Looking Back: Japan Solo Trip - Day 5: Tokyo

The most populous city in the whole of Japan, with over 9 million residents, and the capital of Japan, Tokyo is a smorgasbord of shopping, cultural, and culinary adventures catering to all kinds of visitors. Be it a 5-year-old super lively kindergartner who is still having a midday conversation with an imaginary friend nagging his parents to take him to a theme park, a high school or university student fancying the bustling nightlife and anything that is instagrammable or even a decrepit doddering old man just wanting to immerse himself in the nature away from the crowd and the hustle-bustle of the city, Tokyo always has something to offer for everyone. If you can think of it, chances are Tokyo has it for you.

Though Tokyo used to be regarded as a place only the affluent could visit, it has now become considerably more affordable following the government's constant attempt to lift up the tourism industry.

DAY 5 - TOKYO

To fully experience Tokyo with very limited time, I had to depart really early from Kyoto, jostling and trudging through the morning rush hour at the station. Seeing those local train cars getting jam-packed like sardines with high schoolers, office workers, and anybody who was against the clock, I couldn't help but felt relieved knowing my trip would be done by shinkansen, whose seat I had attentively booked two days before.

The trip from Kyoto Station to Kuramae Station, the closest station to my hostel, NUI, took about one and a half hours. The 4 storied building itself fascinated me as it served both as a bar/lounge and as a hostel. The bar/lounge was on its ground floor, and it was beautifully decorated with wooden furniture dominating and large glass windows that gave it an open, airy, one-with-nature kind of feel while the hostel occupied the rest of the floors. The room I engaged was on the third floor, and from the window of one of the rooms, we could command a view of the Sumida River. Truly recommended, and, in fact, it has always been my favorite hostel to stay in Tokyo.

Kuramae is very close to Asakusa, where the long-celebrated Sensoji Temple has stood grandly for ages. A short fifteen-minute saunter through the back alleys along the Sumida River and on to the big road and I could already sense I was getting closer, prolly because of the flock of tourists that were getting denser and denser as I proceeded. And there it was across the street from where I was standing, the main entrance to the Sensoji Temple, the iconic Kaminarimon Gate with its inimitable gigantic red lantern, which led to the Nakamise shopping street and eventually to the grand temple.

Here in the Nakamise shopping street, you can find all kinds of souvenirs, from the sweet, fluffy, cotton-like Japanese mochi to the deadly Japanese katanas. Don't be surprised to see that all nooks of the street are permeated by visitors, mostly tourists.

Sensoji Temple, as you can see from the pictures, is predominantly in red, much like the Fushimi Inari in Kyoto and Kasuga Taisha in Nara, or, well, perhaps like most Japanese Shinto shrines and temples out there.

The main temple is where people come to pray, give their offerings, and get their omikuji (fortune-telling paper). Omikuji usually ranges between 5 scales of luck: Great Fortune, Good Luck, Small Luck, Bad Luck, and Super Bad Luck. Prior to my visit to Tokyo, I had tried it during my visit to the Kasuga Taisa Shrine in Nara. I need not boast about how I managed to pull out a Great Fortune on my first try. The Sensoji Temple also shares a similarity with the Daitokuji in Nara in that worshippers would gather around the huge, cylindrical incense burner that can be found in the center and try to get some of the smoke that comes out, presumably to get blessings.

Akihabara became my second destination on that day. Just like any 90's kids growing up watching Sunday morning anime on the telly and spending their free time reading mangas, I had been, and still am, in love with Japanese mangas and games, such as Monster Hunter and Final Fantasy series to name but a few. This was probably one of the drives that made me even more resolute in my planning a solo trip to Japan.

Akihabara is absolute heaven for those who are into gadgets and electronics and those who are into the anime and gaming fandom. Shops selling action figures, cards, games, and anything collectible and electronic stuff can be found almost in every corner of the streets. Not into these kinds of things? Well, Akihabara can also be the perfect destination for a culinary adventure, as it also houses some of the best ramen restaurants in Tokyo, hidden in some of the alleys. And if that is not enough, various kinds of cafes with each of their own unique, quirky features can be a great opportunity for you to experience the wacky side of Tokyo, and by wacky, I mean really crazy.

