March 15th, 2025
Japan Travel Blog 3/2025
Anime Relations: Yuru Camp△
Okay, Japan trip number four will start tomorrow. This time I will visit the Kansai region. Mainly Kyoto and Osaka but also day trips to Ine, Lake Biwa, Nara and Kobe. This will be the first time for me in Japan when the weather is not super warm. The trips before were in October and November and it was over 25°C each day! But according to the weather forecast, the following days should be around 10°C.
I finished packing everything and I think I am well prepared! But every trip is an adventure and I am still not used to it. For example this time, it will be the shortest transfer time at the airport I ever had. If everything is on time, I will arrive in Munich and my next flight to Japan will leave only 1:15 later! So I am worried a bit, not mainly about me missing the flight, but about the luggage not making it in time.
I got up early at 4:30 for my Jet Lag Plan even though I needed to leave later than on my previous trips. I left home at 6:00 and arrived at Bremen airport. Passed the security check and everything and now I can only wait. Weather forecast for the arrival day is not super good with lots of rain. But the other days aren't looking too bad. I am nervous and I was only able to sleep for about 3 hours. I am also pretty concerned if everything will work out with the short transfer time in Munich.
Some tech talk: I will be flying from Bremen (gate A06) to Munich on an Airbus A320 (flight number LH2189) with the registration D-AIZQ on window seat 25F
I arrived at Munich airport. We had an outside parking position so we had to take a bus to the terminal. Then passport control. And it was so close! I arrived 5 minutes before boarding time. But that being said, the boarding time is 45 minutes before the scheduled departure time. So maybe I am stressing myself too much over it. I didn't have any time to take cool pictures of the airport. Will my luggage make it or not? That's the most worrying thing!!
But hey, I saw two Lufthansa Airbus A380. One in the old livery and one in the new one.
I will be flying from Munich to Osaka on flight LH742 onboard an Airbus A350 (registration D-AIXG) from gate L10. I have the window seat 30A. By the way, flight time is a little bit over 12 hours.
I boarded. I think it's 50% Germans and 50% Japanese passengers. Next to me is a German person once again. On all my flights I never sat next to a Japanese person. Oh wait, that's not true. My flight from Tokyo to Okayama and from Tottori to Tokyo had no foreigners other than me.
Lunch was a choice of two meals. I think I picked the wrong one. It had sushi and mushrooms. Also, while the rice was burning hot, other side dishes were still frozen. I don't think that's how it was supposed to be. Impossible to eat.
I want to say that I once again wasn't able to sleep. But this time I have proof that I slept at least for a few minutes: I missed breakfast. While it looked slightly better on the menu than lunch, I am not super sad that I missed it. Once I am at the airport I will get a sandwich or something. 11 hours flight, 50 minutes remaining to Osaka.
I am so proud of my old headphones. I am normally using newer ones because the cushions start to rip on the old ones. But for flights like this I prefer the old ones because the noise cancelling is better, they feel softer on the ears, and it lasted for 12 hours straight and they still have 30% left! Beasts.
I went through passport control and my passport had 3 stickers of Japan on one page, still a place left for one more. I wanted to have the full Tetris but the officer put the new sticker on the new page… Then I got pocket wifi, my luggage (yay!) and the bus ticket to Kyoto.
I left my backpack and suitcase at the hotel and went on a rainy Kyoto adventure. First I went to a udon restaurant in Kyoto station. I researched the menu before but the item I wanted to eat wasn't available!! Then I was in a pinch because people were waiting behind me in line. I ended up getting the recommended item from the store. It was like… soba with egg soup. I didn't like it so much. But it was edible. It was too big of a portion though.
Then I went to the Kyoto Gyoen garden. Thats a park where the residence of the emperor was, before it was moved to Tokyo (Edo). But you couldn't see the residence and the park was also pretty lackluster. So I moved on to western Kyoto. And that was really nice! So sad that it was rainy, windy and cold. It was such a nice place.
There is a big bridge, a bamboo grove and lots of street food shops and temples. There is also this so-called kimono forest which was surprisingly nice! If there is time left on a day with better weather, I would like to come again!
Another rainy day, oh no. But the places I visited were so nice!! Now I have too many places on my “when the weather is better let's go again" list.
First I went to Fushimi Inari Taisha. That's the shrine with the 1000 torii gates. I went super early, at 8am and it wasn't the best weather but there were quite a few people. Should I go again with better weather, I need to go even earlier when those dang tourists are still asleep.
Then I went to Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka. Super cute and rustical roads with lots of shops. I went to the matcha house and had matcha tiramisu. There is also a really popular pagoda in this district which looks stunning in every photo.
Then I went to the highlight of the trip so far which was Kiyomizudera. A temple overlooking the Sannenzaka area. It was so stunning! But it was rainy all the time so it was hard to navigate all those umbrella carrying foreigners. But this was awesome. Need to go again when the weather is better!!
From there I went to Yasaka shrine but it had lots of signs that taking photos is prohibited so I of course respected that.
I went to the Gion district. That's the one known for geishas and for banning foreign tourists from some roads, maybe you have read the news 2 years ago. I went to Shirakawa lane. But to be honest, I think this district really comes to life at night. So I will come back later today. Actually rainy weather is nice for this place! I think popular movies have been filmed here? Kill Bill or something like that? What do I know, I don't watch movies.
Because it was raining and I didn't want to waste time doing nothing, I went to a good indoor place - the Nintendo museum. To be more precise, the entrance gate of it. The guardsman told me that it is for reserved tickets only and when I checked the website, it was correct and all tickets for March (!!) were already sold out. Bummer. So I went back to the hotel for a break.
I went to the restaurant I researched and I had katsudon (as planned). It was so simple but so delicious. The best food I have eaten on this trip so far. Also you were able to pick smaller size portions!
So I went back to Pontocho and Gion. And Pontocho was especially crowded after dark! It was almost crazy. Then I went back to the hotel, but not before stopping at the local Animate store which is just at the other side of Kyoto station. I got some of the manga I am missing on the shelf!
I took the train from Kyoto to Nara. It took around one hour. Then I walked to Nara park which basically has almost all the touristy places of the town. Did you know? Nara also was at times the ruling city in “ancient" Japan. So not only Kyoto and Edo (Tokyo) but Nara as well.
The park is known for its roaming deers. I am glad they were friendly and didn't try to bodycheck me. And there were hundreds of them.
I went to two gardens inside the park grounds. One being free of admission and the other was a bit too pricey for my liking, but hey. There was an old guy with his daughter (?) in the garden approaching me in Japanese and asking where I am from and what life in Germany is like. We talked for a few minutes totally out of nowhere.
Then I went to the Todai-ji temple. This temple has one of the three big Buddha statues in Japan. This one was over 16 meters tall and looked really impressive. The others are in Kamakura (I went there on my first trip) and in … Uh. Some other place!
I also had my first botanical garden experience. That's different from a normal garden or park because the plants are labeled with names and information. It was a bit underwhelming, probably because it's not the perfect time of the year for it yet. It's technically still winter in Japan? I bet it would be stunning in summer when everything is in full bloom.
I visited Kasuga Taisha, a Shinto shrine pretty deep in the forests of Nara park. It was tranquil, if it wouldn't be for all the tourists. My feet are saying no, but I want to continue!
The final stop at Nara park is the Ukimido pond. It's on the way back, so there is no excuse to miss it. I planned another stop in a different part of Nara city. But my feet are not allowing it, so I will skip that one for another time and head back straight to Kyoto.
No way! The pond was dried out for lake construction work!? It looked so good on Google maps. But now it is looking like the lake Hylia from Ocarina of Time before clearing the water temple. Omg. That's actually such a good comparison.
I need to visit Nara again (during summer) during my exchange year. For the botanical garden and for the pond!
The day was finished with a visit to one of my two favorite Japanese restaurant chains: Coco Ichibanya!! Once again I decided on the mentsu katsu curry and it was as good as ever. I even finished the normal size portion.
I Left the hotel for the farthest trip of this journey. I Headed north towards Ine. I made use of my bus reservation for the express bus to Amanohashidate first.
In Amanohashidate I visited the sandbank connecting the northern and southern parts of the bay. It was really beautiful! I also visited the Chionji temple located at the sandbank.
Then I took the regular bus further north and arrived at Funaya. This is a small fisher village with wooden houses that also can be used as a parking space for the people's boats. It is so pretty!! I am so glad it was sunny while I was there so the photos actually turned out nice.
Then I participated in a boat tour around the Funaya bay to see the houses from the other side. But it was so windy and cold that I picked a seat inside the boat while people with maxed frost and nature resistance opted for the open air deck. The windows didn't let me take photos but it was still a cool experience.
While I waited for the bus, an old Japanese guy who was working at the boat parking lot approached me and we talked for 10 minutes or so about why I travel Japan and why I can understand the language.
As a last stop I went to Amanohashidate Viewland. That's basically a mini amusement park for kids with rides (and the mascot characters were soooo adorable)! It is located on top of a mountain and you can reach it by chairlift or by monorail. I came for the views of the sandbank and the area. Awesome!
I am still in Kyoto prefecture but neither the bus nor the train accept IC cards in this area, which is still unbelievable to me.
I think I really used this day in the Amanohashidate / Ine area to the fullest. And I even got lucky with the weather with the sun coming out at the most important times for photos.
I checked in at the hotel for one night in Nishi-Maizuru. It is really modern but not really inviting. It has some hospital vibes. But hey, it's just one night and it wasn't expensive. I went to a Chinese-Japanese restaurant and had yakimeshi and gyoza. So good!! Last trip I had boiled gyouza in Yokohama Chinatown. This time I had the fried version and it is so much better!
I checked out of the hotel and went back to Kyoto by three different trains. It took around 2.5 hours. Then the tourist hotspot hopping continued.
First I went to Nijojo castle. It was alright but I was just a few weeks too early because they had some Sakura trees with buds, but not in bloom yet.
After that I went to the last of the big three touristy spots in Kyoto: Kinkakuji temple. Google maps already said “at this time: as crowded as it gets" so I expected the worst. By the way, the other two of the big three are Fushimi Inari Taisha and Kiyomizudera (I already went there). It was really crowded but not as bad as I had feared. The building itself looked really nice and it had more views than I anticipated.
Then I took a break at the hotel and watched a video on YouTube about “secrets of Kyoto station" and I just had to go!! There are so many cool places to explore. Up to now I only thought it was a train station but it is so much more! But I had to interrupt for:
Kyoto tower! I wanted to go at a time where I could see Kyoto by day and after sunset. So the time frame was very limited. Kyoto is so nice from the air! You can see all the different places I visited in the past few days and during clear weather you can even see as far as Osaka, for example the Abeno Harukas. They also had free use telescopes (is that the correct word?) to look around town and the zoom/magnification was soooo crazy. You could make out individual people that were visiting Kiyomizudera from on top of Kyoto tower! It is insane!!! And omg. This was so funny. I tried to spot Abeno Harukas with one of the telescopes. But it was so hard to make out because of the weather. But I think I got it. And I left the telescope on that spot and stepped aside. Then a Japanese person approached and said あ、あべのハルカス. That felt so funny to me haha. Like all according to keikaku (keikaku means plan). The pictures during night didn't turn out so well because of the lighting inside the observation deck.
I wanted to go back to the station for exploring but I stumbled upon an outlet snack store and the things were dirt cheap? I bought lots! Then I went back to Kyoto station and the more time I spend there the more I learn how entertaining it is. Most of it free - they totally didn't have to add all these nice features, but they did. I love it. The skyway overlooking the whole station, the illuminated big stairs, the Lego replica of the station, all the lighting and illumination… I am pretty sure this is the craziest train station I have visited yet and it will be hard to top this. It might sound weird but Kyoto station is one of the highlights of the trip.
Then I went to a random ramen restaurant in the station and had Miso ramen, this time with soft boiled egg. It was really good but I am so full. I probably can never eat again. Which is fitting. Because I got breakfast for tomorrow from a konbini and I didn't pay attention and got a sandwich with tuna. I dislike seafood. So I will probably “forget it" in the fridge of the hotel room.
I took the train from Kyoto and headed north along the western shore of Lake Biwa. That’s Japan's biggest lake and the train ride with the special rapid train takes around one hour from the southern tip to the northern tip of the lake. It was such an impressive train ride. The right side window: Lake Biwa shore. Left side window: snow covered mountain ranges.
Then I took the ferry to Chikubu island located in the northern part of Lake Biwa. I am not the biggest fan of their pricing strategy. The boat ride to the island including the ride to the other shore was 3200 yen. But then you had to pay again (600 yen) to enter the island once you arrived. As if anyone would just wait for the next boat. It's not that the island wasn't worth it. It was super pretty with the shrines on top and everything. But they could have made the ferry ride for 3800 so it already included the island. That would have been more transparent.
Then I took the ferry to the other shore of Lake Biwa and arrived at Nagahama. First, I went to the park which was located just next to the shore. It has some nice scenery and it also features the castle of Nagahama. But I didn't go inside because the castle stairs are too steep for my knees.
Then I took a stroll through Nagahama city. Some popular shopping streets can be found there. Then I went to the restaurant I researched beforehand and had chicken ramen.
From Nagahama I took the train to Omihachiman. I visited the beautiful canal which is flowing through the city. And then I went to the ropeway to ascend Hachimanyama (yama means mountain). It had shrines and temples on top and the view of the surrounding area, including lake biwa, was stunning. But my legs are killing me at this point. So I should really call it a day and head towards the hotel. I still need to pack because it will be the last night in Kyoto. Osaka starting tomorrow!
By the way, this day was a true, authentic, real Japan experience. There were basically no foreign tourists at the places I went to!
So I went back to the hotel in Kyoto, packed all my stuff. And then headed out for dinner. And yes. Blame me. I went to Coco Ichibanya yet again. But hey, this time I got the pork cutlets curry instead! A TOTALLY different dish!
I was crazy enough to revisit Sannenzaka and Kiyomizudera at 6:40 in the morning because it was sunny. I just needed to get some good photos from there! Even though it wasn’t even 7am, there were a respectable number of visitors already. And yes, I got the best photos one could have wished for!
Then I took the train to Osaka. It was a special rapid train and it took only 30 minutes from Kyoto while being as cheap as the local train which would have taken 90 minutes. Perfect planning. I dropped off my bags at the hotel in Osaka (it is located basically in the station building) and then moved on to the first destination of the Osaka arc.
I went to Shinsekai. That's a district with lots of restaurants and advertisements from the 70s(?). It looks like this part of town is being stuck in time. They have some really memorable billboards and towering above this district is the Tsutenkaku tower. The wait was pretty long but it was worth it. The view was so good on a day with weather like this, you had a clear view not only of Shinsekai but also the Abeno Harukas (maybe 800 meters away), the Ferris wheel and the business district.
Then I went back to Osaka station because I wanted to check in at the hotel. But first I checked out the station on my own. It is huge. I went to the shopping mall inside the station building and it had a Nintendo store, Mugiwara One Piece store and Pokemon center on the 15th floor.
At the other side of the station building is a rooftop terrace on the 11th floor. You could see airplanes from Osaka Itami airport lift off and land.
I checked in at the Osaka hotel and it is okay. The lobby and everything makes it look so deluxe. There were 5 clerks at the reception desk and all of them were busy with customers. But the room is tiny and there is a wall right outside the window so the blinds will be closed at all times (like it was in Tottori). But hey, 4 nights and being this close to the station is a plus. My room is on the 22nd floor of the station building.
No trip to Japan can be finished without having Ichiran ramen at least once. So I have taken care of that today!
Then I went to Abeno Harukas which is a shopping mall but also the largest building in Osaka with 300 meters. And yes. There is an observation deck on top! This is way higher than Tsutenkaku. And the observation deck is so crazy spacious. It is insane.
It's raining, so I swapped the Osaka days around. I looked for indoor activities and found something.
I went to Osaka harbour and visited the giant Ferris wheel (didn't ride it though) and the Osaka aquarium. The highlight was the sharks because they were huge. In direct comparison, the aquarium in Ikebukuro’s Sunshine City is superior in my opinion. But it was still worth coming!
Then I went to Denden Town. That's the district which is comparable to Akihabara in Tokyo. There are tons of card game shops, retro game shops, anime and manga merch stores and so much more otaku related stuff. I was looking for some goods of Cure Marine, but again: hopeless. I got something else instead. A really cheap gacha figure for my shelf.
As a last official stop of today I went to Sumiyoshi Taisha. That's one of the more well known shrines in Osaka. But there were so few people compared to the shrines in Kyoto. I guess Osaka is not so known for its shrines.
It is insane. This Japan trip is so full of activities that it feels like a month has passed in Japan. But it has only been a week. From the direct comparison after two days in Osaka, I would say that I like Kyoto more. But here is my ultimate list of which city I like most (from the ones where I have stayed for more than 2 nights): Tokyo > Kyoto > Okayama > Osaka > Tottori.
Weather is slightly better than yesterday, but still a bit cloudy.
I went to one of the major tourist spots: Osaka Castle. I didn't go inside, because I already went inside Himeji Castle on my previous trip and I assume that the interior of castles are roughly similar. But I went to the surrounding park which has a really nice plum grove and a shrine (and also for the affordable admission of: free).
Then the spot closest to my hotel - the Umeda Sky building. It consists of two towers that are connected with a sky bridge and escalator on the 60th floor or so. And you could go on the rooftop for a nice sight of Osaka!
By the way did I tell you that my hotel room is directly above Osaka station and the Pokemon Center? Literally the elevator in the hallway of my hotel floor also stops at the pokemon center floor. Of course only people with the hotel key card can use the buttons for the hotel floors. There are also hotel exclusive elevators, so guests don’t need to wait for plebians going shopping and blocking the elevators.
After that I went to Tenshinbashi Suji, which is the longest shoutengai (shopping arcade street) in Japan with over two kilometers. They had all kinds of shops, mostly targeted toward daily needs. So no anime or specialty stores. Because it was right next to it, I went to the Osaka Tenmangu temple. It wasn't the biggest one but because the blossoms started sprouting it looked really beautiful.
After a short break at the hotel to drop off the stuff I bought, I headed for Namba. I was there yesterday already. Technically, Denden Town is a part of Namba (I think). Today's destination was the Kuromon Market. It was pretty similar to the Tenshinbashi Suji shoutengai but this time more about fresh food and eating places.
Then I wanted to go to the Yasaka shrine. You know? The one with a huge devil face sculpture. But it was closed! And it took a 15 minute walk to get there while I was already so beat!
As the final stop for today I went to Dotonbori. You have certainly seen photos of it, even if you might not know it by name. It is the nightlife center of Osaka around the canal with the huge illuminated advertisements. It was insane.
Final day of the trip. It felt like I did so much on this Japan experience.
Today's first stop was the one that was closed yesterday, still in Osaka: Namba-Yasaka jinja. The huge devil head looked freaky! But I guess such a thing is normal in Japan!?
I took the train to Kobe which took around 40 minutes. Kobe is actually in Hyogo prefecture! I visited Hyogo on my previous trip from “the other side", namely Himeji city.
First I went to the city office. It had a free observatory on the 24th floor. And I like free stuff! It had some good views of the city but nothing too exciting. The windows were small and limited and not very well cleaned.
Then I went to Ikuta jinja. That's probably the biggest shrine in Kobe, but it was nothing in comparison to the shrines in Kyoto.
After that I went to the harbour area. The Kobe port tower is the landmark of this town and I got to the viewing platform. There is also a place of the port being left deliberately in ruins, to be a memory of the 1995 Kobe earthquake. It was probably one of the three biggest earthquakes to ever hit Japan, with the big Kanto earthquake from 1923(???) and Fukushima (2011) being even more deadly.
I went to Kobe Nankinmachi Chinatown. It was very crowded. I would have loved to try koma dango and agemochi. But it was so unclear to me how to handle the skewers after finishing. So I didn't… I need very clear instructions or a trash can in sight. …is what I thought! But then I came up with a masterplan. I got a famichiki from family mart (it was sooo juicy!?) and then I was able to reuse the packaging it came in as a trash holder for the skewers of koma dango and agemochi. Agemochi is a skewer with mochi rice cake which has been fried and topped with a small sheet of nori. And koma dango is a rice cake filled with red bean paste (Anko) and a layer of sesame seeds outside. Both were good!
Did you know that Kobe was one of the three first ports which were opened to Chinese merchants during the shut-off of Japan? That's why Kobe (and consequently Yokohama and Nagasaki) have the three bustling chinatowns in Japan. One for fact about the Nankinmachi Chinatown in Kobe… Nankin (or Nanking) is a Chinese city and the Japanese army committed terrible war crimes there, slaughtering 300.000 people just because they were Chinese. And Japan is saying that these crimes never happened, so it is a bit of a dark part of history. And they even have the audacity to name the Chinatown after that (or maybe the Chinatown had the name before that happened). But if I would have mentioned it, I would probably have gotten arrested.
So as you can see. Kobe is a rather history-heavy town for Japan. From earthquakes to Chinatowns and the neglecting of war crimes.
I went to the Nonubuki herb garden. It is located on top of mount Rokko so you have to take the ropeway to get there (or hike if you are crazy). The views of Kobe from the cable car were so breathtaking!! And the herb garden itself was so charming with the brick buildings and everything looking nice like it was modeled after Final Fantasy 9. They also had a huge focus on herbs being used as ingredients for perfumes and how to extract the smell from the plant. It was interesting!
Then I went back to the hotel and packed the things I already could. I headed out for dinner after that - my first okonomiyaki experience. Luckily the store I picked had the chef prepare it. There are other places (most of them actually) where you have to cook your okonomiyaki yourself and people think that's fun. But I am too unsure to do that.
Then I finished packing, checked in for my flight and called it a night. Tomorrow will be early. Because the train to the airport takes over an hour, I need to leave the hotel at 5:15 or so.
Maybe this is a good time for the “walked kilometers recap" for this trip (according to Google Fit this time):
04.03.2025 10.3 km (Kyoto day 1)
05.03.2025 19.5 km (Kyoto day 2)
06.03.2025 17.5 km (Nara)
07.03.2025 8.9 km (Ine)
08.03.2025 12.8 km (Kyoto day 3)
09.03.2025 15.4 km (Lake Biwa)
10.03.2025 16.8 km (Osaka day 1)
11.03.2025 13.2 km (Osaka day 2)
12.03.2025 20.4 km (Osaka day 3)
13.03.2025 18.0 km (Kobe)
Total: 152.8 km
I got up at 4:50, checked out of the hotel and the Osaka station was so empty. An unreal sight compared to how busy it usually is.
I dropped off my wifi device, my suitcase and got through security check and border control. Now I have around 2 more hours to spare. And oof. I remember the prices at Haneda airport being somewhat standardized. It was cheap compared to German airports. But Kansai airport is priceyyyy.
I am boarding flight LH743 from Kansai airport to Munich from terminal 1, gate 016. I will be on an Airbus A350 with the registration D-AIXG (wow, it is the very same aircraft I was on for my arrival flight) and I have the window seat 29A.
A Japanese woman sat next to me. We talked just a little bit in Japanese but she was really friendly! She and her friend next to her were from Osaka and had a connecting flight from Munich to Portugal.
Other than that: I'm dead. This flight was so stressful. The last 3 hours of the 14 hour flight were especially killing me. Sitting was so uncomfortable with my knees hurting. And I got a bit motion sick so I skipped the second meal. And as a result I was too hungry.
But I survived! Went in Munich through security and then headed to my gate for the flight to Bremen.
My boarding gate is K10 in terminal 2 and I will be taking the flight LH4060 from Munich to Bremen on an Airbus A319 with the registration D-ABGK. My seat is 11D.
I got home. I am beat. But it was an awesome trip with unforgettable memories. Here are the things I got for snacks and merch:
Looking back on this trip, it was an awesome experience! I am glad I researched so much before arriving in Japan. My personal highlights: Amanohashidate/Ine, Lake Biwa tour, Kyoto station (lol), Abeno Harukas, ropeway to the herb garden in Kobe
Posted by Brati | Mar 15, 4:17 AM | 0 comments
June 1st, 2024
Japan Travel Blog 5/2024
Anime Relations: Durarara!!, Non Non Biyori
Disclaimer: You can also check out the travel itinerary which I created before the trip with all the places I wanted to visit and which trains to take and which foods to eat. It's all in German tho... Here is the link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TJM6EYdan4eTDJqDK7zQtTXkycMiQ-HbgKRQ-XNKKv0/edit?usp=sharing
Alright, my trip to Japan starts on Sunday. There are so many things I want to see and travel. I will go from Bremen to Frankfurt, then hop on a flight to Tokyo Haneda and then have another connecting flight to Okayama. I plan to stay in Okayama for 4 nights. Then I want to take the train north to reach Tottori and spend 3 nights there. After that I will take a flight from Tottori to Tokyo Haneda and spend 3 nights in Tokyo. Then I am heading back from Tokyo Haneda to Munich and from Munich to Bremen.
Today is Monday, so almost a full week to go. But the preparations are already under way.
First of all I have completed my detailed guide on how to spend the days, which trains to take and everything. I want to make sure that I waste as little time as possible researching stuff when I am over there. Whatever I can prepare in advance, I will.
Then I started downloading media for the flight. With 12 hours I need quite a bit of entertainment to pass the time. So I am getting a few episodes of anime and also Youtube videos.
I already started sorting things out to pack for the trip so that everything is ready on Sunday.
And then finally I started implementing a sleep schedule. I went to bed at 11 last night and plan to go to bed half an hour earlier each day and also get up half an hour earlier each day until the trip. This has two reasons. I hope I can somewhat counter the Jet Lag when I am in Japan (there is a 7 hour time difference) and second I hope this increases my chance of actually catching some sleep time on the flight.
I woke up at 3:30am. Not sure because I needed to for my flight but to get accustomed to the different time zones. For my flight I actually needed to leave at 5:15 which is almost a normal time. Way later compared to my previous trip.
So my parents dropped me off at Bremen airport and now I'm done with baggage and security and I wait for my flight to Frankfurt.
Some technicalities for my own future reference: I will be boarding at gate A01 for the flight LH353 from Bremen to Frankfurt on an Embraer E190LR with the registration D-AECH and my seat will not be at the security exit for once but on 25C, so probably an aisle seat.
It is interesting how busier the airport is compared to the flight in the middle of the night. It's still not super busy but the check-in process actually took about half an hour which is 25 minutes longer than last time. Now I have time to kill until my flight leaves.
I arrived in Frankfurt and it took around 15 minutes to get to my departure gate. There is still around 2 hours of time until boarding so I have lots of time to eat breakfast.
While it isn't the best gate I had in October 2022, it is way better than the gate in October 2023. That one was like in the basement and it wasn't really looking like it's part of the airport. But this time it is a real gate with a passenger bridge.
Technical info for me: My flight NH204 from Frankfurt to Tokyo will leave from gate B43. I will be flying with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with the registration JA872A. It's one with the star alliance livery and I will be in the 34K window seat.
I checked over the past week to change it to a seat more towards the middle of the aircraft but only middle seats were available so I kept my window seat in the back and just hope for the best. I will take travel medicine preemptively.
The flight is so long. I am glad I didn't get sick. But it's just impossible to sleep and time passes so slowly. 12 hours feel like an eternity and on the way home it will be even 14 hours because of the direction of the earth's rotation… How can one survive!?
But it wasn't as bad as I imagined it to be with the shaking. Yes there were some shaky situations but I think it would have been pretty much the same towards the middle of the plane. They had two options for breakfast but one was already “sold out" (even though it's free). I guess that's a disadvantage of sitting in the back because they distribute it from the front and people actually have a choice there.
We will arrive at Haneda in about one hour. And the plane is currently directly above Tottori! I can see the places I will be at in just a few days!
I landed in rainy Tokyo. Here I needed to go to another terminal at the airport and this took way longer than I anticipated. More than an hour. I needed to take a shuttle bus, claim my baggage, check my baggage in again and go through security. But I have enough time to spare so that's no big deal and I don't have anything better to do. I am already exhausted from the previous flight though.
I can't believe I am already in Japan again. The past week flew by. Apart from the actual flight… and one of the first things I notice are the distinct smells of Japan! It might sound weird but you don't have these kinds of smells in Germany, and I am not talking about perfume but just lingering smells.
Here are some technicalities for myself for future reference. I am about to take the flight NH655 from Tokyo Haneda to Okayama on a Boeing 737 with the registration JA51AN. The gate is 59 at terminal 2.
Not a single foreigner besides me was on this flight. But to be honest, I missed most of it anyway because I rested like a professional. Then I arrived at Sunny Okayama and it was 27 degrees.
Even though the flight arrived with 15 minutes delay, the bus driver was so generous to wait. That's super nice because the next bus would have been 2 hours (!!) later. That's the countryside I guess!
