This was one of the first things we saw in Narita International Airport. Apparently, it was the delivery counter for the Yamato Transport Company (http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/english/company/index.html). The logo is just adorable.
Underground at Narita International Airport. My first inkling that we were going to be spending a lot of time beneath the surface of the Earth.
We saw a lot of this all over -- random shrines. This one looks like it was put there after the roads were built, but we saw plenty of shrines smack in the middle of urban areas, as well.
My hotel room at Tokyo Stay: Shibuya Shin-Minamiguchi (http://www.tokyustay.co.jp/e/hotel/SIM/index.html). That reminds me, next time I'm bringing my own pillow. Memory foam is for suckers.
The complimentary toilet slippers were a bit small. It was a common theme -- the heated, fog-proof mirror worked great, but it only was unfogged from the middle of my chest to my waist. Apparently, I'm tall.
SPACE TOILET! Honestly, the heated seat kind of freaked me out. Couldn't really get used to that. Watch out, Christine, it sprays upwards.
This is Hachiko, outside Shibuya station. I would explain more, but I'll let Wikipedia do it for me: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachiko
My first glimpse of Shibuya at night. I'd been up for about 24 hours at this point, so it was quite dazzling. And believe me, this wasn't the only spot like this -- it seemed like every few blocks, there was a scene like this.
More Shibuya. There were a LOT of "slot" and "pachinko" places like this around, playing games like the arcade version of this: http://tinyurl.com/qstjp
It's the Suica penguin! (http://www.jreast.co.jp/suica/) He was seen quite a bit on our trip. Also, I love Wikipedia: http://tinyurl.com/bev4h
The menu we browsed at our first of several visits to an izakaya (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izakaya).
Nomihodai! What's funny (?) is that this beer looks positively enormous in Josie's hands, but if you look at the next picture...
...it looks like a shot glass next to me.
Izumi, Denise, Aaron, Mike, Josie, Scott, Adrian, me, and Christine. Izumi is Denise's friend from junior high school.
Not intimidating at all, is it? This the map of the train lines running around Tokyo. The green loop is the Yamanote line (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2370.html), which we traveled on quite a bit.
The scenery on the train ride to the Tokyo Game Show was rather nice in spots.
More train station madness on the way to TGS. You can see the arrows pointing in all kinds of directions. This was a frequent pose for Scott (in the burgundy shirt on the left) -- looking back to make sure the rest of us hadn't gotten lost somewhere.
These seemed to be the Japanese versions of suburbs, or at least the Tokyo variety. Lawns are few and far between. In Kyoto, it was common to see less than five feet between houses.
The first thing you see at TGS 2006. It's not nearly as massive or loud as E3.
Lots of weird games like this at the show. Well, weird to us, anyway. I can't read what this game is called, but the katakana underneath the nattily attired gentlemen reads "office love". I'm afraid to know more. [...] A little Googling names it as "Reijou Tantei: Office Love Jiken" (http://ps2.ign.com/objects/853/853579.html).
Bomberman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomberman) is popular. There was a van next to this wall that was also covered in doodles, but I didn't get a picture. Thankfully, other people did: http://www.flickr.com/photos/riverseal/251161049/
This was the cosplay (http://www.cosplay.com/) area in between halls. I could fill up a flash card with all the costumes here, but I'll let someone else do it: http://www.gameaxis.com/home/?blog=717. Japan tends to do it a lot better than the U.S.
The Square Enix booth at TGS. Or, as I would have called it ten years ago, "*gasp*"
Lots of room on the floor here. I don't know if Friday and Saturday were more packed or what, but it only sporadically felt busy while we were there on Sunday.
I believe this is either Shinjuku or Akihabara. [...] Ha! Judging by a picture that used to be on Wikipedia's Akihabara page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Akihabara_picture2.jpg), I think I've figured out which.
More Akihabara. If I'd come here when I was 21, I probably would have bankrupted myself in these stores. Ten years later, though, I was able to restrain myself from purchasing all the Final Fantasy special collector's edition boxes.
Mike + Mushroom. He looks so proud.
If only I had brought an extra suitcase, I would have had at least one of these on my end table.
