There’s nothing better than a great workout in the gym: The feeling of physical accomplishment and immediate gratification in how your body looks is really an addictive thing. In the 10+ years of transforming my body into something I’m supremely proud of, it’s the goals I set for myself in fitness that have kept me mentally on-track and healthily competitive. Thanks to a lot of preventative care, I look nowhere near my mid-late 30s, am the healthiest and most fit I’ve ever been and am comfortable in my skin in a way I’ve really never been before. There’s this sense of freedom (sexually and otherwise). It’s pretty fucking awesome.
And for those wondering, yes, that’s me in the header pic. I know people don’t like doing squats, but the results show if the work is done.
Fringe benefits to workouts: Keeping testosterone high and a near-constant need to blow a load… That said, I can neither confirm nor deny having enjoyed the gym’s Kiehls hair conditioner as post-workout shower lube. While I’ve never been a big fan of combining the gym and sex, there are times when it just feels right. You’ve just had a killer workout, your muscles are pumped, adrenaline high, you’ve got a nice coat of sweat on your chest, arms, ass and pits and the only thing that’s going to bring you down a few notches is a nice, quick tug in the shower.
If I really concentrate, I can usually get a load out in less than 30 seconds. I’m like the masterbation version of a bull rider.
Jumping back into recent travels, I spent a little over a week in Tokyo, enjoying a mix of work and personal time, as well as sightseeing some things I never had the chance to see on previous visits. I continue to be amazed at Japan’s population density in relation to their incredible ability to compartmentalize, remain orderly and generally keep things clean. Tokyo is spotless. Their people are friendly (and well-mannered). The food is delicious. There’s something satisfyingly charming about how Japan’s culture squarely meshes the old and new generations: I’d recommend to any Western traveler to do a little research on their cultural customs before visiting. It’s much easier to ‘do as Romans do’ when you’ve glanced at the Cliff’s Notes.
If you’re a food whore with a hard on for Michelin stars, Tokyo is a dream city. You will- I repeat- you will get sick of Kobe beef eventually and finding wide varieties of ethnic foods is easy. The invasion of Western fast food also (sadly) has a stronghold on the city, which might explain why younger generations of Japanese are now facing obesity issues. Once a culture known for being thin, that is quickly changing and I was a little disheartened to see so many young people in Tokyo so out of shape.
Spent a day bumming around Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySEA, two parks I’d never had the chance to visit before. It’s an easy train ride from central Tokyo, but I’d highly recommend booking your tickets in advance as the parks routinely sell-out. By far the cleanest Disney park I’ve ever visited, it was my fellow guests that made it a knockout experience: Everyone was well-behaved, people quietly stood in line in an orderly fashion, cast members were incredibly polite and for a split-second, the Disney ‘happiest place on earth’ shtick felt very real. It was the polar opposite of visiting an American Disney park.
And what’s best… It was cheaper than their US parks. $60/day, per park.
That respect of tradition I was writing about earlier was the one thing that derailed a plan to visit a local Japanese onsen (mineral bath, spa). Stemming from their fear of having members of the Yakuza on-site, most onsens have a strict policy against tattoos. Yakuza members (the mob) are known for their ink. While I don’t have any tattoos on my body, the person I was traveling with did and there’s no wiggle room offered for a Westerner. A little bit of a bummer, as I’m a huge fan of a) relaxing in super hot water and b) being naked.
If you’re in Tokyo, you can’t miss the Epson teamLab Digital Art Museum. In what has to be one of the largest and trippiest spaces I’ve ever been in, this dark space pushes the boundaries of projection technology to its limit. Incredible augmented reality. The digital mapping they’re doing in this space is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before and it’s the kind of thing you’re going to want to carve out several hours for. It’s tough to do it justice in text description, so you’ll just have to take my word for it.
This trip had me based at Aman Tokyo, one of Aman’s newest city-based properties. Located in a quiet alcove of the financial district and just a short walk to the Imperial Palace, this hotel has some of the classic tenets of an Aman (incredible service, stunning lobby space) mixed with the ease of being close to nearly everything. While I missed the remote quiet that most other Aman resorts have, it’s good to see the brand expand past what have always been destination locations that are tough to get to and even tougher to get away from. Aman New York is scheduled to open at the end of 2019, so it’s clear the company is moving in a very different direction than how they first started out. Most of this change came from the creator of the brand, Adrian Zecha, being bought out by a Russian vc firm who’s decided to take the brand into metro spaces and less remote locations. It’s been a very distinct change for the brand.
I’ve spent a considerable amount of time at other Aman properties (Amangiri, Amanyara and Aman Venice being my favorites) and in taking away the quiet peace of a remote location, it’s really up to an incredible staff to make the experience that much better. I think what most people expect from an Aman is unrealistic, but somehow they’re almost always able to deliver that surreal, they-know-what-I-want-without-asking parlor trick. Some might think it would be too much doting on the guest, but that’s the magic of Aman: They take cues and act on them. I can’t say I’ve ever dealt with a traditional hotel that’s ever done that in such a natural way.
