Sakura oh Sakura

It's getting feverish around here...people are beginning to watch and wait for the first hint of sakura in Tokyo. They cherry blossoms are a yearly rite of passage for all city dwellers, the signal of spring arriving and a time for excessive alcohol, karaoke crooning under the blooms and a break from the winter doldrums. We've been checking this map to see the buds start their blossom from southern Okinawa to northern Hokkaido.

Last night we warmed up our voices for sakura season with a little karaoke practice in Shibuya. We had a great night out at an izakaya (a Japanese pub serving many little plates of food for sharing), a few drinks at a dive bar, and then karaoke. A while back James learned I couldn't sing to save my life....I think it was a bit painful being locked in a room with me and a microphone for a full hour. We did find a great new duet though, Anyone Else But You from the movie Juno. I'll spare you the video of us singing.

This post is also a little birthday shout out for my friend, Lisa, who turns 30 (before me, I must note) this week! Have a great time singing and belting out Celine Dion!

our karaoke box

We sang this for you, Lisa! Happy Birthday!

a karaoke building

Is he shrinking away from me in fear?

Shibuya has a lot of everything for everyone. We went in this pet shop around midnight that was selling little puppies. The prices were in the thousands for these poor little pups locked in tiny cages. The sign says it's a smooth chihuaua.