Tokyo, the capital city of Japan and one of the biggest in the world. But still in every single corner you’ll find some nature. Trees growing everywhere to create some cool spots during the hot and humid summer. Plants and flowers can be found in pots or just living already for years wild and free next to the streets.
Humongous skyscrapers were build in the past centuries and cover the small temples and shrines which can be still found wherever you go. It is a controversial and colourful metropolis. Everywhere are people, often carrying their dogs in their arms or buggies, treating them like children.
Animal cafés are very trending at the moment, and you get almost everything from owls, cats, dogs, hamsters, otters, hedgehogs to reptiles. From my side I don’t really know what to think about it. Surely they have wild animals as pets to look at and to entertain. Others like dogs are often happy when they have lots of people or other animals around to play with. I have spoken to customers who went there, and they told me that Japan has very strict laws of how to treat such animals and what’s acceptable the way you keep them. Still, an otter wants to swim free in a big lake or river, cracking open shells and dive deep in the riverbed to find fish and other things to play with. Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals and still they will be shown during the day. But still, they are not allowed to wake them up or to pet them without gloves. It’s the same with owls.
I understand that people love animals and specially when you are not allowed to have one or don’t have enough time for them, such a cafe is a great escape to be close to your favourite fluffy friend. But it’s something completely different to keep them in small rooms where they don’t have enough space to run, jump, walk or swim.
Next to those you’ll find lots of pop up and maid cafés which have a variety of things they offer. From boys love to cute girls in maid costumes, over anime characters…Nothing is impossible. Pop Up is a cafe that is just open for a short time with a specific topic. For example Sailor Moon or Detective Conan. Both are very famous animated series and when there is an anniversary it’ll be usually celebrated with a cafe or small store that is specialized on the look of the show, the things that it’s about and rare items that only can be purchased during that time.
You feel lonely as a woman and need someone to talk to who looks pretty handsome, charming and is just your type, but you never ever would have the chance or better self-esteem to get in contact with a man you feel extremely attracted to?
Don’t worry. There is a good solution for it. Maybe not cheap, but to feel better and be more positive again it may work out for you.
I am talking about a Host Club. The area is called Kabukicho in Shinjuku and you’ll know when you arrived. Everywhere are handsome men standing and walking around, up and down the streets. Wallpapers big as a house are just in front of you.
Now you have to decide where you want to go and whom you like to spend some nice quality time with. Next to maid cafès there are different topics you can choose from. Or let’s say different types of men. Do you prefer the slick looking guy? Tall and muscular? Maybe the shy, more boyish type is something you desire? Blond, brown, black hair? Long, short or wild? There are no limitations. You’ll be spoilt for choice.
When it’s about the people who live in Tokyo, there are no boundaries of styles that can be seen. From regular suits to maid costumes, colourful dresses inspired by rainbows, punk meets rock and classic. It is about to express yourself and how you feel. Not everyone likes it, but next to it no one really says anything to it.
During the time in Tokyo you will surely take the subways at some point and realize it’s super quiet. There are people talking, but not very loud and shouting at each other or being disrespectful is rarely seen. The same for the city itself. The streets are loud, but mostly because of the big flat screens that are everywhere.
These are just some details that caught my eyes and are giving you just a small view of how impressive Tokyo actually is. Let us get back to the beginning.
HOWEVER IT STARTED
The whole adventure began when Sabrina and I were talking about music in Skype. She is living in Germany, I on the west coast of Ireland. Therefore, it’s not always easy to catch up with all the things that happen around us. While we had a nice conversation about bands that are not existing any more, but still have a great impact in our lives we could not believe what we just figured out. Deluhi, a melodic Japanese visual kei metal band is having 2 concerts in Tokyo.
Yes, they didn’t exist any longer, but still are good friends and decided to celebrate their 10th anniversary. We, as crazy as we are just thought seconds about it and had to book a flight to Tokyo as soon as possible. Because, we always wanted to see them but never got the chance to do so. Here we are. Just arrived after a 10 hours flight at the NARITA AIRPORT of Tokyo, and we knew…
“It was the right decision to spend our savings to come here.”
