Tokyo, Japan

September 2016

I have become accustomed to traveling alone and having the freedom to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. On going to Tokyo, Japan, I initially booked and planned this trip by myself. I had told my friend and my mother, who both ended up joining me on this journey. I spent 10 days in Tokyo, and felt that a week was more than sufficient in one city. I tried to find ways to get to Kyoto, but it simply just wasn’t as easy not traveling alone since this was an odd pairing. I averaged about 10 miles a day here, on top of transit. Transportation was extremely complicated here, having multiple train companies and ways to get anywhere. When someone is given too many options, it just simply gets chaotic. This city was clearly made for the working people. Restaurants are set up to get people in and out, with very little human interaction needed. Train stations felt like battlefields in the middle of the night. The Japanese people were not as friendly and seemed to rather not “deal with us,” by ignoring us or walking away, simply because we could not communicate. It was exhausting getting around by foot and train, but in watching the traffic signals, they weren’t intuitive either. Cars would go even when the light was red, and cars would stop when it was green, but only on certain lanes. I wouldn’t have been able to get around even if I rented a car without prior study of their traffic signals. The food consists mainly of fun looking, sugary desserts. People were dressed up either what looks like cosplay, or working clothes. I rarely found someone in just a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. There were a lot to look at, and many little useless “kawaii” things to purchase. We also made our way to see Mt. Fuji, but the weather was poor, and fogged up everything. Overall, this was an exhausting trip, with me completely passing out every single night having spent the entire day walking non-stop. I would love to return during Cherry Blossom season and check out Kyoto on my next trip to Japan. It would be nice to see a clear view of Mt. Fuji as well. Green tea ice-cream, chicken curry, cream puff, and their sushi is fantastic.

Directories of businesses nearby

There was a huge gathering of people just standing around staring at their phones. This was already past midnight. I went up to someone and asked if they were playing the game, Pokemon Go, since it just came out fairly recently in the United States. They were.

Art video exhibition that played lights and music over and over in a dark room.

Their public restrooms are all equipped with bidets.

Remote to control the bidets.

Honda NSX released in Japan. It is released as Acura in the United States.

Pointless door in the subway.

The space the workers have to navigate around.

These cats seemed to be guarding the entrance. They were there every time I walked by.

Temple

Memorial flowers

Random receipt – interesting to look at.

Owl at the owl cafe

This was how we were instructed to touch this owl – by the cheeks.

I didn’t really care for the fashion in Japan. They were beautiful and so interesting to look at, but they didn’t suit me. They looked like costumes, and not practical for every day use. I spent so many hours at Forever 21 to be honest.

Gates to prevent from falling onto the train tracks.

All their escalators are so so long.

Way to Harujuku District

Subway during rush hour. People are seen to be pressed up right against the glass in some trains.

Each subway exit led to long hallways. One mistake will take you to a completely different part of town.

One of the main stations of Tokyo. 5 levels, with different exits on each levels, and different metro lines on each. My opinion: Transportation lines from hell.

In all climates, under all skies, man’s happiness is always somewhere else. This was Tokyo’s equivalent of New York’s Times Square.

View of Shibuya

Look at the locks on the rear wheel.

This Taiwanese couple rented Traditional Japanese clothing to walk around for the day. It was really humid when I visited, so I can’t imagine being in all those clothes.