Tokyo and Beyond

The cities of Kyoto and Tokyo could not be any more different. Our first morning in Tokyo was met by train car after train car of people packed in like sardines. I don’t know what possessed us to build an itinerary that started right at rush hour that morning, but fortunately we were only looking to spend the morning casually in Shibuya. Peter, my family, and I headed first to a cozy coffee shop where we had delicious lattes and dutch babies which Peter endearingly referred to as “butch babies.”

Michelle would be doing her own thing for the day, and Jackie would meet up with us for dinner. Following breakfast, we wanted to drop by both Yoyogi Park as well as Meiji-Jingu shrine but got distracted by the size of the park and the beautiful cherry blossom trees already in bloom. It was a great experience to see both plum and cherry blossoms in the same trip before the hordes of tourists.

We spent the remainder of the morning shopping in Shibuya, making sure to drop by some fan favorites like the Pokemon Center and MUJI where we eventually had lunch. After never-ending kawaii stores (Popmart, Nintendo, and anime stores), we were exhausted. Of course, this would be the perfect time to drag the family to a Mega Don Quijote midday to get the full experience. I found several items for myself while everybody else, in their fatigue, waited outside. Apologetic for putting them through that endeavor, we dropped by a Starbucks overlooking the famous Shibuya crossing so we could all take a rest.

After some rejuvenation, it was about time to meet up with Jackie for dinner at Miyashita Park, a rooftop hangout spot popular with young’uns. We all grabbed fast food that evening, including American classics Taco Bell, Panda Express, and McDonalds. Jackie brought trays of Japanese strawberries for dessert which we enjoyed alongside numerous snacks we grabbed from MUJI earlier that day. Japan really knows how to grow the most perfect strawberries!

On the way back to the hotel that evening, we crossed a boutique Smiski and Sonny Angel store which beckoned Jackie inside to spend many more dollars. Once satisfied, we finally made it back to the hotel where my dad retired to bed early. Everybody else headed back out to Senso-ji for nighttime photos. En route to Senso-ji, my mom and Truman found their favorite chili flakes at a local grocery store, which they grabbed several of for the trip home. We made our final stop of the evening at a taiyaki stall where I dropped my mom’s precious on the ground.

We thought that when we got back to the hotel, it would finally be the end of a long first day in Tokyo. We all showered, Jackie came over to my and Peter’s room to hang out, have snacks, and open her haul of figurines. Surprisingly, Michelle came over as well with news that she’d be leaving the next day, one whole day before she originally intended. As it would be Michelle’s final evening with us, Truman and my mom came over as well to say goodbye. It was a crowded aparthotel room, but we enjoyed a glass of plum wine together as a group. After an evening full of laughter, everybody retired back to their rooms to get some much needed rest for Day 2 of Tokyo.

Our next morning started off with an exploration of Ginza. It would seem we were determined to exhaust my parents with frivolous shopping. We wanted to check a few stores in Ginza followed by some time in Akihabara before lunch. Michelle had a recommendation for a steakhouse for lunch, and since it would be her last day, we made arrangements to meet up there. She had a photoshoot that morning and wanted to revisit the steakhouse before her flight out of Tokyo. For this day, Jackie decided to spend the day with me, my family, and Peter. We started the morning off at the Starbucks Reserve in Ginza to try out some of their seasonal sakura themed items. The same mediocrity that is associated with Starbucks in the United States translates over to Japan as well. We ordered an array of cute pastries that caught our greedy eyes and paid for it soon after with sickly sugar-induced nausea.

The silver lining to the Starbucks experience was that Jackie, in her attempt to get to know my parents better, got them to talk about their origin story. Yes, she had them talking about how they met, fell in love, and their journey in raising me and my brother. From this experience, I also learned things I previously did not know. Once we were done sharing stories, we all headed to Akihabara to look at and buy more cute anime things. We were able to easily kill time there looking at towers of merchandise, figurines, and trading cards. Soon enough, it was time for our meaty lunch to offset all the sugar we had. We headed to the steakhouse to meet Michelle, but much to our disappointment, she could not make it. The evening prior would be the last time we saw Michelle on this trip, as she would soon fly out.