I wasn't exactly clear on the time frame, but apparently they completely shut down some streets in (at least) Shinjuku and Akihabara on Sundays? Or during the day? It takes some getting used to.
The arcades were smoky, although it's hard to tell from this picture. Again, if I'd been here a few years ago, I would have probably never left -- but arcades have been dying out recently, as the home console systems get more and more powerful.
There are three non-Japanese versions of Nintendogs (http://nintendogs.com/): Lab & Friends, Dachsund & Friends, and Chihuahua & Friends. However, the Shiba Inu (http://www.shibaweb.com/), being a Japanese dog, gets its own version over there.
I suppose I just wanted to take this for posterity, although it's a good illustration of how the trains are marked. The top is kanji (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanji), which I can't read. The middle says "a ki ha ba ra" in hiragana (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiragana), which I can.
I'm glad I have documented proof of Mike commandeering my DS. As of this writing, he still has not purchased his own. Also, you can see the hundreds of people waiting for a random train.
The lobby of the hotel where most of us (except Aaron & Denise) stayed.
I think Aaron probably took the prize for "weirdest things bought in Japan". The cloak (?) may have been the most extravagant, but the cat paw is the one that made Denise cringe the most.
More izakaya. You'll also note that while it may look like Aaron is smiling genuinely, it's pretty much guaranteed that he's in the early or late stages of making a weird face.
It's hard to see what this man is doing, and even now I'm not really sure. But three things are for sure: (1) He's wearing a suit. This was highly common. (2) He's covering his face with a cutout mask that is twice the size of his head. This was highly uncommon. (3) He's freaking me out. That, again, is highly common.
These signs were posted on the receptacles at the "smoking areas". The messages are very poetic. This one reads, "When I looked back, I realized I was colliding with the person behind me even though we weren't touching."
Here we are in Shinjuku (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinjuku). Toshi-san, whom we would meet a few days after this photo was taken, referred to it as "Japan's number one many many people town". And he was right.
This one pretty much speaks for itself. If you can't read it, I'll repeat it: "These socks have five fingers. There are not socks superior to these socks. if I say with agreeableness, cleanliness."
We never did visit the "Neo Tokyo Fooding Bar", but I assume it had nothing on the NINJA restaurant we closed the trip with.
Most of the buildings in Shinjuku had at least five floors, and usually had a different business on each floor. The funny thing is, after a few days, I became totally desensitized to it, and barely even noticed the sensory overload.
At this izakaya (either our third or fourth of the trip), you could actually order via a touch screen. However, since I was the one sitting next to it, and my Japanese isn't exactly fluent, we ordered by the traditional menu instead.
According to Scott (and it certainly seemed to correspond with what we were seeing), there are very few, if any, multiplexes in Tokyo. There's just not enough acreage for it to be reasonable. This is one of the only ones around.
More Shinjuku. Seeing this picture makes me want to hop on a plane and be awed by it all over again.
That reads "ma ku do na ru do" "ha n baa gaa".
More Shinjuku.
The lobby of the first karaoke... building we frequented. I say "building" because the place was NINE STORIES TALL, with multiple rooms for rent on each floor. I think I want to check out the "members" area next time.
Scott and Josie rocking out. I don't remember what song it was, but if Scott's singing, it was probably either something with Mike Patton, or "Creep" by Radiohead.
Aaron and a hanger. There was a lot of rocking that night. We were there for four hours, and it barely felt like one.
Christine, trying to prevent the underground station at Ueno from collapsing on top of us. I think she was successful.
The view as we exited the Ueno station. Well, sort of. We didn't exactly know what direction to go when we came here, so we "exited" more than once.
A mural inside Ueno station.
The main path through Ueno park. After three days of urban bedazzlement, it was rather refreshing to see some greenery for a while.
I believe this is a Toshogu shrine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toshogu), but I was never really clear on which shrines were for whom. There were a few shrines in a row off the main path in Ueno park.
The ravens were freaking HUGE. It's hard to tell from this picture, but this one is actually the size of a Toyota Camry. ... ... ...okay, maybe not, but they're big in Japan. Ravens, that is. Not Camrys. Camries?
Helpful instructions for how to properly cleanse your mouth and hands before entering the shrine.
