Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo. Tokyo. Tokyo. I really love this absurd, bright, well organized city. I would personally argue that they have the best metro system in the world. I never felt unsafe or lost or confused. I was constantly stimulated and I never ran out of something new to do or try. I was only there for less than a week, but my days were full to the brim with experiences.
I arrived after the sun had gone down, but luckily it's very easy to get around. I ate some delicious ramen with a bunch of solo business men. They knocked back shot after shot of sake while reading manga.
I tried the sake, but I just really don't care for it in all honesty.
I spent my first night sleeping in a pod style bed. I didn't feel like it would be fair to visit Japan and not spend at least one night like this. Personally, I love the idea. When I travel, I like to keep it simple. I don't need a lot. I like the idea of only having a bed and sharing the rest of my space.
However, I had a very hard time with the actual sleeping part in all honesty. By morning, I was very claustrophobic. I spent the rest of my nights in Tokyo sleeping in a great hostel.
I began my trip with a visit to Tsukiji Fish Market. At the time, my sister's boyfriend was working at a sushi restaurant so I was very interested. I went at about 10 in the morning so the morning rush had finished. I've always loved fish and markets. This place was full to the brim with strange and delicious food. I ate the freshest sushi of my life for lunch.
After eating to my heart's content, I took the metro to Tokyo Station area. From there, it was a pleasant stroll to the Imperial Palace East Garden. Unfortunately, the Imperial Palace was destroyed during the air raids of World War II. However, I was lucky enough to join in a tour at the garden. It was totally free and I left really feeling like I had learned something.
Towards the exit, one of the first cherry blossoms of the season was blooming. Cherry Blossom viewing typically doesn't happen until later in the year but I was excited to get a very small taste.
There's a really interesting art museum within walking distance of the gardens. There's also a library close for anyone else that enjoys that kind of thing.
For the final stop of the day, I visited the area of Shinjuku. The lights of this area are absolutely amazing at night.
I walked around the various electronics markets. There were also a lot of porn shops but I was a little too intimidated to take a look. I settled for smaller, harmless anime shops.
I had dinner at a super crowded standing sushi restaurant. I couldn't get over how delicious everything was.
After my dinner of sushi, I checked into the hostel that I would stay at for the rest of my trip. It was one of the best places that I´ve ever stayed and I´d highly recommend it.
After sleeping much better in my new hostel, I woke up early and had a breakfast of green tea ice cream. I was a very happy camper.
My hostel was very centrally located so I had an easy time getting to Senso-ji Temple followed by a visit to Asakusa-jinja Shrine.
Senso-ji is an incredibly popular tourist site. It's Tokyo's oldest and arguably it's most significant temple. It's dedicated to Guanyin, the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy who bears a striking resemblance to the Virgin Mary in Catholicism.
I visited during a national Chinese holiday so there were lots of Chinese tourists taking advantage of the time off. It was even more crowded than normal, but it made for some very interesting people watching opportunities.
Next, I walked over and visited some nearby shrines. Shrines are structures to house or enshrine sacred objects or kami. It's common to see shrines outside of people's homes or on the side of the road.
Also located nearby were many shops where I walked around.
For my third day, I decided to visit the famous Harajuku Square. I would've loved to visit the area on a Sunday, but unfortunately I just didn't have the time for it.
Even though I went on a weekday, I still had lots to see and do. I stopped for another very naughty breakfast before hitting the shops.
I went to loads of costume jobs and tried on as many clothes as my heart desired. Every shop was full of cute, quirky, weird stuff and I had so much fun taking it all in.
I even found a really cute resale shop where I bought some really cute second hand clothes.
Afterwards, I went for lunch at Kawaii Monster cafe. I'd read about this restaurant before visiting so I was well prepared for the whimsical Alice in Wonderland quality.
The restaurant was so much fun to eat at, but it was definitely my splurge meal. Still, it only cost me about $15 for everything.
After my satisfying meal, I headed over to visit the Meiji-Shrine. There's a beautiful park there so I had a very pleasant stroll.
On my fourth and last day in Tokyo, I took a train out to soak up in one of the hot springs.
After seeing so much and doing so much, I was well ready for a day only for relaxation.
Japan is very traditional when it comes to tattoos. There's a lot of problems with gang activity and a lot of the times, tattoos are associated with gang activity.
As a foreigner, most Japanese people expect me to be a little eccentric or have different cultural values. I did however have one woman approach me to inquire me about my tattoos. We had an interesting discussion about what they meant to me and why I had them. She explained what tattoos like meant in Japan. At the end of our talk, she asked if I would consider re-starting my life and getting them removed. I said that I wouldn't and we parted ways.
Now, I bring up my tattoos because almost every hot spring in Japan won't let you in with tattoos. I knew this before visiting Tokyo so I already had a place that I knew would let me in.
I was so blissfully happy by the end of the day that I could hardly believe how relaxed I was.
Because of the nature of the area, I don't have any pictures of the resort but I took lots of pictures of the beautiful nature surrounding it.
