My Solo Trip to Tokyo!

My trip to Tokyo was a personal pilgrimage for me. It's something that I've wanted to do for a while, but I let trivial excuses like: "It's too expensive," "I've got no one to travel with," and "Work's too busy," hold me back, always copping out with: "There's always next year." Sick of my own lackadaisical attitude, I spontaneously booked a flight to Narita. Two weeks later, I was cruising over the Pacific on a plane to Japan.

I was apprehensive at first to travel alone, but with so much encouragement from family and friends, I realized that the best part of traveling would be sharing my stories with all of you! This was the motivating force behind each of the 500 pictures I took in Tokyo. I felt no shame stretching out my arm, pointing the camera at myself, and smiling. I thought, "Mom would enjoy seeing what I'm eating!" or "Only Rhone would appreciate this weird bag I'm wearing on my head."

I experienced so many fun, funny, spiritual, and inspiring moments, I can't express them all in one blog. So here's a summary of the best parts:

WEDNESDAY - I woke up at the crack of dawn and trekked to Tsukiji Fish Market, a crazy Costco of fresh, raw seafood. I dodged and ducked as I maneuvered through aisle after aisle of vibrant, smelly creatures of the sea, some still slithering and snapping their claws. Workers on manic motorized keg-like coolers buzzed about the market floor, heaving crates of squid, sawing torpedos of tuna, and spraying away fish blood, guts and juices. It was an unreal experience and probably my favorite part of the trip. It was unique, eye-opening and oddly calming.

THURSDAY - I spent Thursday with a family from Mexico on a 1-day tour of Sawara, a small town outside Narita. This kind, Spanish-speaking family adopted me, as I blended the little Spanish I know with the little Japanese I know, and coined new phrases like "Muy atsui" ("very hot") and "Sake, por favor!" ("Sake, please!!). My tour guide Emiko also made a lasting impression. Tiny, sweet and a stereotypical Japanese girl, Emiko called me "Riz" and exclaimed "Oh rihrry!!" after every interesting comment. She also giggled with her hand covering her mouth -- a mannerism that I happily picked up, (but practice only in Japan). The tour itself was decent, but the people I met made the day memorable.

FRIDAY - I experienced for the first time a ridiculously crowded Japanese subway, in which passengers very politely and quietly pushed and shoved until there wasn't a square inch of floor space left. I stood squeezed between bodies, firmly planting my feet on the floor trying desperately to stay balanced; I clenched everything. With each whirring stop, the crowd swayed forward, backward, and side-to-side. It was impossible to fall down since the density of bodies kept me wobbling with the crowd. This was the worst version of "Jello" I've ever played.

I spilled out onto the platform, thankful to have reached the last stop on the Ginza line, Asakusa (ah-SAHK-sah). Here is where I enjoyed a whole day trolling through troves of treasures down Nakamise-dori, as well as joined hundreds of tourists who zipped through the Senso-ji shrine. (I found a few more quieter shrines on my own that I appreciated much, much more.)

That night I met some friends in Shibuya for yakiniku and karaoke. I haven't seen so many Iolani alumni since the last time I was at Oceans. (Yes - Oceans!)

SATURDAY - Aaron and I walked around Shibuya until we stumbled into the "Love Hotel" district, where rooms are rented by the hour for "resting" and by the night "for staying." The series of pictures really say it all. Go check them out! In the afternoon, I met up with my aunties, uncles and cousins from Hawaii who had coincidentally planned a trip to Tokyo during the same time as me. We went to the top of Mori Tower and took in the amazing views of rainy, green Tokyo (which looks very much like the Pacific Northwest!). Then we roamed through Roppongi in the rain to "Chanko-nabe," a restaurant that serves "hot pot" or what sumo wrestlers eat. After a filling, delicious 10-course meal, it was time to sleep!

SUNDAY - Before Aaron left Tokyo, he and I ventured to Harajuku to see the uniquely dressed-up Japanese teens. Here is where I mastered the art of sneaking pictures of random strangers from the inside of my jacket. (Yes - I felt sketchy and somewhat perverted, but these were sights I had to share!) Paired with the use of my continuous capture feature, my sneaky photography made for some really interesting shots!

MONDAY - I spent my last day in Tokyo in Ikebukuro, where I had hoped to try many "little nibbles" at the Tobu Department Store. Andrew Zimmern of Bizzarre Foods also visited Tobu during his trip to Japan. Since I IDOLIZE him, I wanted to track his every footstep. Unfortunately, Tobu didn't open in time for me to browse through it, since I had an afternoon flight home. Slightly disappointed by my anticlimactic last adventure, I headed back toward the subway station when, out of nowhere, I spotted "Café du Monde." I had gone to Café Du Monde in New Orleans earlier this year and loved it. It was a happy coincidence that there was one in Tokyo and a great finale to my trip.

So that's my quick and dirty summary of Tokyo. Scroll through my albums to see more. Or if you're willing, let's have drinks and catch up. I'll explain my strategy around slurping noodles loudly and free of splatter (dip your head into the bowl and take long, purposeful slurps). Or how I made a joke in Japanese just by saying "Makudonarudo" (McDonald's) to a sales girl who helped me try on red and yellow converse high tops. I'll even divulge how I found solace and peace in the many Buddhist shrines and temples I visited, where I humbly offered prayers for dear friends.

I embraced each moment, and hope I've done a decent job sharing my journey with you!

For full trip details, please check out my Picasa web albums, where you can see all the solo pics I took!

Tokyo Trip - Album 1: http://picasaweb.google.com/lizfong/TokyoPart1

Tokyo Trip - Album 2: http://picasaweb.google.com/lizfong/TokyoPart2