A home for my words.

Finally!

I’ve been consuming content of the “life-in-Japan” variety for five years now. I had my first Japan trip planned for 2022, but that virus cancelled it. So to say that I was looking forward to this 2024 trip would be an understatement.

The good news about my original trip being canceled is that:
1) in 2022, I still hadn’t had my fibroid surgeries and I would’ve undoubtedly suffered during my trip

2) I spent the better part of 2024 learning Japanese using a workbook series as well as Tandem, a language exchange app that I highly recommend. 

I landed in Narita Airport on Sunday afternoon and took the Skyliner to my hotel in Ueno. It was the ideal location because I wanted to eliminate any cumbersome train transfers while carrying my backpack from the airport. Plus, exploring Ueno park the next day would be a good way to shake off jet lag and ease into Tokyo’s fast pace. 

Ueno Park

Everyone’s Cafe, located right in the heart of Ueno park, was the perfect place to have my first breakfast. They offered those famous fluffy Japanese pancakes and a great view of all of the park’s happenings. 

Later, I got “magnet” gel nails done. A style where a magnet reacts to the polish in order to create designs. Two of my fingers actually created the illusion of a beating heart! And it only cost $29 USD.

Back at the hotel, I ate my first supermarket-bought bentos and watched the National sumo tournament. It was fortunate since I’d wanted to see a live game when visiting Osaka. A language partner living in Osaka generously translated the arena’s website for me and broke the news that the national team would actually be in Fukuoka all month for their annual competition. As it turned out, being able to come back to my hotels most nights and enjoy the matches from the comfort of bed was highly enjoyable. I didn’t realize prior that sumo matches are so short. 

Although tired, I went to a bar at night that unfortunately felt like a gimmicky, over-priced ripoff. But it serves as a reminder to read the low reviews, even for an overall highly-rated establishment. If I’d done that, I would have known it wasn’t for me and avoided it all together. 

Exploring

The next day, I experienced the Shibuya Scramble and marveled at a few things while walking around the city. 

Yoyogi and Akihabara

I strolled through Yoyogi park and the small breeds at the dog park were the highlight! Later came one of my favorite things about Tokyo: Akihabara, the famous arcade town. While the streets were packed, I was able to get lost in seclusion at Gigo. When I returned to Tokyo for a few days at the end of my Japan trip, I went right back to the arcade. This time I went during the day and still thoroughly enjoyed myself. In the right circumstances, I’d get the MaiMai game installed at home! I’m totally obsessed.

For that last night, a newer language partner and I sat down to a meal at an izakaya. The next day, I would be off to a Shinkansen bound for Kyoto.