It felt so familiar as I have never been away. I looked around me. Everything seemed like always, but so much has changed from 2 years back to the present day. Life was upside down as always, just a little bit less. I knew what I want to do and where I want to go. And to be here with one of my closest friends, just because we had to follow our hearts filled me with so much energy.
A NICE PLACE TO STAY
One thing you should keep in mind. Due to cherry blossom in end of March, beginning of April all the accommodations are fully booked out or really expensive. That’s why you should book everything in one year advance to make sure not to spend too much on basics.
A nice place to stay is the #GuestHouseShinagawa-Shuku near the train station Shinagawa. It is in a very good location. Really quiet, convenience store next to the building, everywhere are restaurants and bars, the staff is super friendly, every day will be cleaned and the showers are getting hot fast.
You can even take a bath, since they have a bathtub. The rooms are commonly small, but you only stay there overnight. So, it’s OK. Nothing really to complain about.
Once we came back earlier the evening, and already bought a fizzy alcoholic drink. Suddenly one of the staff had the idea to go out after work and asked us to join. Since, we didn’t really have a plan for the night, we agreed. In the end we were 5 people enjoying sake and good local food. I felt a little bit like in Netflix TV Show Samurai Gourmet. In case you missed it, go check it out!
Everything looks further away when you check out the destination. But in general it is just a one-hour drive by train. And it is a nice one.
After you got out of Tokyo you’ll see smaller villages, rivers and the ocean with big waves and plenty of surfers trying to stand on the board. The good thing is that you’ll get a day pass when you go to the service centre which only costs round about ¥1200. Depending on where you live it’ll be €10 or almost the same amount of Dollars.
To double check the prices and the route that you have to take it’s good to do it with HYPERDIA next to google. The site is providing you with more accurate information of different trains, busses or whatever you need to take to get to the place where you like to explore or to stay.
It shows the price as well and an additional seat fee in case it applies.
Finally, we arrived in Kamakura. It is a small city surrounded by nature and a lot of temples are nearby. You’ll get a map of things to explore when you purchase the ticket. We just got out of the train station and found ourselves in the middle of the street which was divided by a pavement. In the beginning of cherry blossom it must have looked amazing, because to the left and to the right were cherry trees which directly lead you to a big gate which was basically the entry to a park.
Standing there, we were able to see a tall temple with a small garden around it that wanted to be explored. The building was actually on top of a hill and seemed beautifully staged from where we have been. Later we figured out how big the area of the temple actually was.
In every single corner was a shrine or a smaller temple, with a lake and benches for people to sit and to relax. A flock of pigeons rested next to it and just waited for another meal made out of bread crumbs.
A cheeky little squirrel enjoyed the attention of the visitors and was running towards the birds on top of a tree and down to the benches. Young women were screaming since they possibly never have been that close to nature. It was a nice, warm and sunny spring day and just perfect for exploring the countryside.
To suggest you it’s better to go to Kamakura first to visit the smaller temples and shrines before you walk near Hase Station for paying respect to the Bronx Buddha. There will be an extra fee of a few Yen in case you would like to explore the inside. We didn’t arrive in time and therefore it was already closed.
But still beautiful. At first, it was cloudy, and didn’t seem to see the sun again. Just shortly before sunset some light beams made their way through the thick greyish wall in the sky and only was shining down to the head of Buddha.
While walking up and down small streets, we found a hidden area with a shrine in the middle of nowhere. It felt like in one of those historical, travelling back in time, documentaries or series. Everywhere was only forest, light was making it’s way through the treetops and moss was growing on every single stone. Flowers were blooming and right in front of us typical reddish gates and fox figurines.
I wouldn’t have wondered to see one of the hundreds of thousands gods or spirits in the corner of my eyes. A bumblebee was taking a break on one of the bigger fox statures which were leading the way to the top.
