Japan Trip The Good The New and The Culture Part 6

“It feels like coming home“, Fafa told me while dragging our luggage out of the Oshiage train station. I smiled and nodded. I thought of the same thing when I sat on the toilet at Haneda airport. Both I and my ass felt the heated welcome.

Japan Trip On Repeat

On the first day, we topped up our Suica cards (a Japan trip essential), had lunch at the fancy Yoshinoya, bought hot canned coffee from the vending machine, and went to Tsutaya-bookstore-cum-Starbucks in Shinjuku and shared 40 pieces of Yamachan Tebasaki chicken wings for dinner.

Throughout the week, we kept returning to the places we loved during our previous Japan trips. We took a semi-dangerous selfie on Shibuya crossing, restocked animal face masks for the whole year, had Gyudon (beef bowl rice) a couple more times, queued amongst Indonesian tourists for heart and tummy-warming Luke Lobster’s crab bisque, drank plenty of Adzuki beans Frappuccino in Starbucks and bought midnight snacks every night from life, the convenience store in the Asakusa neighbourhood.

But not all were repeated during our Japan trip! So we are not that boring (yet)!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6zHIp_Jpbf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

This time played around with second-hand film photography, which I scored recently from eBay. Oh well, credit for trying? — Btw, Fafa offered to get me a new camera during our trip to Japan to feed my newfound love obsession with film as an anniversary gift. And let me tell you, it was tough to say “thanks, but not now, thanks!”. But I did say no. Because I am a good wife (and his money is my money too), it’s more because I don’t see the point of collecting film cameras when more than half of the pictures I take are still blurry.

So, maybe on the next Japan trip Fa? I already have something in mind. It’s pink in colour.

Japan Trip Highlights

We rode on the shinkansen to Takasaki, where I initially planned to burn my old Daruma doll. But unfortunately, since I haven’t ticked off that goal yet, I couldn’t. So instead, I got another Daruma for my 2020 goal and another temple seal on my Goshuincho.

We spent our decade-versary queuing for more than two hours to get into a Starbucks Roastery in Nakameguro. And then spent half a day there. First, we drank coffee on the ground floor, then tea on the second floor, and we finished it with a rather expensive coffee-based liqueur on the third floor. How very millennial of us, eh?

We had our couple of pictures taken around Shibuya. It was my gift for Fafa.

For my gift, he surprised me by taking me to the Traveler’s Factory, letting me look at everything and got me a notebook set complete with its accessories and stickers collection that will last a lifetime. Then, we ended the anniversary celebration with a timed (90 mins) and cash-only dinner at one of my favourite chain restaurants in Japan, Gyu-Kaku.

We also visited the Instagramable illumination at Roppongi one night, explored the Daikanyama neighbourhood when Harajuku became too overwhelming and travelled for more than an hour to be disappointed by the Toyushu fish market.

On new year’s day, the first meal of the year, we feasted on plates upon plates of fresh and pretty sushi. The famed restaurant, Sushizanmai, is located at the Tsujiki outer market. After that, we hung out at Starbucks Reserve in Ginza and did some new year’s day shopping as an Asian good luck tradition.

Other memorable food-wise, we had the 18-dishes breakfast at Tsumugi, Indian lunch at Nair’s (where Mohan Lal, the famous Indian actor, visited and photographed), horsemeat sashimi at the Izakaya-style Niko Yokocho and melon pan (bread sans melon) in Shibuya.

Japan Trip Again?

I am writing this at Narita Airport, waiting to board the plane to Manila and Melbourne, which will cost us one day.

As with all the previous post-Japan trip reflections, I wish I had done more cultural things. This time, I was bummed I didn’t book the tour to Nakagin Capsule Tower or the Teamlab Borderless Art exhibition earlier, as both were sold out. I also really wanted to visit the abandoned town Namie which has been reopened since 2017. But without having a JR pass, a round trip by Shinkansen to Takasaki already brought us over the budget for this Japan trip.

Eniweeei, all things considered, for a week’s trip, I think we did plenty. Even if some were repeated, they made it into the happy memories box.

Fafa just now asked how long I think we can hold ourselves before we book our next Japan trip tickets (for this trip, we managed not to do it until August). His question reminded me of something I read recently. The destination we are drawn to reflects what is currently lacking in our lives. I wonder what is missing in my life that Japan has been satiating for me, that I kept coming back to. Again and again. I still don’t know the answer myself. But, maybe this year, I will let myself be drawn by other things and places. So I told him.

For now, Yoi yoi otoshi wo, you guys! Wishing you fantastic vibes in 2020!

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