About a week ago, I was just in Japan eating sushi, drinking maccha green tea, visiting shrines, being a part of the infamous Shibuya crossing, adoring the Harajuku girls, and just learning everything I can about their culture. This is definitely one of my favorite trips I've ever gone to. Although, the beginning of the trip was something I wouldn't want to do again. Here's the quick story of my Japan trip together with the pre and post events.
Grabbed from my Snapchat: kymskie
Coming from my 12-hour night shift (7pm to 730am), I went home, took a quick shower and finished packing my suitcase. I knew I would be so tired that day to pack so I started packing three days before the trip but unfortunately did not finish and I ended up regretting it. Luckily, I was able to squeeze in a quick nap before I had to drive to the airport - 2-hour drive from my house. I got to the parking garage and left my car there. Once I arrived at the airport, I just dropped off my bags as I already checked in for my trip online. The 11-hour flight to Japan was not so bad at all. I just slept half of the flight but once I woke up, I was not able to go back to sleep. I just watched movies and listen to my Spotify offline. When I arrived in Japan, I opted to go to my hotel via their rail/subway system. It was a nice experience but the very first time I bought my ticket for the train, it felt really overwhelming. Good thing there's an English translation option for the kiosks. I reached my hotel, took a shower, and immediately went to bed.
My first day in Japan was consisted of walking, walking, and a lot of walking. I bought a sim card from BIC Camera to use for the rest of my stay and activated my JR Pass (which was very useful). My first stop was the Shibuya crossing but unfortunately I was not able to the a photo of it during the day. I chose to just live in the moment and not focus too much on taking photos and videos. I had coffee and then headed to Harajuku. So many kawaii stuff there that I didn't want to leave! Sanrio ad Disney overload! I wanted to buy everything. Haha. Harajuku is also famous for their cute desserts such as crepes and ice creams.
Across the exit from the Harajuku Station
Crepes crepes crepes
The next stop was Akihabara - the land of discounted electronics in Tokyo. There were so much feels in that place! Brought me back to my childhood by seeing Sega, Gundam Cafe, and other anime characters. I enjoyed walking around the area. I reached the infamous Cure Maid Cafe located in one of the floors of Don Quixote but the line was insanely long! I ended up looking for a place to eat and then went to the Tokyo Metropolitan building.
Akihabara
View from Tokyo Metropolitan Building
My parents and grandma arrived that night from Indonesia. We had dinner with my uncle who lives in Saitama together with some of their friends. The next morning, we joined a group tour to Mt. Fuji and Hakone. Unfortunately, we were only able to to go tot he first station due to the snow that occurred the day before. It was still an amazing view to see though! Some people hike up to Mt. Fuji during the summer but it requires a lot of training.
Mt. Fuji
It was such a long and tiring day but definitely worth it! We rode the bullet train bus home to Shibuya and had an Izakaya dinner which was very filling. The next day was dedicated to just walking around Shibuya and some shopping. We went to Don Quixote which is a discount store that basically has everything you could think of. They are open until late night too. The one we went to operates from 1000 to 0400 in the morning. Bought a lot of snacks to take home and some Dolly Wink eyeliners. Everything in Japan is so kawaii!
Breakfast view
Hachiko Statue
Of course, we couldn't pass up some ramen from Japan. We tried Ichiran Ramen in Shibuya which always seems to have a long line any time of the day. It was great! You're able to customized your ramen, pay for it, and hand the order ticket once you are seated in individual booths.
Seating chart in Ichiran
Extra green onion and mushrooms for me!
When my parents and grandma flew back to Indonesia, I stayed in Japan for two more days and decided to do a one-day trip to Kyoto - which was not enough! Kyoto used to be Japan's capital. It's very unique and different from Tokyo. There's not much people walking on the streets. Very quiet and traditional. It was raining the whole day but there were still quite a few people who were in the tourist areas. I just visited the Fushimi Inari Shrine and Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. It took me a while to take my photos due to the people passing by but they're so nice, they even offered to take it for me!
Tori Gates to Shinto. Each are donated by organizations and companies.
Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
Aaaaahhh writing this post makes me want to go back there ASAP! I'd love to come back and visit Osaka next time. To end this post, here are some random photos I'd love to share from my trip.
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