Sal-zah and Bakalava Alive in Japan!

But first, a trek to Iran...
Friday night was spent at a Persian restaurant, cross-legged eating lamb kabobs and hummis. Some former teachers invited me out on the town, showing us that Japan was not all sushi and goyza. And then cam ethe hookah...Understandably, Japanese culture has not yet mastered the experience of proper sucking technique, or rather "inhaling" the hookah pipe. This only served to make the mood more enjoyable when the owner of the restaurant, had to relight the embers and give the Japanese girls a crash course in hookah protocal.

Then a stop in L.A. . .
After filling our now bloated bellies with kabobs and bubble gum smoke, we hopped in the 'mystery van' and headed to Club Luv, a live venue for local bands, d.js and potent screwdrivers, much like my Los Angeles. One of the headliners was a Japanese rap artist, whose vocal styllings were formidable and ball cap askew.

Culminating with a red eye to South America. . .
On to the sal-zah bar we went with its inviting neon crucifx atop its roof--a pious beacon amid the Takasaki jungle. Inside, however, piety flew out the proverbial window. As I entered I was greeted to an abundace of Brazilians doing sexy sal-zah amid smoke and strobe lights. Fact: there are more Brazilians living in Japan than Americans. Japan and Brazil are sister countries and each have a fair amount of workers living in each country. The real kicker was that the Brazilians were getting their latin freak on to a Japanese trio who were singing in true Puerto Rican style.

We touched down in Japan 'round dawn.
Here, Sick in Eden much jet lagged.