Ema (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto#Ema) at the shrine in Ueno Park. Some of the writings: "I wish that my father has rest wherever he is", "I wish to have a happy and wonderful life w/ Darrin by my side. To live, laugh, love".
Twisty trees. We saw quite a few that were braced by auxiliary wood and labeled. Not sure what the deal was with that, but there seemed to be a much greater sense of consideration (if not respect) for the flora over there.
The front of another shrine in Ueno park. Right around this time, we started to hear the tolling of a bell. Lucky timing -- it only tolls three times a day. http://tinyurl.com/yzmqtw
Omikuji (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omikuji) next to a shrine in Ueno park. Later in the trip, Denise and Christine tried their fortune. I believe Denise got the best one, and Christine got the second-worst. Which is pretty much exactly what we could have predicted beforehand, I guess.
It looks like a monument to ship's wheels (what are those things called?), but it was actually a little mini-shrine built in 1631. 1631! And that's just some random thing we came across while walking around a park. Good lord.
There was a small gift shop next to the giant face, where a kind old man suggested that I buy a miniature replica of it. We later joked that that now *I* had to take over the gift shop, and wait for someone to come and release *ME*.
Lots of feral cats around Ueno park. Although I don't know if you can be a feral cat if some guy comes and feeds you twice a day. I didn't get a picture of it, but there was a guy with a bunch of cat food who was feeding three cats at a time.
That's right. Memorial trees donated by General and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, when they visited Japan in 1879.
We saw lots of groups of kids wearing matching red and yellow hats while on school trips. I was never able to figure out the difference between yellow and red. Mike and I kept trying to get each other to wade through the kid groups and roar like Godzilla, but we chickened out.
The front entrance to the Ueno zoo. I don't think any of us really realized that there was a zoo here, but once we got here, we pretty much had to go in. It was only 600 yen, I believe (about six dollars), which made it a bargain even if it WAS raining.
Yellow-hats. These kids were obviously older than the red-hats, but I don't think that pattern held up in later sightings. Later, we would see very young kids with the hats, and slightly older kids assigned to groups of the younger ones. Like little non-commissioned officers.
Five-story pagoda in the middle of the zoo. We weren't allowed to go inside, which was probably for the best -- we were pretty soaked by the rain. Having gotten used to the Seattle variety of rain, we didn't really think to buy umbrellas until about an hour after we were already saturated.
Originally, I thought this was just a bad translation on the part of the Ueno Zoo, but a search when I returned home proved me wrong: http://tinyurl.com/y4rp9u
I suppose one could consider this guy somewhat of an Asian mascot. Unfortunately, the only one at the zoo (Rin-Rin) was pretty much just lying on its side the whole time.
The polar bears did nothing but walk back and forth on their little platform the whole time I watched. But they were quite impressive when they did it.
That little critter at the bottom is a Japanese Squirrel. They scampered back and forth from their home base to an enclosed tree to try to... I'm not sure what they were trying to do. Impress us? Scare us off?
Christine says that this is a Sika deer. I'm inclined to believe her, since this guy put on quite a show for her. Lots of deer-like activities, including getting a bunch of grass stuck in his antlers.
Those smears on the window are what happens when a lioness walks around in mud all day, and then wants a little privacy. Unfortunately, this meant that we couldn't really see her that well.
Mugging tiger.
I saw this a few times while we were over there -- unsightly man-made structures surrounded by nature. I guess the idea is to make them less jarring.
I'm not sure what this picture is SUPPOSED to represent, but it sure looks like two koalas caught in the middle of... uh... doing the koala shuffle? It's the exclamation point that really sells it.
This was our first attempt at getting a real meal for ourselves without the assistance of someone who actually spoke more Japanese than my extremely limited vocabulary. And we got food! I mean, come on!
After a long day of being wet all day in the Ueno rain, it was nice to warm up at a yakinku (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakiniku) place. I became the de facto flame master at table two.
It seemed like everyone in Tokyo had an umbrella. Very different from Seattle, where the hoodie IS your umbrella.
I had never had a Grasshopper before, but it sounded like a good idea at the time. It ended up being fairly non-manly: "The standard recipe for this drink consists of 2 ounces Crème de menthe, 2 ounces Crème de cocoa, and 4 scoops of vanilla ice cream."
