Staying in the heart of Tokyo was the perfect choice for our first visit. I say first, because we have every intention of returning. It was love at first sight.
Our hotel, the Cerulean Tower, is a short walk from Shibuya Station which allowed us to go everywhere in a short amount of time. It was also a good decision to plan our stay during the week as it was less crowded. Our last day happened to be Saturday and we were more than happy to take our flight to Bangkok because the streets were almost impassable with all the people who came out to enjoy the city after a full day of rain.
Getting around wasn’t difficult as I anticipated. Google maps was helpful, even though it did have a hard time in directing us when multiple floors were in play. When you have that many people in such a small space there is no other option than to build up. It didn’t take us long to acclimate to walking on the left instead of the right and remembering to look up for signs.
Though Bodhi almost took out a few bikers.
That being said, we definitely got our steps in wandering the city.
The flight was 14 hours and we tried to sleep, but our excitement kept us awake. Bodhi and I did get a little cat nap in on the bus ride to the hotel. We checked in and even though we were ready to sleep, getting our bodies adjusted to the time change is crucial.
So off we went to check out Shibuya Crossing and find our first Pokémon Center. This Japan trip was about Bodhi, so it was pretty much a Pokémon adventure. Tokyo is so beautiful at night. Exciting and alive. It reminds me of New York City or even Bangkok, but strangely clean and well kept and quieter. The night air was cool and inviting, but the steep inclines and fast pace left me warm and breathless. Luckily for us, there are vending machines everywhere with drinks to keep us hydrated. Although, we all agree that 7-11 is the best place for all things to eat and drink on the go. If you do anything in Asia, you MUST go to 7-11. Plus, it is a great way to stretch your travel budget.
The sun comes up early in Japan, so we were all wide awake at 4 am. Breakfast didn’t start until 7 am, so we let Bodhi FaceTime his friends back home while we waited. After filling ourselves of fresh fish and vegetables (yeah, not American style breakfast by far, but the fish was so good!) we decided to walk the city a bit before traveling on the the trains as rush hour could be a little overwhelming.
Our first stop was a short walk to Mega Don Quixote to get Ira some underwear. This is a seven story shopping adventure of everything you can imagine to buy. Thank goodness for escalators! I used to have anxiety about forgetting to pack something, but honestly, there isn’t much that you can’t buy when needed no matter where you travel. I’ve learned to let go of that stress.
Quick warning, if you have children, there are some things in Mega Donki that you might be shocked at and I don’t even want to know what was behind the curtain in the 18+ area.
There was a lightsaber/massager that wasn’t a lightsaber/massager.
That was a diffferent store, Ira, but yes, same concept. The loudspeaker commercials for that area were enough to make me blush.
Regardless, it’s always fun to see what products are used in other places. After that entertainment, it was time to head to our first planned excursion. We will tell you all about it soon.
Under the Bodhi Tree 