Then I went to the hotel and dropped off my bags. And because I felt energized again after that short rest and because it's not rainy in Okayama I decided to cross some things off my list.
First I went to the Kurashiki Bikan quarter. That's a historical district where you can take gondolas over the canal. That's why it's called the venice of Japan. On the way back I went to the Achi shrine which is just in the neighborhood. Back at the station I passed some Shotengai but most stores were closed. Maybe because it's Monday?
I went to the local Aeon mall because I researched something I wanted to eat: Katsudon. So I went into the store perfectly prepared to order and then the waitress said that Katsudon is take-out only. Ugh. So I had to pick something else on the spot because I couldn't just leave. It was too big of a portion… and expensive… well 14 euros or something. But the katsudon would have been perfect because it was cheap and manageable.
Apart from eating something different, everything went according to schedule. Unexpectedly well if I say so! I'll go to bed early because I am still missing sleep and I don't want to get up too late tomorrow.
I got my mobile Internet with a portable WiFi router since the SIM card didn't work with my new phone last time. It works but it's pretty slow. But it should be sufficient for Google maps.
Oh and on my way to the hotel I noticed that there is an Animate and even a Rashinban pretty close. I should check those stores out when I have some spare time.
I noticed a trend that I always have super big problems sleeping the first night in a new environment. Not only in Japan. But here it's especially bad because the night before the flight I was too excited to sleep, the night during the flight was too uncomfortable to sleep, and now I am not accustomed enough to the new environment. So that's three nights in a row where I have trouble.
Actually this might be the worst hotel room out of all the four I had so far in Japan. Let me start with the good things. The room on the 13th floor has a pretty cool view of Okayama station and the city. The bed is also the exact correct firmness. Now the bad things. The room is directly across the elevator so I hear everyone coming and going. The trains passing by are unrealistically loud. The room is too bright. It is the smallest room out of all the four I had. The refrigerator makes a super annoying buzzing sound. Well. I have to stay four nights and maybe tomorrow will be better when I get a bit more used to everything.
I walked 2 km today.
I managed to get around 5 hours of sleep. Then I got up on time and took the train to Kasaoka. From here the boat to Manabeshima will leave in 20 minutes. After the 45 minute cruise I will have 2.5 hours until 12:30 on Manabeshima Island.
By the way, my weather app said it will be sunny all day and up to 28 degrees. Too hot for me! Actually it's a pretty good idea to bring sun lotion.
This island is bigger than I expected, however there is little to see. The landscape is nice but the sightseeing spots I noted down are too far out. Also it's a bit creepy because there are almost no people and everyone I see is at least 120 years old.
I looked up more places to go on this island but they were only reachable by hiking paths and I didn't feel equipped enough with only 0 flamethrowers after seeing some kind of centipede and a flying insect I couldn't identify in the least. Then I saw some spiderwebs dangling from the Torii I had to pass and that's when I was like “ok I'm out". And then I headed back.
Okay hear me out. The weirdest thing ever happened. I was minding my own business in the shade killing time for the boat to depart. But then some random Japanese woman approached me, Atsumi Nakamuro. She was really friendly and wanted to show me around the island. She even invited me to her own house. I was like “this seems a bit fishy, so be on alert". But in the end she just wanted to talk I guess?
She wanted to promote her books, so she let me have a drink and gave me a discount of the return ticket for the boat because her son is the captain. She also is a fan of Blue Giant. She showed me the post office where she works and where her books are on display and she showed me the local middle school which only has 2 students. Is this Non Non Biyori or what? But the school will stop being in operation later this year.
I asked her how many people are living on this island and it's about 100. But then I said there are way more houses than for 100 people. Looks like most of them are empty. I guess this is a village that will soon perish because there are no new people coming to live here. I am glad I visited as long as it exists. Maybe in another 5 or 10 years this island will be deserted.
And then I went on the boat and it was so surprising as well. Another woman who is actually 70 but doesn't look older than 50 approached me and started talking. She wanted to know why I visited a deserted place like Manabeshima. It's so cool to know the language and I can go to places no one else can. She was so friendly and surprised that I could speak Japanese and was interested in her birthplace!
We talked for the whole boat ride about all sorts of things and she also had to go to Okayama to catch the Shinkansen there, so she guided me to the station and everything. We talked about her previous job, about different spots to see in the area and in Japan in general. And about her family, she also showed me pictures. By the way she is 70 and I asked which anime or manga she likes: Versailles no Bara. She was really nice. Her name is Yamashita Toshiko and she even gave me her phone number. Whenever I had troubles in Japan I could call her. I never would have expected such a thing to happen.
That's two total strangers approaching me in a single day and I talked to both of them in Japanese for over an hour. It's insane.
Then I went to the Korakuen garden in Okayama. That's a park with ponds and flower beds and things like that. And towering above it is the black castle of Okayama. Because of its color it is called the raven fortress or something like that.
I planned to eat Chuukasoba at a restaurant but I was too exhausted to take that detour. So I got something from a konbini instead.
Is Okayama actually a big Shinkansen station? I have been watching out of my personal premier view window for around 40 minutes now and there have been four shinkansen arriving and departing.
Okay I have one good piece of information and one bad piece of information. The good one ist that I managed to eliminate the buzzing sound of the refrigerator by turning it off. The bad news is that I can't use the refrigerator for some reason, it's not cooling correctly.
Tomorrow I will go to Himeji! I want to go to the restaurant I researched. No excuses allowed!!!!
I walked 7.3 km today. But I think Google maps has a counting error somewhere, it should be less.
Compared to Tokyo, there are so few foreigners in the Okayama area! Even the konbini staff are all Japanese. Can you imagine? Based on my experience in Tokyo, at least 50% of the konbini workers were foreigners from India or some other place but Japan.
But Himeji is probably one of the main tourist spots besides Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. That's where I am heading. I planned to visit the castle in the afternoon but ChatGPT suggested that I get to the castle in the morning because it will be super crowded and it makes sense. So I swapped my plans around and visited the castle first.
I took the train from Okayama to Himeji and it was packed at first. But halfway through the 90 minute ride it got so empty. Maybe no one wants to get to the place right in the middle between Okayama and Himeji. And people actually heading for Himeji might take a faster train option. But there are some super のんびり田園風景 sceneries along the train tracks.
Himeji keep did have a tourist group from France and some individuals from foreign countries but it wasn't as crowded so it was nice. Dang, though. The keep’s stairs are so steep! And you constantly can bump your head because the ceilings are so low as well. Have I mentioned that you have to take off your shoes to enter the castle? They won't let you in otherwise.
Then I went to Kokoen. That's a park right next to the Himeji castle. While it is not as extensively large as other parks are, it is very well structured and well kept. The garden consists of 13 small compartments, each themed around a special kind of plant or design element.
Then I had a wagyu rice bowl in the restaurant I researched. I also worked out a sentence to say that I am already full so if they can reduce the portion size. And if they don't, I needn't feel bad because I offered to save the ingredients! It was very (!!) tasty. Not the meat itself but the combination of the meat and rice and sauce. A perfect mix.
I used the ropeway to get to Mount Shosha. There are several temples on this mountain but the main one is called Engyouji. The hike from the ropeway took a long time and was so exhausting. I will take the bus down…
The bus was so relaxing instead of having to hike back. But the road was so dangerous!! Also the fare was 500 yen which is super pricey. But worth it for me in this special case.
My travel plan included visiting the Ako shrine today as well because it is right between Okayama and Himeji. But it would require a 1km walk in both directions so I will skip this activity. Instead I'm going to the Rashinban and Animate near Okayama station!
Man, I love Rashinban. It's the best store! The things I bought at Rashinban were the three volumes of the violet ever garden light novel. They were second hand and reduced to 300 yen each. At Animate I got the second volume of the Lycoris Recoil light novel and the current volumes 16 of Yuru Camp and 28, 29 of Blue Lock.
Now I need to prepare my travel suitcase because it will be picked up for shipping to the next hotel tomorrow.
I walked 4.1 km today.
I got up early and left my suitcase in the care of the hotel staff. I hope it will be delivered to my next hotel without problems. Feels a bit iffy to only have a backpack with so little of my belongings on me now.
Then I headed out for Takamatsu. I took the rapid train which crossed the Seto bridge. This bridge connects two of Japan's Main islands together: Honshu and Shikoku.
The first stop was at Kokubu. A totally irrelevant spot for tourists but I like rural Japan as well. I visited the Sanuki Kokobunji temple and then headed back for the train station to continue on in the direction of Takamatsu. The station was so small. There weren't even ticket gates. It was on a trust basis that everyone pays the correct fee. But it had a Suica card reader, so that's good for me. I desperately need to recharge when I arrive at Takamatsu.
Phew, I only had a remaining balance of 334 yen on the card. I have already spent more than 100k on Public transportation and konbini / vending machines purchases since arriving in Japan.
Then I went to the Shikoku museum village. You could see old houses from centuries ago and how Japanese people lived. To be honest it wasn't super interesting but I'm glad I went instead of wondering “would it have been good and I missed something awesome"?
Then I took the train and it was really close. The next one would have been 30 minutes later so I needed to rush. And then there was a huge ordeal of getting from the train station to the cable car station (there is no bus or anything else). It took 30 minutes by foot and it was so exhausting because it was uphill.
On top of the cable car station I visited the mountain and the temples of Yakuriji. Some random Korean dude started talking to me and we had a conversation in English for about 20 minutes. He wants me to come to Korea next. Sorry mate. But he was friendly.
Because the way from the station to the cable car was so exhausting I was ready to use my ultimate trump card to get to the next spot in no time and with no effort at all: a taxi! So I signed up for this TaxiGO app which someone from YouTube recommended. Turns out it only works in the Tokyo area!? At least not in Takamatsu. Bummer. So I had to walk to the bus stop which was way too tight time-wise. But I somehow made it and took the bus.
I went to Ritsurin garden. That one was pretty big and had some nice places. One photospot on a hill looking down on a lake with a bridge stood out the most. I spent around one hour there and then moved on.
I went to Takamatsu Sunport where some military ships were stationed. Other than that the port was mostly windy. I hope I didn't catch a cold on this day because of the wind… It was warm with 25 °C though.
The train back to the hotel in Okayama takes over an hour even on the rapid line because the distance is just pretty long.
I quickly took a break at the hotel and then I went out to one of the restaurants I researched. I had Shoyu ramen with extra Chashu. I applied my trick with the “I am almost full" and it worked. It was tasty, very similar to the Shoyu ramen I had last year in Tokyo but that's no problem if it is good. Tomorrow I hope to try my favorite from the last trip: Miso ramen!
I walked 13 km today and while this number seems unrealistic I think it could very well be the case. It was the most exhausting day ever.
Today is a travel day. I checked out from my hotel in Okayama and starting tonight I will stay at a hotel in Tottori. The train north to Tottori takes about 3 hours (because it's the cheaper connection, thus slower). However, I will take a break around two hours on the ride at Chizu to visit the Ishitani residence.
By the way it is going to be 30°C today and people are still wearing suits with jackets. Monsters. This was the same train I took in the direction of Himeji, at least some stops are the same. And it was so crowded in the beginning. But once all the students had left it got super empty.
I also don't know their magic. So many people are sleeping on the train and somehow they don't miss their stop. I noticed it a few times where they woke up just in time to get off. Is it some kind of non-audio alarm they set up to get woken up?
I transferred to the next train and it is a really rural line where you can't pay by IC card. So a paper ticket is needed. And at the Ishii station along the way I saw a Google streetview car taking photos. A few months later I want to check if I am popular and in those photos.
I visited the Ishitani residence and while it was not the most boring thing ever, it is definitely not among my highlights of the trip. I guess I am not made for such historical things after all. But I'm glad I gave it a shot to fill my map with checkmarks.
I was the only person for the first few stations of this train ride. This day is quite train heavy but I think it's good as a refresher from the super walking heavy days before. And the rural landscape scenery from the train window is very nice.
I arrived in Tottori and it is noticeably colder compared to Okayama. But it's also cloudy. My first impression of Tottori wasn't as good because it was cloudy but also there were some not so clean roads which had a smell to them. But maybe it will all be better again when the sun is shining.
I visited the Tottori Toshogu shrine and the Kanon-in temple. Both of them were pretty close together, maybe 15 minutes by foot. They were okay but nothing super special.
Then I checked in at the hotel. I'll stay here for 3 nights. This feels like the complete opposite to the hotel in Okayama. It is spacious but there is no view at all. I am on the 5th floor but right in front of my window is the wall of the neighbors building with people… I think I should keep the window closed at all times. But the internet speed is unheard of. I have 370 Mbps down and 470 Mbps up. I don't even remember if my uni had that fast Internet back when I was a student.
And I am so glad that the suitcase got delivered and I have all my things again. Yay.
Later that evening I wanted to go out to get dinner. But this was actually the first time I felt uncomfortable in Japan. There was a black car with a speaker on top and flags of Japan and a sun attached to its back. They were talking really loud and rude in a Yakuza tone and played fanfares and something. But it was right next to a police station so I was not sure what was going on. I decided to go back to the hotel for once and research. Turns out it is a nationalist party of Japan looking to get attention. They continued for about 90 more minutes in front of the station and then they seemed to be gone.
Then I headed out to eat Miso butter ramen. I like the Miso ramen I had in Gotemba better. But it wasn't bad.
I walked 5,2 km today.
This was the first night where I had a really good sleep and fell asleep early. Maybe it was the 13th floor which didn't let me sleep as well in Okayama. I heard for it to be earthquake-proof, tall buildings have the ability to “sway" and you can feel it with strong winds. I think that was part of the reason.
Wow, even the train doesn't accept IC cards. You have to buy a paper ticket every time you get on a train from Tottori station.
I have spent a few days in the Japanese countryside by now and I can give a short impression how it feels. The nature is really nice, especially if you like old school Japanese houses and fields. But lots of the convenience of Japanese bigger cities is missing. For example trains and buses are going really rarely. There is no way to pay with IC cards. Konbinis and restaurants are rarer.
I visited the Gosho Aoyama manga factory. He was born in this town so everything here is centered around Conan and to a lesser extent Yaiba. There are lots of statues, the great Conan bridge, even the train station is Conan themed and then there is the manga factory. That's a museum mainly about Conan. You could see a replica of Aoyama's workplace when he drew his manga and there were many original manuscripts on display. But taking photos of the manuscripts was prohibited.
Then I waited for the bus. For almost an hour. Luckily it was on schedule. It brought me to the Utsubuki Koen park in Kurayoshi. The park itself was okay but one pond stood out especially. It had two nice bridges which made a good photo spot.
Then I took the bus to Kurayoshi station and headed back to Tottori. Because I am pretty good on time I will take a short refresher break at the hotel and then visit the castle ruins which were originally planned for tomorrow. The forecast for tomorrow says 30°C, so I would prefer to do it on the cooler 22°C day today.
But before that I went to one of the restaurants I looked up. Or this time it's more like a café which also serves curry. So I ordered katsu curry. I wondered how it would compare to the Coco Ichibanya curry chain which I visited twice already. It was pretty much as good! Not too spicy, not too lush. Presentation was looking good as well.
The drinks in Japan are so flavorful! A real shock! I got a musk melon drink and it is so tasty. I bet it has 200% sugar per 100ml.
Then I went to the Tottori castle ruins. You could see the town from there because they are on a slightly elevated plateau. Ruins is actually a bit much of a title. Only the foundation is left. You can't see any remains that there was an actual castle aside from the foundation and the elevated ground.
There are quite a few empty shops here on the main shopping street in Tottori. I don't think anything about it will change in the future. I wish I could have been here when it thrived. But I guess people are moving away from the countryside and to the bigger cities. Tottori city is not super small so the effect might be slower, but I can't see all the empty shops running again to be honest. It's a shame.
I walked 4,3 km on this day.
I took the train to Ooiwa station and then walked to the boat tour entrance. The stroll to the pier was totally deserted, only rice fields. It took around 30 minutes to walk because it was 2km away. But once I got to the entry hall there were already people waiting. I bet they all have the comfort of cars.
I took the Uradome coast boat tour. This is a hard to reach place if you don't have a car. But the views are spectacular and worth it. This might be the highlight of my trip so far. It was quite shaky on the boat so I am glad I took medicine before so I didn't get sick.
Then I took the bus to the most popular tourist spot in Tottori, the sand dunes aka “desert". Rather than a desert it's more like a really wide beach. But there are domesticated camels to ride and pose with.
The sand dunes are connected to the sand museum, where I went next. There are many sculptures made of sand and they are razed and replaced every year. This year's exhibition theme was France.
Then I went to a takoyaki restaurant I looked up in advance. But not for the takoyaki (I don't like seafood). Instead I got the negimayo yakisoba. That's yakisoba with extra green onions and mayonnaise. And I have to say this was seriously great even though it might not sound as delicious from the description. Probably the second best meal I had after the wagyu beef in Himeji.
It's still pretty early but I have done everything I wanted in Tottori so I headed back to the hotel and prepared my luggage for tomorrow's flight to Tokyo. Looks like it will be a rainy day in the Tokyo area… well I can't complain! Up to now there wasn't a single second of bad weather.
I walked 3,4 km today.
I got up early and checked out of the hotel. I got to the station with lots of time on my hands. After the train ride I need to walk for 1.5 km from the station to the airport. But it should be fine. I calculated lots of leeway.
By the way it is supposed to be more cloudy and rainy starting today.
I arrived at Tottori Conan airport (yes that's it's name) and I was beat. The walk took long and I was dressed too heavily I feel. But I also don't want to catch a cold when it's colder in Yokohama.
I will be flying from Tottori to Tokyo Haneda on flight number NH294 on board an Airbus A320 with the registration JA212A. My seat is 21A.
They announced that the plane headed for Tottori which I will board when it's ready to go back might be diverted to Osaka or return to Tokyo before getting here because of strong winds. I am tracking the flight and there were winds of about 200 kmh which I can't even imagine. But now it's past the stormy area and has wind reporting a of around 100 kmh. I hope it will be here for me and that the flight to Tokyo will not be too windy… but I guess there is no way right. They are not taking such a big detour around the storm which is directly between Tottori and Tokyo.
Alright it arrived but they announced that it will be turbulent so no service or toilet breaks allowed on the flight. I hope my stomach can deal with it. Just in case I took travel medicine earlier.
Wow ANA actually has inflight entertainment on a 1 hour flight. Every seat has a screen with movies and stuff. Lufthansa can't compete.
I landed in Tokyo and the turbulence was totally exaggerated. I didn't feel anything at all and they were also able to do drink service. I'm glad everything worked out.
I dropped my luggage at the hotel and it was around noon when I headed to Yokohama. It's a bit rainy so I wonder if I really should go to the English garden. And I haven't eaten anything yet so I think going to Chinatown first is the better idea.
I went to Chinatown and had a dumpling set. It was very filling. There are also nice photo spots in Chinatown, I bet they look even nicer in the dark with everything lit up.
Then I went to a park in Yokohama. It had a rose garden and an observation platform which overlooked the Yokohama harbor area. If the life-size Gundam in the Gundam factory would still be on display you could have seen it. And the rainbow bridge was nice as well. This was not the English garden which I researched but some other park. Compared to the English garden it was free so I think I’ll skip the English garden.
Then I went to the landmark tower. The good thing is: no wait at all! The bad thing is: because of the bad weather you couldn't really see far. It was so overcast and rainy. I thought about not going because of the weather. But it's my only day in Yokohama so I decided to still go. Maybe next year there will be good weather and I have time to spend. Yokohama isn't very far from Tokyo.
They had a map of yokohama with a beamer and it tracked where you stepped and lit up that place. It was a really cool thing I had never seen before. The weather was almost as unlucky as the one day when I went to the shard in London.
Actually, let me take that back. The passing clouds make some stunning fast forward video footage. There was a wall of white and then it lifted and suddenly a whole town could be seen. And people on the observation deck went “woooah". I have to admit that was pretty cool.
Then I spent some more time in the adjacent shopping mall. I got the newest volume of Show-ha Shou-ten. And they also had a Jump store. I seriously thought about getting a One Piece keychain. They had small ones that looked like the manga volumes! They had one for volume 1 up to the most recent one. In a small keychain format. That's such a brilliant idea and they were so cheap as well. I only didn't get one because I am not the biggest one piece fan. Thinking back on it… I should have gotten one…
Then I went back on the train to Tokyo. And I offered my seat to an elderly woman and she was so thankful. She thanked me twice when she sat down. Two stations later the seat next to her opened up so she urged me to sit down again and thanked me again. Then I got up to leave the train some stations later and she thanked me again. Guess she really wanted to sit badly.
I took a detour to Shibuya. Because you know I am on the hunt for one manga series I had so much trouble finding (one of my favorites: Robot x Laserbeam). It's not available on Amazon, it's not available at Animate or bookstores. So I checked at the Mandarake website and they have a used set at their Shibuya store. And yes! I finally got it! The full set is only 880 yen. That's less than 1 euro per volume. I wonder what the catch is. Maybe it stinks like the super cheap used one I got last time?
Then I went to the hotel. Do you know the YouTuber Chris Broad from the YouTube channel Abroad in Japan? Turns out he was using the same train as me and we got off at the same station. I approached him and said that I liked his videos. He offered me a handshake. I accepted. Then I checked into the Tokyo hotel, the same one where I stayed 6 months ago.
Phew, I'm beat. This day was totally packed. I need a shower and wow this bathroom is so big for JP hotel standards! You can even stand and turn around!
I really like metropolitan Japan. Everything works so well. The only downside is the amount of foreigners. This trip is really awesome so far. Compared to my last trip I didn't get a stomach ache, I didn't sprain my knee, and I didn't drop and crack my brand new phone like an idiot.
I walked 9 km today.
I woke up around 2 hours before my alarm. So I decided to go to Sangenjaya and visit the places I couldn't on my last trip because of an upset stomach. Even though today is a rainy day. So I went to Shibuya to take the bus from there. But it's so hard to find! There are at least 35 bus stops around Shibuya station. And the fact that I had to take bus number 32 which left from bus stop 33 (!?) already roasted my brain. It was also so incredibly cramped and departed with over a 20 minute delay. But as you would expect from Japanese people, the driver apologized to every person boarding individually because of the delay in the traffic jam.
Well, no problem for me. Sunshine City opens only at 10 so I have way more free time to spare. I also find it interesting and noteworthy that at least this bus in Tokyo operates with two personnel. One person drives and checks the person getting on and the second person checks the people getting off.
I arrived at Ryuun-ji temple but it started raining considerably. I found some cover to stand under but I am not sure if I should wait a bit. Maybe the rain will get a bit weaker in a minute.
Okay the rain was so bad that I decided to go back to the bus stop and take the bus to Sunshine City now. I should arrive just after opening hours. The trip to Sangenjaya maybe wasn't worth it, but it was better than just sitting around in the hotel room. There are more spots in Sangenjaya to cross off the list next time I come here.
And this next bus only has one driver. Maybe the person in the previous bus was in training.
I went to Sunshine City. Over there the sun shines even when it's a rainy day (because it's all inside a building). I went to the aquarium and while I thought the price was really high, it was actually very worth it!! I highly recommend it. They have so many fish and sea animals. Probably another highlight of the trip!
Then I checked out the Sunshine City shopping mall. You can easily spend an entire day here. I visited the Pokemon Center, the Mugiwara Store and the Gashapon no Mori which claims to have over 3000 gashapon machines.
At the Pokemon Center they had ALL the plushies. Even from totally random Pokemon that no kid ever has as a favorite. I like that a lot.
Then I went out to Ikebukuro and found a Book Off and a Rashinban! By accident! My favorite stores! I got something at both of these places.
Somehow I am still somewhat in my schedule for this day. I feel like Ikebukuro has so much to offer and I am not yet done. I want to eat at Ichiran ramen and I want to visit the Animate main store before heading back to the hotel and then later going to Akihabara.
I waited for over 30 minutes in the line at Ichiran. I hope it's worth it!
Oh yeah it was. It was the best ramen I had on this trip. Dang! For the next time I need to remember to pick the option “a little bit more richness"! I think that made such a big difference and the price was the same.
Then I went to the Animate main store which is the biggest store of that chain. They had like 8 floors of anime merchandise and manga. I got the Durarara Gaiden light novel.
Then I went back to the hotel for a quick break. It's already 16:30 now but I don't want to skip Akihabara. There is at least Rashinban and Book Off (again) which I need to go to!! I should leave at 17:00 latest.
Bad news. I just checked Google maps and the Book Off in Akihabara already closes at 17:00. All the other days it is open until 22:00… and then I checked the train to take to Akihabara and Google Maps said there is a possibility of cancellation of trains or delays because of the weather. There is a typhoon coming but it is supposed to not affect me. It should only hit when I am already on the airplane over Greenland or somewhere. But there are strong winds today. So in the end I decided not to go to Akihabara. It is 17:15 after all, I would be back super late even if every train would be on time. Let's just hope that the remaining two days will be better planned!
I walked 2,2 km today.
I left the hotel really early because the train ride to Chiba takes quite a while. While I absolutely can't complain about the weather on this trip in general, since getting to Tokyo it is overcast and rainy. Today it will lighten up around noon according to my weather app. And then it will get uncomfortably hot, but let's see!
The train ride to Mount Nokogiri takes around 3 hours from Tamachi (the area in Tokyo where my hotel is). While on this train, in a pretty rural area, I spotted an absurdly huge stone statue on top of a mountain. I wanted to take a photo but it wasn't really possible from the train …
I went to Mount Nokogiri. I took the ropeway which costs 1200 yen and then I needed to pay 700 more yen to get onto the mountain on top of the ropeway. Nice business model. But this mountain had a lot. Mostly stairs. Never in my life have I taken this many stairs. There was also an observatory platform, a temple and one of the big Buddha statues. I think it is important to see if you are interested in Japan but all the stairs are so rough. On Enoshima they had escalators! I wish they had them here as well. This was super-duper exhausting and I felt like dying.
Now I have to wait for 40 more minutes for the train to come because, you know, Chiba is the countryside.
I got on the train and the ride to Ohara will take around 2:15 hours. But it takes a nice path along the coastline so I got a window seat.
There were some really nice opportunities to see the ocean. But I didn't take photos because I thought it would bother the other passengers.
I got off at Ohara and made the best use of my time until the next train one hour later. I visited the Obama Hachiman shrine and the bay next to it. It was small but offered great photo spots. Then I went back to the station and got on the train heading for Tokyo.
Tokyo station is so huge. It took an eternity to get to my transfer lane. I decided to stop by Akihabara this evening because I couldn't go yesterday. But first I'll grab a katsu curry at Coco Ichibanya.
Because it's already 6pm I can't roam the streets as I planned but I have a few stores I want to visit. Namely Rashinban and Book Off. Oh I almost forgot. I also wanted to buy a Yu-Gi-Oh card. I hope they have what I am looking for in the Akiba culture zone.
It was a really short stop at Akihabara. I could easily spend an entire day here. But I got the card I was looking for (but at some random shop on the streets) and another used light novel at Book Off. Rashinban didn't have anything for me this time.
Then I'll end the day by starting to pack my luggage because tomorrow evening is the flight home to Germany. I'll leave the luggage at the hotel so I can still spend the day in Tokyo but without buying stuff that would need to be packed.
I walked 7,2 km today.
I finished packing all my stuff. It is supposed to be hot again and I will arrive at the airport in the evening. So I brought a change of clothes so as not to freeze to death on the airplane but I can wear light clothes during the day. I also hope they let my toothpaste through security even though the tube is 120ml size.. It's the smallest one I could find and I would really like to brush my teeth tonight before boarding and after landing.
I took the bus to Roppongi and it is insane what level of attention the driver needs in order to navigate through this busy Tokyo traffic. Have I mentioned how cheap this bus is? It's only 100 yen no matter how far you are going on this line.
I went to the Mori Tower observation deck in Roppongi Hills. They also had a Hana to Yume exhibit for its 50th anniversary. That's a shoujo manga magazine and I also have one of their manga on my shelf. But more importantly Tokyo looks awesome from above. You can see the Sky Tree, Tokyo tower, Haneda airport and all the other sights. Fuji wasn't visible due to clouds over that area.
After that I roamed the streets of Azabu Juban for a bit. I saw a video by Paolo from Tokyo about hidden food spots in this area. But I couldn't really find anything that looked appealing to me.
I went to the Ueno zoo and the entrance fee is super cheap, only 600 yen. They had all kinds of animals but their highlights were the red pandas and giant pandas. What they had most were screaming children. Personally I preferred the aquarium in Ikebukuro. From the zoo I liked the tigers and gorillas the most. The tiger was especially posing for photos.
Then I visited the rest of Ueno Park and it's temples and shrines. I accidentally dropped by Ame Yokocho (I didn’t even intend to go there but just randomly found myself there) and got a few more sweets. After roaming Ueno’s streets for a bit I headed back to Tamachi.