It's about as fun as it looks. The "Guitar Freaks" arcade machine directly adjacent to this one was actually networked to the "Drummania" one. That meant that you could play drums while someone else plays guitar, ON THE SAME SONG.
The sign says "The man who is not taking the woman cannot enter by this floor". So I never got to see the fifth floor of "Taito Station". But Scott and Josie got some very cool pictures taken. Ask them about it.
Regrettably, Josie did not leave the store with these magnificent specimens. Which is probably for the best -- every time I looked at her while she was wearing them, I started to experience a very slight sense of vertigo.
GIANT CRAB! This thing actually moved, too. That was the best part. http://tinyurl.com/yyglur
We never did visit BAR HERMIT. We had to settle for ROCK BAR MOTHER later on in the trip.
Harajuku (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harajuku) at night. Lots of cool little clothing stores and trinket shops and the like. Unfortunately, if you're above a size M, then Japan is not the easiest place to find clothes.
The Japanese menu at the McDonalds in Harajuku.
Ometesando Hills (http://www.omotesandohills.com/eng/index.html) in Harajuku. It has apparently won several architectural awards. But none of that interested us at the time -- we just wanted a drink after having walked around all day.
These spiders were everywhere in both urban and non-urban Japan. This one had constructed a massive web right outside Ometesando Hills.
Just a reminder that America used to be totally crazy. And still is.
The washer/dryer in my room. You can see right on the label on the bottom left that a normal cycle is between 100 and 170 minutes. However, the first time I used it, it took 237 minutes. The second time, 263 minutes. At least the second time, I was smart enough to not start it right before trying to go to sleep.
We all bought bento boxes at the station before getting on the Shinkansen. Sadly, mine was... mussels. BLECH! Although I guess the fisherman's boat combined with the ocean and waves and, you know, CLAMS on the box should have been a clue.
The view out the window of my seat on the Shinkansen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinkansen). It's hard to convey just how fast you're moving, but here's an attempt: http://tinyurl.com/y8uv4m
We saw a few ads featuring Tommy Lee Jones for "BOSS" coffee while we were in Japan, but this one was always the weirdest. He's not posing. He doesn't have the coffee in his hand. What exactly are we to take from this ad?
Kyoto Tower, right outside the Kyoto station in... Kyoto.
The view at Kyoto Station. Pictures don't quite convey the sense of scale of this place. http://tinyurl.com/yxc982
Another view of Kyoto Station. The top was marked "Happy Terrace" and featured some well-sculpted greenery.
The view of Kyoto from the window of the "Garlic restaurant" where we had lunch at Kyoto station.
My tiny, tiny pseudo-ryokan in Kyoto, a block from the train station. For 4,380 yen (about $40), it was quite a steal. The straw mat on the floor is called a "tatami". The pink thing against the wall is a folded-up futon. Unfortunately, the distance from the pictured wall to the door was shorter than 6' 2". Not the most restful night of sleep I've ever had.
A shrine right outside the "Kyoto Inn".
This rather elaborate network of umbrellas was nowhere near the most well-constructed homeless "shelter" while we were there: http://picasaweb.google.com/christine.b.miller/InvasionOfTokyo2006GodzillaReturns/photo#4984071308207915026
An even denser matrix of yellow-hat kids at Kyoto Station. These kids had the matching backpacks to go with the hats. I was jealous.
The view after stepping outside the train station in Arashiyama (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arashiyama)
It was sometimes hard to tell the difference between the shrines and the residences. This was the latter.
One of the few rickshaws I saw in Japan. This is the main street of Arashiyama, with many tourist-y shops.
The view from Togetsukyo Bridge in Arashiyama. Supposedly, the cherry blossoms are beautiful when they're in bloom.
Our level of excitement starts to rise dramatically. This here is a sign pointing to MONKEY MOUNTAIN.
More MONKEY MOUNTAIN signs. This is at the base.
A helpful map to the MONKEY MOUNTAIN route. The top middle green circle is the jackpot, as you'll soon see.
But first, many stone steps leading up to the top. After a few days of walking, I admit that I was ill-prepared for the ascent of MONKEY MOUNTAIN.
MONKEY!
