Japan Exploration - Part 1

Day 1 - Arrival

I arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday, July 29th after some exhausting 15 hour total flights. The layover was quick at least, in Beijing. I traveled with Carly, and I was very thankful to have a buddy. I always enjoy having a friend on the flights, it makes them more bearable. We arrived around 2 pm and took a 45 minute train ride to Shinjuku to meet My other friend Armonie. Armonie has spent time in Japan as a child, and acted as our guide for the duration of the trip. Shinjuku is a neighborhood in Tokyo, famous for its nightlife and shopping opportunities. I had hopped to explore a little bit of the area, however I had no energy. 

My hostel was separate from Carly and Armonie’s, but still just a 5 minute walk away. The girls walked me to the hostel. They said I looked like a walking zombie. After showering off and freshening up, I went to bed early, hoping I could minimize my jet lag. 

Airplane dinner of noodles and chicken.

Airplane breakfast of steamed eggs and veg, probably my favorite from the trip. 

Godzilla spotted in Shinjuku!

 

Day 2 - Okinawa

With an early start of 4 am, we left for the airport to catch a flight to Okinawa. This is a collection of islands south of Japan. Hawaii is the the US as Okinawa is to Japan, or at least that’s how I thought of it. The are also famous for whale sharks, snorkeling, and scuba diving. Armonie spent about 5 year in Okinawa while her family worked at the US military base on the Island. We had only a day trip planned, so about 8 hours to explore the island. 

Ice Cream vending while waiting for our flight.

Not so bright-eyed, enjoying some onigiri (Rice triangles filled usually with fish or some meat)

My excitement was short lived. Soon after arriving as we headed into town alerts were heard all through the sky tram. Everyone’s phone got the same alert; tsunami warning. Our hearts dropped, and with a quick google search we found that Russia had experienced a large earthquake earlier that day. The waves were expected to reach 1 meter in height. I pushed for us to still at least try and see the beach! This was one of the things I was looking forward to the most on the trip. I knew thought that this wasn’t a good idea and staying away was probably the best course of action. We decided though that it wasn’t bad enough of a warning to completely call off all plans, so we searched for a place to eat. We decided on a small breakfast shop close to a shopping market. Armonie and Carly got fluffy pancakes, and I got some eggs benedict. 

Breakfast

With our bellies full we proceeded to the market for souvenirs and exploration. It was fairly empty, might have had something to due with the tsunami warning. It was nice to leisurely walk and see the mix of handmade crafts as well as the cheap souvenirs that every place has.

Man hole cover! So much detail in the little things....

Spotted in the sky tram stop.

Covered market

Small shop with pottery figures. 

Pig head, dripped out

Lots of fruit

Snake whisky

And yes.....

I had a shot. 

Close up on the head

Side street off of the market. 

Cat just chilling in a shop

We were hit with heavy rain storm about mid afternoon while taking a break at a McDonalds. Now, I know what some might say, but it is a tradition with Carly and Armonie to always check out the fast food in a new country to see how it is different from the US. Armonie wasn’t feeling so good due to the heat and humidity, so Carly and I took turns keeping her company in the AC and returning to the market. Luckily the market was covered and kept me dry during the worst of the rain.

The rain started. 

The rain definitly changed the atmosphere

A small capsule machine alcove, I could spend so much money on these just trying to get the toy or keychain I want.

 

We wrapped up our trip around 5 and made the journey to the airport to catch our flight. If I am every lucky to return to Japan, I would love to make more of a trip out of Okinawa and explore other parts of the island. 

Day 3 - Tokyo

Still a little tired from the constant flights, our third day consisted of shopping in the Harajuku area. It was very touristy, Carly was on a mission to find some new shoes and I to find some gifts for friends. It wasn’t so busy, at least not as much as I expected. 

Go Kart experience. If I had my international drivers lisense, I totaly would have paid for this expereince. 

Enterance to the shopping area.

Another Capsule store, with way more options thatn just toys. It was two floors in total.

Calry and I got a few things, they are so much fun to play.

Lots of themed animal cafes, like this pig cafe. I questions the conditions these animals are kept in, so I didn't give my money to them. Even though it would have been fun to see them upclose and not just through the window. 

Teddy bear? Lots of interesting things to look at. 

Some shopping areas away from the hustle and bustle. 

Quiet street just one over from the chaos of tourists. 

With missions accomplished, we headed back to our rooms for a quick freshen up and to rest our feet for a little. Carly and I were feeling peckish and headed back out for some Ramen. We found a cute little shopping the heart of Shinjuku. 

Ramen!

The night starts to come alive!

Giant crab!

After dinner, and a quick change, The three of us headed for a night out. A lot of the immediate surrounding area consisted of the red-light district. We headed out a little further on foot towards the gay district, and enjoyed a few drinks at a lesbian bar, Gold Finger. We continued to walk around a little, poking our heads into a few other places, but overall the area was fairly quiet. I suppose thats what we got for going out on a Thursday evening. We continued our exploration and found a club where we relaxed a little. The music was nice, and we sat sipping our drink and listing to the DJ. After we had our fill, we returned to our hotels for the evening. 

Mirror selfie at Gold Finger

Day 4 - Tokyo

I always hate sleeping in on trips, I feel like I miss out on so much. So Carly joined me to search for a breakfast spot, and we settled on a small Açai cafe. Acai is a type of berry that is frozen and blended and then topped with granola, fruit, and honey to make the bowl. 

Most places give you a wet whip for your hands upon arrival, and this cafe wrote a sweet message for us.

Breakfast 

Later Carly and I ventured into a new part of Tokyo, passing through a cute neighborhood, to meet up with Armonie at Miffy Cafe. Miffy is a bunny character from Scandinavia, and is something Armonie really wanted to go to. Tokyo has a lot of character cafes, such as Pokemon or Hello Kitty, where costumers and eat and drink themed items. 

It was a cute place and we all got a free pin souvenir that came with the reservation. 

Someone's house

Lots of baskets infront of a shop.

Shop items. 

Shop items. 

Miffy Cafe

The pin selection

yummy drinks, pea soup, and a miffy meat pie. 

After finishing up, Armoniè and I wandered back to Shinjuku in search of a sushi place for a late lunch. What we didn’t anticipate was the ‘siesta’ of Japan, as most restaurants close from about 3 to 5 for the break in-between lunch and dinner. After a lot of wandering and dodging rain drops we finally found a belt sushi bar, and ate about 20 plates in total. It wasn’t the best sushi in Japan by any means, but it was better than anything else that I have had in a long time.

More street views

Searve yourself matcha tea every two seats. The green stuff is the tea, and ther is a hot water faucet to pour from. 

So much sushi!

Tea close up. 

We stopped on a few more shops on our way back, but I had promised myself not to buy anything else until after the next few days. We were about to embark on another side quest in the following days, and there was no need to drag things around Japan when I would be returning to Tokyo before leaving. 

Claw machine store

Snoopy! About 2 bucks to play.

Late night icecream snack

Grape flavored, and shaped!

Wishing for the best on your adventures, 

 Cienna