I got my luggage from the hotel and took the monorail to Haneda airport. There is still 5 hours to spare so I'll grab Shio ramen.
I completed the security check, brushed my teeth (nice!) and checked in my luggage. Now the only thing left to do is wait for the departure at 22:55. I planned to spend all my remaining coins and I calculated it like a pro to buy snacks. But somehow I miscalculated and have 200 yen left. I don't want to go to that same store a third time now or they think I am stupid.
By the way this is a different terminal from the ones I had before. I preferred the other one because it was quieter with fewer passengers. Now I am sitting right between two runways and planes are starting left and right from me. It's super interesting but the window is reflecting the bright light from I side and it's dark outside, so hard to see.
Around one hour before my flight there is an ANA flight to Frankfurt. I could have been on that one, I wonder why Munich was suggested. Maybe it was cheaper at the time of booking?
I will be taking flight NH217 from Tokyo Haneda to Munich on board a 787-9 Dreamliner with registration JA836A and my seat will be at the window on 32A. The last time I checked (that was before the trip started) the seat next to me was still empty. I hope it still is so that I have more space!
My Google Maps timeline says that I walked 11 km today but that’s definitely not correct.
After a mostly smooth 14 hour flight I arrived at Munich. There was some turbulence towards Munich when we descended but other than that it was okay. I think I could sleep for 2-3 hours or so. But not nearly enough. We landed at 6:30 German time and I managed to keep my toothpaste through the security check so I could brush my teeth at Haneda and Munich! The weather is so terrible. It's so rainy and overcast. And no, the seat next to me ended up not being empty. Some German lady was sitting there.
Now I have to wait until my next flight to Bremen leaves at 11:45. While waiting I saw three Lufthansa A380s. One on a waiting position and two arriving from Boston and New York.
But man. Japanese airports are so much nicer. Alone for the fact that they have carpet while Frankfurt and Munich only have tiled floors. Food and drink is also way more affordable in Japanese airports.
I will be taking the flight LH2192 from Munich to Bremen from gate G04 on seat 14A of an Airbus A319 with the registration D-AILA.
Okay I landed in Bremen and with that this trip is over. And what an adventure it has been! I will come again, Japan! Namely in 5 months, November 2024 for my Kyoto and Osaka trip.
I walked 2,3 km today. And summing up all days of the trip it was 79 km (but I assume two days had numbers that weren’t accurate).
My highlights were the Uradome coast boat cruise, the people I met on Manabeshima and the Sunshine aquarium. The Roppongi Hills Mori Tower was also among my favorites of this trip! Things I didn’t enjoy as much were the Ishitani residence and the Shikoku museum village.
I got lots of snacks to try out at home and I also got a few anime and light novels!
Alright, my trip to Japan starts on Sunday. There are so many things I want to see and travel. I will go from Bremen to Frankfurt, then hop on a flight to Tokyo Haneda and then have another connecting flight to Okayama. I plan to stay in Okayama for 4 nights. Then I want to take the train north to reach Tottori and spend 3 nights there. After that I will take a flight from Tottori to Tokyo Haneda and spend 3 nights in Tokyo. Then I am heading back from Tokyo Haneda to Munich and from Munich to Bremen.
Today is Monday, so almost a full week to go. But the preparations are already under way.
First of all I have completed my detailed guide on how to spend the days, which trains to take and everything. I want to make sure that I waste as little time as possible researching stuff when I am over there. Whatever I can prepare in advance, I will.
Then I started downloading media for the flight. With 12 hours I need quite a bit of entertainment to pass the time. So I am getting a few episodes of anime and also Youtube videos.
I already started sorting things out to pack for the trip so that everything is ready on Sunday.
And then finally I started implementing a sleep schedule. I went to bed at 11 last night and plan to go to bed half an hour earlier each day and also get up half an hour earlier each day until the trip. This has two reasons. I hope I can somewhat counter the Jet Lag when I am in Japan (there is a 7 hour time difference) and second I hope this increases my chance of actually catching some sleep time on the flight.
I woke up at 3:30am. Not sure because I needed to for my flight but to get accustomed to the different time zones. For my flight I actually needed to leave at 5:15 which is almost a normal time. Way later compared to my previous trip.
So my parents dropped me off at Bremen airport and now I'm done with baggage and security and I wait for my flight to Frankfurt.
Some technicalities for my own future reference: I will be boarding at gate A01 for the flight LH353 from Bremen to Frankfurt on an Embraer E190LR with the registration D-AECH and my seat will not be at the security exit for once but on 25C, so probably an aisle seat.
It is interesting how busier the airport is compared to the flight in the middle of the night. It's still not super busy but the check-in process actually took about half an hour which is 25 minutes longer than last time. Now I have time to kill until my flight leaves.
I arrived in Frankfurt and it took around 15 minutes to get to my departure gate. There is still around 2 hours of time until boarding so I have lots of time to eat breakfast.
While it isn't the best gate I had in October 2022, it is way better than the gate in October 2023. That one was like in the basement and it wasn't really looking like it's part of the airport. But this time it is a real gate with a passenger bridge.
Technical info for me: My flight NH204 from Frankfurt to Tokyo will leave from gate B43. I will be flying with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with the registration JA872A. It's one with the star alliance livery and I will be in the 34K window seat.
I checked over the past week to change it to a seat more towards the middle of the aircraft but only middle seats were available so I kept my window seat in the back and just hope for the best. I will take travel medicine preemptively.
The flight is so long. I am glad I didn't get sick. But it's just impossible to sleep and time passes so slowly. 12 hours feel like an eternity and on the way home it will be even 14 hours because of the direction of the earth's rotation… How can one survive!?
But it wasn't as bad as I imagined it to be with the shaking. Yes there were some shaky situations but I think it would have been pretty much the same towards the middle of the plane. They had two options for breakfast but one was already “sold out" (even though it's free). I guess that's a disadvantage of sitting in the back because they distribute it from the front and people actually have a choice there.
We will arrive at Haneda in about one hour. And the plane is currently directly above Tottori! I can see the places I will be at in just a few days!
I landed in rainy Tokyo. Here I needed to go to another terminal at the airport and this took way longer than I anticipated. More than an hour. I needed to take a shuttle bus, claim my baggage, check my baggage in again and go through security. But I have enough time to spare so that's no big deal and I don't have anything better to do. I am already exhausted from the previous flight though.
I can't believe I am already in Japan again. The past week flew by. Apart from the actual flight… and one of the first things I notice are the distinct smells of Japan! It might sound weird but you don't have these kinds of smells in Germany, and I am not talking about perfume but just lingering smells.
Here are some technicalities for myself for future reference. I am about to take the flight NH655 from Tokyo Haneda to Okayama on a Boeing 737 with the registration JA51AN. The gate is 59 at terminal 2.
Not a single foreigner besides me was on this flight. But to be honest, I missed most of it anyway because I rested like a professional. Then I arrived at Sunny Okayama and it was 27 degrees.
Even though the flight arrived with 15 minutes delay, the bus driver was so generous to wait. That's super nice because the next bus would have been 2 hours (!!) later. That's the countryside I guess!
Then I went to the hotel and dropped off my bags. And because I felt energized again after that short rest and because it's not rainy in Okayama I decided to cross some things off my list.
First I went to the Kurashiki Bikan quarter. That's a historical district where you can take gondolas over the canal. That's why it's called the venice of Japan. On the way back I went to the Achi shrine which is just in the neighborhood. Back at the station I passed some Shotengai but most stores were closed. Maybe because it's Monday?
I went to the local Aeon mall because I researched something I wanted to eat: Katsudon. So I went into the store perfectly prepared to order and then the waitress said that Katsudon is take-out only. Ugh. So I had to pick something else on the spot because I couldn't just leave. It was too big of a portion… and expensive… well 14 euros or something. But the katsudon would have been perfect because it was cheap and manageable.
Apart from eating something different, everything went according to schedule. Unexpectedly well if I say so! I'll go to bed early because I am still missing sleep and I don't want to get up too late tomorrow.
I got my mobile Internet with a portable WiFi router since the SIM card didn't work with my new phone last time. It works but it's pretty slow. But it should be sufficient for Google maps.
Oh and on my way to the hotel I noticed that there is an Animate and even a Rashinban pretty close. I should check those stores out when I have some spare time.
I noticed a trend that I always have super big problems sleeping the first night in a new environment. Not only in Japan. But here it's especially bad because the night before the flight I was too excited to sleep, the night during the flight was too uncomfortable to sleep, and now I am not accustomed enough to the new environment. So that's three nights in a row where I have trouble.
Actually this might be the worst hotel room out of all the four I had so far in Japan. Let me start with the good things. The room on the 13th floor has a pretty cool view of Okayama station and the city. The bed is also the exact correct firmness. Now the bad things. The room is directly across the elevator so I hear everyone coming and going. The trains passing by are unrealistically loud. The room is too bright. It is the smallest room out of all the four I had. The refrigerator makes a super annoying buzzing sound. Well. I have to stay four nights and maybe tomorrow will be better when I get a bit more used to everything.
I walked 2 km today.
I managed to get around 5 hours of sleep. Then I got up on time and took the train to Kasaoka. From here the boat to Manabeshima will leave in 20 minutes. After the 45 minute cruise I will have 2.5 hours until 12:30 on Manabeshima Island.
By the way, my weather app said it will be sunny all day and up to 28 degrees. Too hot for me! Actually it's a pretty good idea to bring sun lotion.
This island is bigger than I expected, however there is little to see. The landscape is nice but the sightseeing spots I noted down are too far out. Also it's a bit creepy because there are almost no people and everyone I see is at least 120 years old.
I looked up more places to go on this island but they were only reachable by hiking paths and I didn't feel equipped enough with only 0 flamethrowers after seeing some kind of centipede and a flying insect I couldn't identify in the least. Then I saw some spiderwebs dangling from the Torii I had to pass and that's when I was like “ok I'm out". And then I headed back.
Okay hear me out. The weirdest thing ever happened. I was minding my own business in the shade killing time for the boat to depart. But then some random Japanese woman approached me, Atsumi Nakamuro. She was really friendly and wanted to show me around the island. She even invited me to her own house. I was like “this seems a bit fishy, so be on alert". But in the end she just wanted to talk I guess?
She wanted to promote her books, so she let me have a drink and gave me a discount of the return ticket for the boat because her son is the captain. She also is a fan of Blue Giant. She showed me the post office where she works and where her books are on display and she showed me the local middle school which only has 2 students. Is this Non Non Biyori or what? But the school will stop being in operation later this year.
I asked her how many people are living on this island and it's about 100. But then I said there are way more houses than for 100 people. Looks like most of them are empty. I guess this is a village that will soon perish because there are no new people coming to live here. I am glad I visited as long as it exists. Maybe in another 5 or 10 years this island will be deserted.
And then I went on the boat and it was so surprising as well. Another woman who is actually 70 but doesn't look older than 50 approached me and started talking. She wanted to know why I visited a deserted place like Manabeshima. It's so cool to know the language and I can go to places no one else can. She was so friendly and surprised that I could speak Japanese and was interested in her birthplace!
We talked for the whole boat ride about all sorts of things and she also had to go to Okayama to catch the Shinkansen there, so she guided me to the station and everything. We talked about her previous job, about different spots to see in the area and in Japan in general. And about her family, she also showed me pictures. By the way she is 70 and I asked which anime or manga she likes: Versailles no Bara. She was really nice. Her name is Yamashita Toshiko and she even gave me her phone number. Whenever I had troubles in Japan I could call her. I never would have expected such a thing to happen.
That's two total strangers approaching me in a single day and I talked to both of them in Japanese for over an hour. It's insane.
Then I went to the Korakuen garden in Okayama. That's a park with ponds and flower beds and things like that. And towering above it is the black castle of Okayama. Because of its color it is called the raven fortress or something like that.
I planned to eat Chuukasoba at a restaurant but I was too exhausted to take that detour. So I got something from a konbini instead.
Is Okayama actually a big Shinkansen station? I have been watching out of my personal premier view window for around 40 minutes now and there have been four shinkansen arriving and departing.
Okay I have one good piece of information and one bad piece of information. The good one ist that I managed to eliminate the buzzing sound of the refrigerator by turning it off. The bad news is that I can't use the refrigerator for some reason, it's not cooling correctly.
Tomorrow I will go to Himeji! I want to go to the restaurant I researched. No excuses allowed!!!!
I walked 7.3 km today. But I think Google maps has a counting error somewhere, it should be less.
Compared to Tokyo, there are so few foreigners in the Okayama area! Even the konbini staff are all Japanese. Can you imagine? Based on my experience in Tokyo, at least 50% of the konbini workers were foreigners from India or some other place but Japan.
But Himeji is probably one of the main tourist spots besides Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. That's where I am heading. I planned to visit the castle in the afternoon but ChatGPT suggested that I get to the castle in the morning because it will be super crowded and it makes sense. So I swapped my plans around and visited the castle first.
I took the train from Okayama to Himeji and it was packed at first. But halfway through the 90 minute ride it got so empty. Maybe no one wants to get to the place right in the middle between Okayama and Himeji. And people actually heading for Himeji might take a faster train option. But there are some super のんびり田園風景 sceneries along the train tracks.
Himeji keep did have a tourist group from France and some individuals from foreign countries but it wasn't as crowded so it was nice. Dang, though. The keep’s stairs are so steep! And you constantly can bump your head because the ceilings are so low as well. Have I mentioned that you have to take off your shoes to enter the castle? They won't let you in otherwise.
Then I went to Kokoen. That's a park right next to the Himeji castle. While it is not as extensively large as other parks are, it is very well structured and well kept. The garden consists of 13 small compartments, each themed around a special kind of plant or design element.
Then I had a wagyu rice bowl in the restaurant I researched. I also worked out a sentence to say that I am already full so if they can reduce the portion size. And if they don't, I needn't feel bad because I offered to save the ingredients! It was very (!!) tasty. Not the meat itself but the combination of the meat and rice and sauce. A perfect mix.
I used the ropeway to get to Mount Shosha. There are several temples on this mountain but the main one is called Engyouji. The hike from the ropeway took a long time and was so exhausting. I will take the bus down…
The bus was so relaxing instead of having to hike back. But the road was so dangerous!! Also the fare was 500 yen which is super pricey. But worth it for me in this special case.
My travel plan included visiting the Ako shrine today as well because it is right between Okayama and Himeji. But it would require a 1km walk in both directions so I will skip this activity. Instead I'm going to the Rashinban and Animate near Okayama station!
Man, I love Rashinban. It's the best store! The things I bought at Rashinban were the three volumes of the violet ever garden light novel. They were second hand and reduced to 300 yen each. At Animate I got the second volume of the Lycoris Recoil light novel and the current volumes 16 of Yuru Camp and 28, 29 of Blue Lock.
Now I need to prepare my travel suitcase because it will be picked up for shipping to the next hotel tomorrow.
I walked 4.1 km today.
I got up early and left my suitcase in the care of the hotel staff. I hope it will be delivered to my next hotel without problems. Feels a bit iffy to only have a backpack with so little of my belongings on me now.
Then I headed out for Takamatsu. I took the rapid train which crossed the Seto bridge. This bridge connects two of Japan's Main islands together: Honshu and Shikoku.
The first stop was at Kokubu. A totally irrelevant spot for tourists but I like rural Japan as well. I visited the Sanuki Kokobunji temple and then headed back for the train station to continue on in the direction of Takamatsu. The station was so small. There weren't even ticket gates. It was on a trust basis that everyone pays the correct fee. But it had a Suica card reader, so that's good for me. I desperately need to recharge when I arrive at Takamatsu.
Phew, I only had a remaining balance of 334 yen on the card. I have already spent more than 100k on Public transportation and konbini / vending machines purchases since arriving in Japan.
Then I went to the Shikoku museum village. You could see old houses from centuries ago and how Japanese people lived. To be honest it wasn't super interesting but I'm glad I went instead of wondering “would it have been good and I missed something awesome"?
Then I took the train and it was really close. The next one would have been 30 minutes later so I needed to rush. And then there was a huge ordeal of getting from the train station to the cable car station (there is no bus or anything else). It took 30 minutes by foot and it was so exhausting because it was uphill.
On top of the cable car station I visited the mountain and the temples of Yakuriji. Some random Korean dude started talking to me and we had a conversation in English for about 20 minutes. He wants me to come to Korea next. Sorry mate. But he was friendly.
Because the way from the station to the cable car was so exhausting I was ready to use my ultimate trump card to get to the next spot in no time and with no effort at all: a taxi! So I signed up for this TaxiGO app which someone from YouTube recommended. Turns out it only works in the Tokyo area!? At least not in Takamatsu. Bummer. So I had to walk to the bus stop which was way too tight time-wise. But I somehow made it and took the bus.
I went to Ritsurin garden. That one was pretty big and had some nice places. One photospot on a hill looking down on a lake with a bridge stood out the most. I spent around one hour there and then moved on.
I went to Takamatsu Sunport where some military ships were stationed. Other than that the port was mostly windy. I hope I didn't catch a cold on this day because of the wind… It was warm with 25 °C though.
The train back to the hotel in Okayama takes over an hour even on the rapid line because the distance is just pretty long.
I quickly took a break at the hotel and then I went out to one of the restaurants I researched. I had Shoyu ramen with extra Chashu. I applied my trick with the “I am almost full" and it worked. It was tasty, very similar to the Shoyu ramen I had last year in Tokyo but that's no problem if it is good. Tomorrow I hope to try my favorite from the last trip: Miso ramen!
I walked 13 km today and while this number seems unrealistic I think it could very well be the case. It was the most exhausting day ever.
Today is a travel day. I checked out from my hotel in Okayama and starting tonight I will stay at a hotel in Tottori. The train north to Tottori takes about 3 hours (because it's the cheaper connection, thus slower). However, I will take a break around two hours on the ride at Chizu to visit the Ishitani residence.
By the way it is going to be 30°C today and people are still wearing suits with jackets. Monsters. This was the same train I took in the direction of Himeji, at least some stops are the same. And it was so crowded in the beginning. But once all the students had left it got super empty.
I also don't know their magic. So many people are sleeping on the train and somehow they don't miss their stop. I noticed it a few times where they woke up just in time to get off. Is it some kind of non-audio alarm they set up to get woken up?
I transferred to the next train and it is a really rural line where you can't pay by IC card. So a paper ticket is needed. And at the Ishii station along the way I saw a Google streetview car taking photos. A few months later I want to check if I am popular and in those photos.
I visited the Ishitani residence and while it was not the most boring thing ever, it is definitely not among my highlights of the trip. I guess I am not made for such historical things after all. But I'm glad I gave it a shot to fill my map with checkmarks.
I was the only person for the first few stations of this train ride. This day is quite train heavy but I think it's good as a refresher from the super walking heavy days before. And the rural landscape scenery from the train window is very nice.
I arrived in Tottori and it is noticeably colder compared to Okayama. But it's also cloudy. My first impression of Tottori wasn't as good because it was cloudy but also there were some not so clean roads which had a smell to them. But maybe it will all be better again when the sun is shining.
I visited the Tottori Toshogu shrine and the Kanon-in temple. Both of them were pretty close together, maybe 15 minutes by foot. They were okay but nothing super special.
Then I checked in at the hotel. I'll stay here for 3 nights. This feels like the complete opposite to the hotel in Okayama. It is spacious but there is no view at all. I am on the 5th floor but right in front of my window is the wall of the neighbors building with people… I think I should keep the window closed at all times. But the internet speed is unheard of. I have 370 Mbps down and 470 Mbps up. I don't even remember if my uni had that fast Internet back when I was a student.
And I am so glad that the suitcase got delivered and I have all my things again. Yay.
Later that evening I wanted to go out to get dinner. But this was actually the first time I felt uncomfortable in Japan. There was a black car with a speaker on top and flags of Japan and a sun attached to its back. They were talking really loud and rude in a Yakuza tone and played fanfares and something. But it was right next to a police station so I was not sure what was going on. I decided to go back to the hotel for once and research. Turns out it is a nationalist party of Japan looking to get attention. They continued for about 90 more minutes in front of the station and then they seemed to be gone.
Then I headed out to eat Miso butter ramen. I like the Miso ramen I had in Gotemba better. But it wasn't bad.
I walked 5,2 km today.
This was the first night where I had a really good sleep and fell asleep early. Maybe it was the 13th floor which didn't let me sleep as well in Okayama. I heard for it to be earthquake-proof, tall buildings have the ability to “sway" and you can feel it with strong winds. I think that was part of the reason.
Wow, even the train doesn't accept IC cards. You have to buy a paper ticket every time you get on a train from Tottori station.
I have spent a few days in the Japanese countryside by now and I can give a short impression how it feels. The nature is really nice, especially if you like old school Japanese houses and fields. But lots of the convenience of Japanese bigger cities is missing. For example trains and buses are going really rarely. There is no way to pay with IC cards. Konbinis and restaurants are rarer.
I visited the Gosho Aoyama manga factory. He was born in this town so everything here is centered around Conan and to a lesser extent Yaiba. There are lots of statues, the great Conan bridge, even the train station is Conan themed and then there is the manga factory. That's a museum mainly about Conan. You could see a replica of Aoyama's workplace when he drew his manga and there were many original manuscripts on display. But taking photos of the manuscripts was prohibited.
Then I waited for the bus. For almost an hour. Luckily it was on schedule. It brought me to the Utsubuki Koen park in Kurayoshi. The park itself was okay but one pond stood out especially. It had two nice bridges which made a good photo spot.
Then I took the bus to Kurayoshi station and headed back to Tottori. Because I am pretty good on time I will take a short refresher break at the hotel and then visit the castle ruins which were originally planned for tomorrow. The forecast for tomorrow says 30°C, so I would prefer to do it on the cooler 22°C day today.
But before that I went to one of the restaurants I looked up. Or this time it's more like a café which also serves curry. So I ordered katsu curry. I wondered how it would compare to the Coco Ichibanya curry chain which I visited twice already. It was pretty much as good! Not too spicy, not too lush. Presentation was looking good as well.
The drinks in Japan are so flavorful! A real shock! I got a musk melon drink and it is so tasty. I bet it has 200% sugar per 100ml.
Then I went to the Tottori castle ruins. You could see the town from there because they are on a slightly elevated plateau. Ruins is actually a bit much of a title. Only the foundation is left. You can't see any remains that there was an actual castle aside from the foundation and the elevated ground.
There are quite a few empty shops here on the main shopping street in Tottori. I don't think anything about it will change in the future. I wish I could have been here when it thrived. But I guess people are moving away from the countryside and to the bigger cities. Tottori city is not super small so the effect might be slower, but I can't see all the empty shops running again to be honest. It's a shame.
I walked 4,3 km on this day.
I took the train to Ooiwa station and then walked to the boat tour entrance. The stroll to the pier was totally deserted, only rice fields. It took around 30 minutes to walk because it was 2km away. But once I got to the entry hall there were already people waiting. I bet they all have the comfort of cars.
I took the Uradome coast boat tour. This is a hard to reach place if you don't have a car. But the views are spectacular and worth it. This might be the highlight of my trip so far. It was quite shaky on the boat so I am glad I took medicine before so I didn't get sick.
Then I took the bus to the most popular tourist spot in Tottori, the sand dunes aka “desert". Rather than a desert it's more like a really wide beach. But there are domesticated camels to ride and pose with.
The sand dunes are connected to the sand museum, where I went next. There are many sculptures made of sand and they are razed and replaced every year. This year's exhibition theme was France.
Then I went to a takoyaki restaurant I looked up in advance. But not for the takoyaki (I don't like seafood). Instead I got the negimayo yakisoba. That's yakisoba with extra green onions and mayonnaise. And I have to say this was seriously great even though it might not sound as delicious from the description. Probably the second best meal I had after the wagyu beef in Himeji.
It's still pretty early but I have done everything I wanted in Tottori so I headed back to the hotel and prepared my luggage for tomorrow's flight to Tokyo. Looks like it will be a rainy day in the Tokyo area… well I can't complain! Up to now there wasn't a single second of bad weather.
I walked 3,4 km today.
I got up early and checked out of the hotel. I got to the station with lots of time on my hands. After the train ride I need to walk for 1.5 km from the station to the airport. But it should be fine. I calculated lots of leeway.
By the way it is supposed to be more cloudy and rainy starting today.
I arrived at Tottori Conan airport (yes that's it's name) and I was beat. The walk took long and I was dressed too heavily I feel. But I also don't want to catch a cold when it's colder in Yokohama.
I will be flying from Tottori to Tokyo Haneda on flight number NH294 on board an Airbus A320 with the registration JA212A. My seat is 21A.
They announced that the plane headed for Tottori which I will board when it's ready to go back might be diverted to Osaka or return to Tokyo before getting here because of strong winds. I am tracking the flight and there were winds of about 200 kmh which I can't even imagine. But now it's past the stormy area and has wind reporting a of around 100 kmh. I hope it will be here for me and that the flight to Tokyo will not be too windy… but I guess there is no way right. They are not taking such a big detour around the storm which is directly between Tottori and Tokyo.
Alright it arrived but they announced that it will be turbulent so no service or toilet breaks allowed on the flight. I hope my stomach can deal with it. Just in case I took travel medicine earlier.
Wow ANA actually has inflight entertainment on a 1 hour flight. Every seat has a screen with movies and stuff. Lufthansa can't compete.
I landed in Tokyo and the turbulence was totally exaggerated. I didn't feel anything at all and they were also able to do drink service. I'm glad everything worked out.
I dropped my luggage at the hotel and it was around noon when I headed to Yokohama. It's a bit rainy so I wonder if I really should go to the English garden. And I haven't eaten anything yet so I think going to Chinatown first is the better idea.
I went to Chinatown and had a dumpling set. It was very filling. There are also nice photo spots in Chinatown, I bet they look even nicer in the dark with everything lit up.
Then I went to a park in Yokohama. It had a rose garden and an observation platform which overlooked the Yokohama harbor area. If the life-size Gundam in the Gundam factory would still be on display you could have seen it. And the rainbow bridge was nice as well. This was not the English garden which I researched but some other park. Compared to the English garden it was free so I think I’ll skip the English garden.
Then I went to the landmark tower. The good thing is: no wait at all! The bad thing is: because of the bad weather you couldn't really see far. It was so overcast and rainy. I thought about not going because of the weather. But it's my only day in Yokohama so I decided to still go. Maybe next year there will be good weather and I have time to spend. Yokohama isn't very far from Tokyo.
They had a map of yokohama with a beamer and it tracked where you stepped and lit up that place. It was a really cool thing I had never seen before. The weather was almost as unlucky as the one day when I went to the shard in London.
Actually, let me take that back. The passing clouds make some stunning fast forward video footage. There was a wall of white and then it lifted and suddenly a whole town could be seen. And people on the observation deck went “woooah". I have to admit that was pretty cool.
Then I spent some more time in the adjacent shopping mall. I got the newest volume of Show-ha Shou-ten. And they also had a Jump store. I seriously thought about getting a One Piece keychain. They had small ones that looked like the manga volumes! They had one for volume 1 up to the most recent one. In a small keychain format. That's such a brilliant idea and they were so cheap as well. I only didn't get one because I am not the biggest one piece fan. Thinking back on it… I should have gotten one…
Then I went back on the train to Tokyo. And I offered my seat to an elderly woman and she was so thankful. She thanked me twice when she sat down. Two stations later the seat next to her opened up so she urged me to sit down again and thanked me again. Then I got up to leave the train some stations later and she thanked me again. Guess she really wanted to sit badly.
I took a detour to Shibuya. Because you know I am on the hunt for one manga series I had so much trouble finding (one of my favorites: Robot x Laserbeam). It's not available on Amazon, it's not available at Animate or bookstores. So I checked at the Mandarake website and they have a used set at their Shibuya store. And yes! I finally got it! The full set is only 880 yen. That's less than 1 euro per volume. I wonder what the catch is. Maybe it stinks like the super cheap used one I got last time?
Then I went to the hotel. Do you know the YouTuber Chris Broad from the YouTube channel Abroad in Japan? Turns out he was using the same train as me and we got off at the same station. I approached him and said that I liked his videos. He offered me a handshake. I accepted. Then I checked into the Tokyo hotel, the same one where I stayed 6 months ago.
Phew, I'm beat. This day was totally packed. I need a shower and wow this bathroom is so big for JP hotel standards! You can even stand and turn around!
I really like metropolitan Japan. Everything works so well. The only downside is the amount of foreigners. This trip is really awesome so far. Compared to my last trip I didn't get a stomach ache, I didn't sprain my knee, and I didn't drop and crack my brand new phone like an idiot.
I walked 9 km today.
