\–If you don’t feel like reading the preface, scroll to the ITINERARY part below.–
To preface, I travel very little. I live in Germany and traveled 5 days to Austria last year and 5 days to Spain about 5 years ago, both times solo. Otherwise I travel back home to Latin America every 1-2 years to visit my family, but that’s it. I suffer from traveler’s anxiety, in the sense that I don’t like leaving my comfort zone. Because my friends are all couples, I am forced to third-wheel or travel solo, the latter is which I would rather do. I also hate planning, because I find myself wanting to cancel whatever plans I have with each coming day.
I have been wanting to travel to Japan for several years. The culture, the food, the history, the megacities… I just always found it to be my top destination ever. The fact that Lost in Translation is one of my favorite movies, and probably one of the reasons to ignite my interest in the country probably does something for it too. The “Lost In Translation” movie theme will play a bigger part in this report.
But due to overzealous money management, the pandemic, anxiety and just waiting for meeting a girlfriend to not have to travel solo, I always postponed any travel plans.
That was until a couple of weeks ago. I had been laid off from my bankrupt company in December and found a job starting mid February. It was end of January, I had a few weeks to kill before the new job. The prospect of entering a new job that I can just tolerate, and not like, looking at how my life is just working and not having hobbies whatsoever triggered something in me.
It was January 19th. In a moment of weakness, or rather, boldness, I threw all my anxiety and careful managing of my money through the window and booked a flight to Tokyo on the 24th until February 1st, so 5 days from now on. 1 week of traveling. I decided only on Tokyo, even though I wish to discover the rest of Japan, because I thought one week would make no sense to get out of the city, with the latter having so much to offer already. It was low season, and with reasonable prices and hopefully not many tourists, I had to visit Japan \_now\_, before I could chicken out of doing it again.
I booked the flight and two hotels. One night at the Park Hyatt Tokyo, and the rest of the week in a business hotel in Shiodome. I booked one night at the Park Hyatt out of love for the Lost In Translation movie, and because they are going to shut it down for a year or two of renovations starting in May. The time to visit that hotel was now. Also just one night, because I’m not rich, and one night there already makes my bank account cry.
The days passed, with my hands shaking out of anxiety before the big day.
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\–ITINERARY–
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Day 1 (Note, this will probably be the longest entry, fear not, the other ones are shorter):
I flew from Germany at 10AM. It was a good omen to see the plane almost empty. I had the whole aisle for myself, so I could even sleep an hour or two (I generally cannot close my eyes on a plane). I flew ANA, first time ever. The quality gap between anything I have flown was astonishing. The food was plenty and delicious. The crew was the kindest I had ever experienced, a small taste of Japanese customer service I would experience, I guess.
I arrived in Haneda at around 7AM. I was surprisingly awake, or just scared/anxious about I had just gotten into. I managed to find apparently the only machine in Tokyo dispensing Welcome Suica cards (Terminal 3). After being relieved that I managed to snag one and being able to get cash out of an ATM, I headed to Shinjuku using the Airport Limousine service. 1300 yen, very cheap. The thought of using public transport on rush hour with my luggage and lack of experience was something I didn’t want to deal with.
An hour later, admiring the Tokyo landscape, the amount of salarymen/women running around, the sheer density of buildings, the billboards… I was experiencing cultural shock already. The Park Hyatt building was imposing and just as I remember it from the movie. It was still very early, so I left my luggage with the staff at the lobby, who already proved to be painfully polite.
I had reserved a ticket at Shibuya Sky that noon (I was really downplaying the jet lag the day before I reserved this), the only thing (apart from a tour that evening) that I had actually planned out. But I was tired and the way to Shibuya according to Google Maps would involve me using a bus… I said hell no and decided to yield my ticket. Instead, I used the observation deck in the Tokyo Metropolitan Tower, which was very near to my hotel. Few tourists. The 360º view was impressive and free. The weather was unbeatable, you could see Mount Fuji clear as day.
I spent the rest of morning running around Shinjuku. I went through Kabukicho, which was of course almost deserted, as it was the morning and everything was closed. I walked back to the Park Hyatt area and had to have my first lunch… I found a well reviewed Ramen place around. I didn’t check pictures or anything before. I entered the place… And it was tiny. About 8 spots. Just salarymen. And a machine with tickets, only in Japanese. Oh shit, panic attack, this was too much for me. But I was already inside, going out would have been rude. I picked whatever option I could find on the machine. My basic hiragana knowledge recognized “Miso”, so I had apparently found the Miso Ramen option. Thank god. I sat down. A few patrons looked at me with interest, this was definitely not a restaurant that saw tourists.
The waitress came shortly after with this huge ramen of bowl. My jet lag stomach wasn’t prepared for this. Furthermore, a queue started appearing in front of the tiny place. I, a tourist, was taking away a salaryman spot. I started eating like if in an eating conquest. I had to eat quickly, they needed my spot. Somehow I managed to eat everything, after less than 10 mins. My jet lagged stomach didn’t appreciate it, but it was delicious. I stormed out of the place with an “Oishii! Arigato gozaimasu” and panicked at the 10-15 people queue when I got out.
