One Imperfect Trip To Tokyo
Could be the Olympics nostalgia, but today Tokyo comes to my attention: my first long haul, my first visit on the Asian continent and my first long-time-dream achieved. And it was nothing like perfect. That’s right, I managed to travel so far for one imperfect trip to Tokyo!
There have been signs from the very beginning. For some reason, I booked a too short stay: only 6 full days in the Japanese capital. Rookie mistake? Perhaps. Again, I will use this as an excuse: it was my first long distance holiday.
The more I think about it, the more I’m amazed about the things I’ve missed doing in Tokyo. Regrets? Definitely,
Read me further so you won’t make the seven mistakes I did!
Japan in general, Tokyo in particular
1. Visit as much as you can in Japan
If you happen to visit Japan, make sure you won’t resume to just Tokyo!
Although I could not erase the eternal fascination for the capital, there’s a lot to see out of the big city. And the truth is that, no matter where you come from, it is never close enough to this country. So make your visit worth it from the first try!
Having only six days booked, I completely failed to visit anything outside Tokyo. Bummer.
Suggested article:
https://corinareports.com/wonders-of-a-train-journey-in-india/
Sushi, of course!
2. Eat in Japan, even if you don’t know what it is
I take a deep breath before I admit this: I ate neither sushi nor ramen soup in Japan. Ironic enough, I was served sushi on my flight back to Moscow. Thank you, Aeroflot, you added to my shame! Also, the day I visited the famous Tsukiji Fish Market, I skipped the long lines and missed probably the most fresh sea food ever. You cannot imagine the crowds there, though!
Funny thing: now that I searched for this market, not only that I found it closed in 2018, but I realized I didn’t even see the right side of it when I was there. On the other hand, the experience was priceless and there’s another article on the subject coming soon. The place was spotless clean and not just for a fish market, but for a surgery room as well.
(Ah, this reminds me of my first London visit, when I thought the Wellington Barracks were actually the Buckingham Palace. It’s quite a shock to see the guards marching to St James park, leaving the presumed-B-palace gate wide open and unattended. Yep, follow me for more accurate travel advice!)
Back to amazing food in Japan! Restaurants were really nice everywhere I went, but missing the iconic sushi or the ramen soup is still deeply upsetting. In my defense, it was strongly related to the short timeframe.
It feels like yesterday
burnett blue / unsplash
3. Don’t book Japan for a short stay
You know how time flies when you enjoy your holiday. That’s why it’s wise to book at least, say, two weeks? Never fly on the other side of the globe for six days, never ever!
In my case, the enthusiasm of finally visiting Japan overshadowed any straight thinking. And I don’t regret my choice of seeing Tokyo back then, I only regret I didn’t have more time to explore.
Shopping is amazing!
4. Ask before you buy
I won’t even blink: shopping in Tokyo was amazing! But you need to know that every label is written only in Japanese. So, if you’re not sure of an item, ask someone. It won’t help you a lot, as people are either shy or they simply don’t speak English. But at least you tried your best.
Otherwise, you could end up with only half of the product, like I did. The photo told me it was a cream for pores, but what I bought and flew back home with was just a small brush to apply the cream that was sold separately. I still have the brush, still don’t have the cream. Someday soon!
5. When in Tokyo, don’t take shopping for granted
Almost any store has at least 10 floors up and at least 3 down.
A friend asked me to buy a Pilot pen. Easy peasy, I thought. But then I found myself in the wrong store. In just half an hour, I found the only expat working there to guide me to the correct store, a French guy who was living his Japanese dream.
I crossed a few generous boulevards, entered a large shopping mall, took the elevator to the 10th floor and there it was: the pen and pencils department. I needed a nap, I was exhausted!
Suggested article:
Does the city ever sleep?
6. Don’t miss having fun, or you’ll end up with an imperfect trip to Tokyo too!
Try something, anything! Yes, we get there, eventually: try the karaoke! I did not, but there were a lot of places to choose from. I noticed this particular entrance somewhere in Roppongi. It had an impressive crystal chandelier, a reception carved in marble, it felt more like a high end hotel than a karaoke club. And then there are zillion video games spots.
My biggest mistake in Tokyo
This is something I often recall and express my regret about it. Long story short:
7. Despite my hotel overlooking the Golden Gai, I didn’t go there.
But what is Golden Gai?
Although in day light it looks more like an abandoned old market, at night it comes to life. Six parallel alleys, connected through tiny passageways, offering around 200 small bars, clubs and eateries, all wrapped in a mystic atmosphere. Do I need to say more? Just that it’s located in the heart of Shinjuku, the most vivid neighborhood in Tokyo.
So I stayed in the heart of Shinjuku, as I chose a Western hotel (it was a Western back then) right in the red district. I believe the name of the hotel is Citadines today. As you can see on the map, the hotel was overlooking the Golden Gai area.
OK, I took a stroll one evening and saw the narrow alleys. How to describe the atmosphere you can barely see from the outside? I remember one cramped bar in particular. A small door opened letting me catch a slow-motion-like glimpse: a semi dark room, lots of smoke (no biggie, I used to smoke back then), the silhouettes of a few young locals. Mystical, movie like, mysterious, catchy, desirable. And then I chose to go to sleep.
Because Tokyo would squeeze you out of power the next day again!
Next time I go to Tokyo, I know where I’ll be drinking my sake the first evening.
There are also some really good stories about my trip to this amazing city and a related article is coming soon.
Suggested articles:
Herman Miller Embody vs Steelcase Leap – Best Office Chair?
2020, The Year I Didn’t Travel
