An uncharted solo trip to Tokyo

Hachiko

It’s true what they say about Japan: you’ll want to go back again and again.

It was a hot and humid July when I went to Tokyo for eight days. I actually experienced a bipolar weather the first two days. A storm had followed me there after stewing for a while in the Philippines. It was raining the first few hours, and then thick air that caused profuse sweating came next.

It was actually my first time in Japan. After experiencing summer in the Philippines, I thought it was a bad idea to go there during the hot season. However, frequent travelers told me there will never be a bad time to go to Japan. All seasons make for a wonderful experience, they said.

There will always be new things to discover in Japan, aside from the touristy spots that a first-timer like me should still visit. Back home in the Philippines, friends (even those who frequent Japan) still learned a thing or two from the photos I shared on social media.

I went to Tokyo without a firm itinerary, as what I always do whenever I visit a foreign country or even a local place outside Manila. I always go “where my feet will take me,” so they say.

I’m not good at navigating, but thanks to the portable WiFi that my friendly AirBnB host lent me, I was able to use Google Map and the Japan Travel app to get me moving without fear of getting lost.

Aside from the where-to articles that one can get off the Internet, RocketNews24 is a great resource for travelers, especially those who want to see new things in Japan. It was there that I got information on the new Hachiko statue as well as this sushi-place-with-no-name that sells sushi for 10 Yen apiece.

Here are a few “new” spots that I got to share with my frequent Japan-traveler friends.

The new Hachiko statue

After visiting the old Hachiko statue just outside the Shibuya station and after exploring the “Lost in Translation” feel of Tokyo’s shopping district, head to The University of Tokyo (UTokyo) in Bunkyo. It’s around 30 minutes away from Shibuya by train.

Besides Godzilla, Hachiko is probably the best representation of Japan (Of course, there’s the ubiquitous clear umbrella that I managed to use because of the bipolar weather. There are also the cosplayers. And let’s not forget the Japanese hospitality).

Hachiko, as a lot of people would already know, was the loyal dog who waited outside the station everyday for his master, Dr. Hidesaburo Ueno. The good doctor died suddenly in 1925, but Hachiko still went to the station everyday hoping to meet his master even up to his death ten years later.

UTokyo pays tribute to this friendship between dog and man. It was a fitting one since the university was where Ueno taught for several years. It was also there where he died.

The sushi place with no name

Every Japan guide will tell you to go to Tsukiji Fish Market very early in the morning to see the lively wholesale auction for sea produce. It’s also where you’re supposed to eat really fresh sashimi. But for non-early risers like me, you can get a healthy filling of the beloved sushi or sashimi anywhere in Tokyo really.

But since there was a need to discover something new, I went to this sushi-place-with-no-name suggested by RocketNews24. The shop may not have a name, but it’s easy to find since it’s just a few meters away from the west exit of Yoyogi station.

What’s so special about it? It’s a small shop that offers yellowtail or tuna sushi for just 10 Yen apiece. The thing with cheap offers, however, is that there’s a catch. You need to buy a drink. But with sushi in front of you, who will really say no to beer?

There’s also a one last stop where you could eat sushi before you go home: Narita Airport. Anthony Bourdain even highly recommended Sushi Kyotatsu near Gate 34. A whole plate of a mix of sushi costs 1,800 Yen (around P650), but that’s relatively a steal for something to pacify your separation anxiety before you get on the plane.

Shimokitazawa

It’s unfortunate that I got to visit this so-called hipster cousin of Harajuku for only two hours. What Cubao X is to Metro Manila, Shimokitazawa is to Tokyo. It also offers a lot more.

It’s actually a district, but Shimokita is a small cozy neighborhood where you can allow yourself to get lost and revel in the peace and calm amid the usually bustling Tokyo. Small vintage shops, independent designer stores, a cat café, and many more line the streets of Shimokita. On one side are Tokyo’s young drinking their beer late in the afternoon, while on the other are residents just walking their dogs for the day.

Kawagoe

The downside to a spur-of-the-moment trip is that you don’t get to see the places that entail a lot of planning and time before you could set foot there. Take for example Studio Ghibli. There is a need to reserve for a spot a month before your actual visit. You can still get lucky to have a seat on a Mt. Fuji-viewing bus tour, but that’s just a small probability if you decide two nights before that you want to go there. Such was not my case.

Luckily, there’s a place one hour away from Tokyo where you could experience the old Japan. A CNN article described it, “tight streets lined with gabled buildings and tiled roofs [that] those of an older, pre-Pokemon vintage, hope to find when they come to Japan for the first time.”

Kawagoe is reminiscent of the Edo period. Here, you can eat sweet potato candied and packed in various ways while walking along a street dotted with old Japanese houses.

Shopping, food

Of course, your Tokyo trip will not be complete without going to Akihabara (manga haven), Harajuku (eccentric fashion), Asakusa (souvenir), Odaiba (rainbow bridge, giant Gundam in all his glory).

In Harajuku, head towards the very end of Takeshita Street where you can buy Nike or Adidas a few thousands cheaper compared to shops in Manila. ABC Mart, which is everywhere in Tokyo, offers a better deal for your money. The shops here also offer newer designs.

If you’re craving for gyoza, go to Harajuku Gyozaro. There are not a lot of restaurants in Tokyo that offer gyoza as their main dish, except this one. If you’re craving for ramen, head to Ichiran near the Shibuya station. It’s the best ramen I’ve ever tasted.

There’s also this flower shop called Aoyama Flower Market in nearby Omotesando. Inside the flower shop is a hidden gem of a tea house where you can rest a bit after a long walk from Shibuya to Harajuku and Omotesando.

As a last note, I was alone when I went to Tokyo. It was a trip that had me purging my emotions after a months-long, hard-fought battle against monsters back home. It looked frightening going alone at first, but it was the joy of discovering the new that made me look at an uncharted territory with awe.

I stayed at an apartment owned by a guy, but my AirBnB host, Satoru, easily made the awkward feeling go away. The Japanese are a friendly lot. The several times I got lost (Google Map is still an ordinary paper map for a geography-challenged person like me), several residents came to my rescue. I asked for directions a lot, but there were those who went to me and asked if I needed help. One even had to accompany me and repeated several times, “I’m worried, I want to bring you there so that you won’t get lost.”

So for the first-timers like me, or for those who want to travel alone in Japan, I say: It’s okay to lose your way sometimes.