#KAWAGOE AND IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
All the rules of Kamakura apply for Kawagoe as well. Check google and Hyperdia for the perfect route to get there. The costs will be around the same. Sadly no day pass, but when it’s only about taking a train to another city and no extra travelling except by foot it should be alright.
The morning while we got ready for our day trip we were asked by the staff of the GuestHouse Shinigawa what we are up to. We told him we want to explore Kawagoe since it is an old city and also want to escape the crowds and business of Tokyo for a bit. They had to smile and asked us if we were serious about it and were somewhat astonished of our love for adventures to let’s call it more unknown areas of the country.
But isn’t travelling and exploring exactly about something like that?
It is about seeing a country through the eyes of a local and not following blindly one sightseeing spot after the other. OK, to do it the first days to get to know the city better. After that you should get off the road and find the true secrets of the locations where you at.
Kawagoe is basically an edo-period castle town.
There are lots of areas that have still the old feeling of a long forgotten time. Wooden houses, stores that sell local food. Specially different meals and sweets made out of sweet potatoes are well-known for the region. It is the same with a lot of other towns or cities that everyone of them has something special and unique to offer.
Be it radish, sake, green tea, fish dishes, Okonomiyaki or many others. There are rare things that only can be found in these areas. Of course, you get green tea everywhere. But #Uji is one of the cities that provides the best in the whole country.
I enjoyed the narrow corners of the town were no cars had access to. Once we bought a small little fish shaped cake, and some problems occurred while giving her too less money. It was only about ¥10, but to figure out what she meant, took a few more seconds.
We got two types of Tayaki. One filled with cheese and the other with sweet potato. Both of them were really delicious and my belly craved for another one.
Luckily we just continued walking while eating them and there was no chance to return to the lovely grandmother who had a big smile when we told her that the Tayaki are “Oishi”, which means yummy.
During that day we explored some temples here and there, took a walk next to a river where an older man wanted to take a photo of us. First it was a strange feeling, but I saw him before, taking photos of a group of women in a spring kimono. He was helping them out since they wanted to take a selfie, but it was difficult to manage.
And while we passed by he decided to ask us if it’s alright to take photos of us as well. We agreed. Just to let you know, I took a video of that. So I have proof of how nice and friendly the Japanese are.
It was gorgeous! And we have been in the exhibition for almost 6 hours. Never did that before, didn’t believe it would ever happen. In the end it did and I am thankful for it.
#TeamlabBorderless is basically an art exhibition about light, music and interaction. That means in certain areas the lights or animated sequences you see can be interacted with.
For example, there is a room with a small hill which is changing the seasons. Just standing around has already an effect.
When it’s spring or summer, there will be a waterfall and the water that is running down is dividing itself no matter where you stand. With that said, it floats around you. The same for flying birds all around the walls in the #exhibition. When you are fast enough you can catch them, and they turn into dust particles or let flowers grow. Sometimes it is advised that you stay in one room for a bit longer, because after some time has passed new things are about to happen.
One of my favourite parts was the cafe. It was always dark, no matter where we went, but some lights on top were following the bowl with tea inside which you just ordered and let flowers grow in and around it. I understand it isn’t easy to understand how it works and how it looks like. Even I don’t understand it. Therefore, it feels even more like a magical place to me.
A NIGHT WITH FRIENDS
Since we have been in Tokyo for a few days it was time to meet some of our friends. We went together to a restaurant, or better called Izakaya, where we got grilled fish and meat, drinks and other curiosities. One of the dishes wasn’t that strange to me, but never have seen it before. Raw squid put on the grill by ourselves and slowly cooked, cut in pieces and eaten with mayonnaise. The squid I used to eat were sometimes a bit spongy, but this one was really nice and tender. Besides every cliche of squid or octopus, the texture was more like chicken and not squishy or slimy at all.
Another dish was first a bit awkward to think about. It was basically the insides of a crab. They were mashed and decorated with some herbs on top. So you didn’t really see any weird goofy stuff in the crab shell any more. A friend of us put it on top of the grill, and we waited. Some minutes passed and a beer later it was done. The insides were mixed with chopsticks and ready to eat. I was curious and wanted to know how it tastes.