I woke up around 2 hours before my alarm. So I decided to go to Sangenjaya and visit the places I couldn't on my last trip because of an upset stomach. Even though today is a rainy day. So I went to Shibuya to take the bus from there. But it's so hard to find! There are at least 35 bus stops around Shibuya station. And the fact that I had to take bus number 32 which left from bus stop 33 (!?) already roasted my brain. It was also so incredibly cramped and departed with over a 20 minute delay. But as you would expect from Japanese people, the driver apologized to every person boarding individually because of the delay in the traffic jam.
Well, no problem for me. Sunshine City opens only at 10 so I have way more free time to spare. I also find it interesting and noteworthy that at least this bus in Tokyo operates with two personnel. One person drives and checks the person getting on and the second person checks the people getting off.
I arrived at Ryuun-ji temple but it started raining considerably. I found some cover to stand under but I am not sure if I should wait a bit. Maybe the rain will get a bit weaker in a minute.
Okay the rain was so bad that I decided to go back to the bus stop and take the bus to Sunshine City now. I should arrive just after opening hours. The trip to Sangenjaya maybe wasn't worth it, but it was better than just sitting around in the hotel room. There are more spots in Sangenjaya to cross off the list next time I come here.
And this next bus only has one driver. Maybe the person in the previous bus was in training.
I went to Sunshine City. Over there the sun shines even when it's a rainy day (because it's all inside a building). I went to the aquarium and while I thought the price was really high, it was actually very worth it!! I highly recommend it. They have so many fish and sea animals. Probably another highlight of the trip!
Then I checked out the Sunshine City shopping mall. You can easily spend an entire day here. I visited the Pokemon Center, the Mugiwara Store and the Gashapon no Mori which claims to have over 3000 gashapon machines.
At the Pokemon Center they had ALL the plushies. Even from totally random Pokemon that no kid ever has as a favorite. I like that a lot.
Then I went out to Ikebukuro and found a Book Off and a Rashinban! By accident! My favorite stores! I got something at both of these places.
Somehow I am still somewhat in my schedule for this day. I feel like Ikebukuro has so much to offer and I am not yet done. I want to eat at Ichiran ramen and I want to visit the Animate main store before heading back to the hotel and then later going to Akihabara.
I waited for over 30 minutes in the line at Ichiran. I hope it's worth it!
Oh yeah it was. It was the best ramen I had on this trip. Dang! For the next time I need to remember to pick the option “a little bit more richness"! I think that made such a big difference and the price was the same.
Then I went to the Animate main store which is the biggest store of that chain. They had like 8 floors of anime merchandise and manga. I got the Durarara Gaiden light novel.
Then I went back to the hotel for a quick break. It's already 16:30 now but I don't want to skip Akihabara. There is at least Rashinban and Book Off (again) which I need to go to!! I should leave at 17:00 latest.
Bad news. I just checked Google maps and the Book Off in Akihabara already closes at 17:00. All the other days it is open until 22:00… and then I checked the train to take to Akihabara and Google Maps said there is a possibility of cancellation of trains or delays because of the weather. There is a typhoon coming but it is supposed to not affect me. It should only hit when I am already on the airplane over Greenland or somewhere. But there are strong winds today. So in the end I decided not to go to Akihabara. It is 17:15 after all, I would be back super late even if every train would be on time. Let's just hope that the remaining two days will be better planned!
I walked 2,2 km today.
I left the hotel really early because the train ride to Chiba takes quite a while. While I absolutely can't complain about the weather on this trip in general, since getting to Tokyo it is overcast and rainy. Today it will lighten up around noon according to my weather app. And then it will get uncomfortably hot, but let's see!
The train ride to Mount Nokogiri takes around 3 hours from Tamachi (the area in Tokyo where my hotel is). While on this train, in a pretty rural area, I spotted an absurdly huge stone statue on top of a mountain. I wanted to take a photo but it wasn't really possible from the train …
I went to Mount Nokogiri. I took the ropeway which costs 1200 yen and then I needed to pay 700 more yen to get onto the mountain on top of the ropeway. Nice business model. But this mountain had a lot. Mostly stairs. Never in my life have I taken this many stairs. There was also an observatory platform, a temple and one of the big Buddha statues. I think it is important to see if you are interested in Japan but all the stairs are so rough. On Enoshima they had escalators! I wish they had them here as well. This was super-duper exhausting and I felt like dying.
Now I have to wait for 40 more minutes for the train to come because, you know, Chiba is the countryside.
I got on the train and the ride to Ohara will take around 2:15 hours. But it takes a nice path along the coastline so I got a window seat.
There were some really nice opportunities to see the ocean. But I didn't take photos because I thought it would bother the other passengers.
I got off at Ohara and made the best use of my time until the next train one hour later. I visited the Obama Hachiman shrine and the bay next to it. It was small but offered great photo spots. Then I went back to the station and got on the train heading for Tokyo.
Tokyo station is so huge. It took an eternity to get to my transfer lane. I decided to stop by Akihabara this evening because I couldn't go yesterday. But first I'll grab a katsu curry at Coco Ichibanya.
Because it's already 6pm I can't roam the streets as I planned but I have a few stores I want to visit. Namely Rashinban and Book Off. Oh I almost forgot. I also wanted to buy a Yu-Gi-Oh card. I hope they have what I am looking for in the Akiba culture zone.
It was a really short stop at Akihabara. I could easily spend an entire day here. But I got the card I was looking for (but at some random shop on the streets) and another used light novel at Book Off. Rashinban didn't have anything for me this time.
Then I'll end the day by starting to pack my luggage because tomorrow evening is the flight home to Germany. I'll leave the luggage at the hotel so I can still spend the day in Tokyo but without buying stuff that would need to be packed.
I walked 7,2 km today.
I finished packing all my stuff. It is supposed to be hot again and I will arrive at the airport in the evening. So I brought a change of clothes so as not to freeze to death on the airplane but I can wear light clothes during the day. I also hope they let my toothpaste through security even though the tube is 120ml size.. It's the smallest one I could find and I would really like to brush my teeth tonight before boarding and after landing.
I took the bus to Roppongi and it is insane what level of attention the driver needs in order to navigate through this busy Tokyo traffic. Have I mentioned how cheap this bus is? It's only 100 yen no matter how far you are going on this line.
I went to the Mori Tower observation deck in Roppongi Hills. They also had a Hana to Yume exhibit for its 50th anniversary. That's a shoujo manga magazine and I also have one of their manga on my shelf. But more importantly Tokyo looks awesome from above. You can see the Sky Tree, Tokyo tower, Haneda airport and all the other sights. Fuji wasn't visible due to clouds over that area.
After that I roamed the streets of Azabu Juban for a bit. I saw a video by Paolo from Tokyo about hidden food spots in this area. But I couldn't really find anything that looked appealing to me.
I went to the Ueno zoo and the entrance fee is super cheap, only 600 yen. They had all kinds of animals but their highlights were the red pandas and giant pandas. What they had most were screaming children. Personally I preferred the aquarium in Ikebukuro. From the zoo I liked the tigers and gorillas the most. The tiger was especially posing for photos.
Then I visited the rest of Ueno Park and it's temples and shrines. I accidentally dropped by Ame Yokocho (I didn’t even intend to go there but just randomly found myself there) and got a few more sweets. After roaming Ueno’s streets for a bit I headed back to Tamachi.
I got my luggage from the hotel and took the monorail to Haneda airport. There is still 5 hours to spare so I'll grab Shio ramen.
I completed the security check, brushed my teeth (nice!) and checked in my luggage. Now the only thing left to do is wait for the departure at 22:55. I planned to spend all my remaining coins and I calculated it like a pro to buy snacks. But somehow I miscalculated and have 200 yen left. I don't want to go to that same store a third time now or they think I am stupid.
By the way this is a different terminal from the ones I had before. I preferred the other one because it was quieter with fewer passengers. Now I am sitting right between two runways and planes are starting left and right from me. It's super interesting but the window is reflecting the bright light from I side and it's dark outside, so hard to see.
Around one hour before my flight there is an ANA flight to Frankfurt. I could have been on that one, I wonder why Munich was suggested. Maybe it was cheaper at the time of booking?
I will be taking flight NH217 from Tokyo Haneda to Munich on board a 787-9 Dreamliner with registration JA836A and my seat will be at the window on 32A. The last time I checked (that was before the trip started) the seat next to me was still empty. I hope it still is so that I have more space!
My Google Maps timeline says that I walked 11 km today but that’s definitely not correct.
After a mostly smooth 14 hour flight I arrived at Munich. There was some turbulence towards Munich when we descended but other than that it was okay. I think I could sleep for 2-3 hours or so. But not nearly enough. We landed at 6:30 German time and I managed to keep my toothpaste through the security check so I could brush my teeth at Haneda and Munich! The weather is so terrible. It's so rainy and overcast. And no, the seat next to me ended up not being empty. Some German lady was sitting there.
Now I have to wait until my next flight to Bremen leaves at 11:45. While waiting I saw three Lufthansa A380s. One on a waiting position and two arriving from Boston and New York.
But man. Japanese airports are so much nicer. Alone for the fact that they have carpet while Frankfurt and Munich only have tiled floors. Food and drink is also way more affordable in Japanese airports.
I will be taking the flight LH2192 from Munich to Bremen from gate G04 on seat 14A of an Airbus A319 with the registration D-AILA.
Okay I landed in Bremen and with that this trip is over. And what an adventure it has been! I will come again, Japan! Namely in 5 months, November 2024 for my Kyoto and Osaka trip.
I walked 2,3 km today. And summing up all days of the trip it was 79 km (but I assume two days had numbers that weren’t accurate).
My highlights were the Uradome coast boat cruise, the people I met on Manabeshima and the Sunshine aquarium. The Roppongi Hills Mori Tower was also among my favorites of this trip! Things I didn’t enjoy as much were the Ishitani residence and the Shikoku museum village.
I got lots of snacks to try out at home and I also got a few anime and light novels!
Posted by Brati | Jun 1, 2024 1:54 AM | 0 comments
November 3rd, 2023
Tokyo Travel Blog 2023
Anime Relations: Gochuumon wa Usagi desu ka?, Yuru Camp△
Disclaimer: MAL seems to have problems rendering images correctly. If any of the images are not loading correctly you can try right-clicking and "open image in new tab" as a work-around.
Disclaimer 2: You can also check out the travel itinerary which I created before the trip with all the places I wanted to visit and which trains to take and which foods to eat. It's all in German tho... Here is the link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LvLdZ0hWThPq-GCMwBhQ3TZNluir0_r2xVvoSfXX-pU/edit?usp=sharing
The final day before leaving for my second trip to Japan. I finished most preparations, but some things are still left.
First of all I tried to adjust my sleep schedule a bit to somewhat counter the jetlag and to (hopefully!?) be able to sleep on the plane. So I went to bed earlier each day and got up earlier each day. Right now it is 4:52. I got up at 4:30 as planned. Tomorrow will be even earlier to leave for the airport.
Compared to last year, this trip is even earlier because I got the first flight of the day. That means that I won’t have the chance to travel with the 747 like last year but the smaller 787. But I am also two hours earlier at my destination. That also means that I will have the ANA flight on the way to Tokyo and Lufthansa back home - the other way round than last time.
This is my travel plan for tomorrow:
Smack-dab middle of the flipping night: Leave home for Bremen Airport. 6:00 Take the 45 minute flight from Bremen to Frankfurt. Then I have a long layover (planned). Because I am a beginner at airports I decided to have rather too much time than too little to find the Gate and border control and everything. My flight from Frankfurt to Tokyo Haneda leaves at 12:10 and takes roughly 12 hours. I will be in Tokyo at 8:30 in the morning if everything goes according to plan - that’s around 1:30 in the night (German time).
Things left to do for today are charging all my devices and transferring media for the flight. I will also try to get an SD card for my tablet so that everything will fit. Other than that I am basically already done with preparations.
Because this is only my second time leaving for Japan and my first solo trip on another continent it is very exciting for me. I traveled alone in the past but only for day-trips and inside Europe. So this is on a different scale.
I left home at 3:30am. My parents drove me to the airport. I am done with baggage dropoff and security. Now I can kill time until my flight leaves for Frankfurt in about one hour.
I know airport prices are expensive from last time so I got my own food for breakfast from a bakery. But I don't want to eat it now since I have nothing to drink. But if it is the same as last year we will get a small bottle of water on the flight to Frankfurt. Then I can have breakfast over there. It's still super early when I arrive.
Talking about being stingy. Like last time I didn't pick a seat for the 40 minute flight to Frankfurt so I got a random one. Both times (!) I got a seat at the security exit. What are the chances?
Oh I just had the idea to read manga while waiting. But I already attached a lock to my backpack's laptop and electronics pouch. I am too lazy to take it off now so I'll just wait.
The flight to Frankfurt was so smooth and the seat was spacious. I could have easily fallen asleep if I wanted to. But since it's such a short flight I didn't want to. I took a photo out of the cabin window of some suburban town near Frankfurt as we declined.
Now I am waiting to board the flight for Tokyo. Like last year there are a few 747s (sadly not for me this time around) but I feel it's not as many as last time. Also no A380 so far. Maybe it's because of the gate being at a different place with less of a view.
Our liftoff had a 50 minute delay because we didn't get permission to leave due to weather. And when we lifted off it was so shaky! But once we were at cruising altitude (is that the correct term?) It was alright.
I am in Tokyo!! I have completed border control and got my bags. Then I got my tourist SIM but it doesn't work with my new phone. It automatically disconnects from the internet after a few minutes. That’s so annoying. Luckily I brought my old phone and the SIM works well with that one.
Then I went to the hotel to drop off my heavy bags. I didn’t even take the wrong train once this time around! Success. But I couldn’t check in yet because it was too early.
So I went to Gotokuji Temple. That's where all the waving Neko figures are lined up. There are a lot!
After that I went to Setagaya and Sangenjaya. I visited Sangenjaya Park. I didn’t go to the other places I wanted to visit in that area because I felt my stomach was a bit upset. So I headed to the hotel and checked in.
The room is not that good compared to the one from last year. The view is also not awesome and the location in Tokyo can’t compete with Shinjuku. The only thing I can see from my window is an office building. But is the other hotel worth twice the cost? I will consider it for next time I go to Tokyo.
The image below was taken between the train station and my hotel.
Then I was the most stupid person on this planet. I got this new phone 2 weeks ago. It is really expensive since its just released flagship model. I dropped it. It has a cracked screen now. This makes me so incredibly frustrated at my own stupidity. Man, what should I do… Should I buy it one more time!?...
I hope tomorrow will be a better day with less of an upset stomach and less frustration about my phone.
On this day I walked 8.3 km in 2 hours 5 minutes. I spent 1 hour 41 minutes on trains.
This day was really good. My stomach problems were gone and I kind of got over the cracked screen, but it’s still bugging me when I think about it like now.
First of all: It is summer! It was sunny all day long at 25°C. And it’s almost November!
So I went to Ebisu because I heard there were street food stands. But in the end I didn’t buy anything. Actually I wasn’t even hungry even though I didn’t eat a lot. Only an egg sandwich since arriving in Japan. But I was also worried if I could finish the meal at the actual restaurant I wanted to go to later. So I just walked around the streets and stores in Ebisu and in the station building.
Then I moved to Harajuku. I went to the “fashion district” called Takeshita Dori. There wasn’t so much fashion but it was still a cool atmosphere. There were lots of sweets shops. At least three crepes shops.
And only one street further was the Togo Shrine - totally calm and pleasing. They had a pond with lots of really big Koi fish.
Then I went to Shibuya and visited the open air observation deck on the roof of the Shibuya Sky building. It was pretty poggers to see everything around. So sad that I couldn’t see Mount Fuji even though the weather was so nice. The Shibuya Scramble Crossing is right next to this building so you can watch down and see the congestion of pedestrians. I also needed to cross it to get to my next destination.
Ichiran Ramen. It is said to be Japan's most beloved Tonkotsu Ramen chain. Ordering was easier than I thought. And it was tasty but not perfect. The broth was super intense for eating it alone but the noodles didn't really absorb much of the taste. But as expected the portion was huge. I almost couldn’t finish it. Rating: 7/10.
Then I went to Animate in Shibuya and got my first loot: All 8 volumes of PPPPPPP and volume 25 and 26 of Blue Lock. They also had character perfumes on sale if you want to smell like some special character. I wonder how they come up with that and I wonder if they have any good performance. I can’t really see them being good performers. I quickly returned to the hotel to drop off my purchases and take a quick break.
Then I went out again to Shinjuku. Last year I was at the free observation deck of the 45th floor of the Metropolitan Government Building. And this year I wanted to go again because it's free and because I want to see Tokyo lit up at night! It was insane. It looked so awesome and there were planes descending to land at Haneda every minute. They were really close. I can’t even decide which pictures to pick for this blog because I took so many.
The last stop was the dreaded and notoriously hard to navigate Shinjuku station. It is the biggest train station in the world and I actually had to take a train from there to the hotel. But I was there for some other business. In preparation for the day trip tomorrow I bought the Hakone Free Pass which you can get at Shinjuku station. It was surprisingly easy to find if you trust the signs hanging everywhere. It is called a “Free” pass but it actually costs 6100 Yen, roughly 50 Euro.
On this day I walked 11.4 km in 2 hours 10 minutes. I spent 1 hour 34 minutes on trains.
I am going to Hakone today! I am currently on the train and there are way fewer foreigners compared to Tokyo. I like it. I feel like this is the real Japan experience. And the weather is perfect yet again! Completely sunny and 23 °C.
I also had a cool experience using japanese. I asked a train staff member if it would lead to problems if I entered the station with my Suica card and left with the Hakone pass at my destination. It was not a super simple topic but I got it across with him understanding me on the first try and I also understood his reply. He gave me a refund machine to put my Suica card on and gave me the refund so I could enter with the Hakone pass in Shinjuku. So helpful!
Because the train is unable to go at steep paths up the train it has to "switch back" and the train driver has to get out and change sides multiple times on the ascent of the mountain. This being said, it is the steepest ascent a train in Japan can do and the second steepest of all train tracks in the world! According to the announcement at least, I think it's trustworthy information.
I feel a bit uncomfortable taking photos from inside the train because it might disturb the other passengers. So you have to believe me that the scenery is absolutely stunning!!
I arrived at the first stop today: Owakudani. That's a mountaintop over an active volcano. It stinks like rotten eggs. But it's an interesting experience. I also got this black soft ice cream. It's supposed to taste like bamboo but it's not so different from vanilla. Was it worth the 400 yen? Maybe not but it was a special occasion. It's so cold and windy on the mountain top! I am glad I brought a jacket for the trip today. It's 10 °c here while it's 23 at the foot of the mountain. The ride on the ropeway was scary, especially on the way up. I bet people with fear of heights couldn't bear this.
This place is close to Mount Fuji but sadly it is covered in clouds right now.
I went from Togendai and the foot of mount Owakudani to Hakone and took another ropeway to the summit of mount Hakone. There is a shrine and a cool view of Lake Ashi. Sadly the view wasn't clear so it looked kind of washed out and Fuji also wasn't visible. There was a hiking track around the summit and it was really bad footing and lots of steps up and down, up and down. The ropeway station was currently under construction and had a scaffold around it.
Then I went back down and took the bus to Hakone Jinja. That's the one with the torii in the lake. The Tori itself was super crowded and people waited in a line to take photos. I only took one over the heads of the waiting people but didn't bother to wait. Instead I went up this huge set of stone stairs and visited the main temple. It was a nice atmosphere almost at sunset.
Then I needed to wait over an hour (according to its schedule) for my bus to arrive which would take me to gotemba. That's where my hotel is for one night.
The bus ride was problematic. I arrived at the hotel but the many turns and up and down and winding roads of the mountains were not good for me. The total darkness outside didn't help either. Luckily I had travel sickness Medicine with me so everything went well.
After checking in at the hotel in Gotemba I went out to eat my second japanese meal. Miso ramen. I liked it more than yesterday's tonkotsu ramen. It was delicious and I could order a half size portion, perfect. Rating: 8/10.
The walking distance and time didn’t track correctly for this day. But I spent 5 hours 16 minutes on public transportation.
I checked out of the hotel and took the bus to Fujiyoshida. That's one of the towns at the foot of Mount Fuji. The image below is from the viewing terrace of the hotel.
The first stop was to visit Kitaguchi Hongi Fuji Sengen shrine. God. What a name. But it was really idyllic and calming! One of the better shrines in my opinion.
Then I moved on to the next bus station for the 5th Mount Fuji Subaru ascend. The buses can take you up to the 5th station on each of the four ascend paths. Upper than that it's not paved so no vehicles can drive farther.
While waiting I ate my breakfast which was only from a family mart but so good, I need to mention it. It was a chocolate bagel. Coated with solid chocolate and sprinkled with nuts. And it had chocolate paste inside as well. Really good for store bought food!!
By the way it is up to 17°C today at Fujiyoshida and mostly sunny with a few clouds here and there. Fuji is covered in clouds currently…… It's interesting how the temperature differs so much from Tokyo. Over there it is 24°C and it's only 2 hours away by bus.
I went up to Mount Fuji and it was so cold up there. It was also cloudy so I couldn't take the best photos ever. But they have a shrine and a post office (!) over there. Just to make it clear: I didn't climb the summit. I only went up to where the bus would take me.
Then I went back down and headed by bus for the last place of today: Oshino Hakkai. This village is built around eight ponds and it looks really lovely. But dang it is overcrowded with tourists. I have to say there are lots of foreigners. In Tokyo but also in the Hakone and Fuji area. I hope I can get the “real authentic” Japan experience when I go to Chiba.
I got a skewer of Dango and several Senbei. I forgot to take a photo of the Dango but I liked it and it was really affordable. Now it's time to head back to Tokyo. The bus will take over 2 hours though. But right now there is still daylight as of 15:15.
Okay change of plans. I am so glad I can speak a little bit of Japanese to ask for directions. Looks like the bus to Shinjuku can't be reached in time. So I got off at Mount Fuji station and asked the station staff what to do. And I think I understood the plan. It's probably local (slow) trains all the way but I have no problem with that as long as I reach Shinjuku today. From there it's easy to get to the hotel. I mean it's only 16:23 now so it would be totally weird if there would be no possibility of getting to Shinjuku today.
But it's tricky. Because Google Maps Shows the "best" options and those are the quickest because they are limited express which you need an extra ticket for. If you want to take the local train it's so hard to find because Google maps doesn't show it. But I might have found a workaround for this problem.
After quite a long train ride I got back to Tamachi. I picked a restaurant from my list and was about to put it into Google Maps. But it said it would close soon. Why so early on a Saturday! I got something from a konbini instead.. My restaurant plan has been smashed.
On this day I walked 7.1 km in 1 hour 51 minutes. I spent 7 hours and 31 minutes on public transportation (bus and train).
This day started out cloudy and it seemed rainy. Perfect for some Tokyo activities that can be done mostly inside. It's gonna get better at noon though.
Like last year I went to the Shinonome apartment buildings. That's just a residential area with high rise buildings but they are really tall!
Then I continued to Odaiba. I saw Fuji TV again and also the statue of liberty and the rainbow bridge. There are two big shopping malls in Odaiba: Aqua city and diver city. I picked a restaurant in Aqua city for Shio Ramen and that's where I am headed right now.
I finished my ship ramen and it was the most reasonable and easiest to finish ramen so far. It wasn't overwhelming like the others but I prefer the taste of the tonkotsu and miso ramen more. Of course I didn't choose any extra toppings like egg because I had no idea how big the portions were. With the base version without extra toppings I would describe it as a bit boring. I'll give it a 5/10.
Oh wow I also got this konbini drink. It is called Asahi grape squash and it is insanely good. The flavor is so intense and it has carbonation. I bet it also has a ton of sugar. But with how much I am walking it should even out!
I went to see the life size Gundam figure in front of diver city. This time it was fully equipped (last year the head was in maintenance). I also got another gunplay to build myself. My first real grade kit.
Before heading to the hotel to drop off my purchases and to take a small break I wanted to see the rainbow bridge. So I took the Rinkai monorail which loops above the bridge. And I went to the park below to see it from a different angle. Talking about angling: There were lots of people fishing at the park below the bridge. And also lots of baseball matches in the kids league.
I took a break at the hotel and I am on my way to the skytree now. It's insane. Even on the subway (underground!?) I have a 4G network internet connection.
I was on the skytree at night. It was absolutely stunning and beautiful that it brought tears to my eyes. I spent over 10 minutes alone watching in the direction of Shinjuku. It really is insane. I recommend everyone to go twice, once during the day and once during the night. The queue for the elevator down ist super long though. I was waiting maybe 30 minutes to get down.
On this day I walked 21.6 km in 3 hours 50 minutes. I spent 1 hour and 1 minute on public transportation.
Today's weather will be 23°C with no clouds at all. Perfect weather to make a day trip to northern Chiba. I had to Transfer at Tokyo Station and it is huge as well. I didn't lose my way and was going at a quick pace but it still took 10 minutes or so to get to the other platform because the property of the station is just so large.
Oh I am on the train to Chiba and already outside of Tokyo and the weather is so good that you can even see Mount Fuji from here! It's so far away! For my own future reference: the next station is minami-funabashi.
I was at the Chiba Port Tower. There were palm trees along the streets so it looked like a southern country. The Chiba Port Tower offered a view of the Chiba Port (you don't say), but you could also see the skytree and the Tokyo skyline in the distance. Because the weather was good you could even see Mount Fuji very far away!
On my way to the next destination I had to go to Chiba station and transfer there. I got to Chiba station via monorail. But not on rails but hanging from rails above! Interesting.
I was at the Narita San temple and oh boy. I have never climbed stairs with steps this tall. And this is a real complex of a Temple with so many buildings! And behind the temple is an attached park which is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.
Before heading to Sawara I went to a restaurant near Narita San temple and ordered a Tonkatsu Teishoku meal. One of the meals on my list. I hope I can finish it because I don't want to be rude by not eating everything.
Okay, so a 108 year old lady brought my meal. I liked the tonkatsu and the salad (the main things). The rice was bland but I finished it. I didn't like the wasabi and the miso soup. I wonder why. I liked the miso ramen. I couldn't finish the last slice of tonkatsu because it was so fatty and inedible. My rating for Tonkatsu and Salad itself: 7/10. If you include the side dishes to the rating: 5/10.
Then I went back to Narita station and went on to Sawara. On the way there I saw some of the nicest farm village houses! I was really in the sticks of Japan!
In Sawara I went to the Suwa shrine. It is located at the top of a silly long and tall stone staircase and it's honestly not worth the effort. My knees are killing me!! And then I went to see the Ono river. That was really nice to see. And I feel like I was the only foreigner. These places are so far out there that no tourists seem to know about them or to bother.
The train ride home will take a long time but I found a nice connection that only has one transfer? Is that too good to be true? I'll find out! Answer: Yes! It took a long time because it’s quite far away. But I got from Narita to my station without transferring.
On this day I walked 18.8 km in 2 hours 52 minutes. I spent 4 hours 55 minutes on public transportation.
Today I made a stop at Tokyo Station. The station square and the brick building looks really cool in contrast to the surrounding skyscrapers.
There is also a whole shopping mall inside the station building with a ramen street and a character street. The character street has all the goods stores for your favorite franchises like pokemon. Snoopy. Totoro. Precure. I got a plushie cat which is wearing a tanuki costume!
Tokyo Station is almost as big as Shinjuku Station. But while Shinjuku is more about just transportation, Tokyo Station offers more in regards to shopping and eating.
Then I went on to the Iidabashi shopping street - Kagurazaka dori. I ate a waffle filled with cream at a Japanese confectionery Store. And I visited the local temple.
I ate minced meat curry at Coco ichibanya. That's a curry chain I went to on my last trip as well so I knew I could reduce the amount of rice for a refund. I picked a smaller portion and it was good. Because it was minced, there were no fatty parts. Also I am glad that I picked the mild flavor option. Rating: 7/10.
Akihabara is full of figure stores and I saw someone buying a Hatsune Miku figure for 500 euros.
I haven't gotten much so far. One keychain of Yotsuba from 5-toubun no Hanayome and a plastic stand of nadeshiko from Yuri camp. How hard can it be to find Robot x Laserbeam? I mean it's a shonen jump series and one of my favorites so I want to get it. But I didn't find it at bookoff, Mandarake and also not at animate in Akihabara. I know it's not the most popular series but still a bit disappointing. They also had a figure of one of my favorite characters: cure marine. But with 10.000 yen it was a bit too pricey for me. I did get lots of snacks from Don quixote though!
I went back to the hotel to empty my bags and then started a second tour to Kanda Myoujin shrine and Tokyo tower after that.
So I went back to Akihabara to visit the shrine. It was cool to see it lit up in the dark. Then I went looking for more manga to buy. I got 8 more volumes. Then I headed for Tokyo tower.
