It’s time for Japan! Again! My passport’s official last trip before replacement :’) This time, it’s my friend’s 40th birthday, the yen is still super duper weak, and I have new and old places to be. They’ve never been to Japan before and I can’t wait to see what things freak their beans.
And Japanese food in the autumn? The best. Gimme all the pumpkin and roast root veggies and warm soups. Late October-November is the bee’s knees.
If you’ve been a long-time reader, you may know that one of my special powers for trips is forgetting one thing which I usually end up replacing at the destination (the most expensive of these foibles was a camera lens, and the most uncomfortable was forgetting deodorant and going to Europe and having to use evil European cold spray deodorant).
This trip, it was not one, but NEARLY two things: one, my debit card, not out of forgetting but mostly due to putting the expired one back in my wallet and putting the new one on top of our mini fridge for ????? reasons. Why? Why was the expired one back in my wallet? Through some crazy twist of eyeball fate, I saw it at the last second before exiting the house.
The other thing would have been more devastating had it actually been forgotten: my migraine medication. Thankfully Rhett met me for a late night drug deal in a target parking lot and now I have a whole-ass box of it. Usually I don’t get migraines when we travel, but I don’t want to tempt the fates. Phew.
Unlike last trip, the delay gods do not forsake me. Our flight is not delayed, and is blessedly closer to 12 hours than 13. With that length of flight, every half hour counts. This is my friends’ first time on a long haul and why not just get the experience started with something that is close to peak misery? Now every other overseas trip they take will feel like a quick hop in comparison.
But at least we arrive with time to explore – yay! Crepes for the crepe god! I can see Fuji as we land because it’s super clear out.
Our hotel is in Shinagawa, which is a bit more of a sterile business district. People still live here, but it doesn’t have the nice Tokyo neighborhoody feel that I really like. But it’s fine for one night, and we’re quite close to the train station. Our room comes with an excellent view since we’re on the 23rd floor.
My usual post-Pacific flight rule is to just walk around until you reach the point where you start eyeing little parts of concrete or the sidewalk as potentially cozy places to take a nap.
A bit of fresh and slightly chilly air is at this point at least somewhat rejuvenating, keeping at bay the urge to nestle into the loving embrace of the pavement. We set out for a quick jaunt around Meiji Shrine, Harajuku, and Takeshita street – my first choice of stop for newbies because it’s close and an Experience. (Let’s be honest, it’s my first choice also because I love it, you should chose things that spark joy when you travel)
A yakiimo (roasted sweet potato) man has set up shop outside of the station by the shrine. I am saving myself for crepes so I refrain but I do love his siren song.
We were a little bit too late to get into the museum (curse my faffing about at the station over the tickets), but we walk around the shrine. It’s a relatively modest shrine, and the most impressive thing is the massive trees that are surrounding it. Almost all of the trees were transplanted from around other parts of Japan after WWII because, you know, firebombing razed most of Tokyo. It makes Meiji shrine into a quiet little oasis in the middle of the big city.
It’s almost culture day, which is emperor meiji’s birthday – so the shrine is gearing up for that. They have a bunch of very fancy chrysanthemums that aren’t quite blooming yet on display. It’s probably a zoo for that long weekend. Excellent.
We take a spin thru the shrine, see the famed camphor trees, and enjoy the crows that caw in a different accent. Look, I deeply love the call of the Japanese crow. A++ birdsong.
After the quick shrine walk (skipping the gardens), it’s time for my favorite Tokyo tourist haven: Takeshita street.
It’s got some staple shops that never change and there’s also pretty rapid turnover of smaller shops (RIP the Dennys, whenever you disappeared). This leaves it with a fun east asian combo of street foods. This time, the chinese candy-coated strawberries have a shop, and there’s a place you can get those funky korean cheese-filled coins.
There are also normal Japanese street foods. I am here for crepes because Tokyo is the land of amazing street crepes.
It’s weirdly not that crowded yet and so we beheld the delights:
- Lots of little shops dedicated to capsule machines. Nathan eyeballs them. We will be back.
- A very shiny costume shop that has been here 8ever and it sells literally everything sequined, mirrored, etc
- Sooooo many niche animal cafes – capybaras, otters, dogs, cats, and MICRO PIGS??!?! We are too dysfunctionally jet lagged and this may be a thing we do on the way out
- Way more snack shops and niche funky shops selling lolita clothing, costumes, punk rock outfits, and other vintage things.
Daiso and Tabio (my socks!!!) are still here, as are the numerous crepe stands. I eat a crepe with fruit and custard, as is the way of my people. Patrick and Nathan get a decadent chocolate ice cream delicacy. My heart is full, as is my stomach.
On our way back, we have a brief stop on Omotesando to have an existential crisis, before going back to our hotel to rest our weary feet.
Patrick nears death as we return to our hotel. We send him up to the hotel and Nathan and I go find an actual good 7-eleven because I need an egg sando Or Else. Rice balls are had and we behold an overwhelming amount of normal snacks in pokemon packaging, since the game just released.
And then it’s time for bed because I can feel my soul becoming a pumpkin. I have been up for 24 hours. I am at this point powered by caffeine and excitement and sandos.
Tragically, the sleep gods only claim me until 230 am. I usually can sleep til 4 🙁 Wah wah. We wander around shinagawa and get a really expensive Morning Set from our hotel. It’s expensive like american expensive – 4000 yen per person, which rounded out to $26. Lordt I love this weak yen because I would have not eaten here otherwise. It was delicious and I fed the guys my meats and salty things.
I get shokupan, my sweet delicious love. I really hope I don’t trigger my menieres since it has acquired fresh bread as an enemy but at this point, I don’t care. I have hit my deductible, baybeeeee! If I need a steroid shot upon my return, so be it.
Off to Osaka! I did Green Car (first class) on the bullet train because I haven’t before. Thank you, weaksauce yen. The gift that keeps on giving.
(I still have not found what I have forgotten. Did the near misses satiate the ADHD forgetfulness gods???)