Wow.. Tokyo was really incredible. I was able to eat great food, meet great people, see some amazing sites and really do things outside my comfort zone. From trying to navigate without knowing much Japanese to relaxing in a massive on-sen, Tokyo has been a massive party and I made some great memories here.
I arrived on Sunday morning at 7am into Narita International Airport. Flying in on the red-eye from Singapore may not have been the smartest idea. The saving grace was the nice lady at the check-in counter who gave me a comfortable exit role seat. Before boarding the plane I purchase a pocket guide book that was incredibly helpful, especially the train station map. The most challenging part of my trip was navigating through Tokyo without knowing a lot of Japanese. The crash course in Japanese on the plane did come in handy.
My most frequently used lines have been:
1) Sumimasen, toile-wa doku deska -> Excuse me, where is the toilet?
2) Arigato gozaimasu -> Thank you very much
3) Gozo -> Go ahead (used when walking)
I left Australia to see the rest of the world, yet most of my new friends from the hostel ended up being from Australia. One of my new best mates, is from Surfer's Paradise and runs a hotel there. It's interesting to meet other ambitious people in their 20's. Fortunately, he speaks Japanese having married a Japanese woman a few years ago.
Some of the highlights of the week have been the food and the relaxation in Tokyo. I was eating sushi, don buri, and ramen at all times of the day. It did get a bit much after the first few days and eventually I went to McDonald's to grab a burger. The fish market is incredible and the fish is fresh and cheap. My massive bowl of rice was topped with my favorite seafood, sea urchin (uni), salmon, and salmon roe. When I wasn't eating, I was siteseeing. I visited the Imperial Palace, which is beautiful and incredible. I also had a chance to relax in a traditional on-sen which is a hot spring. The on-sen I visited was in Yokohama and it was a beautiful place. I was provided with a yukata to cover up before entering the on-sen. The on-sen is a place where swimsuits are not allowed, which made the experience a little bit more nerve-racking.
On my final day, I am still trying to piece together the week of partying. A week of being out in the sun means washing a pile of laundry and doing administrative tasks before a final dinner with mates. Japan has been alot of fun, but I am ready for Paris. As I check-in online, I realise the great people at All Nippon Airways have upgraded me to Business Class for my flight tomorrow... another great start...Sometimes a positive outlook goes a long way.