But it's crazy. It is 7pm, dark and basically November. Yet it is totally possible to walk around with short sleeves and no jacket. On the downside, taking the subway is a pain. First of all it is so warm and cramped at peak hours (peak hours are from 7am to 9pm) and there are lots of stairs and no escalators or elevators.
The Tokyo tower looks awesome at night with its illumination. Sadly there was a Halloween event going on where they played super loud spooky music and had beamer projection lights which kind of kills the purpose of an observatory if everything is reflected in the windows…. Oh nevermind. There is another viewing deck and there the event is not annoying, thank God!
I ate a crepe at the Tokyo tower. The most popular one and the cheapest one. With cream and chocolate. It was filling and a complete meal. Then I went to the hotel. Man tomorrow is the final day already! I could easily spend more time in Japan!
Today I walked 8.5 km in 2 hours 6 minutes. I spent 1 hour 29 minutes on public transportation.
I changed my plan for this day. Originally I wanted to go to the southern part of Chiba prefecture. But since it's the last day I thought being home earlier would be good, so that I could finish packing without rushing. So I went to Kawagoe instead.
As it turns out, today is the annual 7-5-3 festival. Children who turn 3, 5 or 7 are brought to a temple to receive a blessing. That's why the temples are pretty crowded today. I visited three shrines and temples in Kawagoe.
I visited Ame Yokocho in Kawagoe. That's a street where wagashi stores are lined up next to each other. Wagashiya means Japanese handcrafted candy store.
There was also one clock tower supposed to be in Kawagoe. It should look really remarkable. I haven't seen it. But one tall building was wrapped in scaffolding and plastic planes. Maybe it was the clock tower.
It's noon right now. I'll head back to Tamachi, get something for lunch and then pack all my things. If there is time after that I will see what I can do with the rest of the day.
Really unfortunate timing. Right when I arrived at the hotel, the room was being cleaned. So I decided to wait in the lobby.
When unpacking the snacks I got, I noticed how the miffy cube didn't really survive the transport that well. It looked a bit squashed. Better eat it now as it won't survive until Germany. I hope all of the other snacks survive the transit!
Okay I finished packing. I am way under the weight limit but my bag is stuffed to the brim. I can't take anything more.
Because it's not even 4pm I decided to head to Akihabara once more. Not because I can buy anything, but just to watch the shelves.
Okay this was it. The final trip ends with a stop at a ramen restaurant to try Shoyu ramen. It was decent but not outstanding. After having tried the four main types of ramen I can give my personal ranking: Shio < Shoyu < Tonkatsu < Miso.
All in all I am happy with the foods I tried. I wished there would be a chance for katsudon. Next time!
From the things I have seen and visited… What was the best? Wow, it is so hard to decide. Fuji was cool, but the park in Narita was awesome as well. The skytree at night was super stunning. And the weather was so good on all days.
I can't wait to come back to Japan!
Today I walked 6.4 km in 1 hour 33 minutes. I spent 3 hours 14 minutes on public transportation.
I left the hotel on time at 6:15 am. But the check in counter wasn't even open. But no problem. By now I am through check-in, baggage drop, security and immigration. Boarding will start in roughly 2 hours so I got some time to kill.
Note for self: next time don't bring the laptop. It only takes up space and weighs a lot for not being used a lot. I used it for maybe 3 hours on this trip… The second thing to leave at home is the neck pillow. It doesn't help to sleep at all. I should bring sunscreen instead though. And I am glad I had travel medicine with me, especially for the bus ride at night to gotemba.
I remember prices for drinks in the security area of Frankfurt and Bremen to be very expensive. But the vending machines at Japan Haneda airport have pretty much the same cost as in any konbini!
Look how small the skytree looks from the aircraft! The flight was okay but not amazing. I booked the window seat but we had to close the shutters even though it was a full daylight flight. I was able to sleep 1 hour but it is so uncomfortable sitting for 14+ hours… There were also people called out by the captain for smoking in the bathroom. Man, why are people like that? Are they stupid? And towards the landing it was quite turbulent so I got a bit sick towards landing.
Now I have to wait in Munich until my flight to Bremen leaves in 2 hours from now. And I am already annoyed by how different people in Germany are. There are two people in the waiting area competing who can have their phone on higher volume when watching videos for everyone to hear. Are they also stupid? Can't you use headphones man? Have some common sense…
Okay, the last flight from Munich to Bremen is done. It was really turbulent … I got all my baggage and with that this trip is officially over. It is 11:35 pm now. It was an awesome experience!
All in all on this trip I walked 82.1 km in 16.5 hours (but one day is missing in this sum because of technical problems with the tracking). I spent 26.5 hours on public transportation.
Here is all the loot I got.
Disclaimer 2: You can also check out the travel itinerary which I created before the trip with all the places I wanted to visit and which trains to take and which foods to eat. It's all in German tho... Here is the link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LvLdZ0hWThPq-GCMwBhQ3TZNluir0_r2xVvoSfXX-pU/edit?usp=sharing
The final day before leaving for my second trip to Japan. I finished most preparations, but some things are still left.
First of all I tried to adjust my sleep schedule a bit to somewhat counter the jetlag and to (hopefully!?) be able to sleep on the plane. So I went to bed earlier each day and got up earlier each day. Right now it is 4:52. I got up at 4:30 as planned. Tomorrow will be even earlier to leave for the airport.
Compared to last year, this trip is even earlier because I got the first flight of the day. That means that I won’t have the chance to travel with the 747 like last year but the smaller 787. But I am also two hours earlier at my destination. That also means that I will have the ANA flight on the way to Tokyo and Lufthansa back home - the other way round than last time.
This is my travel plan for tomorrow:
Smack-dab middle of the flipping night: Leave home for Bremen Airport. 6:00 Take the 45 minute flight from Bremen to Frankfurt. Then I have a long layover (planned). Because I am a beginner at airports I decided to have rather too much time than too little to find the Gate and border control and everything. My flight from Frankfurt to Tokyo Haneda leaves at 12:10 and takes roughly 12 hours. I will be in Tokyo at 8:30 in the morning if everything goes according to plan - that’s around 1:30 in the night (German time).
Things left to do for today are charging all my devices and transferring media for the flight. I will also try to get an SD card for my tablet so that everything will fit. Other than that I am basically already done with preparations.
Because this is only my second time leaving for Japan and my first solo trip on another continent it is very exciting for me. I traveled alone in the past but only for day-trips and inside Europe. So this is on a different scale.
I left home at 3:30am. My parents drove me to the airport. I am done with baggage dropoff and security. Now I can kill time until my flight leaves for Frankfurt in about one hour.
I know airport prices are expensive from last time so I got my own food for breakfast from a bakery. But I don't want to eat it now since I have nothing to drink. But if it is the same as last year we will get a small bottle of water on the flight to Frankfurt. Then I can have breakfast over there. It's still super early when I arrive.
Talking about being stingy. Like last time I didn't pick a seat for the 40 minute flight to Frankfurt so I got a random one. Both times (!) I got a seat at the security exit. What are the chances?
Oh I just had the idea to read manga while waiting. But I already attached a lock to my backpack's laptop and electronics pouch. I am too lazy to take it off now so I'll just wait.
The flight to Frankfurt was so smooth and the seat was spacious. I could have easily fallen asleep if I wanted to. But since it's such a short flight I didn't want to. I took a photo out of the cabin window of some suburban town near Frankfurt as we declined.
Now I am waiting to board the flight for Tokyo. Like last year there are a few 747s (sadly not for me this time around) but I feel it's not as many as last time. Also no A380 so far. Maybe it's because of the gate being at a different place with less of a view.
Our liftoff had a 50 minute delay because we didn't get permission to leave due to weather. And when we lifted off it was so shaky! But once we were at cruising altitude (is that the correct term?) It was alright.
I am in Tokyo!! I have completed border control and got my bags. Then I got my tourist SIM but it doesn't work with my new phone. It automatically disconnects from the internet after a few minutes. That’s so annoying. Luckily I brought my old phone and the SIM works well with that one.
Then I went to the hotel to drop off my heavy bags. I didn’t even take the wrong train once this time around! Success. But I couldn’t check in yet because it was too early.
So I went to Gotokuji Temple. That's where all the waving Neko figures are lined up. There are a lot!
After that I went to Setagaya and Sangenjaya. I visited Sangenjaya Park. I didn’t go to the other places I wanted to visit in that area because I felt my stomach was a bit upset. So I headed to the hotel and checked in.
The room is not that good compared to the one from last year. The view is also not awesome and the location in Tokyo can’t compete with Shinjuku. The only thing I can see from my window is an office building. But is the other hotel worth twice the cost? I will consider it for next time I go to Tokyo.
The image below was taken between the train station and my hotel.
Then I was the most stupid person on this planet. I got this new phone 2 weeks ago. It is really expensive since its just released flagship model. I dropped it. It has a cracked screen now. This makes me so incredibly frustrated at my own stupidity. Man, what should I do… Should I buy it one more time!?...
I hope tomorrow will be a better day with less of an upset stomach and less frustration about my phone.
On this day I walked 8.3 km in 2 hours 5 minutes. I spent 1 hour 41 minutes on trains.
This day was really good. My stomach problems were gone and I kind of got over the cracked screen, but it’s still bugging me when I think about it like now.
First of all: It is summer! It was sunny all day long at 25°C. And it’s almost November!
So I went to Ebisu because I heard there were street food stands. But in the end I didn’t buy anything. Actually I wasn’t even hungry even though I didn’t eat a lot. Only an egg sandwich since arriving in Japan. But I was also worried if I could finish the meal at the actual restaurant I wanted to go to later. So I just walked around the streets and stores in Ebisu and in the station building.
Then I moved to Harajuku. I went to the “fashion district” called Takeshita Dori. There wasn’t so much fashion but it was still a cool atmosphere. There were lots of sweets shops. At least three crepes shops.
And only one street further was the Togo Shrine - totally calm and pleasing. They had a pond with lots of really big Koi fish.
Then I went to Shibuya and visited the open air observation deck on the roof of the Shibuya Sky building. It was pretty poggers to see everything around. So sad that I couldn’t see Mount Fuji even though the weather was so nice. The Shibuya Scramble Crossing is right next to this building so you can watch down and see the congestion of pedestrians. I also needed to cross it to get to my next destination.
Ichiran Ramen. It is said to be Japan's most beloved Tonkotsu Ramen chain. Ordering was easier than I thought. And it was tasty but not perfect. The broth was super intense for eating it alone but the noodles didn't really absorb much of the taste. But as expected the portion was huge. I almost couldn’t finish it. Rating: 7/10.
Then I went to Animate in Shibuya and got my first loot: All 8 volumes of PPPPPPP and volume 25 and 26 of Blue Lock. They also had character perfumes on sale if you want to smell like some special character. I wonder how they come up with that and I wonder if they have any good performance. I can’t really see them being good performers. I quickly returned to the hotel to drop off my purchases and take a quick break.
Then I went out again to Shinjuku. Last year I was at the free observation deck of the 45th floor of the Metropolitan Government Building. And this year I wanted to go again because it's free and because I want to see Tokyo lit up at night! It was insane. It looked so awesome and there were planes descending to land at Haneda every minute. They were really close. I can’t even decide which pictures to pick for this blog because I took so many.
The last stop was the dreaded and notoriously hard to navigate Shinjuku station. It is the biggest train station in the world and I actually had to take a train from there to the hotel. But I was there for some other business. In preparation for the day trip tomorrow I bought the Hakone Free Pass which you can get at Shinjuku station. It was surprisingly easy to find if you trust the signs hanging everywhere. It is called a “Free” pass but it actually costs 6100 Yen, roughly 50 Euro.
On this day I walked 11.4 km in 2 hours 10 minutes. I spent 1 hour 34 minutes on trains.
I am going to Hakone today! I am currently on the train and there are way fewer foreigners compared to Tokyo. I like it. I feel like this is the real Japan experience. And the weather is perfect yet again! Completely sunny and 23 °C.
I also had a cool experience using japanese. I asked a train staff member if it would lead to problems if I entered the station with my Suica card and left with the Hakone pass at my destination. It was not a super simple topic but I got it across with him understanding me on the first try and I also understood his reply. He gave me a refund machine to put my Suica card on and gave me the refund so I could enter with the Hakone pass in Shinjuku. So helpful!
Because the train is unable to go at steep paths up the train it has to "switch back" and the train driver has to get out and change sides multiple times on the ascent of the mountain. This being said, it is the steepest ascent a train in Japan can do and the second steepest of all train tracks in the world! According to the announcement at least, I think it's trustworthy information.
I feel a bit uncomfortable taking photos from inside the train because it might disturb the other passengers. So you have to believe me that the scenery is absolutely stunning!!
I arrived at the first stop today: Owakudani. That's a mountaintop over an active volcano. It stinks like rotten eggs. But it's an interesting experience. I also got this black soft ice cream. It's supposed to taste like bamboo but it's not so different from vanilla. Was it worth the 400 yen? Maybe not but it was a special occasion. It's so cold and windy on the mountain top! I am glad I brought a jacket for the trip today. It's 10 °c here while it's 23 at the foot of the mountain. The ride on the ropeway was scary, especially on the way up. I bet people with fear of heights couldn't bear this.
This place is close to Mount Fuji but sadly it is covered in clouds right now.
I went from Togendai and the foot of mount Owakudani to Hakone and took another ropeway to the summit of mount Hakone. There is a shrine and a cool view of Lake Ashi. Sadly the view wasn't clear so it looked kind of washed out and Fuji also wasn't visible. There was a hiking track around the summit and it was really bad footing and lots of steps up and down, up and down. The ropeway station was currently under construction and had a scaffold around it.
Then I went back down and took the bus to Hakone Jinja. That's the one with the torii in the lake. The Tori itself was super crowded and people waited in a line to take photos. I only took one over the heads of the waiting people but didn't bother to wait. Instead I went up this huge set of stone stairs and visited the main temple. It was a nice atmosphere almost at sunset.
Then I needed to wait over an hour (according to its schedule) for my bus to arrive which would take me to gotemba. That's where my hotel is for one night.
The bus ride was problematic. I arrived at the hotel but the many turns and up and down and winding roads of the mountains were not good for me. The total darkness outside didn't help either. Luckily I had travel sickness Medicine with me so everything went well.
After checking in at the hotel in Gotemba I went out to eat my second japanese meal. Miso ramen. I liked it more than yesterday's tonkotsu ramen. It was delicious and I could order a half size portion, perfect. Rating: 8/10.
The walking distance and time didn’t track correctly for this day. But I spent 5 hours 16 minutes on public transportation.
I checked out of the hotel and took the bus to Fujiyoshida. That's one of the towns at the foot of Mount Fuji. The image below is from the viewing terrace of the hotel.
The first stop was to visit Kitaguchi Hongi Fuji Sengen shrine. God. What a name. But it was really idyllic and calming! One of the better shrines in my opinion.
Then I moved on to the next bus station for the 5th Mount Fuji Subaru ascend. The buses can take you up to the 5th station on each of the four ascend paths. Upper than that it's not paved so no vehicles can drive farther.
While waiting I ate my breakfast which was only from a family mart but so good, I need to mention it. It was a chocolate bagel. Coated with solid chocolate and sprinkled with nuts. And it had chocolate paste inside as well. Really good for store bought food!!
By the way it is up to 17°C today at Fujiyoshida and mostly sunny with a few clouds here and there. Fuji is covered in clouds currently…… It's interesting how the temperature differs so much from Tokyo. Over there it is 24°C and it's only 2 hours away by bus.
I went up to Mount Fuji and it was so cold up there. It was also cloudy so I couldn't take the best photos ever. But they have a shrine and a post office (!) over there. Just to make it clear: I didn't climb the summit. I only went up to where the bus would take me.
Then I went back down and headed by bus for the last place of today: Oshino Hakkai. This village is built around eight ponds and it looks really lovely. But dang it is overcrowded with tourists. I have to say there are lots of foreigners. In Tokyo but also in the Hakone and Fuji area. I hope I can get the “real authentic” Japan experience when I go to Chiba.
I got a skewer of Dango and several Senbei. I forgot to take a photo of the Dango but I liked it and it was really affordable. Now it's time to head back to Tokyo. The bus will take over 2 hours though. But right now there is still daylight as of 15:15.
Okay change of plans. I am so glad I can speak a little bit of Japanese to ask for directions. Looks like the bus to Shinjuku can't be reached in time. So I got off at Mount Fuji station and asked the station staff what to do. And I think I understood the plan. It's probably local (slow) trains all the way but I have no problem with that as long as I reach Shinjuku today. From there it's easy to get to the hotel. I mean it's only 16:23 now so it would be totally weird if there would be no possibility of getting to Shinjuku today.
But it's tricky. Because Google Maps Shows the "best" options and those are the quickest because they are limited express which you need an extra ticket for. If you want to take the local train it's so hard to find because Google maps doesn't show it. But I might have found a workaround for this problem.
After quite a long train ride I got back to Tamachi. I picked a restaurant from my list and was about to put it into Google Maps. But it said it would close soon. Why so early on a Saturday! I got something from a konbini instead.. My restaurant plan has been smashed.
On this day I walked 7.1 km in 1 hour 51 minutes. I spent 7 hours and 31 minutes on public transportation (bus and train).
This day started out cloudy and it seemed rainy. Perfect for some Tokyo activities that can be done mostly inside. It's gonna get better at noon though.
Like last year I went to the Shinonome apartment buildings. That's just a residential area with high rise buildings but they are really tall!
Then I continued to Odaiba. I saw Fuji TV again and also the statue of liberty and the rainbow bridge. There are two big shopping malls in Odaiba: Aqua city and diver city. I picked a restaurant in Aqua city for Shio Ramen and that's where I am headed right now.
I finished my ship ramen and it was the most reasonable and easiest to finish ramen so far. It wasn't overwhelming like the others but I prefer the taste of the tonkotsu and miso ramen more. Of course I didn't choose any extra toppings like egg because I had no idea how big the portions were. With the base version without extra toppings I would describe it as a bit boring. I'll give it a 5/10.
Oh wow I also got this konbini drink. It is called Asahi grape squash and it is insanely good. The flavor is so intense and it has carbonation. I bet it also has a ton of sugar. But with how much I am walking it should even out!
I went to see the life size Gundam figure in front of diver city. This time it was fully equipped (last year the head was in maintenance). I also got another gunplay to build myself. My first real grade kit.
Before heading to the hotel to drop off my purchases and to take a small break I wanted to see the rainbow bridge. So I took the Rinkai monorail which loops above the bridge. And I went to the park below to see it from a different angle. Talking about angling: There were lots of people fishing at the park below the bridge. And also lots of baseball matches in the kids league.
I took a break at the hotel and I am on my way to the skytree now. It's insane. Even on the subway (underground!?) I have a 4G network internet connection.
I was on the skytree at night. It was absolutely stunning and beautiful that it brought tears to my eyes. I spent over 10 minutes alone watching in the direction of Shinjuku. It really is insane. I recommend everyone to go twice, once during the day and once during the night. The queue for the elevator down ist super long though. I was waiting maybe 30 minutes to get down.
On this day I walked 21.6 km in 3 hours 50 minutes. I spent 1 hour and 1 minute on public transportation.
Today's weather will be 23°C with no clouds at all. Perfect weather to make a day trip to northern Chiba. I had to Transfer at Tokyo Station and it is huge as well. I didn't lose my way and was going at a quick pace but it still took 10 minutes or so to get to the other platform because the property of the station is just so large.
Oh I am on the train to Chiba and already outside of Tokyo and the weather is so good that you can even see Mount Fuji from here! It's so far away! For my own future reference: the next station is minami-funabashi.
I was at the Chiba Port Tower. There were palm trees along the streets so it looked like a southern country. The Chiba Port Tower offered a view of the Chiba Port (you don't say), but you could also see the skytree and the Tokyo skyline in the distance. Because the weather was good you could even see Mount Fuji very far away!
On my way to the next destination I had to go to Chiba station and transfer there. I got to Chiba station via monorail. But not on rails but hanging from rails above! Interesting.
I was at the Narita San temple and oh boy. I have never climbed stairs with steps this tall. And this is a real complex of a Temple with so many buildings! And behind the temple is an attached park which is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.
Before heading to Sawara I went to a restaurant near Narita San temple and ordered a Tonkatsu Teishoku meal. One of the meals on my list. I hope I can finish it because I don't want to be rude by not eating everything.
Okay, so a 108 year old lady brought my meal. I liked the tonkatsu and the salad (the main things). The rice was bland but I finished it. I didn't like the wasabi and the miso soup. I wonder why. I liked the miso ramen. I couldn't finish the last slice of tonkatsu because it was so fatty and inedible. My rating for Tonkatsu and Salad itself: 7/10. If you include the side dishes to the rating: 5/10.
Then I went back to Narita station and went on to Sawara. On the way there I saw some of the nicest farm village houses! I was really in the sticks of Japan!
In Sawara I went to the Suwa shrine. It is located at the top of a silly long and tall stone staircase and it's honestly not worth the effort. My knees are killing me!! And then I went to see the Ono river. That was really nice to see. And I feel like I was the only foreigner. These places are so far out there that no tourists seem to know about them or to bother.
The train ride home will take a long time but I found a nice connection that only has one transfer? Is that too good to be true? I'll find out! Answer: Yes! It took a long time because it’s quite far away. But I got from Narita to my station without transferring.
On this day I walked 18.8 km in 2 hours 52 minutes. I spent 4 hours 55 minutes on public transportation.
Today I made a stop at Tokyo Station. The station square and the brick building looks really cool in contrast to the surrounding skyscrapers.
There is also a whole shopping mall inside the station building with a ramen street and a character street. The character street has all the goods stores for your favorite franchises like pokemon. Snoopy. Totoro. Precure. I got a plushie cat which is wearing a tanuki costume!
Tokyo Station is almost as big as Shinjuku Station. But while Shinjuku is more about just transportation, Tokyo Station offers more in regards to shopping and eating.
Then I went on to the Iidabashi shopping street - Kagurazaka dori. I ate a waffle filled with cream at a Japanese confectionery Store. And I visited the local temple.
I ate minced meat curry at Coco ichibanya. That's a curry chain I went to on my last trip as well so I knew I could reduce the amount of rice for a refund. I picked a smaller portion and it was good. Because it was minced, there were no fatty parts. Also I am glad that I picked the mild flavor option. Rating: 7/10.
Akihabara is full of figure stores and I saw someone buying a Hatsune Miku figure for 500 euros.
I haven't gotten much so far. One keychain of Yotsuba from 5-toubun no Hanayome and a plastic stand of nadeshiko from Yuri camp. How hard can it be to find Robot x Laserbeam? I mean it's a shonen jump series and one of my favorites so I want to get it. But I didn't find it at bookoff, Mandarake and also not at animate in Akihabara. I know it's not the most popular series but still a bit disappointing. They also had a figure of one of my favorite characters: cure marine. But with 10.000 yen it was a bit too pricey for me. I did get lots of snacks from Don quixote though!
I went back to the hotel to empty my bags and then started a second tour to Kanda Myoujin shrine and Tokyo tower after that.
So I went back to Akihabara to visit the shrine. It was cool to see it lit up in the dark. Then I went looking for more manga to buy. I got 8 more volumes. Then I headed for Tokyo tower.
But it's crazy. It is 7pm, dark and basically November. Yet it is totally possible to walk around with short sleeves and no jacket. On the downside, taking the subway is a pain. First of all it is so warm and cramped at peak hours (peak hours are from 7am to 9pm) and there are lots of stairs and no escalators or elevators.
The Tokyo tower looks awesome at night with its illumination. Sadly there was a Halloween event going on where they played super loud spooky music and had beamer projection lights which kind of kills the purpose of an observatory if everything is reflected in the windows…. Oh nevermind. There is another viewing deck and there the event is not annoying, thank God!
I ate a crepe at the Tokyo tower. The most popular one and the cheapest one. With cream and chocolate. It was filling and a complete meal. Then I went to the hotel. Man tomorrow is the final day already! I could easily spend more time in Japan!
Today I walked 8.5 km in 2 hours 6 minutes. I spent 1 hour 29 minutes on public transportation.
I changed my plan for this day. Originally I wanted to go to the southern part of Chiba prefecture. But since it's the last day I thought being home earlier would be good, so that I could finish packing without rushing. So I went to Kawagoe instead.
As it turns out, today is the annual 7-5-3 festival. Children who turn 3, 5 or 7 are brought to a temple to receive a blessing. That's why the temples are pretty crowded today. I visited three shrines and temples in Kawagoe.
I visited Ame Yokocho in Kawagoe. That's a street where wagashi stores are lined up next to each other. Wagashiya means Japanese handcrafted candy store.
There was also one clock tower supposed to be in Kawagoe. It should look really remarkable. I haven't seen it. But one tall building was wrapped in scaffolding and plastic planes. Maybe it was the clock tower.
It's noon right now. I'll head back to Tamachi, get something for lunch and then pack all my things. If there is time after that I will see what I can do with the rest of the day.
Really unfortunate timing. Right when I arrived at the hotel, the room was being cleaned. So I decided to wait in the lobby.
When unpacking the snacks I got, I noticed how the miffy cube didn't really survive the transport that well. It looked a bit squashed. Better eat it now as it won't survive until Germany. I hope all of the other snacks survive the transit!
Okay I finished packing. I am way under the weight limit but my bag is stuffed to the brim. I can't take anything more.
Because it's not even 4pm I decided to head to Akihabara once more. Not because I can buy anything, but just to watch the shelves.
Okay this was it. The final trip ends with a stop at a ramen restaurant to try Shoyu ramen. It was decent but not outstanding. After having tried the four main types of ramen I can give my personal ranking: Shio < Shoyu < Tonkatsu < Miso.
All in all I am happy with the foods I tried. I wished there would be a chance for katsudon. Next time!
From the things I have seen and visited… What was the best? Wow, it is so hard to decide. Fuji was cool, but the park in Narita was awesome as well. The skytree at night was super stunning. And the weather was so good on all days.
I can't wait to come back to Japan!
Today I walked 6.4 km in 1 hour 33 minutes. I spent 3 hours 14 minutes on public transportation.
I left the hotel on time at 6:15 am. But the check in counter wasn't even open. But no problem. By now I am through check-in, baggage drop, security and immigration. Boarding will start in roughly 2 hours so I got some time to kill.
Note for self: next time don't bring the laptop. It only takes up space and weighs a lot for not being used a lot. I used it for maybe 3 hours on this trip… The second thing to leave at home is the neck pillow. It doesn't help to sleep at all. I should bring sunscreen instead though. And I am glad I had travel medicine with me, especially for the bus ride at night to gotemba.
I remember prices for drinks in the security area of Frankfurt and Bremen to be very expensive. But the vending machines at Japan Haneda airport have pretty much the same cost as in any konbini!
Look how small the skytree looks from the aircraft! The flight was okay but not amazing. I booked the window seat but we had to close the shutters even though it was a full daylight flight. I was able to sleep 1 hour but it is so uncomfortable sitting for 14+ hours… There were also people called out by the captain for smoking in the bathroom. Man, why are people like that? Are they stupid? And towards the landing it was quite turbulent so I got a bit sick towards landing.
Now I have to wait in Munich until my flight to Bremen leaves in 2 hours from now. And I am already annoyed by how different people in Germany are. There are two people in the waiting area competing who can have their phone on higher volume when watching videos for everyone to hear. Are they also stupid? Can't you use headphones man? Have some common sense…
Okay, the last flight from Munich to Bremen is done. It was really turbulent … I got all my baggage and with that this trip is officially over. It is 11:35 pm now. It was an awesome experience!
All in all on this trip I walked 82.1 km in 16.5 hours (but one day is missing in this sum because of technical problems with the tracking). I spent 26.5 hours on public transportation.
Here is all the loot I got.
Posted by Brati | Nov 3, 2023 8:56 AM | 0 comments
October 22nd, 2022
Tokyo Travel Blog 2022
Anime Relations: Bleach
Hello everyone,
Hello Hira Koyuki,
here are my daily reports for the days of my Tokyo trip in 2022. I left out some details and lines from the full document. Please catch up on them once you can access Google Docs again - you know where to find the link. In the meantime, please enjoy this "abridged" report!
In case some images are not displayed correctly, please rightclick on the error thingy and click "open image in new tab"
It is 4:22. I didn't sleep a single second. And I need to leave in 8 minutes. It's even earlier than I expected yesterday. I am nervous.
I was surprised how much traffic there is in Bremen at a time like this.
We arrived at Bremen Airport and completed the security check. It is 5:56 now and I am super tired because I didn't sleep at all. I thought it would be impossible to sleep on the plane but with how tired I am, I think it might be possible.
Wow, the prices at an airport are spicy!! A bar of chocolate for 6 Euros. Half a liter of water for 3. Insane.
