Back in Tokyo

The conclusion of our last trip to Asia had us itching for more, but none of us could have guessed that we would reunite in Japan 4.5 years later.






While the back of the plane was fully packed with a school group returning to Japan, the part I was at was less so. The middle seat of most rows were left empty, a couple sat next to me, therefore filling our row. At first, I felt a little resigned to my fate, but a few hours into the flight, they both vacated to an emptier row in the middle of the plane, thus leaving the entire row to me.




One of my favourite parts of flying is looking out at the skies; the vast, wide open seas, the fluffy cotton ball clouds, the harsh lines of divided acres of farmland, the grey blocks of a concrete city - they all offer a new perspective on the world that I rarely see. Whenever I fly across to Asia, my flights have been red-eye, but this entire flight took the daytime route. Everywhere was bright and sunny, and while terrible for helping me reset my circadian rhythm, it offered fantastic views of the earth below us.



After landing once again at Haneda Airport, I scrambled to grab my bags and find a PASMO card. Once secured, I quickly looked up my train route and prayed I wouldn't get lost.

Well, I didn't get lost on the train, but it took a good 45 minutes of circling the area our hotel was in before I finally found it, drenched in sweat from the humidity and pulling my fat suitcase. My pre-downloaded Google Maps had failed me, instead producing a grey background with squiggly blue dots guiding me through the grey nothingness.




My travel buddies were somewhat delayed in their schedule, so I decided to grab an early dinner as it had been hours since my breakfast meal on the plane. As per (what is now) custom, CoCo Curry House was my designated first meal in Tokyo.




We were all finally reunited at our hotel; converging from three different continents in the capsule hotel lobby in Chuo City.




We took a stroll out to the nearby Don Quijote, through the beautiful streets filled with plants, bicycles, and my favourite vending machines. We hunted around for the cheapest Pocari Sweat, and then proceeded to spend a whopping two+ hours at the mega discount store.




After a quick video call by the noisiest corridor, complete with frequently passing trains and continuously active jackhammer operators, we made our way back to our hotel. As the showers were full, I opted for the spa; the communal sit-down showers and soaking in the hot water brought back fond memories of my time in Busan last year.