Tokyo July 31- August 4


This'll be a shorter blog post because I'm trying to catch up with blog posts for all of Japan. Flying into Japan was certainly a bit intimidating as I started my solo travels in earnest! Thankfully in typical Japan fashion, even their budget airlines are nicer than many other airlines I've used. Arriving into Narita airport and getting to Shinjuku was my first introduction to the wonder that is the Japanese public transportation system. At the insistence of family and friends I was pressured into buying the Japanese rail pass which turned out to be a terrible deal! My flight was a few days later than I had planned so when I arrived to pick up the rail pass I was informed that the pass was already halfway done...


Not what I want to hear for a $500 dollar pass. Somehow after a long confusing discussion with the attendant, she was able to refund the entire pass for me. So it actually worked out great! They gave the refund back in cash with only a 3$ fee which considering ATM fees and the fluctuation of currency (the Japanese Yen started climbing back up since I had bought the pass), it was an awesome deal and was my cash for the entire month I spent in Japan!

Black and white urban skyline showing modern office buildings and architecture.

Arriving to my hostel I got my first meal in Japan, KFC!! Apparently this is frowned upon and the universe got its revenge by immediately trapping me inside the plaza I got food with a tremendous storm

A plastic shopping bag held up in front of concrete stairs and wall.

While I had plans to explore Tokyo I unfortunately had some annoying tasks to attend to in the city. The first was to get my travel vaccines. One of my days was spent bussing into Shibuya to a travel clinic to get 5 vaccines in one sitting. The rest of the day was spent lying in my hostel capsule regretting my decision. While it may sound like that getting my vaccines DURING my travel was due to laziness and poor planning. Which is true. BUT also its was a 4-5x cheaper to get done in Japan thanks to the US healthcare system.


The second task was to work on my lovely scientific paper. The reviewers of my paper had excellent timing and returned their reviews the MORNING OF MY FLIGHT TO TOKYO. So throughout my time in Tokyo I would come back to my hostel capsule only to open up my laptop and start painstakingly working on my paper. My second morning I woke up at 5 am so that I could go to the lobby of the hostel to spend 2 hours in a meeting with my advisor to work on some edits. My most distinct memory was sitting through a showing of Spy Kids 3 for movie night in the lounge, while I was crouched over my laptop using the only free outlet.


I still had plenty of time to explore Tokyo! Walking through the palace grounds was very interesting and along the way I bumped into the tourism office which gave me great ideas for the rest of my trip.

Japanese imperial palace building viewed through green foreground foliage.

The imperial palace! Quick photo because it was 85 degrees with 90% humidity and I wanted to get back to AC

Elaborate bonsai tree display with moss and rocks in an indoor gallery setting.

A $3000 dollar bonzai tree. The store was set up like a luxury brand but only with Bonzai trees

Japanese language guide book on yellow outdoor cafe table along tree-lined street.

Very helpful handout from the tourism office. I only retained 4 words from this: Hello, Excuse me, water, and thank you

Traditional Japanese scroll painting of a gray and white cat with flowers.

The small museum by the Imperial Palace had a exhibit on Animals in art

If you're reading this then you are probably close enough with me to know my irreverence towards the local cuisine. To me, a Mcdonalds in Spain is still, by definition, SPANISH FOOD. I don't dislike eating local cuisine its just not a focus and I'll eat whatever is cheap and sounds good to me. This view did not change during my time here, exacerbated by the fact that I HATE sushi. With that being said, I enjoyed much of the food in Tokyo. I usually just got cheap bento boxes from the convenience stores to save money and time. Seriously though being able to go to a convenience store and immediately get pretty good food was amazing and I am definitely missing that while writing this in Nepal.

Japanese bento boxes with fried chicken, rice, and side dishes arranged in black containers.

Average Bento Box, not bad for $3

Hamburger plates with sunny side up eggs served on white plates with green trim.

Sometimes you just want a good burger and a milkshake

With all that being said I thought taking a cooking class would be a great experience as long as it wasn't sushi. I booked a nice cooking class with Enzo, a chef with deep roots in the Japanese Miso industry. Along with a very friendly American military teacher who was preparing for her move to Japan, we walked to Enzo's cozy apartment to learn how to make a summer japanese meal! It was a great time getting to chat with him and practice cooking!

Traditional Japanese meal settings with miso soup, rice, and side dishes on a wooden table.

Our delicious spread

Other Tokyo activities involved going to an outdoors store and enjoying a beer festival held right outside, visiting the busy streets of Shibuya (including the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world), getting my camera sensor cleaned, rushing an international drivers permit application, visiting art museums, and the "Pakistan Japan Friendship Festival". But as my time ended in Tokyo feeling like I had only scratched the surface, I was rushing towards Osaka because I had another adventure planned...