October 2023

Japan turns out to be the place that I never knew I wanted to visit. With an upcoming conference in Bangkok set for the later weeks of October, we decided to add on a visit to a place that was “on the way” to help acclimatize to a large time difference and explore a new part of the world in the process. After considering a few ideas in Europe, we realized that Japan was actually closer to Thailand and had a closer climate to where we were ending up. We only had a week to spare in Japan before needing to get to Bangkok and settled on stays in Tokyo and Kyoto to minimize travel times and to be able to get a taste of 2 iconic Japanize locations. Tokyo turned out to be a wonderful whirlwind of new people, customs and foods. It was a great way to start out our Asian adventure.

Getting there..

Since I was coming from the Seattle and Dave from Kamloops, we took connector flights to Calgary in which we were then able to fly direct to Narita International Airport. Our flight times were leaving our home bases around 11am and then leaving Calgary at 1pm PST. Our arrival in Tokyo was set for 2pm the next day. We flew with West Jet and treated ourselves to an upgrade to the “Premium Plus” (i.e., business class) experience. This was worth it from some many angles- early boarding, less seats, more leg room, extended seat recline, bottomless drinks in glassware, and meals. It was an excellent way to spend 10hrs+ on a plane. Everything was on time and there was no significant turbulence the entire flight. I enjoyed the views from above for almost the entire flight as the sun never went down. 3 movies, 2.5 meals and more than a few drinks later and we landed in Tokyo.

We then caught a high-speed train from Narita to the Tokyo subway station. It took us a good 2 hours to get to our accommodations in Tokyo and it gave a real appreciation for the scale of Tokyo. It is a sprawling city with several large high-rise districts and the most complicated subway system I have ever experienced. That isn’t saying much, as I am not the most traveled person, but for real, the public transit system here was massive. Despite the complexity, everything ran with order and precise. Thank God for google maps as it gave us the details for all the train/subway lines we needed to take. We did get a bit turned around once we got off the subway in Chiyoda City but by tapping into some data, we did make it there all before dinner time.

Where we stayed…

Chiyoda City is a district a bit out of the center of the city but in walking or subway of parks, palaces, shrines and endless restaurants and shopping. During the week it was bustling with people rushing off to work in the multitudes of surrounding high rises.

Our Airbnb was called Spatium Kanda and was located in a new, narrow 9-story building. It was modern and tiny but was perfect for what we needed, and it felt like Tokyo. The was only one apartment per floor, so it was quiet, and we didn’t see another occupant of the build during our stay. The bathroom was probably the most interesting feature for me, being a glass cubicle with a high-tech toilet and tub shower. It didn’t leave much for privacy but the toilet did have a “privacy” feature to it so you could turn up some water sounds as a buffer. The room included a washer/dryer combo too, which wasn’t all that necessary so early in our trip but came in super handy after our rainy morning run on our last day. This was a 5-star experience of a stay, absolutely no complaints to report.

What we did…

True to form, our trip consisted primarily of eating, drinking and exploring on foot. I tried to do some research beforehand and bookmarked a few palaces and gardens I wanted to see but Tokyo is expansive, and it was overwhelming with the options. We really only had 2 full days here and decided to stay relatively close to the apartment, so we didn’t waste a bunch of time in transit.

With the new time zone, we woke up early and were able to take in so much before noon. We first found an exceptional bunch location on the top floor of a fancy hotel near by then set oof to the closest main attraction- the Imperial Palace and the Kokyo Gaien National Garden. I failed to read the fine print on visiting the inside of this place. There are 2 openings that tourists can go in beyond the gates and then you would have to go in with a guide. So, we walked the perimeter trail in which we watched tons of jogger pass by. The people of Tokyo seem to be very active and city runner culture was apparent from the get-go.

After the viewing of the outside of the Imperial palace we headed over to the Tsukiji Outer Market. On our walk over, we passed through the Ginza district that was dense with people, upscale shops, the Kabuki-za theater and a huge clock at the Seiko Museum. Once we reached the market, we took in the many food street food options and vendors displaying local produce and fish. Through the blogs I read prior to arriving here, they did warn that most vendors accept cash only, and were unprepared. By the time we arrive we were hot and thirst, so we landed at a little indoor sushi place that was air-conditioned, had cold beer on draft though and was good enough.

We continued walking and taking in the sights of the city. For the rest of the day and finished off with one of the most thoughtful and delicious sushi meals and at tiny place around the corner from our place.

Our last full day was filled with more walking and eating, this time to

Before we took off to Kyoto, we went on a rainy morning run and were able to walk the Tokyo marathon grand championship both on TV during breakfast and live while walking to the subway. Never have I run nor watched a full marathon but it was a really enjoyable way to spend a few hours on a wet morning of a travel day.

What we ate…

The food in Japan was beyond compare. From our first meal at a completely non-English speaking underground yakiniku restaurant to a tiny sushi spot that was around the corner from our apartment, Tokyo food culture is amazing. We lucked out and a multitude of places right on the block where we stayed in Chiyoda City. People were friendly, patient and took pride in the food they served. It was a really fun experiencing Japan through their food and traditions.

Here were the highlights-

• Yakiniku Ebisu Honten– Fantastic first night find…specialized in yakiniku and underground. No english speaking but very welcoming. Our neighboring table helped order for us. It was cool to be at a locals place so early in our trip.
• Tama Sushi– Tiny place with some of the best sushi I have ever had. We sat at the bar with another couple. The chef and owner was friendly and asked to take photos with us after we left.
• Crazy Craft Beer– local beer bar on our block. Fun atmosphere with a ton of beers on tap.
• Tsukiji Outer Market– we found a little place in the market for bento boxes of sushi. There are lots of options to eat at the vendor stands but they accept cash only.
• Asada– This was a really nice restaurant on the top floor of a hotel offering a Japanese style buffet called Kaiseki. We went for brunch and there were lots of traditional and western options.
• Azuma– In the heart of the Taito district, we got to experience the take off your shoes and sit on the floor tradition. We had the specialties of an eel appetizer, Gomoku yasai soba soup, pork Katsu-don & Chu-hai cocktails.

Final thoughts….

Our time in Tokyo was brief but was a blast. It totally did not match up to my incoming expectations in the best way possible. Even though we only got to experience a tiny segment of this amazing city, it gave us a taste for both the modern and traditional sides of Japanese culture. I wouldn’t hesitate to visit Toyko again and would recommend a visit here for anyone who is curious and would like an adventure that you can’t find anywhere else in the world.