And here it is. The mother lode. Or perhaps the monkey lode. Over 150 macaque monkeys (http://tinyurl.com/ydkcku). I hear they're George Allen's favorite.
The view from atop MONKEY MOUNTAIN. Quite breathtaking, especially when you consider the monkeys running around.
Inside the feeding pen. The monkeys would climb on the fence and unashamedly reach their arms in to be fed. The baby monkey hanging on the mama monkey was a common sight.
Sometimes the monkeys didn't even look interested in what we were doing. They're probably pretty jaded by humans at this point. But the reverse was definitely not true.
Initially, the baby monkeys had trouble getting fed. When we would give them a tasty morsel, an adult monkey would hustle over and knock the baby monkey down, and take its food. The trick is to give the adult monkey its own food, and then quickly feed the baby while the adult is busy.
More baby monkey hanging on mama monkey. The males were a lot more aggressive than the females, as you can see here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW9y3DuXtI8
Cultural exchange.
This guy was pretty intimidating to the other monkeys. Some of the Japanese visitors referred to him as the "boss".
TWIN BABY MONKEYS! These guys were adorable. http://tinyurl.com/yf35eq
A wider shot of the feeding area. The monkeys could be heard climbing all over the roof the whole time.
Matching poses.
MONKEY TRAIN!
We never did find out what was in the box, although the monkeys were endlessly fascinated with it. They would bury their arm in there up to the shoulder.
Monkey surgery.
I think Aaron almost picked this one up and left with it in his backpack.
More monkey grooming. The female looks very patient.
I know. Isn't this the cutest thing ever? Sometimes the monkeys want to see Kyoto, too.
As if the frolicking with monkeys isn't good enough, there's a freaking ZIP LINE on Monkey Mountain, too. I just wish it had run from the summit all the way to the train station.
Haven't been on one of these in a while.
A basin at the bottom of Monkey Mountain where you can wash up before entering the shrine.
On the way back from Monkey Mountain. Here's a little mini-shrine under the Togetsukyo bridge.
I can't remember if this place was "Crazy Crepes" or whether that was somewhere else. But crepes were very popular in Tokyo and Kyoto. I ended up getting a banana soft serve crepe, but I was mildly intrigued by #61 - the "Tuna Cheese". Blech.
Once everyone had returned to their ryokan after Arashiyama, I went out to find some dinner. So I went down the escalator from Kyoto Station and found this INCREDIBLY HUGE underground mall! Good lord. Pretty much all of these were restaurants, too.
I settled on tonkatsu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonkatsu). It was dee-licious. From left, we have mushrooms, asparagus, scallops, and pork. Yum.
One of the other shops in "Porta", the huge underground mall. The kimono at left is priced at 207,900 yen, or roughly $2,000.
A wide-angle shot of Togetsukyo bridge. I bought a postcard which is basically a stylized view of this exact shot, and stuck it on my cubicle wall at work.
Outside the Tenryū-ji temple in Kyoto (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenry%C5%AB-ji). One of the buildings had a painting of a dragon on the ceiling that was enormous. It was definitely worth the additional 500 yen to get in.
More Tenryū-ji. My goals for a trip to Japan were: (1) see bustling Tokyo shiny stuff, and (2) see traditional serene Kyoto green stuff. Mission accomplished.
Tenryū-ji.
Bamboo forest in Tenryū-ji.
Modernized walkway through Tenryū-ji.
Obelisk in Tenryū-ji. Although the temples succumbed to fire five times in their history, they were originally built in 1345. THIRTEEN FORTY-FIVE.
A less modern staircase in Tenryū-ji.
After you take the external tour, you go inside, pay another 300 yen, take off your shoes, and walk around the inside of the temples.
While this dragon mural is quite impressive, it has nothing on the ceiling painting in the other shrine. unfortunately, they didn't allow pictures -- and I certainly wasn't going to break that rule in a place that's been around for almost 700 years.
Another inaccessible building in Tenryū-ji.
Detail work on the handrails at Tenryū-ji.
Inaccessible mini-shrine in Tenryū-ji.
More inaccessible areas in Tenryū-ji.
Group shot near the main entrance of Tenryū-ji.
One more building near the Tenryū-ji area.
All this culture is enough to lay you out after a while.
