japan blog : week one
blogging my stay in Japan along with my partner Alex. it's our first time traveling somewhere together & my first time in Japan ever.
DAY 1: ARRIVAL
we landed at Narita airport in the afternoon & took a train towards Akihabara, where our first hotel is located.
after checking in we walked around the neighborhood & i don't think i've ever been more visually stimulated. there's so much to look at. we've all seen photos of the towering neon buildings, but being immersed irl is a different feeling. it's maximalism to the max. from 0 to 100.
it's kinda funny to me that we'd start our trip here. conversely, our hotel is super chill.
we ended our night with a slice of strawberry cake & laughed about it resembling an emoji. 🍰
our first trip together begins :o
DAY 2: CAT STREET
woke up early & walked a couple blocks to get coffee. i was seriously impressed at how quiet the city was. all these people walking around, but we didn't hear anything except the cars driving by. the peaceful morning vibe was very appealing.
after work we stopped at MOS burger before heading to Cat Street.
MOS burger has existed in my mind ever since I watched some show with Mos Def traveling in Japan & he says that he's the reason behind the name. I was young so I thought yeah maybe that's true & did no further research.
Luckily, MOS prints name origins on the cup & it's kinda beautiful. ⛰️🌊🌤️
Cat street was fun. We both had some brands we wanted to check out. Converse, Ahres, Hysteric Glamour. Just poking around.
the shop boy at Ahres was very chatty with us & after a minute it became apparent he was also ~ya kno~
he was visibly excited when he found out we were a couple. he told me that i was kakkoii & handsome, then told Alex he was kirei & beautiful.
we said we were from the US & he told us that he visited Ohio once but there was nothing there. we gave him a sticker sheet & said bye.
maybe we'll see him again.
Later we stepped into Loft in Shibuya. They have an entire floor just for stationery so... you know i grabbed a shopping basket for this one.
walking home we happen to pass by a Dragon Quest themed convience store T__T... i love those reminders that life can be fun.
back to the hotel~ i'm not the first person to feel this way but, i love the efficiency & convenience of the subway in Tokyo.
very very good.
DAY 3: NAKAMEGURO
i had a meeting with an art gallery in Tokyo this morning. it's NDA stuff but i'm excited to eventually share.
after work we headed tooooo Nakameguro. Alex wanted to see cherry blossoms over there but unfortunately it was just a little too late for that.
howeva, it was still a very beautiful street that runs along a river lined with trees, shops & so much food. our walk became something like a bar crawl but with cafes. just getting small bites along the way.
sakura ice cream, pudding, kakigori, Peanuts cafe, espresso martini.
good thing we're getting our steps in. :p
i loved this area. we're having such a great time, we joke about planning our next visit already (but i think it's only half joking). another great day B-)
phew~ we ordered room service to the hotel cuz they have a pizza restaurant on the ground floor & we are super tired. i think it's the first time i get room service in my life. it's fun, i felt like i'm in a movie.
DAY 4: AKIBA + SHIBUYA
i spent some time this morning drawing outside on the balcony. it's so quiet outside.
even though our hotel is in Akiba we hadn't explored it much other than walking to our station & admiring all the giant anime related imagery along the way. so, we peeped around some arcades & bookstores.
sometimes it feels like i'm spoiling myself to see so many things at once. is there a word for your eyes having something like a sweet tooth? too much of a good thing etc., there's something to be said there but i'm still finding where i stand.
we took the subway to Shibuya to visit the iconic mall, Shibuya 109. i'm not sure if 109 is at it's peak cultural relevancy these days, but for historical purposes i wanted to see it in person. i ate pancakes & parfaits on the top floor cuz it felt appropriate.
^ cool checkered building design on a random building.
^ a delicious meal that was somehow less than $15 USD
^ every time i see this logo i cri
DAY 5: HITACHI SEASIDE PARK
today is Alex's birthday woohoooooo
he decided he wanted to go to Hitachi Seaside Park. they have this tiny blue flower that blooms every year & right now, it's peak blooming time.
the park is outside of Tokyo, so it was a longer trip than our previous outings. mini day trip vibes.
at the park, the hills were covered in blue flowers. it was undeniably beautiful. and you could feel the ocean air. there was something funny about the line of people moving along the path. like worker ants. but instead of carrying food we carry our phones.
this park also had a big Tulip garden. i had never seen them arranged this way like big paint blobs of vibrant color on the ground. super cool.
we got some festive blue snacks, got takoyaki from a food truck, headed back to the station, made a stop at our beloved Pensta Cafe for coffee.
bonus pic- some kid drawings on the side of our bus
our subway home today was Thomas the Tank Engine themed & felt a little uncanny. maybe cuz it was mostly empty. maybe cuz it was hot & we were also very tired.
on the final ride home, i said out loud "goodbye everybodyy~" when the subway doors opened. a kid looked back at me confused.
i had reached peak tiredness.
ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......
(lost in translation i suppose)
DAY 6: SNOOPY MUSEUM
iiiit's snoooooopyyyy tiiiiiime B)
and, it's also the last day of our Tokyo stay (for now) so we packed up & hit the rails B)
i'm not sure if the Snoopy museum is a must-see for everyone, but it is for me.
we have friends visiting Japan right now & they met up with us at the museum! coincidentally, our schedules perfectly overlapped.
i don't think I've ever met up with a friend on a trip who is also traveling. it's fun. like a part of home away from home.
as for the museum itself, i loved it.
the Snoopy Museum is next to a mall & inside that mall is a Snow Peak Cafe. me & Tiffany (our friend) are both fans of Snow Peak so we ate there afterwards while dreaming of someday sleeping in a Snow Peak tent of our own.
we said goodbye & got tickets for our train to Osaka. which waaas easier said than done but it worked out in the end. i think they could simplify the ticket purchasing process just a little. our friend said being in the station feels like an escape room lol. i thought that was pretty accurate.
very chill train ride. grey views on a rainy afternoon. i could feel the train gliding over the ground so fast.
hello Osaka~
he's blinking as if to let you know that he's alive o_o / -_-
xj