At the hop: Idols, Lock ups and kites. My weekend Part 1 Kyoto

This looong weekend has seen me and T.O.H watch a lot of American Idol (media blackout still on as its the grand final viewing tonight HURRARR, well not that hurrar as its Jordin and blake more hey!) we headed to Kyoto, ate food in a cell and watched as giant kites crash to earth... so the usual weekend then...

Obviously you don't really need any pictures of us watching American idol, just the mental picture should be enough but if not here's a picture of us taken when Melinda was knocked out be warned its not for the faint hearted.

So Saturday we headed over to Kyoto to meet a few friends and head off to eat at The Lockup....

Japan may be land of the rising sun, rice fields and noisy frogs but its also the home of novelty restaurants. Whether its having to rub a magic lamp to get in, ninjas serving your food or just people shouting in a high pitched Winny voice, Japan my friends has it all.

The Lockup's main attraction is that you eat in a prison, yep cells and all, its not exactly Oz but more like a prison designed by a short attention

spanned teenage manga fan.

So after the dark passage way with a few surprises and after you you put your hand in the guillotine to get in the door, your led to your own cell handcuffed to the guard

(this being

Japan the guard is a scantily clad young lady) settling down behind your bars you order your food and drinks from the striped jump suited waiter (when I say order I mean point at the menu and shout) and then enjoy the surroundings, all whilst often getting stared at from the barred windows of your cubicle by the drunk office party workers

At some point in the proceedings there's a show... annnd well I don't want to spoil anything if you ever go. Lets just say that something special happens for the dinners. It's nothing too bad just lots of noise and excitement.

Oh and if you do ever go tell them its your first time, and its your birthday too guaranteeing a strangled rendition

of happy birthday, your own cake

and a guerrilla playing the tambourine,

yeah just like your actual birthday....

After the fun and games its back out onto the busy streets of Kyoto and onto the Mushroom bar, I know I've talked about this before, but this time I took my proper camera with me for some shots of the only bar where if you do see pink elephants then the chances are they're actually real.

Oh and here's the awesomely haired (is that even proper English? I've been in Japan too long to actually know) bar owner complete with mushroom/bowl haircut, who rides to and from work on his very own in line skates something that I have to see before I die.