So…
Not sure if it was the power of Aman or dumb sexual luck, but the Grindr game in Tokyo was on point- Guys weren’t treating it like Match.com, they were definitely ready to fuck and the variety of locals and visitors was awesome. I ended up chatting with a couple of guys in the vicinity of the hotel, as I didn’t want to travel and knew that ordering in was going to be the best way to go.
This dude was staying just a few floors down and opened the chat with this pic:
Sold. He wanted to top. Seeing this pic, I wanted to bottom. Sealed deal. Opening the door, he looked exactly right, although at 5’7” he was a little more compact than most of the guys who want to fuck me. However, where there’s a will, there’s a way and I’ve got no problem being twisted into an Auntie Anne’s pretzel if there’s promise of a hot scene.
Great kisser. Perfect use of tongue and went a little rough on my nipples. Had to back him off of sucking my cock to not blow a load too early. He was rock hard from the time he dropped his pants, showing off a thick, 7×5 uncut dick. I’ve always been a fan of uncut guys and enjoyed swallowing his tool, cramming it down my throat and listening to him breathe heavily each time I took it.
He had a very nicely worked-out gymnasts body- Lined up six pack, shredded arms and shoulders, thick quads and defined Gideon’s belt muscles that lined down to a trim bush. What I liked about this guy the most was his dedication to being the top. In a lot of cases, a guy meets with me, sees how tall/muscular I really am and ends up putting his ass in the air. While that’s usually not an issue, there are times when all I want it to get pounded out. It’s the curse (and blessing) of true sexual versatility. This guy, however, ended up flipping me over on all-fours, speedily moving forward by eating my ass intermixed with rubbing his cock on my hole.
This kind of thing pushes every sexual button I’ve got. He knew I wanted it. Flipping me onto my back, he slid his thick dick into me, slowly letting it fill me up and then working into a sharp, hard pounding. It was the kind of fuck that I wasn’t designed to take for a long period of time, but based on his breathing and face, he was going to bust his nut pretty quickly. While I would have been cool with him blowing his load in my ass, he surprised me by pulling out, coming around to my face and jerking himself off over my mouth. His aim was perfect and I got nearly six thick shots of cum down my throat. Swallow. Wipe down. Good times.
The remainder of the Japan trip was spent exploring off-the-beaten-path neighborhoods, finding tiny little bars to enjoy Japanese whiskey and stocking up on Korean skincare at Don Quijote, quite possibly one of the most insane, packed and wonderful multilevel department stores in the world. If you can’t find it there, you likely can’t find it anywhere. Made a pitstop at one of the first ‘Western’ gay bars to open in Tokyo, The Eagle: Clearly, they spent a good amount of money on the design, but the drinks were terrible. Too little alcohol and way too much acidic mixer. Heartburn city in a plastic cup. No bueno.
One of the smartest things I decided to do was take Japan Airlines to/from. Their nonstop from DFW is an easy ride (12 hours) and I was able to find my way up to business. The flight attendants are what made the experience incredible: Helpful, kind, smiling and working hard the entire time- A near-opposite of what I’ve experienced on American Airlines long hauls. It was a win-win for me, as I got to earn elite mileage on the flight and I didn’t have to deal with AA and their (lately) crap attitudes. Open disdain for your most loyal customers is never a good look and frankly, until they get rid of their current CEO, it’ll remain their theme. Stock price is tanking so I’m hopeful that shareholders will usher him out sooner than later. JAL’s capsule-style seat was huge, the champagne tops and the flight crew all smiles. It was a welcome change from most US-based airlines. A little dose of Ambien and I was out cold for the nearly 14 hour nonstop.
While I understand wanting to get your money’s worth, I almost never eat in the sky. The bigger seat is what I’m really after and the ability to lie flat so that I can arrive rested. My routine when I get onto long hauls is time-tested, mother approved and well-worn: Get situated, get into comfortable sleep clothing, have a drink or two and get to sleep. Don’t let the bells and whistles of premium class dissuade you from the most important thing: Sleep and being cognisant of time zones. That’s especially important when you’re going to Asia, where one bad flight can mess with your sleep rhythms for the entire visit. The goal is to arrive already on their timezone… And that’s easily done with some discipline.
I’ll be doing a wrap-up of my time in Dubai and Abu Dhabi on the next edition, as well as shattering the myth that it’s tough to find a good fuck in the Middle East. Tons of action. Tons of variety. Grindr is off the hook in Dubai. It was like the gay fucking wild west. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see a swishy Yul Brynner robot trying to kill me.
Heading to Chicago for New Years and should have some fun stuff to share on future blogs. My hometown is always one I enjoy getting back to and aside from the bitter weather, I love visiting Chicago. Museums. Steamworks. Theater. Steamworks. Shopping. Steamworks. Great food. Steamworks. Equinox gym. Steamworks.
I’m sensing a trend here.
Happy holidays, safe travels and a great 2019 to you all. Be well,