Following lunch, we headed to yet another Pokémon Center where Truman indulged in many gifts and souvenirs. After he was through with shopping, it was my turn at the MUJI flagship store. I found exactly everything I needed (and more), from snacks to household items. Peter and Truman were exhausted so they had some dessert at the MUJI cafe while I shopped. My parents looked at luggage while Jackie went ahead to Itoya, a popular stationary store. My family and Peter eventually met up with Jackie at Itoya. There, Peter and I shopped while my parents, Jackie, and Truman headed to the 12th floor to chill at their restaurant. Time flew by from all this shopping, and the last things on our itinerary for the day were dinner and teamLab Planets in Toyosu. We had Yoshinoya for dinner (better in Japan!) and then promptly headed over to teamLab. Though the experience was awesome, it had some redundant exhibits, especially as Peter and I had already been to several others. My family still thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

As we headed back from teamLab to our aparthotels, the weather seemed to really sour, with sudden downpour and gusty winds. My family retired for the evening while Jackie, Peter, and I went for a second dinner at a cozy Japanese diner. Jackie then entertained us with another round of blind box haul openings before bed.

Day 3 in Tokyo was much slower paced with much of our itinerary planned around the famed Ghibli museum. It was yet another late morning start—we were getting used to taking a chiller approach to vacationing. We headed first to a cute little bakery in Mitaka, the town where the museum was located. We got a whole variety of savory breads, and unlike the assortment from Starbucks, was devoured by the party in just a few minutes. Next, we stopped by a coffee shop with some seriously good drinks. Unfortunately, the whole place, immaculate as it was, smelled like a restroom for some reason. It was so bad that Jackie almost left before our drinks arrived. Our lazy morning soon turned into a lazy afternoon—it would seem as though all we planned this day were food and drink. We had lunch at an Italian restaurant, of which there were strangely many in Japan. Then, it was time for the main event: the Ghibli museum.

The pinnacle of dashed hopes and dreams, this museum was a big disappointment for us. Perhaps we could have savored more of the exhibits if we could read Japanese, but displays were generally underwhelming. The most meaningful aspect of the museum was probably the feature of old manuscripts which we couldn’t enjoy due to the language barrier. Each person visiting the museum was granted a cinema ticket to an exclusive short film. Again, maybe we just missed the vibe, but it was another letdown for the whole party. The museum did not allow for any pictures so it’s hard to capture into words exactly what we mean. Needless to say, however, Mitaka is quite far out from Tokyo, and this museum definitely does not warrant the day trip. We rushed back to Asakusa so that we may finish up some pottery and ceramic shopping. Jackie found some incredibly cute pieces to add to her collection.

It would soon be time for our last dinner in Tokyo. We unfortunately decided to play it by ear. Instead of going with my initial desire to book a vetted restaurant, we traversed the streets of Asakusa until we landed on an appetizing storefront. We all were baited into the worst tempura experience (and worst meal of the trip!) save for Jackie. She thought it was OK. What a way to end our last full day in Japan, from mediocre museum to disastrous dinner. We walked toward another grocery store to grab some cleansing snacks, yogurt, and found cute key chain plushies along the way. Tonight would be a chill evening for everybody as we retired to our respective rooms early. We all wanted to be well rested for our departure day.

Departure day was a little more stressful than anticipated. We mistakenly assumed that we could get Skyliner tickets the morning of in order to get to Narita airport. There turned out to be a giant line of people wanting to do the same. As a last minute decision, we booked a big taxi van to take us all to the airport directly. The cost ultimately was actually not that much more per person than individual Skyliner tickets. As is typical of my family, we got to the airport several hours early. We had to budget in even more time than usual as Jackie’s flight was actually a few hours before ours despite it being the same day going toward the same destination, LAX. She found a less expensive flight and did not mind flying alone.

We spent our time at the airport doing last minute shopping. My mom got a whole haul of airport sweets, cookies, and skincare. Peter and I slipped away to do some work privately at a Priority Pass lounge while my family continued shopping. Time flew by quickly and before we knew it, we were aboard our flight and on the way back to California. The flight back felt much quicker than the flight to Japan. Upon landing, Peter and I rushed back to our apartment to unpack, wash up, and went to go see our couple’s therapist. It was about time to return to normalcy.