: A Guide to 7 Classic Desserts.

“We’re here to roll around in your bed for you, sir.” Photo: Exercise Tradewinds 2009, Feature Photo: Carly & Art

Do you call for a turndown service? A cup of warm milk? A soothing hot toddy?

Or how about a team of grown ups in “special all in one sleeper suits” to come roll around under the covers of the bed you’ll soon be snuggling up in to warm it up for you?

Sound creepy?

It can’t be creepy. As the Holiday Inn sleep doctor Chris Idzikowski (director of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre) has explained, it’s science!

Dr. Idzikowski (as quoted in Telegraph UK) says:

Maybe what you hear when you read all that mumbo-jumbo is:

It’s a far cry from the days of the quarter fed
massaging bed. Photo: grenade

If that’s the case, just ask yourself: What’s more soothing than multiple strangers dressed in adult sized, terry-cloth footie pajamas coming into your room and rolling around your freshly bleached sheets before you get into bed?

As a spokesperson for the Hotel is quoted as saying, “The bed warmers service is a bit like having a giant hot water bottle in your bed, warming it up before guests climb in to give them a great night’s sleep away from the cold – of course they jump out before you jump in.”

Let’s hope they aren’t serving beans for the employee meal.

Okay. Maybe science doesn’t have a strong enough explanation to make this an appealing prospect, and no matter what they say, people aren’t water bottles, but if you happen to take advantage of this opportunity being offered in the London Kensington branch of the hotel, we hope you’ll let us know in the comments field below.

Community Connection

There have got to be better ways of getting to sleep! For more ideas about that, see MatadorAbroad’s How to Sleep in Your Vehicle.

Microwave Box Of Wine – Watch more Funny Videos

Community Connection

Looking for more fun video? Check out four kids covering pop songs on Youtube and witness the incredible art of how to start a massive dance party.

On the bleary-eyed hunt for the perfect breakfast. Photo: sheepies

Whether you’ve spent the previous night stumbling down Rose Street, swanning around George Street or staggering down to the Grassmarket, chances are that come Sunday morning there will be one thought on your mind – food. And lots of it.

Luckily, Edinburgh will deliver cozy pubs, good, strong coffee, log fires and roast lunches that make you feel like you’re back at home again, being looked after by Mum. Here’s some of the best.

Snax, 118 Buccleuch Street, Newington

Photo: jessiclese

Strong, strong coffee is the first thing that hits you as you walk into this little cafe just off the Meadows. The second is the hand-written menu on a chalk board above the counter which gives you the following options; the big breakfast, bigger breakfast or, for those feeling brave and strong stomached, the biggest breakfast. All are served with a huge mug of something sugary and caffeinated.

The chatty, friendly staff are content to pass the morning laughing at each other’s self inflicted hungover pain and a good listener will hear quite a few stories from the night before. Big wooden tables and chairs and free papers make you feel like you’re having breakfast in your own kitchen.

Look out for: Those still wearing their tuxedos.

The Sheep Heid Inn, 43-45 The Causeway, Duddingston

The Sheep Heid is in the pretty little village of Duddingston, just behind Arthurs Seat. They pride themselves on the fact that they have fed and watered people here for 600 years and continue doing so today.

Inside The Heid. Photo: rieh

The home-made burger, locally sourced sausage and mash, and traditional haggis with neeps and tatties are good choices, all served in generous portions. The Traditional Sunday Roast starts with an enormous Yorkshire pudding with everything else piled on top until the plate is almost overflowing. Not surprisingly, the roast is always in high demand and runs out quickly, so book ahead if possible.

Look out for: The old fashioned skittles alley in the back room is a great way to waste away an afternoon.

The Links, 4 Alvanley Terrace, Bruntsfield

The Links will sort out a male hangover, with huge, cheap burgers served under equally large wide screen TV’s showing the weekend’s rugby and football matches. Sink into a sofa or huddle around one of the wooden tables and work out what happened the night before. There’s also a 9 hole pitch and putt course just outside on the Links.

Look out for: Girls. They’re pretty hard to spot here on a Sunday in this testosterone filled environment.

56 North, 2-8 West Crosscauseway, Newington

Whilst the Links is helping out the boys, 56 North deals with the girls. The modern, stylish interior has comfy booths, sofas covered in big cushions and low seats to curl up on whilst the food is reasonably priced and a bit more healthy than the usual hangover stodge.

Teriyaki burger at The Cambridge Bar. Photo: theedinburghblog

The flatbreads are covered in salad, then topped with a variety of meats, cheeses and dressings. The bacon and cheese topped wedges served with sweet chilli sauce and sour cream make an indulgent Sunday lunch side dish to anything you are having.

Look out for: Moustaches in November. The staff support the Movember campaign that raises awareness for men’s health and there are some quite impressive displays of facial hair by the end of the month.

The Cambridge Bar, 20 Young Street, New Town

Although there is lots of competition, this is arguably Edinburgh’s best independent gourmet burger pub. They use only homemade and locally sourced ingredients for their burgers, toppings and relishes. There’s a wide and varied range of additional extras, including pineapple and guacamole to help you create your fantasy gourmet burger. The most expensive is £8.50 so it won’t break the bank either.

The Roast. To some, barfy. To others, the perfect cure. Photo: robs-pics

Look out for: Bankers in suits. You’re in the New Town now, daaarling.

Caffe Lucano, 37 George IV Bridge, Old Town

Skip dessert and come here for half price cakes after 3pm and proper Italian coffee. This traditional little cafe is simply decorated with a counter filled with everything a sweet tooth desires and the high bar seating along the window is a great spot for people watching.

Look out for: Harry Potter’s birthplace. J K Rowling started writing in The Elephant House; another cafe just across the road which is now usually filled with other budding writers scribbling away.