lioness in japan

What looked like a quiet Friday night turned into a fun tryst at Womb — a super club in the heart of Shibuya’s love hotel district.

Mike, Mr. D’s friend and business associate, invited us to check out his friend Shane’s DJ set. The kangaroo felt beaten up at work all week so he craved for a piece of ‘steaky’ (Japanese speak for steak). Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures of this night out as the ones I took on my phone suck and my trusty Canon Ixus was sleeping at home.

At 9pm we took off to Hobgoblin, an Irish or English pub we couldn’t decide, nestled within Akasaka’s hub of endless restaurants and bars. The warm, orange glow of the low lights wrapped us up cosy in this cocoon of lager and pub grub. Our sirloins were drizzled in tasty sauce with a generous side of green peas and chunky fries. Mmmmm. I was sorry when the last bite of juicy beef was wiped off my plate.

Over cider (my fave pub drink of the moment) and beer, Mr. D and I compared notes on our days. I love that we are both learning Japanese and we discuss the language all the time. We even say ‘good night’ in nihonggo, “Oyasuminasai!”

I digress. Back to Womb. Apparently, this mega club holds up to 5,000 peeps and has the best sound system in Tokyo. Well, it better be because the good folks here splashed a million bucks on the sound system.

The VIP area was impressive — not in an overwhelming kind of way but it was done up artfully. Lush red velvet lined the walls and funky chandeliers hung from the low ceiling. The music was the best part though. I think Singapore club music desperately needs new inspiration or at least a new attitude. I’m so used to the monotonous offerings that I just wasn’t keen on dancing at places like Zouk and MOS. I thought maybe I’m just over clubbing.

Not till I stepped into Womb. The beats were playful, cheeky, varied and the DJs were in tune with the crowd. They seemed to know when to slow things down or take it up a few notches. They threw surprises in rhythmic curve balls, which delighted the crowd. People dance differently here – kind of like the Robot Man move from the 80s but with more style and fluidity. Sounds silly but everyone looked like they were having a great time. I wasn’t even buzzed but the funky beats beckoned my hips to move. Now that’s cool music.

As usual we rounded up the night with ramen at 3am. Mr. D needed some persuasion though but he couldn’t resist a plate of gyoza. I asked for the bill in Japanese, too, “Checku onagaishimasu.” Cheap thrill but I love it when I get to use what I learn in everyday life.

Below is a picture of shoyu ramen taken when Sue came to visit. We went back to this same shop for our supper last night.

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