When we stepped out of the Osaka station, we saw a ferris wheel rising above the city. Aaron said "We're going on the ferris wheel!" I thought to myself, "I'm not six years old, why would I want to go on a ferris wheel?" Well, let me tell you. A ferris wheel is an entirely different experience when it's IN THE MIDDLE OF A CITY. http://picasaweb.google.com/aleiby/Japan2006/photo#4984511144558002194
The Osaka skyline. We didn't have much time to explore Osaka since the last Shinkansen left from Kyoto Station fairly soon after this, but I think we picked the right attraction.
Hard to see, but here's the text on the sign: "Winning or losing is not a problem. Enjoying is the most important matter. Do you like bowling? Let's play bowling. Breaking down the pins and get hot communication."
Giant red whale inside the mall that supports the ferris wheel.
While I don't THINK that's actually Michael Jackson, you can never be too sure in Japan. There are huge celebrities in America that don't do domestic advertising, but we saw a few of them in Japan. For instance, in the store where Aaron bought his coat, we saw a watch advertisement featuring Uma Thurman, Nicole Kidman, and Brad Pitt.
A shrine near the stadium where we saw Tokyo Verdy play. Izumi said that people who couldn't make the trip to Mount Fuji went here instead. Five minutes after this picture was taken, my camera fell from above my head to the concrete below, but miraculously, continued to fully function after a bit of work.
The view from our seats at the stadium. Unfortunately, it was hot and there was no shade, so we soon moved up into the stands to get out of the horrible, horrible sun.
The Tokyo Verdy 1969 (http://www.verdy.co.jp/) Supporters' Club. These guys were pretty rowdy during the game.
I was surprised to find the Emperor of Neck-Beards during my brief 10-day stay in Japan, but then I've always been lucky.
I can't remember the last time I'd watched a soccer game that ended with such a high score. It was like going to a Seahawks-Redskins game and seeing a final score of 82-34. Way to go Verdy!
A torii in Yasukuni shrine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasukuni).
Group shot in front of Yasukuni Shrine.
Typical Japan. Shrine, gate, skyscraper.
Statues of a dog, a horse, and a pigeon, to honor the animal companions lost in the Greater East Asia War (World War II).
A statue that honors war widows, who raised their children after their husbands were lost in the war.
"Shinchi Teien", a lovely pond surrounded by teahouses near Yasukuni shrine.
More "Shinchi Teien". This fulfilled my secret third goal of the trip, which was to find a place where I could cross some water by stepping on stones.
Bench at "Shinchi Teien".
The group feeding the koi at "Shinchi Teien". Unfortunately, the light was almost gone, and I was almost completely out of room on my memory card at this point.
Mike's surprise birthday dessert. They really go all out over there: http://picasaweb.google.com/christine.b.miller/InvasionOfTokyo2006GodzillaReturns/photo#4984071432405581842
Mega-group shot at the pre-karaoke dinner.
Toshi-san took the karaoke seriously. We all did, really. That's why we're winners. I don't remember what song he was singing, but he was singing the hell out of it.
We even got Mike and Christine to sing! I mean, COME ON! That's a hell of an achievement. I definitely didn't sing, though. Nope. No sir. http://picasaweb.google.com/christine.b.miller/InvasionOfTokyo2006GodzillaReturns/photo#4984071472253370386
There is actually a serious problem with women getting groped on the trains in Japan. So some cars, at some times, are marked "WOMEN ONLY" to cut down on the groping. "According to one survey, about two thirds of Japanese women between 20-40 years old have been groped on trains or at stations."
Harajuku in the rain was a wholly different experience from the last visit. Almost everyone had umbrellas, and it was hot and rainy. It was like a mosh pit in a sauna.
One of the highlights of the trip was the NINJA restaurant (http://tinyurl.com/y6rxka) we visited on our final night in Japan. Aaron and I spotted the "snow crab appetizer, prepared with a ninja trick" on the menu. So we had to order it. The "ninja trick" happened when our ninja-dressed waiter pulled a sword out of this grapefruit, and it started smoking!
The menu promised "cheesecake shaped like frog". They weren't kidding. Scott and I took an eye each at the same time, to make sure it didn't suffer.
