Tokyo

Monday morning I non-revved directly from Houston (IAH) to Tokyo (NRT) on United’s flight UA7 departing at 10:10 and arriving at 14:00 Tuesday afternoon.

Non-revving is bittersweet. On one hand I was able to get a cheap seat to Tokyo to be there the day Japan finally reopened to all tourists since 2020. On the other hand, I was on a plane for 14 hours with a gentleman on my left in my space for at least half the flight and everyone bumping into me on my right side as they walked by. When we deplaned, I ran off as quick as I could so I could have some space to myself. From the plane to the exit, there were 4 different checkpoints. Vaccination check, entry from check, passport check and item declaration. With all the walking and the lines, I was still able to get through everything in 20 minutes. However, I didn’t check my bag. One of the major things I’ve learned non-revving is to not check a bag unless absolutely necessary. Sometimes you have to be able to just walk away from a flight, run across the airport and switch terminals to try to get on another flight, but checking a bag doesn’t allow you to do that. So typically I never check a bag, but I brought an extra bag for this trip because I’m sure I will buy a lot of souvenirs.

After exiting the final checkpoint, I followed the signs to the train. Instead of waiting in line I was able to download a ‘Suica’ card to my Apple Wallet and use Apple Pay to load the card with funds. I could then use contactless pay to board the train and it deducted the balance once I exited my stop. When looking for directions using Apple Maps and Google Maps, they will also show you the price of the trip for the route you choose, so you can make sure your balance will cover the trip. When looking at directions for the train you want to pay attention to the color of the circle for the ‘KS’ line. A blue circle is the standard train, and a red circle is for the express. If you plan on taking the standard train, then you do not need anything in addition to the Suica card in your phone’s wallet. For the express train, you will need an additional ticket, because it is all reserved seating. The standard train took me about an hour and a half to make it to Kuramae station, and my hostel was only a 5 minute walk from there.

After checking in I took a nap almost immediately. As soon as I laid down my eyes were closed. I only woke up because my phone went off. Hostelworld’s app now allows you to chat with people staying in the hostel with you. I was able to use that to meet up with some other guys staying at the hostel and get dinner. After dinner we decided to stop at the Senso-Ji temple on our way back to the hostel. On our way we accidentally walked into people filming scenes for a local tv drama. Unfortunately they wouldn’t give us any details, but we were able to watch from a distance for a bit.

The entrance to the temple was lined with shops, which were unfortunately closed due to how late we showed up. However, there weren’t many people who passed by for this same reason. I was able to get some amazing photos, and didn’t have to be bothered with a lot of people. After the walk back a couple of the guys popped into a 7/11 to get some chicken patties and I bought a bottle of Whiskey as my first souvenir. It’s amazing how many 7/11s there are around in a short distance from each other, but if you are ever in need of a convenience store you don’t have to look far.

The next day me and 2 of the guys from the night before grabbed a late breakfast and headed to the Team Labs digital art museum. We were able to show up without buying a ticket in advance and just walk in. The museum was amazing, but you do have to walk around barefooted. There’s a couple exhibits where you have to walk through water, but there are towels waiting for you as soon as you get through. There’s a string light exhibit, a hanging garden that rises as you approach and many more. It is an immersive experience like no other.

Afterwards we headed to Shibuya to grab lunch and some drinks. Taking the train over was quick and easy with only having to switch trains once. I also like how when you’re on an escalator everyone stands on the left side and leaves the right side open for people walking up. It may be insignificant to a lot of people but it happens to be one of my favorite things about Tokyo so far. You don’t have to say excuse me because everyone is already to the side and you don’t have to weave in and out of people to get through.

In Shibuya we popped into an arcade that was right outside the station to play a few games and look around. We noticed that it's not just teenagers playing games. There were a lot of young and older adults inside enjoying the games as well. We walked through the Shibuya crossing and went to this underground restaurant. It was a nice cool atmosphere, but the menu had us off guard. Some of the items said mystery meat or secret sauce. For that reason I can’t exactly say what we had, but it was a change of pace and a unique experience you don’t see when researching Tokyo. After we left, we were walking around and found this small alleyway with several tiny bars. They were all very personal and only had about 4-8 seats each. I tried some Shochu and Japanese whiskey while there. We got to joke around with the bartender and practice some japanese phrases in a bar maybe the size of an 8x10 room. It was another experience I don’t think can be found in the states.

The weather ranged from 59-72F (15-22C) during my 9 days in Tokyo. With me arriving the day Japan officially opened fully to tourists, I was able to do a lot of sightseeing without being surrounded by too many guests. I was able to go into the arcades and museums with any problems. My guess is that it won't be like that for too much longer. The weather was slowly getting colder, and more people were arriving towards the end of my stay. You should visit asap, because my guess is by springtime Japan will be booming with tourists once again.

The top 5 things I believe you should know before visiting Tokyo:

1) Not everyone speaks English. Do not assume you will be able to get by only speaking English like you can do in a lot of countries. If you do not know basic phrases or have a translator app, it can be very difficult to converse with the locals.

2) Cash is still king. Most places will accept card, but it much easier to have cash. Some smaller places may add a fee if you use a card. Prepare to have a lot of coins when you use cash. 100 and 500 yen are used frequently, especially with the vending machines and arcades.

3) It is illegal to smoke cigarettes outside. There are designated smoking areas if you would like to enjoy a smoke. Because of this, you will notice that many small bars will allow you to smoke inside.

4) Some bars do have a table fee to sit down. Most places range from 200-1,000 yen. If you do not like that idea, you can also find "nomihoudai" bars (all you can drink) for usually 1,000 yen.

5) There are very few trash cans on the streets. If you have a snack or a drink while you are out and the container is not recyclable, be prepared to hold on to the trash until you return to your lodging. There is almost always a recycling bin next to vending machines, but you will go on a long search if you look for a trash can on the streets.