After this mentally draining experience and feeling tired af, I headed back to the hotel. My check in time was due. It was surreal. Just like in the “Lost in Translation” movie, about 8 people greeted me before I got to the reception. The receptionist explained me everything in detail and even asked what newspaper I wanted in the morning… Newspaper? Not expecting this, I just said “Yes” (they put 3 newspapers on my door the day after, lmao). To my shock, the receptionist guided me to my room, on the 42nd floor. She explained me everything. The room was bigger than my apartment, with this massive bathtub in the middle and a dressing room. I had a better view than the Tokyo Metropolitan here. Mount Fuji smiled from the horizon. The receptionist left me. I took like half an hour to admire the level of luxury I was staying in. It was the first time in my life that I stayed in a 5 star hotel. And this iconic one… I think I cried in realization. I dropped on the stupidly comfy and big bed and napped for like 2 hours.
I woke up, took a shower and headed to Shinjuku, where I would meet my privately guided tour with Aya, who would show me izakayas in the area. Once again, about 10 people greeted me on the way to the lobby. I felt uncomfortable with this level of attention. I felt too anxious to get into an intimate izakaya by myself and no Japanese, so I figured having a tour guide and myself would be the best alternative. We walked around and she told me a lot of Japanese culture. We sat in an izakaya with no other tourists. It was fairly big though, so we were to ourselves. We talked a lot and and we eat lots of cool small meals. But then I realized how exhausted I was. I was dropping dead. My bad, I shouldn’t have booked a tour on my first evening there. Aya was extremely understanding, so she offered to just meet and do something else on another day.
I headed back to my hotel, admiring the Shinjuku city scape and the amount of people on the streets. I arrived in my room and took my first bath in around 20 years (I haven’t lived in a place with one since I was kid). It was glorious. I went to sleep, being ecstatic that I had just survived my first day in Japan, without having chickened out in the process.
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Day 2:
I woke up, after a great night of sleep, but still tired. My stomach feeling like crap. These jet lag symptoms wouldn’t go away until like the 5th day, unfortunately.
It was sunny. In fact, it was sunny the whole week, between 2-15º all week. Perfect weather. I walked to Meiji Jingu. I was in awe. A lush forest in the middle of Shinjuku. It was about 8:30 and there were very few people there. The temple was gorgeous. It all felt so peaceful in the middle of such a busy area (I must say though, Shinjuku felt more quiet and peaceful than the downtown part of all the cities I’ve been). I then walked to Harajuku, and wow, I’m glad I went early and nothing was open, because Takeshita street is really much narrower than pictures do. Despite it being so early and everything being closed, there were already crowds starting to gather.
I walked back to Shinjuku, using narrow side streets. I loved just going off the beaten path and discovering all these residential areas.
I headed back to the hotel, sad to have to leave such luxury to go to my second and a bit more modest hotel, but the price per night in the Park Hyatt would have left me on the streets after a week. If you have the money, I would 100% recommend you stay there. The views alone are worth it.
It was now time to face one of my biggest fears: The public transport.
I walked to my station with my luggage, getting lost in the levels before reaching my platform. It wasn’t a main station, yet it had more exits and levels than most the metro stations in my Tier 1 European cities. Google Maps was a savior here. All signs were clear and in English, and with my Welcome Suica, I didn’t have to bother with tickets. The metro was pretty packed, but throughout my trip, it was always packled, no matter the hour. I guess I’m not used to it beyond rush hour in my country.
I got to Shiodome and spent like 30 minutes lost in such a confusing station. But I managed to reach my hotel eventually. My room here was quite small (about 20m2), but it was on the 29th floor and I had a view of Tokyo Tower and Mount Fuji. I couldn’t complain. There wasn’t much to explore in Shiodome/Shinbashi. It was after all, a business hub, and the nightlife/izakayas is what would make it special later. But the jet lagged had caught up to me. I spent the rest of the day in my hotel recovering. My stomach was still rioting, so my dinner consisted of eating 2 onigirs from the nearest konbini, which was honestly eye opening in regards of how good convenience stores are in Japan. And freaking cheap too. Kind of sad to stay in the hotel for the rest of the day, but I was really exhausted.
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Day 3:
I woke up, still jet lagged, but headed to Senso-ji in Asakusa. It was about 8am. I didn’t know how much crowds to expect. But it was almost empty. Almost all stores were still closed. Good for me. I got good pictures, paid my respects and bought a fortune and charms for my friends. I then walked to Ueno and then Yanaka, admiring the greenery and empty side streets. The cemetery in Yanaka and little old houses were particularly impressive. I took a train to Akihabara. It was still early, about 11am, but it was getting crowded. I went to the batting cages on top of the Akiba shopping centre, and used a batting cage for the first time in my life. It was so much fun. I asked a group of Japanese friends if they could film me for a minute or two (I don’t know how, my normal self would never inconvenience somebody with that) and they happily agreed. I then even stayed after my turn was done to watch them take turns and go at it too, chatting with them for a while. Had Tonkatsu at that mall for lunch.
