Japan: 'Tokyo girl'

Konichiwa!

Gosh, where to start?! What you have in mind about Tokyo... forget it! Tokyo is not what you expect or think. Everything is crazy different.

On my way to my hotel a whole new world opened up. Exhausted from the flight from New Zealand to Japan, I sat staring ahead on that metro. Until I arrived in the middle of the city centre in the Shibuya district. There I was with my luggage between the tall buildings with one shop above the other, with their huge screens on the facades where advertising came loudly at me everywhere. I felt tiny in that immense world city. Without realising it I was standing at the famous 'Scramble Crossing' & 'Hachiko'. My brain wasn't there yet.. Moreover, I still had one bus to catch before I arrived at my hotel. I stumbled into my hotel like a drowned chicken. Because I was way too early I couldn't check in yet. In Japan everything goes strictly according to the rules. Haha, going to the toilet was a funny experience. Even that, is too crazy different!

I freshened up and put on dry clothes to brave the pouring Tokyo! This largest metropolis is home to a whopping 13.9 million people.

In my hotel I was tipped by two nice Berlin women to go and have a coffee in ' Paddlers '! Apparently a hotspot, I had to queue outside before a spot became available. Mmmm delicious coffee! I also ordered a hotdog, a typical snack. Mmm, that tasted good and it was even the best I ever ate.

Here we go! My walk towards Shibuya was quite pleasant. I strolled through a pleasant neighborhood with nice shops, small restaurants, coffee houses, low small beautiful apartment buildings with metro tiles in pastel shades and small terraced houses where there was just enough space to put a 'cookie box car' in.

WOW!!! Instead of nature coming at me, this time it was this overwhelming city with its thousands of impressions. Even in the pouring rain, exhausted from the journey, I walked around with a smile! I was full of adrenaline, wonderful! On the way to the famous busy 'Shibuya Scramble Crossing' I crossed the road to then go and look at the statue of 'Hachiko'. Not much in itself, but the story behind it is heartbreaking. 'Hachiko' is known for his eternal loyalty. After the sudden death of his owner, he waited for him every day at the station for nine years. That is why this devoted dog received a wonderful recognition. This story was filmed in 'Hachi' with Richard Gere as the main actor.

All day I hopped around like a little child full of amazement. You can't imagine enough what you see here: mega shopping malls, shops with six floors or more where you can hardly find your way, gigantic screens hanging everywhere on the facades that broadcast advertisements loudly at the same time, shops with hundreds of vending machines with different gadgets packed in plastic balls, like the bins where you used to roll out a chewing gum... name it and you'll find it or at least I had never seen those things before.

Wow, so many people. Actually, it's crazy how busy this city is. What struck me was how organized, clean and surprisingly quiet everything was despite the crowds! The expected hustle and bustle didn't happen. I loved it! Towards the evening I started to get cold and it was time to go to my room. Exhausted I crawled into bed early and fell asleep like a log.

The next day: wake up quietly. But first coffee at Paddlers . I chose not to plan anything and just stroll around. How I enjoyed all that new sensation. Fantastic, right?! Suddenly I found myself in the bustling 'Shinjuku' district. This skyscraper district with its neon lights everywhere, dozens of mega screens, one of which had a 3D view. Out of the 3D screen came a lively cat that snored loudly! After that a whale came diving out and who knows what else. In any case, I stayed there until I saw the cat pass by six times. That's how insanely cool I thought it was!

Despite the crowds, I continued to stroll around that area. That's how I came across the famous Don Quijote . This is a gigantic discount store where you might get a sensory overload. So a visit is worth it! That crazy neighborhood was full of weird shops, pachinkos (these are undercover slot machines), a lot of noise from the billboards, manga shops ... I can't possibly describe it! AMAZING! Anyway, overstimulated I walked on. I ended up in quieter neighborhoods with cozy gardens here and there. Supermarkets in Japan are open day and night. They sell tasty things if you don't feel like eating out.

That morning I woke up way too early. Taking the metro that day was a good idea. Metro on to the Asakusa district. This area still breathes the atmosphere of old traditional Tokyo. There I visited the oldest and most important Buddhist temple 'Sensoji'. I walked through this temple complex with its centuries-old pagoda, shrines and the famous Nakamise-dori shopping street. The temples have a beautiful warm red bordeaux color with roofs that are elegantly finished. Nakamise-dori is a street where you can buy everything from samurai swords to macha ice cream. I tasted a satay with white balls and a caramel-colored sauce... No idea what it was, I suspect a kind of rice dough with sugar sauce.

This place was just a bit too crowded for me. Moreover, I booked a ticket to get a better view of how the city is put together from the 'Sky Tree Tower'. This transmission tower with its 633m height is the second highest construction after the 'Burj Khalifa'. Ooo my, I had to wait in line for another hour and a half before I could get into the elevator. From the top it was even more noticeable how gigantic this big metropolis is! It was mega cool to walk around on that roof of Tokyo with its insane panoramic view of 360 degrees without end. Unfortunately, the top of the mountain 'Fuji' was hidden behind the clouds! Going down was also difficult.

In all my adventures I never saw such mass tourism as in Tokyo. Sakura, the cherry blossoms would break. That is a 'big thing' for the Japanese. This important experience evokes many memories for them and symbolizes a new beginning. Because the blossom is short-lived, it is a metaphor for life and death. They follow it closely. 'Hanami', which literally means 'seeing the cherry blossoms'. This is celebrated under the trees with drinks, food and singing. What a coincidence that this was still waiting for me.

I continued to wander the streets until darkness fell.

Ooooh my, three days later I was still jetlagged. It wasn’t really the time to check out and move to another location, but I had no choice. Well, I left my luggage at one hotel to just hang out and have a nice coffee somewhere. My head was still foggy and heavy. When the time came to get my luggage, I felt like I was numb sitting on that subway. I sat there for eight stops (too long) while I knew it well enough. So yeah, quite a hassle before I got to the other hotel. In my room I burst into tears of exhaustion. That night I didn’t leave and decided to go to bed early. Everything will be fine, right?!

Because the park 'Yoyogi' was close to my hotel, I decided to take a tour. The park was still barren and bare. One tree was in bloom and I witnessed it! Hehe, I was prouder than dozens of Japanese to be able to see the first tree. There was also a camera crew present. Awesome! The beautiful culture of the Japanese is inspiring. We Westerners could certainly learn something from it! Their values and standards are strict and they have a lot of respect for others. Living in harmony, order and self-development are their three most important values. Their mentality is palpable in all respects. If you need help, don't hesitate. They will help you further and find out until the end and drop you off at the right platform themselves.

Probably there is a lot missing in this blog. But the amount of impressions were countless and too crazy to put everything into words. I could hang around here for days or even weeks. In my opinion, I saw too little of this wonderful big city.

Anyway, I loved the big city life!

Japan, time to discover you further! Tokyo we will meet again!

Love & kisses, Helena 💖 🦩