Mr. Roboto

Early to bed, early to rise. We packed up from our first home abroad. And yes, I fondly have been calling our hostels ‘home’. For the forseeable future, I am not sure where home is. I’ll likely have a profound ah-ha moment about how the definition of the word ‘home’ has evolved for me. But for now, I’ll take Will’s perfect answer to my question, ‘where do we live?’

“I live wherever I am. This is where I slumber.”

Watch 'Wanderlust' if you haven’t seen it.

I left New Koyo nervous of what to expect of our future hostels. This may be the nicest home we have the entire trip. Thankful for clean (hopefully) sheets, a warm (ish) shower, and very kind owners, we set out for the next adventure.

7/11 and Family Market have been our typical AM stops. For some reason, Japan has been blessed with the most incredible apples. Being a good Minnesotan, I love apple picking and fall, so my DNA makes me crave apples this time of year. Lucky for me, I’ve enjoyed unusually large and juicy apples for breakfast, and a little café au lait juice-box like beverage with those plastic straws that punch through the top. It’s quick, easy, and cheap, and can be eaten as we attempt to navigate through the streets and subway systems.

We attempted to visit the Imperial Palace, which was clearly closed, so walking the grounds was the only option. I’m really not sure if there are still Imperial workings taking place there today (as it was closed and I couldn’t ask), but it was Columbus Day, after all, so I assume the Japanese Government officials are all celebrating that our good pal Christopher sailed the ocean blue.

The best part thus far of being lost everywhere is the amount of walking we do in a day. Our least amount of steps has been 18,000, with the max around 26,000. Either my feet and knees are numb, or I’ve already adjusted. I feel great, and the walking allows us to see so much. We’ve avoided bus rides and subways and happily opted for the longer option to walk everywhere possible. I’ve loved experiencing snippets of the day in the life of every local possible; their commute to work, preferred drink at a café, favorite treat from the popular street vendor. It’s the ‘real’ Japan I craved to experience.

Later, we wandered through a beautiful park in the middle of the concrete jungle that is Tokyo, Central Park-esque, and took our time weaving through the paths and sidewalks. There seemed to be some sort of workout class, where a perky little Japanese woman encouraged whoever to do whatever in her sweet little girly sing-song voice. Charming restaurants looked to be setting up for a wedding or two. And slightly off the path under a canopy of trees, this sweet little man sat in a ray of sunshine, painting. I thought it was beautiful.

At the other end of the park, we hopped back onto the subway to another neighborhood, where ‘Harajuku’ girls get dressed up in girly-gothic wear hoping for someone to snap their picture. Unfortunately for us, there seemed to be some sort of convention where they all were gathered, and we didn’t see too many exuberant outfits. It kind of felt like being back in Uptown with all the hipsters.

We visited another shrine that was a beautiful walk through another piney, winding park. The parks are all well maintained and very clean. No litter, nicely groomed, even though every one we’ve strolled through was fairly busy. This determined man had the biggest broom-type rake I’ve ever seen. Flinging leaves to clear a path, then running to sweep them up. He was pretty effective. And old. I hope he’s doing this because he’s passionate about the Parks and Rec deparment…

You can only see so many shrines in a concentrated amount of time. Will has done a wonderful job of breaking up the trip so I avoid temple-fatigue. To escape my likely comatose on this last evening in Tokyo, Will planned a visit to a pretty neat spot.

Perfectly coined ‘Scramble Crossing’ in the Shibuya district, it’s claimed to be the busiest intersection in the world. We headed to the second floor of the Starbucks that boasts the best view (oh, bummer. I had to buy a drink… shoot) and circled like sharks to snag a seat against the window. It was not only incredible to walk through, but even crazier to see the swarm of people fill the street in every direction from up above. Shibuya is like Vegas married NY and had a super baby; very busy, very bright, and very unique. Per the usual, we wandered around all the streets and alleyways, watching the neighborhood come to life as the sun went down and the lights flashed on.

Dinner was great. We ate at what we now know is a diner- style chain restaurant where you order from a machine. No English. Just point and click, cross your fingers it’s good (and meatless…) and enjoy. It was some sort of rich curry served with rice. Bursting with my favorite flavor, umami, and totally not just mushrooms. Whatever. It was good. It’s fun to be brave. Blindly trying new things is part of the adventure. And I was always on board to give it a go. I’m not ready to flat out order a piece of horse-steak (Will may be…), but I can only avoid so much without missing out on the experience. And I did not quit my job, leave my life, and fly around the world to miss out on anything.

Our last spot in Tokyo was fitting: we headed to the top of the Tokyo Government Building for the 360 degree views of the city.

Here is what it looks like:

And here is what I captured:

#epicfail

The end of our time in Tokyo was spent navigating to the bus station for the night bus. Taking a long trip overnight seemed like the best option for us: avoid the cost of a room and travel a long distance while sleeping. Perfect. Until I later found out our 8 hour ride would have been 2 on the bullet train. Oh well, budget travel has it’s sacrifices…

Tokyo was an incredible start to this journey. We learned a lot, laughed even more, and are ready for the next spot- Kyoto!

From Tokyo, with love,

Sara + Will