I spent more time walking around Akihabara, but I had no interest in shopping or fighting the crowds to look at the shops, so I went back to my hotel where I spent the rest of the afternoon. Again, my stomach seemed to not have appreciated me eating a regular meal, so onigiri it was for dinner again.
I spent the evening meeting a friend on the backstreets of Shiodome in an izakaya.
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Day 4:
Slept like crap, again. I wen to Shimo-Kitazawa before noon. Aside from taking a look at the cool vintage shops and flea markets around the center of town, I headed off into the residential area and was surprised to see luxury cars often, but with very modest looking homes. I stumbled upon a shrine, walked more around deserted residential streets and admired the peace and quiet.
I stayed here until the afternoon, where I got back to my hotel. I met another friend in Shinagawa, where we stayed until late an Izakaya.
It was an overall quiet day, but as you can see, I just like walking and getting lost in the streets of Tokyo.
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Day 5:
Slept badly, again. I met Aya, the tour guide from the first day. We went to a sushi restaurant near Shinbashi. It was my first sushi experience in Japan. I am not a very adventurous eater and I don’t eat seafood. But I wanted to taste real sushi for once. I ordered the first item in the menu, making an effort to not know what I was eating. The presentation, level of care and just everything was mindboggling. I ate all 12 items, they were all excellent. It was stupid how good everything tasted. Apparently this sushi was also especially fresh, coming daily from the nearby Tsukiji market. And after eating, Aya told me I had tried squid and eel, among the tuna and other more common things. All for about $10. I was astonished.
We then walked to the Hie shrine, which was in Akasaka. I decided on this shrine because it didn’t seem like the most popular one. It was on a hill, surrounded by office skyscrapers. It was beautiful and also a bit crowded, just by locals. I spent more time than usual praying here, because my love life has been troubled, if not inexistent for the past years, so why not seek divine intervention while I’m in Japan? I bought a few more charms for my friends and then Aya brought me to an old shopping street in Komagome. It was charming, because it was a street with more rundown or less affluent shops and homes, with shops of all kinds. We had a gelato from Hokkaido and she showed me a Japanese supermarket (I hadn’t stumbled across one until now). We spent a few hours around this part and then parted ways. Thank you so much for Aya for being more a friend than a tour guide!
I went back to the hotel and spent the evening again with one of my friends in a very rundown Izakaya around Shinbashi, very fun.
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Day 6:
Still no good sleep. I took a train to Yokohama and walked along Chinatown and then all of the pier. The Gundam factory was closed that day, but I could take a few pictures of the giant gundam from a distance. I walked from the pier up to Yokohama station, which took a couple of hours. It was very interesting to see how different Yokohama looks from Tokyo. It looks much more European, kind of like Hamburg.
I spent the afternoon in Tsutaya Books Daikan-yama near Shibuya and then walked around Shibuya. Here was the first time in my trip where I had western food, which was Shake Shack. I tried it, because I had never tried it before (doesn’t exist in my country). Pretty good, but somewhat pricey.
Met one of my friends and we went to have dinner in a Japanese chain restaurant that serves comfort food. Delicious. We walked all over Ginza and the Imperial Gardens at night.
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Day 7:
Time to go. My flight was in the evening, so I checked out and left my luggage at the hotel. I walked around the Hamarikyu Gardens, then to Hibiya and then to Tokyo Tower, before heading back to the hotel and then to the airport. My flight was on an R2-D2 painted ANA plane, where they also gave us commemorative cards and postcards. Such a nice touch.
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\–Summary–
I booked my very short trip about 4 days before, with no plans or itinerary. I’m somebody that doesn’t strive on planning. (Solo) traveling makes me anxious. I’ve never been to Asia. Yet I visited Japan, okay, Tokyo. I consider this to have been shock therapy. I struggled to take the Tokyo public transport, let alone dealing with the masses of people using it at the start of my trip. Later on, I even dealt with rush hour with relative ease. I found Tokyo to be the best place I had ever been to. Before this trip, I found myself “dead” inside. I had no purpose, hobbies or a flame inside me to tell me to live. I found Tokyo despite being so crowded, dense and unintelligible for my western and non-speaking person to be a very welcoming place, with many peaceful spots. It helps that Japanese people are probably the kindest, cleanest and most organized I’ve ever met.
In only one week I also unexpectedly managed to meet a Japanese woman who I fell for. It was very unexpected and not something I was looking for on this trip. But despite our short time together and knowing that any of us moving to our respective countries is out of the question, it makes me think that I lived through my own “Lost in Translation” movie.
I realize Japan is far from perfect, especially if I don’t come as a tourist. As a start, I’m sure the work culture would crush me beyond hope. Yet something in Tokyo awoke a something deep inside me. I don’t know what. I just know that I feel sad as never before since I came back.
Feel free to ask me anything!
by Kotoriii