It's 7:34 and my plane from Bremen to Frankfurt just arrived. Boarding is scheduled for 7:45. Nervous!! Based on the number of people waiting here it might be a lowly populated flight. There are just.. 40 people or so.
It wasn't super empty! It was just a small aircraft. I had to sit at the emergency exit with extra responsibility…. Nothing happened. I expected to see the memorable skyline of Frankfurt because this is like.. the only city in Germany with real skyscrapers. But I couldn't see it from my window. But we got a traveling companion also inbound for Frankfurt.
It is 9:30 now. We should call my father and get some breakfasts. We have time until 13:10 when our next flight leaves. Man, food is crazy expensive here! But we have a seat to eat with a nice view of a pretty close aircraft - closer than I ever saw one when I went to the visitors terrace in Bremen or Hamburg.
My nervousness has gone down noticeably after getting to Frankfurt. First flight is done. But I bet it will build up again when the time for boarding the other plane comes. It's a 747 by the way!
Wow, the Frankfurt Airport is huge. We went from our arrival gate to the departure gate and it took easily 30 minutes. But I have to add that we are total newbies in airport orientation.
I am sitting at our gate and you won't believe how many 747s there are. I have seen at least 20 by now. And all from Lufthansa. Frankfurt is their main hub. Oh and even an A380! It is a beast!
12:45, half an hour before boarding. Pretty nervous!!! And the liftoff is scheduled for way later probably because so many people fit in that aircraft. Sadly it looks rather cloudy here. So there will be no real view i guess?
Boarding got delayed by 20 minutes so I thought to check out Arknights and I spent 80 originum on skins… but they are so cool! Especially Saria and Executor.
Finally boarded! My mother and I chose seats with one between us empty. Someone else picked the seat between us. That wasn't a problem but made it a bit hard to communicate while not disturbing the other person.
The food was really good but so difficult to eat with such limited space!! I took lots of photos!
The night was so rough. Sleeping was not possible in a position like that and with the room being that bright. But i was able to rest a bit at least (Hajime no Ippo pro tip)
I am here! I landed in Haneda, Tokyo! We are through passport control and we have all our baggage! Everything went well and the flight was actually really smooth. I downloaded lots of things to do on the plane but watching out of the window was way more interesting. Sadly we had to close them during the night. Now it is 4am at the time of our arrival (German time) which is 11am Japan time!
Phew, it was a struggle and after taking the wrong train twice and not finding our way around (since we didn’t have mobile internet yet, so no Google maps), we made it to our hotel after asking 3 different people. Everyone is willing to help!
I'm so exhausted! My mother as well. And we didn’t even do anything yet. Just got to the hotel. And we got the mobile Sim cards for Japanese internet access on the go. I can’t break them to the correct size… I hope I can go to their pick-up station tomorrow once more, so that they can break the card to the correct size for me. I think I might break it, if I use too much force.
Then we went to get dinner at a Konbini. I had some cheese and ham and melon pan! Melon pan is so sweet. Phew, pure sugar! I also got green tea, but I haven’t tried it yet.
My room has such a cool view. I can see the Skytree from my window in the distance (it’s pretty far away though, probably not even visible on the picture) and Shinjuku Goldengai is located just next to us. There is also a small shrine just outside the window: Hanazono Shrine. And lots of approaching planes are flying so low here to spot them.
Then we went to Don Quijote. That's a store for cheap products and they claim to have everything. It is so cramped and the paths between shelves are super narrow, maybe 30 cm at times. And then someone is coming from in front of you. I wanted to get an adapter to use my plugs in Japan. They didn’t have that. Their claim was a lie. I got a USB adapter thing, so I can at least charge most of my devices. Just not the laptop and the toothbrush. We will go to an electronics store tomorrow.
Oh and when we went out just now we saw two girls cosplaying Anya from Spy x Family.
In my hotel room, I tried finding channels that were airing anime. But I haven’t found any so far. Or maybe those start airing later? It is “only” 7pm right now. Most anime are airing around midnight. No way I am staying up that long tonight though. Well, my window is way more interesting for now!
WAIT. I just turned on the TV again and there it just is. Pokemon 2019 haha!
Breaking news: green tea with matcha tastes like rainwater from a puddle after it lets some soil sink in. But if i remember correctly you liked it? I will gladly trade for the cocoa drink which I also got, because that one rocked!
Haha. I just remembered. When we were taking the (wrong) train from the airport (until the final station of that line…) my mother said something so hilarious. At least I found it so funny. Do you remember that scene from Haikyuu where they are finally going to Tokyo and Hinata is like "look it's Tokyo Tower!" And then someone else is "no. That's just a normal transmission mast". And she said the same thing, thinking it was Tokyo Tower but it was just a regular transmission tower. We were not even close to Tokyo at that point. We weren't even in Yokohama, which is south of Tokyo.
I wasn’t able to sleep early but I eventually fell asleep at around 2am. I got up late as a result. I wanted to start the day at 8:30 but it was 9:00.
First we bought some breakfast things at a nearby Konbini. I also wanted to try out Pocari Sweat, so I got a bottle. Then we went with the subway to Shinonome and sat down to eat breakfast there. Then we saw the Shinonome apartment towers.
Then we continued on to Diver City in Odaiba. We also saw Tokyo Big Sight, the venue for Comiket. But it was quite distant so it wasn’t possible to take good pictures.
Ah and we also passed by Fuji TV. Known from anime like Digimon Adventure (the building with the sphere).
Diver City: Finally I got an adapter for a real plug. So I can charge all my things now. As you know, Diver City is the headquarters of the Gunpla Store. Their biggest store is located there and there were so many Gunpla on display!! I also got one from the limited edition section. For 5000 Yen. But it looked so cool on the shelf for display!! I asked the store clerk if it is okay to take photos, and I took so many!! I cartographed the whole store. For space reasons only a few are inserted here. When I am back I will pack all of them in an archive and give you the link. That way you can also see the ones not included in this diary.
I got this one
I wonder how a store clerk would react if I ask “Is it okay to take a photo”? And he said “sure go ahead”. And then I take a photo of the clerk. He said it was okay!? So he can’t complain later!!
We went to the food court on the ground level and got a Yakisoba and Karaage set. It was so much, we weren’t able to finish it. I felt bad for letting some food go to waste… I also felt bad for using chopsticks like a baby. Meaning, I couldn’t really use them. But you know that because I already struggled at your place with that haha.
Then we went outside to take a look at the life size Gundam! It was there and it was huge! Sadly it was under maintenance and the head part was taken off. I still took photos of it.
Then we went back to Shinjuku station because I needed to get my Sim Card fixed to the correct size. So this was a whole adventure in itself. First we weren’t able to find the correct place in the station. It is the biggest train station in the world and it is basically a maze. And finding such a small booth is quite a hard task without internet… Well, after asking several people I finally got there. And there were 4 people in line before me. It took FOREVER. I was in line for at least 30 minutes. And then it was my turn! “Sorry, we don’t do that here. We are only giving out the cards but give no assistance in setting them up”. Okay. The lady suggested I go to Yodobashi Camera instead for help.
Next part in the quest: Navigating to this Yodobashi Camera store, without internet. Not successful but by accident we stumbled over a different electronics store which had “Tourist SIM” signs. So I just went in and asked, even if it was a product of a different company. And they helped me. Finally, I am so thankful.
Then we went back to the hotel, put in the Sim cards and both are perfectly fine. Even with me touching them like an idiot with my fatty fingers the day before.
I planned to go to Tokyo Tower later. But on the website I wasn't able to book Tickets for admission today. So I will not go out again, it is 18:15 now already, so it was a long day. I will go tomorrow first to Tokyo Tower. And then maybe Asakusa and Skytree!?
I always heard that Japanese people are masters at stuffing the most possible things in the small space they have. But this is insane. How many things are in a Konbini that is maybe 10 square meters? So insane!
Tonight I got a Korokkepan: Croquette with Sauce in a sandwich. It was good. I don’t know if it is really unhealthy to eat Konbini food so often, but we are walking around a ton. So it should even out, right?
Here two more random photos of today:
There are so many advertisements with anime. I saw Bleach (maybe because of the new season), Love Life and so much Genshin Impact. The huge screens on some Shinjuku crossing showed Genshin ads and it is painted on trains as well.
I totally underestimated how long everything takes in my travel plans. That's mainly related to how hard things are to reach and to find. I hope it will be a bit better starting tomorrow with the unlocked cheat device called Google Maps.
Oh and I should check out where the school is located. I think I can actually see the classrooms from my hotel room’s window but how to get there..?
I can't sleep. Probably because of drinking cola too late in the evening. It's 3am. So I thought of a devious scheme. You know these videos where foreigners ask Japanese people something and they can't reply because their English is so broken? Then the YouTuber switches to japanese and asks again, this pranking the japanese person. My Japanese is far from perfect. Far from mediocre even. But I would like to try. What could I ask though! It has to be something super easy and obvious. Something they know for sure, but just don't understand because of the language barrier.
It’s so hot outside, it is basically still summer over here!
So today is Asakusa day! I am currently in line for the skytree observation decks. And the line is so long! People with an advance ticket are so much faster. But I bet it's worth the time waiting!
Dang the view is insane. I think it is so crowded because it's a Sunday and just after opening hours. That's fine though but the waits are long. Currently in line for the tembo galleria.
I waited really long but it was worth it. The view is spectacular. Even though it was sunny, Mount Fuji wasn’t visible today.
Then we moved on to Asakusa because that’s just a train station away. We went to the Nakamise Dori with all the street stands (!) I tried some street food and it was alright. I had Mocchi and Daifuku. But I would have loved to try Taiyaki. I think I would dig that. But there was no stand offering Taiyaki.
We saw the big gate of the Sensouji temple and the main building itself, also the pagoda.
Because it was too late to do it yesterday, we went to Tokyo Tower today. You also were there and I was hoping to take a picture at the exact same spot you were standing at. But I didn’t find that one, or rather, I couldn’t remember exactly how it looked.
Tokyo Tower is also really cool and the queue times are so fast compared to Skytree. I think I should try to go one more time when it is after sunset though, so that you can see the city illuminated by the lights. With “only” 1200 Yen, the ticket price is rather cheap as well compared to the 3700 Yen of Skytree.
You could choose if you wanted to take the elevator or the stairs! Who in their right mind would pick the stairs!!
My feet are killing me but I want to do more. I should take a break now though and recharge for a bit. I haven’t really seen any anime or manga stores just yet. But I haven’t really looked for them. According to Google Maps there is an Animate two street corners away from our hotel. Maybe I should check it out.
I just went to the Animate store and it is “only” one floor. They had quite a collection but for example no figurines. I got the new volumes of my Japanese manga which I haven’t ordered yet: Blue Lock Vol 18-21 and Yuru Camp Vol 13.
By the way, Skytree and Tokyo Tower look so much better in real life. The images can’t do them justice.
Oy! I was browsing the TV channels and I found like 5 anime stations. They were airing Chainsaw Man, Lycoris Recoil, Haikyuu, Doraemon and (hopefully to your liking) Jojo Stardust Crusaders! The episode with D’arby!
It was the first night where I was able to really sleep. I fell asleep early and felt rested when waking up at a reasonable time. Also, today is the first day of language school. I should be there at 13:20 so it is a bit hard to find things to do before noon but I don’t want to waste time!! I hope the timetable they give me leaves some possibilities for doing things in the city.
Ah, when taking the train there are all these monitors as well. Some are displaying the next station and stuff like that. But some are also just airing advertisements of anime (in this case: Eternal Boys) and some manga which I don’t know.
日本語上手-counter: 2
Good morning! Today is the first day of Japanese school. But it starts in the afternoon at 13:20 so there is a little time. Not enough to do something big, but not so little that it wouldn’t feel bad to let it go to waste.
So we went to Isetan Shinjuku first. That’s a department store with a huge food court in the basement. So many stands with high quality goods. Cakes, Fish, Wine, everything! Of course we didn’t buy anything because that store is for rich people.
Then we went on to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. That’s the one we saw being blown up in Zankyou no Terror. It has a free observatory on the 45th floor. I went there, and even though it was a rainy day (and 10°C colder than yesterday) the view was not terrible. I think instead of going to the Tokyo Tower once more when it’s dark, I might go to the Government Building instead because it is free and I don’t have to take the train. It is just 15 minutes by foot from the hotel.
Then we went to a restaurant for the first time in Japan. I suggested Japanese curry but my mother wasn’t sure if she could take it. So we went to a pizza restaurant instead. It wasn’t bad but I would have liked some more authentic Japanese stuff, you know.
Then it was time for school! First we had an introduction. There were 2 other new students (from Hawaii and Guatemala) who started today. Then we had our first lessons.
We just kept being in the room which was used for the introduction and then other students appeared - 3 girls who were already studying for a longer time (2 from Germany and 1 from USA). Everyone was really nice but then we found out that we (me and the other 2 new students) were supposed to change the classroom because the room we were in for the introduction was the beginner level course.
So we changed rooms and then I got to know my real classmates. Two guys from France and one from Canada. So we are a 6 person class.
I am a bit sad we had to change because the girls from the beginner class seemed to be more into anime and manga compared to the advanced class. But one of the french persons actually asked me if I am using MAL and he said he has a list with 500 entries! I sadly didn’t ask for his user name. I will ask tomorrow!
Then our teacher arrived for the first two lessons. It is grammar only and there was one task in a partner exercise which I totally didn’t understand. I felt like to most stupid planet on earth. But other than that one task it went pretty good I feel. I didn’t get everything correct, but I wasn't too terrible either. I am very glad that my exercise partner (a Canadian person) was so patient with me. I alway prefer individual tasks to be honest, but I will get through the partner exercises as well!
Then we had a small break and a new teacher for the final two lessons of the day. Also a female Japanese person and I think she was really really cool!! She talked really friendly and seemed so sociable. She mentioned how she likes Chainsaw Man. I checked the timetable if I will have her again and the answer is yes, but sadly only on Friday.
They said the schedule might be subject to change, so we should check every day. But this is the schedule as of today:
Tuesday 9:30 - 14:55
Wednesday 9:30 - 13:10
Thursday 9:30 - 14:55
Friday 14:05 - 17:45
Saturday is supposed to be some cultural activity but I don’t have the time yet. Oh, I also got a Japanese textbook: Genki 2. It is quite big and new so I might sell it off when I am back home. I don’t intend to ever use it after this. I am not a textbook kind of person.
The schedule luckily has only one afternoon lesson day. So we can make use of the other afternoons! Let’s see, what do I want to do?
Tuesday I will have a little bit of time in the afternoon and it is supposed to be rainy again. So I think I might go to Nakano! Wednesday I will have the whole afternoon, so I might go to Akihabara. Thursday is a small afternoon time slot available, I might go to Ikebukuro. I only have the morning on Friday available, so… I might go to Jimbocho or Shibuya?
Then the things that are left from my plans are:
Either Jimbocho or Shibuya (depending on what I did on Friday)
Yanesen
Enoshima and Kamakura
If I don’t have enough time to fit in everything, I might leave Enoshima and Kamakura for the next trip. Those are places I want to visit 100%!! But maybe they are not the highest priority just now.
Not only anime and manga goods are on my want-to-buy list but also Japanese snacks that are not available in Germany. Today I got the healthy choice because they include fruits. Pocky with strawberry coating, some chocolate bars filled with different berries (I just noticed it also has alcohol… I will still try it and if it is unbearable my mother has to finish it) and Fanta grape.
Before I go to bed I want to check out what the five anime channels are airing. Commercial break. Ah wait, hmmm, I don’t know the name. I only have seen the main girl but it is a Fall 2022 anime. Looks like one channel always has current episodes while the other 4 have reruns. Let’s take a look at the other 4. Shingeki no Kyojin, Uhm, no idea what this next one is. Some vampire or horror anime maybe? Then we have a dog anime, which looks like it is targeted towards children. Maybe I will watch this when I go to sleep. AH! It was Shin Chan and there were just some dogs. And finally Dragon Ball Super which in my humble opinion is not as good as they want it to be with the title they decided on but that’s just me.
Just finished my second day of school. First we had the same teacher from yesterday’s first lessons again. It was okay and I didn’t screw up big time! Then for lesson 3 and 4 we had a new lady who also was really nice. Since our group consisted of only 5 students today and we had to do pair exercises I had the chance to do them with the teacher. And I actually think that's really good.
Then I had one more lesson after lunch break. A one on one conversation practice lesson. I think it went well and I was able to hold a conversation in Japanese even though I was missing some words here and there and botched some grammar points. But the person seemed to understand me.
Now I want to use the remainder of the afternoon to check out Nakano and the Nakano Broadway.
I went to Nakano Broadway. That’s a shopping mall with lots of second hand stores. And they sell so many out of production, collectibles and unique items. It ranges from old manga over toys, figures, miniature cars, trading cards and lots of other stuff. The other half of the stores were jewelry and expensive watches. What a mix.
I read that there are 20 stores of Mandarake in Nakano Broadway and I was like “no way, that has to be an error”. But it is true. This shopping mall is very much in the hands of Mandarake. They also gained a customer in me because I bought the side story light novel of Lycoris Recoil.
Ah they also had a store where all the old Shounen Jumps were on sale. And the issues with the pilot chapters of popular manga like Jojo or Kimetsu no Yaiba went for an especially high price and were locked behind glass!
Then on my way back to the hotel, someone asked me for the way to some store. ME! I mean, like, do I look like I know my way around here? Am I looking like a local to you? xD Well to be fair I can understand. As a foreigner it might be less of a hurdle to ask another foreigner for directions because we speak the same language. But I am just as clueless as that person when it comes to finding my way, so I sadly couldn’t help him.
Ah, I also got the schedule for the cultural event at school on the upcoming saturday. It will be a visit to Meiji shrine (nice, because that didn’t make my list but I am actually interested), Purikura (not really my thing) and Japanese candy craft.
I knew that Shinjuku is the busiest train station in the world. And when people said it has over 100 exits, I was doubtful. But it is true. The problem is that five different train carrier companies converge there, and every company has its own gate and exit for every line. Every little number you see here is a different exit of the station: And that’s only one little part in the north east of the station! When zooming out, the numbers disappear though.
Here are more random photos from Nakano.
To practice my chopstick skills I got Cup Noodles as a test subject. It went surprisingly well and it tasted pretty good too! I bet it is super unhealthy though! But maybe now I am up for the real challenge in a restaurant.
School went okay today. There was nothing special but the grammar point that was discussed seemed super complicated. It was the last lesson with the one teacher where I totally botched an assignment. I remember!! She reminds me of a Youtuber called Kim Dao.
Then I went to the ultimate den of nerdiness. No, let's rephrase that, the center of anime and manga culture - Akihabara. And I could easily spend twice as much time there!! There are so many specialty stores. I researched some in advance but I also went into some that I never heard of before. Funny enough, I only bought stuff from the stores which were NOT on my list.
But let's start from the beginning. I didn’t arrive at Akihabara station but at some other nearby station because it worked better for the line I was going with, without transferring. But I walked by Akihabara station and they had huge Jojo things at the window!
The first store on my list was Book Off. That's a used book store where they are dealing with manga, light novels but also DVDs, games and CDs. By the way, it has 5 floors. It is HUGE. I was on the lookout for complete sets of either Nisekoi, Ansatsu Kyoushitsu or Hige wo soru. Sadly I wasn’t able to find them as a set. I found all the volumes of Hige wo soru light novel individually but they were “only” reduced from 660 Yen to 400 Yen, so in the end I didn’t buy them. But I spent so much time in that store alone, I bet 30-40 minutes.
Then I went to Radio Kaikan. That's a building with multiple stores over several floors. The stores ranged from Gunpla, over figures and trading card shops. But what caught my eye was a framed illustration from one of my favorite boys, Kantoku!!! You know him! I showed pictures of his art several times! He is the one who “designed” the “cover” of my novel.
Oh and there are huge advertisements of anime as you know. But also of Arknights!! And there were Arknights figures on sale as well! I really liked my boy Thorny and Exu! She has apple pie!
I was recommended to also visit the store called Gamers, as it was a “hidden gem” mentioned in some video from a self proclaimed Akihabara expert. And I don’t know if I just didn’t find the stairs but the store was so tiny and they basically had nothing. I think I missed something important. But as I experienced it, it was definitely not worth the recommendation. But nothing is lost with just giving it a shot!
Then I went to the big daddy of anime stores: Animate. The store in Akihabara is not the biggest one - as far as I know the one in Ikebukuro is bigger. But 8 floors of anime merchandise is pretty decent already!! I even checked out the two top floors with the Doujinshi and 18+ content but it felt a bit weird walking those shelves. I didn’t check out the BL corner.
The last store on my list was Mandarake. That’s also a store which is buying and selling manga and merch from customers. They had a whole floor for magical girl stuff! So I went to floor 2. And it was a disappointment. It was so much smaller than the other floors. It was a joke. There were two staff members at the counter on that floor. I bet they were surprised to actually see a customer who accidentally left the elevator on that floor today. But they had quite a selection on the other floors.
I am a bit sad that I didn’t even see a single item of one of my two favorite characters Masuzu and Cure Marine. I guess their time in the spotlight is over.
But as mentioned above I also went to other stores which I never heard about before! For example this one store that is reselling capsule toy things. I bought a Ram figure even though I am not the biggest Re Zero fan. But listen! It was only 250 Yen and I really needed to lift some weight from my heavy coin purse. 250 YEN (2 Euro). In Germany it would easily be 5 Euro. The quality is pretty good but it is rather small. It is a bit bigger than a Kinder surprise toy if you know those.
So many maids were at the side of the road to hand out flyers to their restaurant. I was afraid to lock eyes with them because I was afraid of being pulled in haha.
Then I went to another store and found this really nice (but also small) figure of Nadeshiko, my girl. I couldn’t resist and bought it even though it was quite expensive for the size. It was around 2000 Yen, which is 17 Euro or so. And she looks really cute.
When I go to Ikebukuro, I hope to find similar stores. I am especially looking for a keychain item and for one small capsule toy sized figure to place at my desk at work. If I can’t find anything, Ram will be the one that goes to work with me.
Man, actually. I still have quite a bit of money left. I don’t want to exchange it back to Euro. So it is all there to be spent!!!! I should go all out while I have this chance to be here! The only thing that worries me a bit is that all the things won't fit into my bags. So I might need to buy a second suitcase for the airplane if that is allowed..
One of the foods I wanted to try while in Japan is Taiyaki. And I didn’t find any store. So I especially looked one up in Akihabara which also had the desired chocolate type Taiyaki for sale. BUT it was already closed when I was going back to the train station. I overstayed in Akihabara and this is the price to pay.
I heard there will be a Halloween themed event in Shibuya this weekend where people are celebrating. I don’t want to be part of a mess like that. So probably I should rearrange my plans to avoid Shibuya on saturday altogether. Let’s see. Days I have left: Thursday afternoon, Friday morning, Saturday afternoon, Sunday, Monday morning and early afternoon. Things I haven’t done yet from my list: Ikebukuro, Yanesen, Shibuya, Jimbocho, Kamakura. Should we go to Kamakura, that has to be done on Sunday because it will take all day.
Thursday afternoon - Jimbocho
Friday morning - the morning is so hard to plan!! Yanesen!?
Saturday afternoon - Ikebukuro
Sunday - Kamakura
Monday morning - Shibuya.
Oh man, I totally blew another pair exercise. This grammar is way too specific for my level and I felt so bad for my partner for having to bear with me. Why does it always have to be partner exercises? This is the worst. I hate everything relating Partner exercises and group work.
After school, I went to Ikebukuro! Against all previous planning. And you know Ikebukuro right! It is famous for Sunshite 60, the previously highest skyscraper in Tokyo. And it is so prominently featured in Durarara which also plays in Ikebukuro. I went across the very same crossing where Celty was driving her motorcycle with the Sunshine 60 in the background.
We went to Sunshine City shopping mall and then to some anime specialty stores like K-Books. And I also went to the Ikebukuro Animate, which very well might be the biggest one! I bought all 5 volumes of Hige wo soru.
Ah and there was another Book Off in Ikebukuro and they had Nisekoi. But it was a bit weird. They had individual volulumes for 110 or 220 Yen each (I forgot which, but either way, super cheap!) But they also had a full set for 5.000 Yen. And I was a bit skeptical because the full set was twice as expensive as getting the individual volumes. Wouldn’t you expect it to be the other way round? In the end I didn’t buy it. But I want to buy moreeeeee. Figures and manga! I also highly considered the Violet Evergarden light novel. But in the end I decided against it.
Oh, I forgot to mention. In the animate they had the original draft pages from some manga hanging on the wall! Not a scan or a duplicate, but the original real thing the author penned! Blue Lock!! And some others. So cool!
Thank you so much for sending the clue in Arknights!
Oh dang. You can’t imagine how much my lower back hurts. All this walking is so painful, but I want to continue! Never take a break while I am here!! I can rest in class and on the airplane!
School is only starting at 14:00 today until evening, so this day is so hard to make use of. After school I might once again visit the metropolitan government buildings free observation terrace on the 45th floor. I bet the Tokyo night view is also stunning!
I forgot if I said it in yesterday's entry already. But it’s scheduled for today that I get my diploma from the language school because it is the final day with lessons. There is a cultural event planned for tomorrow which I am not really interested in. So I am thinking about skipping it.
We only had the morning today so we had to do something nearby. I decided it would be a good idea to visit the Meiji Jingu shrine because most other stores weren’t open before 10 or 11am. We got off one station too early and had to walk for quite a while but we eventually got to the correct station and the directly adjacent park inside which Meiji Jingu shrine is located. It was really quiet.
Then we continued in the direction of Shibuya. There was not really much to do and the department stores were really expensive and not really made for us. The one interesting thing was the Shibuya scramble crossing. But instead of 5000 people crossing at a time, it was probably only 400 because we were so early in the day and not at rush hour. There was also the statue of the dog who waited for its owner at the Shibuya station. Ah and then we saw the Shibuya 109 department store as well which is pretty well known. But we didn’t go inside.
Then I had school and it went pretty well. I didn’t screw up anything but I am glad it is over. In the end I didn’t go to the government building. Ah, the trip is almost over!? Only Saturday and Sunday are left. The flight back to Germany is scheduled for Monday evening.
Phew, today was such an exhausting day and so much happened and we visited so many places and saw so much. Let me try to get everything in order.
First we went to Shinjuku Station in hope to find the correct platform which will get us to Enoshima. And actually it was pretty easy getting there. The arrows made it super easy to navigate and we didn’t even get lost in this dungeon! But there was this totally huge wall with animated advertisements in the station and it displayed Arknights ads! And it was huge!!
Then we went by train to Enoshima, which is an island somewhat far away from Tokyo. The ride took around an hour. But dang it was nice there! It was totally like the Mediterranean sea. The ocean was so nice and it was totally summer even though it is almost November!
I took SO MANY PHOTOS. Please check all of them in the archive when I upload them altogether. I can only show a few ones here but there are a ton!
There was also a stand with soft ice and we got some. Finally some Japanese snack time. I got grape flavor and my mother took Matcha and vanilla flavor. It was pretty good but maybe not worth 400 Yen.
Enoshima has so many shrines or temples (I don’t really know which is which at the moment and I am too tired to think or to look it up). It was such a nice place. Everything looked so good! I have such a hard time picking photos for this because all of them are so good!! Enoshima is basically also a mountain in the sea so we had to ascend quite a distance. Luckily we paid for the escalator pass. Thanks to that we were able to survive.
On the very top of the mountain is the Enoshima Sea Candle - the local observation tower which offers a nice view of the island and the ocean. On a lucky day you can even see Mount Fuji. Sadly not today even though the weather was so nice.
Then it was already noon so we wanted something to eat. BUT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE. Every single store on this dang island has these mini small fishes that look like noodles as the main ingredient in each single dish. We didn’t want to eat that! Luckily we found a place that sold just plain french fries. Better than dying of starvation I guess.
Then we went back to Enoshima station and moved on to Hase. There are more shrines and temples in Hase but the most commonly known attraction is one of the three big Buddha statues of Japan.
From Hase we went to Kamakura. Let me make it clear. We “walked”. It was quite a distance! Kamakura has so many shrines and temples and I noted some down I wanted to see. But we were exhausted already and it was already getting dark because the sun descended behind the mountain range quite early. So we decided to just go to Kamakura station.
On the way to the station we saw a Taiyaki store! Finally!! We got chocolate-anko and chestnut flavors! The chocolate one was so good and the chestnut one hasn’t been tried yet. I will do so later!
So we continued to Kamakura station and I was so crazy that I wanted to at least visit the biggest temple or shrine or whatever in this town. It is called Hachimangu and it is a huge estate. Sadly it was already quite dark by then so the images didn’t turn out too well.
Then we went back from Kamakura station to Shinjuku. We got really lucky to catch a train without transfer. The ride should have taken an hour if it all went according to schedule. But it wasn’t that easy.
