It’s my first day in Tokyo! It was past afternoon when we touched down at Narita airport. I was beyond thrilled. My Japan trip has officially begun.
Japan is my the one
To experience Japanese culture has been on my travel list since, well forever! Since Doraemon, since manga reading, since anime watching. I dreamt about visiting Japan long before I fantasized about the many other famous travel destinations, including Paris and its’ Eiffel tower. I even have a separate Japanese culture checklist that keeps growing.
Here are some of the parts of the list that I got to experience during my first time in Japan:
Japanese Culture Experience
Train and Ekiben
We took the express train
There was a lovely lady who sold pushcart food and drinks. My friend bought us lunch from the train lady called Ekiben in Japan that day. Our first meal in Japan was a Katsu sandwich. It looked limp and unappealing but turned out to be delicious.
An hour, sleep-deprived rambles, and a subway line later, we reached Asakusa, which turned out to be the best place for souvenir hunting.
Ryokan
We would be staying at Ryokan Mikawaya in Asakusa, and with a little help from friendly shop assistants, we found it.
I love everything about the Ryokan!
It has things I’ve dreamt of, like a common area, sliding windows, Japanese paintings on the walls and, especially, the tatami floor.
We stored our luggage, showered, and took and shared an unnecessary amount of photos. After a short rest and a little introduction to Japanese TV game shows, we were ready to explore the Asakusa area, but maybe dinner first?
Sushi Train
We asked the Ryokan manager for directions around the Asakusa, and she recommended a famous sushi joint nearby. Off we went with a map in our hands. There was a queue at the restaurant, and we waited forty minutes before getting a table.
Price per plate
The total bill in most sushi restaurants, inside and outside of Japan, is calculated by counting the number and type of plates of sushi that are consumed. Plates with different colours, patterns, or shapes have different prices. The cost of each plate is shown on signboards or posters in the restaurant. Three blue plates, a few purple plates, and many red plates later we were done. The cashier came with a handheld device, and our bill was automatically calculated and printed.
Vending Machine
Walking from the sushi place I just followed my friends while soaking up everything and anything I could see. I took a peek in between the lanes, tried to spot a geisha and checked out the many interesting vending machines.
I am fascinated by vending machines!
Shrine
After dinner, we returned to Asakusa and headed to Senso-ji, the oldest shrine in Tokyo, with two huge gates called Thunder Gate and Treasure House Gate. Each gate has a huge lantern painted in red with black calligraphy painted on it.
Piss Alley
We weren’t tired yet, so we walked for some time and found a watering hole in the infamous piss alley. It’s cozy, and we could smell the barbecue sauce in the air. It was decorated with Japanese words and vintage movie star posters. The waiter took our order: sake and Chicken Yakitori.
Sake
We moved to sit outside as the smoke was unbearable inside. With much nicer seating and a cool breeze, we chit-chatted, ate our freshly BBQ-ed chicken, and sipped the sake. It was so strong that we were tipsy only after one glass each. Thankfully, we could still find our way to the Ryokan, although we giggled all the way until we reached our room.
The first day of my Japan trip was a success.
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