My name is Joe and I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. It's not the biggest city in the world, but it definitely ain't the Kansas that Dorothy was raised in. I've been to Las Vegas a few times, served in the military for four years, seen Dallas, lived in Florida and visit my sister in New York City on a frequent basis. Hell, I even lived in Okinawa for two years, which was absolutely amazing and all of those places are wonderful to see, and visit and even live in... but none, I mean none of those places, compare to the city in which I currently live: Tokyo.

What is Tokyo in your imagination? What was it in mine? The most expensive city in the world. The most populated city in the world. The center of the worlds second largest economy and a global financial powerhouse. Land of fish, rice, manga, crowded subways, beautiful architecture, arcadium, electronica, strangely dressed people, black-clad businessmen, kimonos, and goths. It's all of those things.... and more. Its a dream: a hazy one with gray clouds, foggy settings and bright flashing lights.

My first night out my three American friends and I were escorted by two native Tokyoites. Speaking broken Engrish and our terribly bad Japanese, we attended a restaurant where we paid an up-front charge of $20 per person for a five course family style meal and unlimited alcohol for two hours. Bad idea with a bunch of drunk college kids? Our first dish was a salad consisting of lettuce, onions, ranch dressing and small baked potatoes placed neatly on top! Oishii desu nee! Followed by chicken fingers and french fries, malt beers and the best welcoming gift of all.... warm sake! The smoothest sake I've ever had in my life.... The booze flowed freely and the international conversation got deeper as our Japanese hosts informed us that hostess bars are a waste of time and soccer is awesome... As our rowdiness increased, we worried about being percieved as drunk gaizins from America with no proper manners.... Little did I know we were being outdone... As I climbed out of our tiny, stained wood, private booth I observed the natives and their actions in the establishment... One guy passed out in his booth, a shrieking flock of Japanese girls, and two people throwing up in the bathroom: one in the toilet and one in the proper place: A special sink set aside and installed precisely for puking purposes.... My worries were unfounded and my adventures were sure to continue...

There is Tokyo in Kill Bill, Lost in Translation, Akira or all of Hollywoods adaptations....

A taste of the wild side of Tokyo was fun, and more was to come.... but the morning was followed by one of the most spiritually special and contrastingly cultural days of my life... as I continue to discover the many Tokyos that exist....