At one station between Yokohama and Tokyo the train stopped. Nothing special so far. But there was such a shrill and non-stopping sound which penetrated my ears. It was so loud and I thought my ears would explode. Then out of the window I saw all the station staff running around to the train. There was an announcement on the train but I wasn’t able to understand anything. First I thought it was an earthquake and the train had to stop for safety reasons. I checked how the other passengers reacted, everyone was totally fine. Then I thought someone jumped in front of the train. But then some woman was carried out of some other train car on an impromptu wheelchair. Probably she had a medical emergency like a heart attack or a seizure. It was really an uncomfortable and tense situation. After 5 minutes the sound finally stopped and the doors closed. The ride continued to Shinjuku.
But the day was not over just yet. We went to a local Konbini just next to our hotel to get something to drink for the night. There are so many cool Fantas available here! I got melon and pear and they taste so good!! But then inside the Konbini there were sirens yet again. So loud. And right in front of the Konbini and therefore right in front of our hotel as well, 2 huge fire department cars and some ambulances arrived. It was really loud and the traffic instantly stopped around the whole block of buildings. Total congestion.
We decided to go back to the hotel and my mother has windows towards the street so we checked everything out from up there. Nothing was to be seen just how the traffic got stuck and jumbled. People had to wait behind the fire department trucks for at least 15 minutes without being able to go back or forth. But to be honest. Who is crazy enough to drive a car in Shinjuku in the first place.
Wow, what a day. Now I am dead tired and hungry. Time to eat. Ittadakimasu.
I can’t believe it will be over soon. The next night will be the last one I will be in Japan. Our flight is scheduled to leave on Monday evening at around 21:30 or so.
The last day. We went to Yanesen! That’s the combination of the three adjacent neighborhoods Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi. First we went to Nippori station and walked to the Nezu shrine. That’s the small brother of the one in Kyoto with the many Tori gates.
We decided to skip Sendagi and the Snake road and went directly to Yanaka. There we visited the local shopping street Yanaka Ginza. We got some souvenirs and some street food. Some chocolate dough sticks and a vegetable croquette. The croquette was unexpectedly good and it was only 36 Yen per piece? Impossible!
Then there were two more stores I wanted to visit once more in Akihabara. I still had lots of money left that needed to be burned.
So we moved over to Akihabara and I went to Book Off. I was still looking for Nisekoi and I had space in the bag for around 10 volumes. That’s not enough for all of Nisekoi.
Luckily (or not) they didn’t have volume 8 on sale. Please remember it is a used book store. So I got volumes 1-7 and all 3 volumes of another manga about soccer which I never even heard about before.
After that I visited Rashinban once more. That’s the store that trades used figures and Gacha toys. I got a keychain from SSSS.Gridman and 4 more Gacha toy figures. “Which ones” you ask? Please don’t laugh, they include characters from anime which I don’t even like. I got one from Jujutsu Kaisen, one from Fate (looking super detailed considering the price), one from 5-Toubun no Hanayome… Uh. There was one more but what was it again. I don’t remember and they are already packed for the flight. Sorry! I will show a picture of all the things that I got on this trip once I am back in Germany and unpacked everything.
But there is more. I went up to the second floor or Rashinbang. They had cool figures for example the one from the one Fate cosplay I showed you before, you know which one I mean. But there was no way I could buy something like that for my room. Instead I got another small figure from the same producer my Nadeshiko is from. This time it is from Gochuumon ha Usagi desu ka?
After a quick break at the hotel to unload all the loot I left for Jimbocho. That’s the book town of Tokyo with many street sellers and used book stores. And you know who also has their headquarter there from Bakuman: Shuueisha. Or in Bakuman it is called “Yuueisha”.
And this weekend was even the Jumbocho book festival.
Then I went back to the hotel and now we are here. I need to do the online check-in for the flight tomorrow evening and I need to finish packing my stuff. What a trip it has been. I think money could become an issue if we don’t want to retrieve some more from an ATM. We only have around 3500 Yen left and 2000 of those are needed to charge our Suica cards once more. That leaves 1500 Yen to get drinks and tomorrow’s lunch and dinner. Living on the edge.
日本語上手-counter: 5
I tried to do the online check-in but it is a bit complicated. I never have done that before. I tried the Lufthansa website first with several attempts. Then I moved to the ANA website because the flight is booked via Lufthansa but carried out by ANA. And on their website it seemed to work. I got my boarding pass from Tokyo to Frankfurt but not from Frankfurt to Bremen yet. I hope this is correct.
Our flight leaves late at night, 21:45. So we left our baggage at the hotel and used the morning in Tokyo. We went to Tokyu Hands (yes it's written like that). That's a department store. Of course we didn't get anything because we had little money left and the minimum to withdraw at an ATM would be 10.000 yen which is around 100 euro. We couldn't spend so much so we wanted to get through with what we have.
Then we went to the government building one more time. The observation deck is free so I went again. It was sunny and you could even see Mount Fuji! Beautiful! But I don't know if the images really make him look good because he is so far away.
Right next to the government building is the Shinjuku Chuou Koen park. We went there to take a break and nothing was allowed there!
There was this curry restaurant I wanted to go to. And I finally went. I ate katsu curry and it was so spicy even though I took the lowest level of spiciness!
Then we moved back to the hotel and got our luggage and moved on to the Haneda airport. Here I am typing this. I already asked a person at the counter if my online Check-in was correct and it looks like we are good to go.
We got something to eat, returned the suica cards for the refund and now we have 3800 Yen left. What I don't know is if there will be dinner on the plane because it leaves after dinner time. Even the lady at the counter didn't know.
I wonder what we could get for 3800 yen in the security area. Snacks? Or manga? Or gacha?
Now it's 16:18 and we have to wait until 17:35 to drop our bags and move on to the security area.
Bags are dropped and we went through security. Still 2000 yen to burn. There are some gacha machines but they are mostly silly. If worse comes to worst we buy snacks.
Sadly almost all stores were closed. Just one store with snacks earned very well on us. We spend all our remaining yen on snacks. Now it is 19:34 and our flight already got delayed by 15 minutes to 22:00.
We boarded but when I did the online Check-in I totally missed the fact that our seats were different from how we planned it at the travel agency. Maybe the aircraft changed. We planned to have a row with just 2 seats. Me at the window and my mother at the aisle. But the aircraft had 3 seats per row so my mother got the seat at the aisle as planned and I was put in the middle! Then I wanted to change the seats after checking in but the seat was blocked on the website. So we boarded, expecting a new friend at my side. But the aircraft was actually pretty empty. Maybe 30% of the seats were not taken. Also the seat next to me so i just moved over to the window!
The view was so unreal. When we emerged from Tokyo while ascending between an ocean of lights. I didn't take a photo or video because it wouldn't turn out well, but it looked stunning.
We arrived in Frankfurt at 5:00 German time after a 15 hour flight over flipping Alaska and Greenland. Nothing was seen from the window because it was night all flight long and I think there was a layer of clouds. Sad. This time I was able to spot the skyline of Frankfurt but it is such a joke compared to Tokyo!
We are through security (we had to do it again!) And the staff is so different from the staff in Japan. Man, everyone in Japan is just so nice and in Germany it is so rough handling. Now I am sitting at the gate for our flight to Bremen which is scheduled to leave in 3 hours from now.
I just received your clue! The last one I was missing! Thanks!
The last flight was delayed again by 20 minutes or so which wasn't too bad. The flight itself was the roughest one out of all four but I survived. It got a bit shaky at times but nothing major.
Then we received our bags at the airport and got picked up by my father. Now I am home. Phew. What a trip it has been. I am beat but I regret nothing.
Interestingly my mother and i had the same favorite part of the trip and it might be totally different from what you assume! Enoshima! Paradise on earth! I want to go again!
I would have liked to eat more Japanese food. I didn't eat any ramen. Dang it. Next time! Because I will come again.
Walked kilometers based on google fit:
20.10.2022 - 4,63 km
21.10.2022 - 4,14 km
22.10.2022 - 10,31 km
23.10.2022 - 9,84 km
24.10.2022 - 8,15 km
25.10.2022 - 6 km
26.10.2022 - 6,53 km
27.10.2022 - 9,21 km
28.10.2022 - 10,35 km
29.10.2022 - 13,35 km
30.10.2022 - 12,14 km
31.10.2022 - 15,86 km
01.11.2022 - 2,17 km
Sum: 109,68 km. That’s almost the distance from Bremen to Hannover!
Snack loot:
Manga and light novel loot:
Figure and gacha loot:
This will be the end of my "abridged" travel report. Please read the full diary version on the Google Docs when you have the chance. I will also put a link there with all the photos and videos we took! Thanks for reading this!
Hello Hira Koyuki,
here are my daily reports for the days of my Tokyo trip in 2022. I left out some details and lines from the full document. Please catch up on them once you can access Google Docs again - you know where to find the link. In the meantime, please enjoy this "abridged" report!
In case some images are not displayed correctly, please rightclick on the error thingy and click "open image in new tab"
It is 4:22. I didn't sleep a single second. And I need to leave in 8 minutes. It's even earlier than I expected yesterday. I am nervous.
I was surprised how much traffic there is in Bremen at a time like this.
We arrived at Bremen Airport and completed the security check. It is 5:56 now and I am super tired because I didn't sleep at all. I thought it would be impossible to sleep on the plane but with how tired I am, I think it might be possible.
Wow, the prices at an airport are spicy!! A bar of chocolate for 6 Euros. Half a liter of water for 3. Insane.
It's 7:34 and my plane from Bremen to Frankfurt just arrived. Boarding is scheduled for 7:45. Nervous!! Based on the number of people waiting here it might be a lowly populated flight. There are just.. 40 people or so.
It wasn't super empty! It was just a small aircraft. I had to sit at the emergency exit with extra responsibility…. Nothing happened. I expected to see the memorable skyline of Frankfurt because this is like.. the only city in Germany with real skyscrapers. But I couldn't see it from my window. But we got a traveling companion also inbound for Frankfurt.
It is 9:30 now. We should call my father and get some breakfasts. We have time until 13:10 when our next flight leaves. Man, food is crazy expensive here! But we have a seat to eat with a nice view of a pretty close aircraft - closer than I ever saw one when I went to the visitors terrace in Bremen or Hamburg.
My nervousness has gone down noticeably after getting to Frankfurt. First flight is done. But I bet it will build up again when the time for boarding the other plane comes. It's a 747 by the way!
Wow, the Frankfurt Airport is huge. We went from our arrival gate to the departure gate and it took easily 30 minutes. But I have to add that we are total newbies in airport orientation.
I am sitting at our gate and you won't believe how many 747s there are. I have seen at least 20 by now. And all from Lufthansa. Frankfurt is their main hub. Oh and even an A380! It is a beast!
12:45, half an hour before boarding. Pretty nervous!!! And the liftoff is scheduled for way later probably because so many people fit in that aircraft. Sadly it looks rather cloudy here. So there will be no real view i guess?
Boarding got delayed by 20 minutes so I thought to check out Arknights and I spent 80 originum on skins… but they are so cool! Especially Saria and Executor.
Finally boarded! My mother and I chose seats with one between us empty. Someone else picked the seat between us. That wasn't a problem but made it a bit hard to communicate while not disturbing the other person.
The food was really good but so difficult to eat with such limited space!! I took lots of photos!
The night was so rough. Sleeping was not possible in a position like that and with the room being that bright. But i was able to rest a bit at least (Hajime no Ippo pro tip)
I am here! I landed in Haneda, Tokyo! We are through passport control and we have all our baggage! Everything went well and the flight was actually really smooth. I downloaded lots of things to do on the plane but watching out of the window was way more interesting. Sadly we had to close them during the night. Now it is 4am at the time of our arrival (German time) which is 11am Japan time!
Phew, it was a struggle and after taking the wrong train twice and not finding our way around (since we didn’t have mobile internet yet, so no Google maps), we made it to our hotel after asking 3 different people. Everyone is willing to help!
I'm so exhausted! My mother as well. And we didn’t even do anything yet. Just got to the hotel. And we got the mobile Sim cards for Japanese internet access on the go. I can’t break them to the correct size… I hope I can go to their pick-up station tomorrow once more, so that they can break the card to the correct size for me. I think I might break it, if I use too much force.
Then we went to get dinner at a Konbini. I had some cheese and ham and melon pan! Melon pan is so sweet. Phew, pure sugar! I also got green tea, but I haven’t tried it yet.
My room has such a cool view. I can see the Skytree from my window in the distance (it’s pretty far away though, probably not even visible on the picture) and Shinjuku Goldengai is located just next to us. There is also a small shrine just outside the window: Hanazono Shrine. And lots of approaching planes are flying so low here to spot them.
Then we went to Don Quijote. That's a store for cheap products and they claim to have everything. It is so cramped and the paths between shelves are super narrow, maybe 30 cm at times. And then someone is coming from in front of you. I wanted to get an adapter to use my plugs in Japan. They didn’t have that. Their claim was a lie. I got a USB adapter thing, so I can at least charge most of my devices. Just not the laptop and the toothbrush. We will go to an electronics store tomorrow.
Oh and when we went out just now we saw two girls cosplaying Anya from Spy x Family.
In my hotel room, I tried finding channels that were airing anime. But I haven’t found any so far. Or maybe those start airing later? It is “only” 7pm right now. Most anime are airing around midnight. No way I am staying up that long tonight though. Well, my window is way more interesting for now!
WAIT. I just turned on the TV again and there it just is. Pokemon 2019 haha!
Breaking news: green tea with matcha tastes like rainwater from a puddle after it lets some soil sink in. But if i remember correctly you liked it? I will gladly trade for the cocoa drink which I also got, because that one rocked!
Haha. I just remembered. When we were taking the (wrong) train from the airport (until the final station of that line…) my mother said something so hilarious. At least I found it so funny. Do you remember that scene from Haikyuu where they are finally going to Tokyo and Hinata is like "look it's Tokyo Tower!" And then someone else is "no. That's just a normal transmission mast". And she said the same thing, thinking it was Tokyo Tower but it was just a regular transmission tower. We were not even close to Tokyo at that point. We weren't even in Yokohama, which is south of Tokyo.
I wasn’t able to sleep early but I eventually fell asleep at around 2am. I got up late as a result. I wanted to start the day at 8:30 but it was 9:00.
First we bought some breakfast things at a nearby Konbini. I also wanted to try out Pocari Sweat, so I got a bottle. Then we went with the subway to Shinonome and sat down to eat breakfast there. Then we saw the Shinonome apartment towers.
Then we continued on to Diver City in Odaiba. We also saw Tokyo Big Sight, the venue for Comiket. But it was quite distant so it wasn’t possible to take good pictures.
Ah and we also passed by Fuji TV. Known from anime like Digimon Adventure (the building with the sphere).
Diver City: Finally I got an adapter for a real plug. So I can charge all my things now. As you know, Diver City is the headquarters of the Gunpla Store. Their biggest store is located there and there were so many Gunpla on display!! I also got one from the limited edition section. For 5000 Yen. But it looked so cool on the shelf for display!! I asked the store clerk if it is okay to take photos, and I took so many!! I cartographed the whole store. For space reasons only a few are inserted here. When I am back I will pack all of them in an archive and give you the link. That way you can also see the ones not included in this diary.
I got this one
I wonder how a store clerk would react if I ask “Is it okay to take a photo”? And he said “sure go ahead”. And then I take a photo of the clerk. He said it was okay!? So he can’t complain later!!
We went to the food court on the ground level and got a Yakisoba and Karaage set. It was so much, we weren’t able to finish it. I felt bad for letting some food go to waste… I also felt bad for using chopsticks like a baby. Meaning, I couldn’t really use them. But you know that because I already struggled at your place with that haha.
Then we went outside to take a look at the life size Gundam! It was there and it was huge! Sadly it was under maintenance and the head part was taken off. I still took photos of it.
Then we went back to Shinjuku station because I needed to get my Sim Card fixed to the correct size. So this was a whole adventure in itself. First we weren’t able to find the correct place in the station. It is the biggest train station in the world and it is basically a maze. And finding such a small booth is quite a hard task without internet… Well, after asking several people I finally got there. And there were 4 people in line before me. It took FOREVER. I was in line for at least 30 minutes. And then it was my turn! “Sorry, we don’t do that here. We are only giving out the cards but give no assistance in setting them up”. Okay. The lady suggested I go to Yodobashi Camera instead for help.
Next part in the quest: Navigating to this Yodobashi Camera store, without internet. Not successful but by accident we stumbled over a different electronics store which had “Tourist SIM” signs. So I just went in and asked, even if it was a product of a different company. And they helped me. Finally, I am so thankful.
Then we went back to the hotel, put in the Sim cards and both are perfectly fine. Even with me touching them like an idiot with my fatty fingers the day before.
I planned to go to Tokyo Tower later. But on the website I wasn't able to book Tickets for admission today. So I will not go out again, it is 18:15 now already, so it was a long day. I will go tomorrow first to Tokyo Tower. And then maybe Asakusa and Skytree!?
I always heard that Japanese people are masters at stuffing the most possible things in the small space they have. But this is insane. How many things are in a Konbini that is maybe 10 square meters? So insane!
Tonight I got a Korokkepan: Croquette with Sauce in a sandwich. It was good. I don’t know if it is really unhealthy to eat Konbini food so often, but we are walking around a ton. So it should even out, right?
Here two more random photos of today:
There are so many advertisements with anime. I saw Bleach (maybe because of the new season), Love Life and so much Genshin Impact. The huge screens on some Shinjuku crossing showed Genshin ads and it is painted on trains as well.
I totally underestimated how long everything takes in my travel plans. That's mainly related to how hard things are to reach and to find. I hope it will be a bit better starting tomorrow with the unlocked cheat device called Google Maps.
Oh and I should check out where the school is located. I think I can actually see the classrooms from my hotel room’s window but how to get there..?
I can't sleep. Probably because of drinking cola too late in the evening. It's 3am. So I thought of a devious scheme. You know these videos where foreigners ask Japanese people something and they can't reply because their English is so broken? Then the YouTuber switches to japanese and asks again, this pranking the japanese person. My Japanese is far from perfect. Far from mediocre even. But I would like to try. What could I ask though! It has to be something super easy and obvious. Something they know for sure, but just don't understand because of the language barrier.
It’s so hot outside, it is basically still summer over here!
So today is Asakusa day! I am currently in line for the skytree observation decks. And the line is so long! People with an advance ticket are so much faster. But I bet it's worth the time waiting!
Dang the view is insane. I think it is so crowded because it's a Sunday and just after opening hours. That's fine though but the waits are long. Currently in line for the tembo galleria.
I waited really long but it was worth it. The view is spectacular. Even though it was sunny, Mount Fuji wasn’t visible today.
Then we moved on to Asakusa because that’s just a train station away. We went to the Nakamise Dori with all the street stands (!) I tried some street food and it was alright. I had Mocchi and Daifuku. But I would have loved to try Taiyaki. I think I would dig that. But there was no stand offering Taiyaki.
We saw the big gate of the Sensouji temple and the main building itself, also the pagoda.
Because it was too late to do it yesterday, we went to Tokyo Tower today. You also were there and I was hoping to take a picture at the exact same spot you were standing at. But I didn’t find that one, or rather, I couldn’t remember exactly how it looked.
Tokyo Tower is also really cool and the queue times are so fast compared to Skytree. I think I should try to go one more time when it is after sunset though, so that you can see the city illuminated by the lights. With “only” 1200 Yen, the ticket price is rather cheap as well compared to the 3700 Yen of Skytree.
You could choose if you wanted to take the elevator or the stairs! Who in their right mind would pick the stairs!!
My feet are killing me but I want to do more. I should take a break now though and recharge for a bit. I haven’t really seen any anime or manga stores just yet. But I haven’t really looked for them. According to Google Maps there is an Animate two street corners away from our hotel. Maybe I should check it out.
I just went to the Animate store and it is “only” one floor. They had quite a collection but for example no figurines. I got the new volumes of my Japanese manga which I haven’t ordered yet: Blue Lock Vol 18-21 and Yuru Camp Vol 13.
By the way, Skytree and Tokyo Tower look so much better in real life. The images can’t do them justice.
Oy! I was browsing the TV channels and I found like 5 anime stations. They were airing Chainsaw Man, Lycoris Recoil, Haikyuu, Doraemon and (hopefully to your liking) Jojo Stardust Crusaders! The episode with D’arby!
It was the first night where I was able to really sleep. I fell asleep early and felt rested when waking up at a reasonable time. Also, today is the first day of language school. I should be there at 13:20 so it is a bit hard to find things to do before noon but I don’t want to waste time!! I hope the timetable they give me leaves some possibilities for doing things in the city.
Ah, when taking the train there are all these monitors as well. Some are displaying the next station and stuff like that. But some are also just airing advertisements of anime (in this case: Eternal Boys) and some manga which I don’t know.
日本語上手-counter: 2
Good morning! Today is the first day of Japanese school. But it starts in the afternoon at 13:20 so there is a little time. Not enough to do something big, but not so little that it wouldn’t feel bad to let it go to waste.
So we went to Isetan Shinjuku first. That’s a department store with a huge food court in the basement. So many stands with high quality goods. Cakes, Fish, Wine, everything! Of course we didn’t buy anything because that store is for rich people.
Then we went on to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. That’s the one we saw being blown up in Zankyou no Terror. It has a free observatory on the 45th floor. I went there, and even though it was a rainy day (and 10°C colder than yesterday) the view was not terrible. I think instead of going to the Tokyo Tower once more when it’s dark, I might go to the Government Building instead because it is free and I don’t have to take the train. It is just 15 minutes by foot from the hotel.
Then we went to a restaurant for the first time in Japan. I suggested Japanese curry but my mother wasn’t sure if she could take it. So we went to a pizza restaurant instead. It wasn’t bad but I would have liked some more authentic Japanese stuff, you know.
Then it was time for school! First we had an introduction. There were 2 other new students (from Hawaii and Guatemala) who started today. Then we had our first lessons.
We just kept being in the room which was used for the introduction and then other students appeared - 3 girls who were already studying for a longer time (2 from Germany and 1 from USA). Everyone was really nice but then we found out that we (me and the other 2 new students) were supposed to change the classroom because the room we were in for the introduction was the beginner level course.
So we changed rooms and then I got to know my real classmates. Two guys from France and one from Canada. So we are a 6 person class.
I am a bit sad we had to change because the girls from the beginner class seemed to be more into anime and manga compared to the advanced class. But one of the french persons actually asked me if I am using MAL and he said he has a list with 500 entries! I sadly didn’t ask for his user name. I will ask tomorrow!
Then our teacher arrived for the first two lessons. It is grammar only and there was one task in a partner exercise which I totally didn’t understand. I felt like to most stupid planet on earth. But other than that one task it went pretty good I feel. I didn’t get everything correct, but I wasn't too terrible either. I am very glad that my exercise partner (a Canadian person) was so patient with me. I alway prefer individual tasks to be honest, but I will get through the partner exercises as well!
Then we had a small break and a new teacher for the final two lessons of the day. Also a female Japanese person and I think she was really really cool!! She talked really friendly and seemed so sociable. She mentioned how she likes Chainsaw Man. I checked the timetable if I will have her again and the answer is yes, but sadly only on Friday.
They said the schedule might be subject to change, so we should check every day. But this is the schedule as of today:
Tuesday 9:30 - 14:55
Wednesday 9:30 - 13:10
Thursday 9:30 - 14:55
Friday 14:05 - 17:45
Saturday is supposed to be some cultural activity but I don’t have the time yet. Oh, I also got a Japanese textbook: Genki 2. It is quite big and new so I might sell it off when I am back home. I don’t intend to ever use it after this. I am not a textbook kind of person.
The schedule luckily has only one afternoon lesson day. So we can make use of the other afternoons! Let’s see, what do I want to do?
Tuesday I will have a little bit of time in the afternoon and it is supposed to be rainy again. So I think I might go to Nakano! Wednesday I will have the whole afternoon, so I might go to Akihabara. Thursday is a small afternoon time slot available, I might go to Ikebukuro. I only have the morning on Friday available, so… I might go to Jimbocho or Shibuya?
Then the things that are left from my plans are:
Either Jimbocho or Shibuya (depending on what I did on Friday)
Yanesen
Enoshima and Kamakura
If I don’t have enough time to fit in everything, I might leave Enoshima and Kamakura for the next trip. Those are places I want to visit 100%!! But maybe they are not the highest priority just now.
Not only anime and manga goods are on my want-to-buy list but also Japanese snacks that are not available in Germany. Today I got the healthy choice because they include fruits. Pocky with strawberry coating, some chocolate bars filled with different berries (I just noticed it also has alcohol… I will still try it and if it is unbearable my mother has to finish it) and Fanta grape.
Before I go to bed I want to check out what the five anime channels are airing. Commercial break. Ah wait, hmmm, I don’t know the name. I only have seen the main girl but it is a Fall 2022 anime. Looks like one channel always has current episodes while the other 4 have reruns. Let’s take a look at the other 4. Shingeki no Kyojin, Uhm, no idea what this next one is. Some vampire or horror anime maybe? Then we have a dog anime, which looks like it is targeted towards children. Maybe I will watch this when I go to sleep. AH! It was Shin Chan and there were just some dogs. And finally Dragon Ball Super which in my humble opinion is not as good as they want it to be with the title they decided on but that’s just me.
Just finished my second day of school. First we had the same teacher from yesterday’s first lessons again. It was okay and I didn’t screw up big time! Then for lesson 3 and 4 we had a new lady who also was really nice. Since our group consisted of only 5 students today and we had to do pair exercises I had the chance to do them with the teacher. And I actually think that's really good.
Then I had one more lesson after lunch break. A one on one conversation practice lesson. I think it went well and I was able to hold a conversation in Japanese even though I was missing some words here and there and botched some grammar points. But the person seemed to understand me.
Now I want to use the remainder of the afternoon to check out Nakano and the Nakano Broadway.
I went to Nakano Broadway. That’s a shopping mall with lots of second hand stores. And they sell so many out of production, collectibles and unique items. It ranges from old manga over toys, figures, miniature cars, trading cards and lots of other stuff. The other half of the stores were jewelry and expensive watches. What a mix.
I read that there are 20 stores of Mandarake in Nakano Broadway and I was like “no way, that has to be an error”. But it is true. This shopping mall is very much in the hands of Mandarake. They also gained a customer in me because I bought the side story light novel of Lycoris Recoil.
Ah they also had a store where all the old Shounen Jumps were on sale. And the issues with the pilot chapters of popular manga like Jojo or Kimetsu no Yaiba went for an especially high price and were locked behind glass!
Then on my way back to the hotel, someone asked me for the way to some store. ME! I mean, like, do I look like I know my way around here? Am I looking like a local to you? xD Well to be fair I can understand. As a foreigner it might be less of a hurdle to ask another foreigner for directions because we speak the same language. But I am just as clueless as that person when it comes to finding my way, so I sadly couldn’t help him.
Ah, I also got the schedule for the cultural event at school on the upcoming saturday. It will be a visit to Meiji shrine (nice, because that didn’t make my list but I am actually interested), Purikura (not really my thing) and Japanese candy craft.
I knew that Shinjuku is the busiest train station in the world. And when people said it has over 100 exits, I was doubtful. But it is true. The problem is that five different train carrier companies converge there, and every company has its own gate and exit for every line. Every little number you see here is a different exit of the station: And that’s only one little part in the north east of the station! When zooming out, the numbers disappear though.
Here are more random photos from Nakano.
To practice my chopstick skills I got Cup Noodles as a test subject. It went surprisingly well and it tasted pretty good too! I bet it is super unhealthy though! But maybe now I am up for the real challenge in a restaurant.
School went okay today. There was nothing special but the grammar point that was discussed seemed super complicated. It was the last lesson with the one teacher where I totally botched an assignment. I remember!! She reminds me of a Youtuber called Kim Dao.
Then I went to the ultimate den of nerdiness. No, let's rephrase that, the center of anime and manga culture - Akihabara. And I could easily spend twice as much time there!! There are so many specialty stores. I researched some in advance but I also went into some that I never heard of before. Funny enough, I only bought stuff from the stores which were NOT on my list.
But let's start from the beginning. I didn’t arrive at Akihabara station but at some other nearby station because it worked better for the line I was going with, without transferring. But I walked by Akihabara station and they had huge Jojo things at the window!
The first store on my list was Book Off. That's a used book store where they are dealing with manga, light novels but also DVDs, games and CDs. By the way, it has 5 floors. It is HUGE. I was on the lookout for complete sets of either Nisekoi, Ansatsu Kyoushitsu or Hige wo soru. Sadly I wasn’t able to find them as a set. I found all the volumes of Hige wo soru light novel individually but they were “only” reduced from 660 Yen to 400 Yen, so in the end I didn’t buy them. But I spent so much time in that store alone, I bet 30-40 minutes.