Since I ate #Haggis, which is made out of the insides of a sheep with onions and herbs, slow cooked in a sheep stomach. In the end it tasted like a spicy beef patty and wasn’t gross at all. It is the same with black and white pudding.
Now, here I am in Japan, sitting in front of the crab, putting the chopsticks in the creamy paste and moved it towards my mouth. Took a bite, the mashed guts were on my tongue, first impression was a fishy, salty flavour. Texture was like eating cottage cheese. Not too bad at all. Actually pretty good. And I imagined it with a bit of rice or a slice of baguette. Too good.
A few crabs, sashimi, cheese balls, squids and more sashimi later we got to the point that we wanted to leave for another bar to get drinks. We were really thirsty and in a good mood for hanging out together for a bit longer.
When you go to a traditional Japanese bar, you usually can order some sides next to your drinks. One of my favourite is the grilled Mochi. Normally Mochi its very sticky and sweet, but this one is slightly squishy from the inside, crispy from the outside and covered with cheese. Not that sweet, more salty and just perfect with a beer or refreshing cocktail. Other than that you get cabbage, topped with a sweet, salty sauce. Strange, right? But when you tried it for the first time it is just too good to stop eating it. I swear.
THE CONCERT
It has been a blast. Not too many people, and not too fewer people. We figured out that the tickets for both concerts were completely sold out. Which is always a good sign, because that means the band is already getting a good feeling that they know they are loved. Specially in that case when the band actually does not exist anymore, and they just planned to celebrate their 10th anniversary.
Concerts in Japan are one of an interesting kind. To make it short, they have a lottery system to get a ticket. And only when you have an address in Japan you are able to participate. Luckily we have some good friends over there who helped us out with it.
Next to it, it’s prohibited to take photos or videos during the concert. They are polite when they see you with a camera in your hands and ask you kindly to put it in your bag when the show begins, but are not searching your bag for anything, because they believe in the good of people, what I actually really like.
Merchandise you can buy before the concert to avoid a big crowed after it. It is possible to get some later on, but often the best objects are already sold out. It happens fast with the Checkis. Photos taken with a Polaroid camera from the band members. These are sometimes even signed and are valuable.
The concert itself was just fabulous. Each of the members is highly talented and know exactly what they do. Standing in front of them, dancing, head banging and singing to their songs felt like being a part of them. You got the feeling that they are like family, knowing each other for years, went through happy and sad times together and even though they are playing in other bands now, it’s still family.
I wished they decide to get back together to have the chance to rise high and get well-known in Japan and oversea. The vocalist voice is very strong, but sensitive in the same time. He is able to put so many feelings in it, just to break it again and let you get to know the emotions of the song even better. It was the same with the bassist, guitarist and drummer. They weren’t only playing. It felt like telling a story through the concert without any talking.
I know that Sabrina and I will be always thankful that we got the chance to see them for the first and maybe last time. So many years passed to know them until we finally met.
Every time when Sabrina and I met in Japan or a bigger city which is having these little machines where you can take photos together we are literally drawn to them. That’s why it was no wonder how we got in the top floor of the 109 shopping centre to be blown away by super cute girly pop music, a pink cake, sparkling chandelier and taking Puri together.
I don’t know how we managed it to look that cute, but we know by now that those machines are having an integrated app which is making everyone just super #kawaii.
Other than that, there is always the question of KitKat. My favourite is KitKat Matcha. And that one you only get with the original, not too sweet, flavour here in Japan. But there is more. Every year Japan has some special flavours like Sakura Sake, sweet bean, apples and crumbs and lots of others. And every single time a friend is asking to get a present for them, the answer is KitKat.
THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY, NEXT STOP IS COMING SOON
You need some inspiration where to go and what to see in Japan? Check out the following links. All of these cities except Shimoda are easy to travel to from Tokyo. TOKYO KYOTO SHIMODA BEACH UJI & NARA SENDAI
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Thank you so much and see you in the future,
Sina
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