My desire to stay a little bit longer and explore the area further wistfully collided against my bucket list. Therefore, after getting myself a set of One Piece figurines (cause I, friggin love, One Piece) and scuttling to my favorite shop in Akihabara - Kotobukiya - to buy a Monster Hunter figure, I made my way back to the JR Akihabara station en route to Shibuya. But before that, I made sure I had my upset belly refilled at Fuji Soba.

I ordered the Chikuwa Soba and it was simply a delight to my empty stomach. The chikuwa tempura was crisp on the outer and chewy on the inside, but if soaked in the soup for too long it would get soggy; meanwhile, the soba itself was more springy than any other soba I had tasted. The soup was light and I could really taste some sort of bonito stock in it. Overall, it was a pretty good dish at a very good price, and I would definitely come back if I ever visited Akiba again on a budget.

In all honesty, despite having visited Akihabara several times, I am completely aware that there is still a lot to discover in that youth magnet, something bizarre, something furtive.

A 28-minute ride on the Yamanote Line took me to Shibuya. Outside the station, I was immediately welcomed by the familiar figure of the Hachiko statue. If you are familiar with its story, you may already know the reason the statue was made. The story says that Hachiko would come and wait for his owner to come back from work outside the Shibuya station every time, but, sadly, by a terrible work of misfortune, the owner died while at work, never to be seen coming out of the station ever again. And there, for seven years, Hachiko waited and waited outside the station believing that one day his master would come out from that train station looking for him. The statue was then erected following Hachiko's death. It serves as a close reminder about loyalty and the relationship between dogs and humans.

I then quickly headed over to the notorious Shibuya crossing/ scramble, which has always been closely related to the general image of Tokyo. The crossing was an ecological marvel! Shrouded by shopping malls and neon billboards and buzzing with all kinds of sound, I couldn't help but be amazed at the glimmering avenue. Whenever the lights turned green, for a good one or two minutes, the road would be flooded with people flowing out from all directions, and it is truly a one-of-a-kind spectacle not to be missed when visiting Tokyo. I really wanted to take a picture during the scramble, but then again I was all by myself and everyone looked so hassled that I dare not ask for help.

The final destination was quite a walk even from its nearest JR station, the Hamamatsucho station. However, since it can only be found in Tokyo, I didn't mind the distance. The Tokyo Tower, standing at 333 meters high, had been the country's tallest structure upon its completion in 1958, surpassed only by the now 5-year-old Tokyo Sky Tree (which I was never able to visit). Not only does the landmark serve as a broadcast antenna, but it also serves as a major tourist attraction in Tokyo.

There were two observatories that it had, the Main Observatory and the Special Observatory. You could get into the Special Observatory at an additional price. It gave an interesting view of the city, which looked as if there were another Tokyo tower formed by the street lights. These pictures by no means do justice to the real views I saw that night.

The little building below the Tokyo Tower, which is the one visitors will first come into before ascending to the observatories, is the Foot Town, where you may find dozens of souvenir shops.

I chanced upon a Monster Hunter-themed snack and bought it that instant. Oh, I heard a One Piece-themed indoor theme park was officially opened in 2015. Should definitely check it out sometime.

I took a glance at my phone to tell the time, and I knew that I had to go back to the hostel to prepare both my luggage and my body because I knew the next day's journey was going to be an adventure of a lifetime. Stay tuned!

Day 5 Expenses

Breakfast: Udon at one of the shops around Nakamise Dori 400 yen

Lunch: Fuji Soba 680 yen

Tokyo Tower Special Observation entrance fee 1600 yen

2 nights at NUI 6000 yen

Dinner: Take-out bento from 7/11 350 yen

Souvenirs ± 4000 yen