Then I went to Radio Kaikan. That's a building with multiple stores over several floors. The stores ranged from Gunpla, over figures and trading card shops. But what caught my eye was a framed illustration from one of my favorite boys, Kantoku!!! You know him! I showed pictures of his art several times! He is the one who “designed” the “cover” of my novel.
Oh and there are huge advertisements of anime as you know. But also of Arknights!! And there were Arknights figures on sale as well! I really liked my boy Thorny and Exu! She has apple pie!
I was recommended to also visit the store called Gamers, as it was a “hidden gem” mentioned in some video from a self proclaimed Akihabara expert. And I don’t know if I just didn’t find the stairs but the store was so tiny and they basically had nothing. I think I missed something important. But as I experienced it, it was definitely not worth the recommendation. But nothing is lost with just giving it a shot!
Then I went to the big daddy of anime stores: Animate. The store in Akihabara is not the biggest one - as far as I know the one in Ikebukuro is bigger. But 8 floors of anime merchandise is pretty decent already!! I even checked out the two top floors with the Doujinshi and 18+ content but it felt a bit weird walking those shelves. I didn’t check out the BL corner.
The last store on my list was Mandarake. That’s also a store which is buying and selling manga and merch from customers. They had a whole floor for magical girl stuff! So I went to floor 2. And it was a disappointment. It was so much smaller than the other floors. It was a joke. There were two staff members at the counter on that floor. I bet they were surprised to actually see a customer who accidentally left the elevator on that floor today. But they had quite a selection on the other floors.
I am a bit sad that I didn’t even see a single item of one of my two favorite characters Masuzu and Cure Marine. I guess their time in the spotlight is over.
But as mentioned above I also went to other stores which I never heard about before! For example this one store that is reselling capsule toy things. I bought a Ram figure even though I am not the biggest Re Zero fan. But listen! It was only 250 Yen and I really needed to lift some weight from my heavy coin purse. 250 YEN (2 Euro). In Germany it would easily be 5 Euro. The quality is pretty good but it is rather small. It is a bit bigger than a Kinder surprise toy if you know those.
So many maids were at the side of the road to hand out flyers to their restaurant. I was afraid to lock eyes with them because I was afraid of being pulled in haha.
Then I went to another store and found this really nice (but also small) figure of Nadeshiko, my girl. I couldn’t resist and bought it even though it was quite expensive for the size. It was around 2000 Yen, which is 17 Euro or so. And she looks really cute.
When I go to Ikebukuro, I hope to find similar stores. I am especially looking for a keychain item and for one small capsule toy sized figure to place at my desk at work. If I can’t find anything, Ram will be the one that goes to work with me.
Man, actually. I still have quite a bit of money left. I don’t want to exchange it back to Euro. So it is all there to be spent!!!! I should go all out while I have this chance to be here! The only thing that worries me a bit is that all the things won't fit into my bags. So I might need to buy a second suitcase for the airplane if that is allowed..
One of the foods I wanted to try while in Japan is Taiyaki. And I didn’t find any store. So I especially looked one up in Akihabara which also had the desired chocolate type Taiyaki for sale. BUT it was already closed when I was going back to the train station. I overstayed in Akihabara and this is the price to pay.
I heard there will be a Halloween themed event in Shibuya this weekend where people are celebrating. I don’t want to be part of a mess like that. So probably I should rearrange my plans to avoid Shibuya on saturday altogether. Let’s see. Days I have left: Thursday afternoon, Friday morning, Saturday afternoon, Sunday, Monday morning and early afternoon. Things I haven’t done yet from my list: Ikebukuro, Yanesen, Shibuya, Jimbocho, Kamakura. Should we go to Kamakura, that has to be done on Sunday because it will take all day.
Thursday afternoon - Jimbocho
Friday morning - the morning is so hard to plan!! Yanesen!?
Saturday afternoon - Ikebukuro
Sunday - Kamakura
Monday morning - Shibuya.
Oh man, I totally blew another pair exercise. This grammar is way too specific for my level and I felt so bad for my partner for having to bear with me. Why does it always have to be partner exercises? This is the worst. I hate everything relating Partner exercises and group work.
After school, I went to Ikebukuro! Against all previous planning. And you know Ikebukuro right! It is famous for Sunshite 60, the previously highest skyscraper in Tokyo. And it is so prominently featured in Durarara which also plays in Ikebukuro. I went across the very same crossing where Celty was driving her motorcycle with the Sunshine 60 in the background.
We went to Sunshine City shopping mall and then to some anime specialty stores like K-Books. And I also went to the Ikebukuro Animate, which very well might be the biggest one! I bought all 5 volumes of Hige wo soru.
Ah and there was another Book Off in Ikebukuro and they had Nisekoi. But it was a bit weird. They had individual volulumes for 110 or 220 Yen each (I forgot which, but either way, super cheap!) But they also had a full set for 5.000 Yen. And I was a bit skeptical because the full set was twice as expensive as getting the individual volumes. Wouldn’t you expect it to be the other way round? In the end I didn’t buy it. But I want to buy moreeeeee. Figures and manga! I also highly considered the Violet Evergarden light novel. But in the end I decided against it.
Oh, I forgot to mention. In the animate they had the original draft pages from some manga hanging on the wall! Not a scan or a duplicate, but the original real thing the author penned! Blue Lock!! And some others. So cool!
Thank you so much for sending the clue in Arknights!
Oh dang. You can’t imagine how much my lower back hurts. All this walking is so painful, but I want to continue! Never take a break while I am here!! I can rest in class and on the airplane!
School is only starting at 14:00 today until evening, so this day is so hard to make use of. After school I might once again visit the metropolitan government buildings free observation terrace on the 45th floor. I bet the Tokyo night view is also stunning!
I forgot if I said it in yesterday's entry already. But it’s scheduled for today that I get my diploma from the language school because it is the final day with lessons. There is a cultural event planned for tomorrow which I am not really interested in. So I am thinking about skipping it.
We only had the morning today so we had to do something nearby. I decided it would be a good idea to visit the Meiji Jingu shrine because most other stores weren’t open before 10 or 11am. We got off one station too early and had to walk for quite a while but we eventually got to the correct station and the directly adjacent park inside which Meiji Jingu shrine is located. It was really quiet.
Then we continued in the direction of Shibuya. There was not really much to do and the department stores were really expensive and not really made for us. The one interesting thing was the Shibuya scramble crossing. But instead of 5000 people crossing at a time, it was probably only 400 because we were so early in the day and not at rush hour. There was also the statue of the dog who waited for its owner at the Shibuya station. Ah and then we saw the Shibuya 109 department store as well which is pretty well known. But we didn’t go inside.
Then I had school and it went pretty well. I didn’t screw up anything but I am glad it is over. In the end I didn’t go to the government building. Ah, the trip is almost over!? Only Saturday and Sunday are left. The flight back to Germany is scheduled for Monday evening.
Phew, today was such an exhausting day and so much happened and we visited so many places and saw so much. Let me try to get everything in order.
First we went to Shinjuku Station in hope to find the correct platform which will get us to Enoshima. And actually it was pretty easy getting there. The arrows made it super easy to navigate and we didn’t even get lost in this dungeon! But there was this totally huge wall with animated advertisements in the station and it displayed Arknights ads! And it was huge!!
Then we went by train to Enoshima, which is an island somewhat far away from Tokyo. The ride took around an hour. But dang it was nice there! It was totally like the Mediterranean sea. The ocean was so nice and it was totally summer even though it is almost November!
I took SO MANY PHOTOS. Please check all of them in the archive when I upload them altogether. I can only show a few ones here but there are a ton!
There was also a stand with soft ice and we got some. Finally some Japanese snack time. I got grape flavor and my mother took Matcha and vanilla flavor. It was pretty good but maybe not worth 400 Yen.
Enoshima has so many shrines or temples (I don’t really know which is which at the moment and I am too tired to think or to look it up). It was such a nice place. Everything looked so good! I have such a hard time picking photos for this because all of them are so good!! Enoshima is basically also a mountain in the sea so we had to ascend quite a distance. Luckily we paid for the escalator pass. Thanks to that we were able to survive.
On the very top of the mountain is the Enoshima Sea Candle - the local observation tower which offers a nice view of the island and the ocean. On a lucky day you can even see Mount Fuji. Sadly not today even though the weather was so nice.
Then it was already noon so we wanted something to eat. BUT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE. Every single store on this dang island has these mini small fishes that look like noodles as the main ingredient in each single dish. We didn’t want to eat that! Luckily we found a place that sold just plain french fries. Better than dying of starvation I guess.
Then we went back to Enoshima station and moved on to Hase. There are more shrines and temples in Hase but the most commonly known attraction is one of the three big Buddha statues of Japan.
From Hase we went to Kamakura. Let me make it clear. We “walked”. It was quite a distance! Kamakura has so many shrines and temples and I noted some down I wanted to see. But we were exhausted already and it was already getting dark because the sun descended behind the mountain range quite early. So we decided to just go to Kamakura station.
On the way to the station we saw a Taiyaki store! Finally!! We got chocolate-anko and chestnut flavors! The chocolate one was so good and the chestnut one hasn’t been tried yet. I will do so later!
So we continued to Kamakura station and I was so crazy that I wanted to at least visit the biggest temple or shrine or whatever in this town. It is called Hachimangu and it is a huge estate. Sadly it was already quite dark by then so the images didn’t turn out too well.
Then we went back from Kamakura station to Shinjuku. We got really lucky to catch a train without transfer. The ride should have taken an hour if it all went according to schedule. But it wasn’t that easy.
At one station between Yokohama and Tokyo the train stopped. Nothing special so far. But there was such a shrill and non-stopping sound which penetrated my ears. It was so loud and I thought my ears would explode. Then out of the window I saw all the station staff running around to the train. There was an announcement on the train but I wasn’t able to understand anything. First I thought it was an earthquake and the train had to stop for safety reasons. I checked how the other passengers reacted, everyone was totally fine. Then I thought someone jumped in front of the train. But then some woman was carried out of some other train car on an impromptu wheelchair. Probably she had a medical emergency like a heart attack or a seizure. It was really an uncomfortable and tense situation. After 5 minutes the sound finally stopped and the doors closed. The ride continued to Shinjuku.
But the day was not over just yet. We went to a local Konbini just next to our hotel to get something to drink for the night. There are so many cool Fantas available here! I got melon and pear and they taste so good!! But then inside the Konbini there were sirens yet again. So loud. And right in front of the Konbini and therefore right in front of our hotel as well, 2 huge fire department cars and some ambulances arrived. It was really loud and the traffic instantly stopped around the whole block of buildings. Total congestion.
We decided to go back to the hotel and my mother has windows towards the street so we checked everything out from up there. Nothing was to be seen just how the traffic got stuck and jumbled. People had to wait behind the fire department trucks for at least 15 minutes without being able to go back or forth. But to be honest. Who is crazy enough to drive a car in Shinjuku in the first place.
Wow, what a day. Now I am dead tired and hungry. Time to eat. Ittadakimasu.
I can’t believe it will be over soon. The next night will be the last one I will be in Japan. Our flight is scheduled to leave on Monday evening at around 21:30 or so.
The last day. We went to Yanesen! That’s the combination of the three adjacent neighborhoods Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi. First we went to Nippori station and walked to the Nezu shrine. That’s the small brother of the one in Kyoto with the many Tori gates.
We decided to skip Sendagi and the Snake road and went directly to Yanaka. There we visited the local shopping street Yanaka Ginza. We got some souvenirs and some street food. Some chocolate dough sticks and a vegetable croquette. The croquette was unexpectedly good and it was only 36 Yen per piece? Impossible!
Then there were two more stores I wanted to visit once more in Akihabara. I still had lots of money left that needed to be burned.
So we moved over to Akihabara and I went to Book Off. I was still looking for Nisekoi and I had space in the bag for around 10 volumes. That’s not enough for all of Nisekoi.
Luckily (or not) they didn’t have volume 8 on sale. Please remember it is a used book store. So I got volumes 1-7 and all 3 volumes of another manga about soccer which I never even heard about before.
After that I visited Rashinban once more. That’s the store that trades used figures and Gacha toys. I got a keychain from SSSS.Gridman and 4 more Gacha toy figures. “Which ones” you ask? Please don’t laugh, they include characters from anime which I don’t even like. I got one from Jujutsu Kaisen, one from Fate (looking super detailed considering the price), one from 5-Toubun no Hanayome… Uh. There was one more but what was it again. I don’t remember and they are already packed for the flight. Sorry! I will show a picture of all the things that I got on this trip once I am back in Germany and unpacked everything.
But there is more. I went up to the second floor or Rashinbang. They had cool figures for example the one from the one Fate cosplay I showed you before, you know which one I mean. But there was no way I could buy something like that for my room. Instead I got another small figure from the same producer my Nadeshiko is from. This time it is from Gochuumon ha Usagi desu ka?
After a quick break at the hotel to unload all the loot I left for Jimbocho. That’s the book town of Tokyo with many street sellers and used book stores. And you know who also has their headquarter there from Bakuman: Shuueisha. Or in Bakuman it is called “Yuueisha”.
And this weekend was even the Jumbocho book festival.
Then I went back to the hotel and now we are here. I need to do the online check-in for the flight tomorrow evening and I need to finish packing my stuff. What a trip it has been. I think money could become an issue if we don’t want to retrieve some more from an ATM. We only have around 3500 Yen left and 2000 of those are needed to charge our Suica cards once more. That leaves 1500 Yen to get drinks and tomorrow’s lunch and dinner. Living on the edge.
日本語上手-counter: 5
I tried to do the online check-in but it is a bit complicated. I never have done that before. I tried the Lufthansa website first with several attempts. Then I moved to the ANA website because the flight is booked via Lufthansa but carried out by ANA. And on their website it seemed to work. I got my boarding pass from Tokyo to Frankfurt but not from Frankfurt to Bremen yet. I hope this is correct.
Our flight leaves late at night, 21:45. So we left our baggage at the hotel and used the morning in Tokyo. We went to Tokyu Hands (yes it's written like that). That's a department store. Of course we didn't get anything because we had little money left and the minimum to withdraw at an ATM would be 10.000 yen which is around 100 euro. We couldn't spend so much so we wanted to get through with what we have.
Then we went to the government building one more time. The observation deck is free so I went again. It was sunny and you could even see Mount Fuji! Beautiful! But I don't know if the images really make him look good because he is so far away.
Right next to the government building is the Shinjuku Chuou Koen park. We went there to take a break and nothing was allowed there!
There was this curry restaurant I wanted to go to. And I finally went. I ate katsu curry and it was so spicy even though I took the lowest level of spiciness!
Then we moved back to the hotel and got our luggage and moved on to the Haneda airport. Here I am typing this. I already asked a person at the counter if my online Check-in was correct and it looks like we are good to go.
We got something to eat, returned the suica cards for the refund and now we have 3800 Yen left. What I don't know is if there will be dinner on the plane because it leaves after dinner time. Even the lady at the counter didn't know.
I wonder what we could get for 3800 yen in the security area. Snacks? Or manga? Or gacha?
Now it's 16:18 and we have to wait until 17:35 to drop our bags and move on to the security area.
Bags are dropped and we went through security. Still 2000 yen to burn. There are some gacha machines but they are mostly silly. If worse comes to worst we buy snacks.
Sadly almost all stores were closed. Just one store with snacks earned very well on us. We spend all our remaining yen on snacks. Now it is 19:34 and our flight already got delayed by 15 minutes to 22:00.
We boarded but when I did the online Check-in I totally missed the fact that our seats were different from how we planned it at the travel agency. Maybe the aircraft changed. We planned to have a row with just 2 seats. Me at the window and my mother at the aisle. But the aircraft had 3 seats per row so my mother got the seat at the aisle as planned and I was put in the middle! Then I wanted to change the seats after checking in but the seat was blocked on the website. So we boarded, expecting a new friend at my side. But the aircraft was actually pretty empty. Maybe 30% of the seats were not taken. Also the seat next to me so i just moved over to the window!
The view was so unreal. When we emerged from Tokyo while ascending between an ocean of lights. I didn't take a photo or video because it wouldn't turn out well, but it looked stunning.
We arrived in Frankfurt at 5:00 German time after a 15 hour flight over flipping Alaska and Greenland. Nothing was seen from the window because it was night all flight long and I think there was a layer of clouds. Sad. This time I was able to spot the skyline of Frankfurt but it is such a joke compared to Tokyo!
We are through security (we had to do it again!) And the staff is so different from the staff in Japan. Man, everyone in Japan is just so nice and in Germany it is so rough handling. Now I am sitting at the gate for our flight to Bremen which is scheduled to leave in 3 hours from now.
I just received your clue! The last one I was missing! Thanks!
The last flight was delayed again by 20 minutes or so which wasn't too bad. The flight itself was the roughest one out of all four but I survived. It got a bit shaky at times but nothing major.
Then we received our bags at the airport and got picked up by my father. Now I am home. Phew. What a trip it has been. I am beat but I regret nothing.
Interestingly my mother and i had the same favorite part of the trip and it might be totally different from what you assume! Enoshima! Paradise on earth! I want to go again!
I would have liked to eat more Japanese food. I didn't eat any ramen. Dang it. Next time! Because I will come again.
Walked kilometers based on google fit:
20.10.2022 - 4,63 km
21.10.2022 - 4,14 km
22.10.2022 - 10,31 km
23.10.2022 - 9,84 km
24.10.2022 - 8,15 km
25.10.2022 - 6 km
26.10.2022 - 6,53 km
27.10.2022 - 9,21 km
28.10.2022 - 10,35 km
29.10.2022 - 13,35 km
30.10.2022 - 12,14 km
31.10.2022 - 15,86 km
01.11.2022 - 2,17 km
Sum: 109,68 km. That’s almost the distance from Bremen to Hannover!
Snack loot:
Manga and light novel loot:
Figure and gacha loot:
This will be the end of my "abridged" travel report. Please read the full diary version on the Google Docs when you have the chance. I will also put a link there with all the photos and videos we took! Thanks for reading this!
Posted by Brati | Oct 22, 2022 4:10 PM | 0 comments
July 2nd, 2021
Manga Collection
Anime Relations: Bakuman.
Here I will add new additions of my collection. Newest additions will be on the top, oldest ones will be further down.
Vol 12 - 19 of Ao no Hako
Vol 32 of Blue Lock
Vol 9 of Shouha Shouten!
Vol 13 of Houseki no Kuni
Vol 17 of Yuru Camp
Vol 1 of Look Back
Vol 30 - 31 of Blue Lock
Vol 8 of Shouha Shouten!
Vol 1 - 12 of Houseki no Kuni
Vol 1 - 11 of Ao no Hako
Things I got on my Japan trip in May 2024:
Vol 1 of Durarara Gaiden (Light Novel)
Vol 16 of Yuru Camp
Vol 1 of Watashi no Yuri mo, Eigyou da to Omotta?
Vol 1 - 2 of Violet Evergaden (Light Novel)
Vol 1 of Violet Evergarden Gaiden (Light Novel)
Vol 1 - 7 of Robot x Laserbeam
Vol 28 - 29 of Blue Lock
Vol 7 of Show-ha Shou-ten!
Vol 1 of Lycoris Recoil Recovery Days (Light Novel)
Vol 1 of Chou Tantei Jikenbo: Rain Code - Oresama-chan wa Oyome-san!? (Light Novel)
Vol 1 - 3 of JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Crazy Diamond no Akuryouteki Shitsuren
Vol 6 of Shouha Shouten!
Vol 27 of Blue Lock
Vol 15 of Yuru Camp
Vol 3 of Kishibe Rohan Tanpen Shousetsushuu
Things I bought on my Japan trip in 2023!
Vol 25 - 26 of Blue Lock
Vol 1 - 5 of Shouha Shouten!
Vol 1 - 8 of PPPPPP
Vol 1 - 3 of Someya Mako no Jansou Meshi
Vol 1 - 2 of Kishibe Rohan Tanpen Shousetsushuu
Got Vol 22 - 24 of Blue Lock
Got Vol 1 - 8 of Hoshizora no Karasu
Got Vol 1 - 8 of Super Cub
I got volume 9 - 25 of Nisekoi
and volume 14 of Yuru Camp
Things I bought on my Tokyo trip in 2022
Got Vol 1 - 5 of Hige wo Soru, soshite Joshikousei wo hirou
Got Vol 1 of Lycoris Recoil Ordinary Days
Got Vol 18 - 21 of Blue Lock
Got Vol 13 of Yuru Camp
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Light Wing
Got Vol 1 - 8 of Nisekoi
Got Vol 1 - 4 of Yuurei Ryokoudairiten
Got Vol 1 - 4 of Chuunibiyou demo Koi ga shitai (light novel)
Presents for the best person on this planet:
Boku no Hero Academia Vol 1
Rengoku Plushie
Present from the best person on this planet:
Hand drawn version of our OC
Got Vol 17 of Blue Lock
Got Vol 1 - 5 of Little Bull
Got Vol 1 - 10 of Blue Giant
Got Vol 15 - 16 of Blue Lock
Got Vol 1 - 7 of Koe no Katachi
Got Vol 1 - 4 of Guruguru Tekuteku
Got Vol 1 - 4 of Ashi no Ura no Iris
Got Mikkakan no Koufuku (light novel)
Got Vol 1 - 14 of Blue Lock
Got Vol 5 - 12 of Yuru Camp△
Got Vol 1 - 4 of Gaikotsu Shotenin Honda-san
Got Vol 1 - 4 of Yuru Camp△
Got Vol 1 - 14 of 5-Toubun no Hanayome
Got Vol 1 - 15 of Gin no Saji
Got Vol 1 - 23 of Hikaru no Go
Got Vol 1 - 5 of Samurai 8
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Naze de Naitou
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Saigo no Saiyuuki
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Undine wa Kyou mo Koi wo Suru ka?
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Ano Natsu 1959
Got Vol 1 - 20 of Bakuman.
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Tamuramaro-san
Got Vol 1 of Gakkyuu Houtei
Got Vol 1 of Senyuu.
Got Vol 5 of Haruyo Kuruna
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Summer Wars
Got Vol 1 - 5 of Oumagadoki Doubutsuen
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Koma Hibiki
Got Vol 1 - 4 of Chihaya-san ha sono mama de ii
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Kimi wo Shinryaku Seyo!
Got Vol 1 - 4 of Kashikoi Ken Ririentaru
Got Vol 2 - 3 of Gakkyuu Houtei
Got Vol 1 - 2 of Getsuyoubi no Tomodachi
Got Vol 1 - 2 of Meguraba
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Alice to Taiyou
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Mangaka Settai Gohan
Got Vol 2 - 3 of Senyuu.
Got Vol 1 - 4 of Haruyo Kuruna
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Gakuen Psycho Pass
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Kekkon shitemo Koi shiteiru
Got Vol 1 - 5 of Mononofu
Vol 12 - 19 of Ao no Hako
Vol 32 of Blue Lock
Vol 9 of Shouha Shouten!
Vol 13 of Houseki no Kuni
Vol 17 of Yuru Camp
Vol 1 of Look Back
Vol 30 - 31 of Blue Lock
Vol 8 of Shouha Shouten!
Vol 1 - 12 of Houseki no Kuni
Vol 1 - 11 of Ao no Hako
Things I got on my Japan trip in May 2024:
Vol 1 of Durarara Gaiden (Light Novel)
Vol 16 of Yuru Camp
Vol 1 of Watashi no Yuri mo, Eigyou da to Omotta?
Vol 1 - 2 of Violet Evergaden (Light Novel)
Vol 1 of Violet Evergarden Gaiden (Light Novel)
Vol 1 - 7 of Robot x Laserbeam
Vol 28 - 29 of Blue Lock
Vol 7 of Show-ha Shou-ten!
Vol 1 of Lycoris Recoil Recovery Days (Light Novel)
Vol 1 of Chou Tantei Jikenbo: Rain Code - Oresama-chan wa Oyome-san!? (Light Novel)
Vol 1 - 3 of JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Crazy Diamond no Akuryouteki Shitsuren
Vol 6 of Shouha Shouten!
Vol 27 of Blue Lock
Vol 15 of Yuru Camp
Vol 3 of Kishibe Rohan Tanpen Shousetsushuu
Things I bought on my Japan trip in 2023!
Vol 25 - 26 of Blue Lock
Vol 1 - 5 of Shouha Shouten!
Vol 1 - 8 of PPPPPP
Vol 1 - 3 of Someya Mako no Jansou Meshi
Vol 1 - 2 of Kishibe Rohan Tanpen Shousetsushuu
Got Vol 22 - 24 of Blue Lock
Got Vol 1 - 8 of Hoshizora no Karasu
Got Vol 1 - 8 of Super Cub
I got volume 9 - 25 of Nisekoi
and volume 14 of Yuru Camp
Things I bought on my Tokyo trip in 2022
Got Vol 1 - 5 of Hige wo Soru, soshite Joshikousei wo hirou
Got Vol 1 of Lycoris Recoil Ordinary Days
Got Vol 18 - 21 of Blue Lock
Got Vol 13 of Yuru Camp
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Light Wing
Got Vol 1 - 8 of Nisekoi
Got Vol 1 - 4 of Yuurei Ryokoudairiten
Got Vol 1 - 4 of Chuunibiyou demo Koi ga shitai (light novel)
Presents for the best person on this planet:
Boku no Hero Academia Vol 1
Rengoku Plushie
Present from the best person on this planet:
Hand drawn version of our OC
Got Vol 17 of Blue Lock
Got Vol 1 - 5 of Little Bull
Got Vol 1 - 10 of Blue Giant
Got Vol 15 - 16 of Blue Lock
Got Vol 1 - 7 of Koe no Katachi
Got Vol 1 - 4 of Guruguru Tekuteku
Got Vol 1 - 4 of Ashi no Ura no Iris
Got Mikkakan no Koufuku (light novel)
Got Vol 1 - 14 of Blue Lock
Got Vol 5 - 12 of Yuru Camp△
Got Vol 1 - 4 of Gaikotsu Shotenin Honda-san
Got Vol 1 - 4 of Yuru Camp△
Got Vol 1 - 14 of 5-Toubun no Hanayome
Got Vol 1 - 15 of Gin no Saji
Got Vol 1 - 23 of Hikaru no Go
Got Vol 1 - 5 of Samurai 8
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Naze de Naitou
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Saigo no Saiyuuki
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Undine wa Kyou mo Koi wo Suru ka?
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Ano Natsu 1959
Got Vol 1 - 20 of Bakuman.
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Tamuramaro-san
Got Vol 1 of Gakkyuu Houtei
Got Vol 1 of Senyuu.
Got Vol 5 of Haruyo Kuruna
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Summer Wars
Got Vol 1 - 5 of Oumagadoki Doubutsuen
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Koma Hibiki
Got Vol 1 - 4 of Chihaya-san ha sono mama de ii
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Kimi wo Shinryaku Seyo!
Got Vol 1 - 4 of Kashikoi Ken Ririentaru
Got Vol 2 - 3 of Gakkyuu Houtei
Got Vol 1 - 2 of Getsuyoubi no Tomodachi
Got Vol 1 - 2 of Meguraba
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Alice to Taiyou
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Mangaka Settai Gohan
Got Vol 2 - 3 of Senyuu.
Got Vol 1 - 4 of Haruyo Kuruna
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Gakuen Psycho Pass
Got Vol 1 - 3 of Kekkon shitemo Koi shiteiru
Got Vol 1 - 5 of Mononofu
Posted by Brati | Jul 2, 2021 1:36 PM | 2 comments
September 24th, 2020
Ecchi
Anime Relations: Mai-HiME, Heartcatch Precure!, B-gata H-kei, To LOVE-Ru Darkness, Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shuraba Sugiru, Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!, Eromanga-sensei, SSSS.Gridman
So yeah. As you might see. Big fan of this thing. I have more but they are not suitable for MAL. I recommend Precure Fanbook Digital Life Winter 2010 by Haga Yui. Below are two samples from that work, I edited them myself to keep MAL a family-friendly place!
I have written a novel about this topic. You can find the PDF here or read it online on Wattpad or on Archive of Our Own. It is called Nopan Mahou Shoujo! This is the synopsis:
Hanako is a typical female student in Japan, who likes magical girl stories as they appear in manga and anime. Maybe she likes them a little bit too much. She is convinced that magic exists and that it is only a matter of time until she will get contracted as a magical girl herself.
One day she makes friends with a boy from her class, who will help her on the way to her goal. But he has ulterior motives and the naive Hanako is the perfect victim for his schemes.
Hanako will end up in troublesome situations because of the tasks she has to complete to become a magical girl. But is it even possible? In the end, magic is just an invention by the entertainment industry, right?
Posted by Brati | Sep 24, 2020 8:21 AM | 2 comments