Without aim, I wandered the streets of Shinjuku in the night to see the lights and billboards. Trying to take in the metropolitan night atmosphere. It’s always amazing how quiet and peaceful streets can be just 5 minutes from a major amusement spot.
Small Shinjuku street at night
The next morning I awoke very late but with a fire in my belly. I found a rice with egg set at the local Matsuya for breakfast for about 4 Euro.
Waking up slowly I figured that I’d check out Tokyo Station which was about a 25-minute train ride away. I took the JY Yamanote Line from Shinjuku to Tokyo Station.
In Tokyo Station I checked out character street with its cute anime shops and Travelers Factory for notebooks. Tried hard to not spend all of my money on Gashapon. Sat in front of the station for a while admiring the weather and the architecture.
I had Ramen for lunch in Ramen Street and went home to rest.
The afternoon was more walking but this time in Shibuya. After walking over the scramble, seeing the Hachiko statue and visiting the Nintendo store, I looked through the Miyashita Park Mall for a coin purse. I have collected tons of coins. They are not as heavy as for example the Filipino Peso coins, but it’s annoying to have them jingling around when walking. I didn’t yet find a purse, but I found a few cute shops.
Japanese minimalism or cluttercore?
Speaking of shops: I went to Don Quijote — total sensory overload. I didn’t buy there anything this time.
On my way back, I sat down for sushi at Sushiro in Shinjuku. First time Sushi in Japan! 50% of the seats were taken. There were many free booths. The sushi was better than anything I ever had in Germany, and I paid around 9 Euro for the whole meal. I wasn’t aware you could get solid cheap sushi in Japan. Food in general has been affordable. My biggest expense is the accommodation, which is unsurprisingly a lot more expensive than in Southeast Asia.
I am slowly expanding my radius of action here in Tōkyō Metropolis. Next on my list are the areas directly to the south of Shinjuku: Harajuku and Shibuya. But first I had a Japanese breakfast teishoku with salt-grilled mackerel, natto, miso soup at Yayoi. A real good workout of my poor chopstick skills.
Harajuku Station
Most of the morning was spent visiting all the obligatory sites like Takeshita Street, Kiddyland and the Meiji Jingu Shinto Temple.
Big Sake Barrels near Meiji Jingu
After 20k steps I capped off the morning with a small bottle of calpis and a tuna mayo sushiroll from Family Mart.
I’m still not convinced that Japan is a real place. I have been here now for three days, but it really feels like I have landed on another world.
Narita Express took me early Saturday morning to Shinjuku Station. It was a rainy and gloomy day, but I enjoyed the view from the train.
1.5h train ride from Narita to Shinjuku
Google Maps works really well for navigating the streets and public transport. I found my hotel and explored my immediate surroundings for an hour. I got snacks from 7-Eleven and Family Mart and basically called it a day.
Everything is photogenic
I am still recovering from my second cold in a month, so I went to bed early(let’s not go for the triple, please). Missing not much because of the rain. The next day I awoke to the perfect weather: blue skies and sunny 28 degrees. Perfect day to explore Shinjuku.
Godzilla!
I did the usual tourist stuff in Kabukicho when I stumbled upon a small market in front of the Hanazono Shrine.
Movie Posters
After delicious Gyumeshi at Matsuya for lunch, I went for a long walk in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden before exploring Shinjukus stores for a while.
The security queue in Manila was not only an inconvenience for my self, but in the end our flight was delayed because we had to wait for passengers traversing said obstacle. We arrived in Narita Airport with about an hour of delay, which made it impossible to get my booked connecting train. Feeling pretty tired, I decided to get a room close-by the airport and take the train first thing in the morning.
The Zipair flight was very pleasant and not at all what we would call budget in Europe(looking at your Ryanair).
I am scared to admit: It feels good being back in a first world country. Clean hotel rooms, no black mold, safe food/water and functioning infrastructure. I am happy to be here for sure.
The weather in Manila changed in the last week. Summer has come and gone. Now humidity is a lot higher and a lot more clouds appeared. I am getting ready to leave Manila after being in the Philippines since mid-March.
NAIA Terminal 1 bade me farewell in the form of a horrible security queue which took about 2 hours to traverse and was uncomfortably crowded. Elated by finally seeing the 787-8 from a window I headed to Gate 2. Sitting here and munching on Piaya I reminisce about the awesome time I had here in the Philippines and all the nice people I met here. Next stop: Tokyo.
I came back to Manila Metro from Iloilo a couple of days ago. I am staying in Makati this time and enjoy it’s 70s charm. The nights are incredibly hot, but I enjoy walking around and explore the endless Malls and Parks here. I am also using this time here in Makati to prepare for my next destination.
Small Shinjuku street at night
Tokyo Station
Japanese minimalism or cluttercore?
You should not ride a bicycle here
Harajuku Station
Big Sake Barrels near Meiji Jingu
1.5h train ride from Narita to Shinjuku
Everything is photogenic
Godzilla!
Movie Posters
Sunday vibes in the Garden
Mural on toilet in Legazpi Park, Makati
Fountain inside the park
219 Salcedo, Legazpi Village, Makati
View from KL Tower in Makati Manila