winter

Today, we woke up to a beautiful ray of sunshine, streaming through the window of our fourth-floor hostel room. When we looked out, we could see the Tokyo Skytree standing strong in the distance. It’s the tallest man made structure in Japan, functioning as both an observation tower and broadcasting station. John took a tour of it yesterday, while I visited the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka as a birthday present to myself. As stated on the Ghibli Museum’s official website, “Tickets become available for purchase at 10 a.m. (JST) on the 10th of each month for the subsequent month.” Unfortunately tickets sell out hours after the ticket portal opens. So as a loophole for unplanned travelers, the Willer Travel Company offers a tour from Kichijōji Station to the museum, with admission included. The tour costs 5,500 yen, instead of the standard 1,000 yen admission for adults. It was worth it though! An adorably small Japanese tour guide took us on an educational jaunt around the park, stopping at different temples and historical landmarks along the way. She was so small that she brought a collapsible metal pole with a giraffe stuffy tied to the end, to mark where she was at all times.   The museum was on the smaller side, with one main building and a cafe. Your ticket includes a framed strip of film reel, that grants access to the Saturn Theater. Here, exclusive Studio Ghibli short films are shown that you can’t see anywhere else (unless it’s bootlegged on YouTube). Nestled in the lower level of the museum, this cosy 80 seat theater runs its films every 15 minutes. Hand-painted windows (that are so realistic that I had to do a double-take) dot the walls, giving the illusion of sunlight streaming in. For the real windows, when it’s time to dim the lights automated window covers slowly rise, plunging the theater into darkness. Right now until February 28th, Mei and the Baby Cat Bus is playing. It’s a short sequel of sorts to My Neighbor Totoro. It was such a cute movie. I won’t give anything away other than… there are different sized cat buses!!   The rest of the museum focuses on Hayao Miyazaki’s art and the movie-making process. Many of the rooms are recreations of Hayao Miyazaki’s work spaces. As Miyazaki himself said of the museum: Overall, I think he helped create a museum that meets his mission well. One of my favorite things about this museum was getting to see the behind the scenes evolution of Studio Ghibli characters that I love. For example, Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service has short black hair and a dark blue dress. But in some earlier designs, she had bright orange hair tied in pigtails with bright pink bows. When watching the movie, you’ll notice there is a witch with bright orange hair tied up in pigtails… I like to think she’s a nod to one of Kiki’s earlier versions.   The walls of three exhibits were covered (from floor to ceiling) in drawings, paintings, sketches of characters, scenes, and things that never made it to the screen. You could spend hours looking at all of the magic in the rooms, and not notice everything. Not only was the art amazing, but the room recreations themselves were visually enticing. From eccentric books on fanciful fish, to a felted Totoro doll on a string, to a personal heater, the rooms were packed with an eclectic array of items – it felt like you were within one of Miyazaki’s films yourself!   In one room, there was a machine once used to visualize animated scenes in pre-production. Though I didn’t write down the name of it, the entire unit was taller than me, encased in glass, with a conveyor belt and a scope. Miyazaki would place a painted background on the conveyor belt, which could be moved manually with a crank. Then, he’d layer painted cels with characters or objects, on top. By adjusting the scope and cranking the conveyor belt, he could watch how the characters moved across the scene. For example, there was a beautiful landscape painting on the conveyor belt, with a hot air balloon cel placed on top. When I cranked the conveyor belt and looked through the scope, it looked like the hot air balloon was moving across the countryside. Machines like these were used in traditional cel animation. If you love early technology and art, trying this out would be right up your alley.   While I was walking through the exhibits, I kept reflecting on this: there is something so beautiful about people who can take the images/ideas from their head and capture them on paper, exactly as they see them. I mean, the way Hayao Miyazaki can use simple pen sketches to convey complex emotions in characters’ faces… it’s unreal. Disgust, rage, slight annoyance, it was all there on pen and paper, in what looked like a five minute doodle. Seeing different angles of characters to enhance their design – top down, side, back views – was also a highlight. To me, the ability to create and bring to life art like that is a form of magic. I’m so happy I got to see this museum.   Then, for my actual birthday, we packed up our things and went to a cute Airbnb, 7 Rooms Hotel & Cafe. As the name suggests there’s a cafe, 7 hotel rooms, and a cute little flower shop all mixed into one. Best of all, the room had a washer/dryer combination! We really needed to do laundry before our Vietnam flight the next day.   Wanting to have a lower-key day before our flight, we didn’t stray too far from the hotel. We borrowed some badminton equipment, and played for a bit in the park across the road. For dinner, we went to a kaitenzushi place. Unlike in American conveyor belt sushi restaurants, the shop is completely automated. Once you get there, you take

Hiya folks,   Today started like any other at Hotel Graphy Nezu – Happy to be in Japan, but questioning our life choices of getting a dorm room instead of a private. One of our bunkmates has been coughing up a lung every night. She’s stationed in the top bunk, right across from me. I just shut my little curtain, plug in my earplugs, and think anti-sick thoughts (thoughts and prayers y’all).   Then there’s our other bunkmate. The snorer. Not just any snorer—chainsaw loud. Needs a C-PAP machine loud. Every so often, he’d have one so outrageous that John and I would have to cover our mouths to keep from laughing too loudly. Let’s just say, we’re a little sleep deprived.   Running on fumes, we decided to check out Ueno Zoo, just a five-minute walk from the hostel. I had mixed feelings about going as Japan isn’t known for stellar animal welfare practices. And unfortunately, this turned out to be true at this zoo. The enclosures were tiny, dingy, and lacked any real attempt at mimicking the animals’ natural habitats. Picture a metal cage with some hay/dirt on the ground, an automatic water feeder, and a tree thrown in as an afterthought. At least there was water, I guess?   A few highlights: The emu stood alone in its cramped enclosure, a bald stripe running down from its head to its back. No space to run, no companions. The red pandas paced in circles around the edge of their enclosure, the entire time we were there. A little kid nearby asked, “Mummy, why are they walking around and around?” Her mother replied, “They are walking around and around, aren’t they?” Poor little guys. The goat looked malnourished—its belly caved in, its legs trembling as it moved. Two exotic pheasants scratched and pecked at the doorsof their enclosures, desperate for escape. The penguins stood facing the wall, motionless—a common sign of stress in captivity. It was hard to watch. Harder still was the contrast: wealthy zoo-goers, many of them dressed in expensive clothes, taking photos and giggling at the animals, seemingly oblivious to the neglect surrounding them.   We left after the panda exhibit. I couldn’t stomach any more of it. It was interesting to learn that even though Japan has its kawaii culture, the real, living animals—the ones their plushies are modeled after—aren’t treated with more care. With all of Japan’s scientific advancements, there’s definitely opportunity for inventive animal care products and zoo design. Maybe someone will read this blog post and get an idea for a business. Pssst, if that happens, I call dibs on 25% of the revenue.   After shaking off the zoo experience, we decided to visit Tokyo Tower. Well, decided in the sense that I keep agreeing to visit these tall buildings without fully realizing how tall they are until I’m standing right in front of them. The moment we stepped off the metro and Tokyo Tower came into view, my stomach dropped.   The structure is striking—its orange latticed beams and splayed legs resemble the Eiffel Tower, yet it has a presence all its own. Somehow, every time I looked up, it seemed to grow taller. In the center, a main elevator whisks visitors up to the observation deck, while another takes you even higher.   John, the brave man that he is, was thrilled to go as high as possible. Heights don’t faze him at all, which is both impressive and slightly unsettling—like, are you even human? He was equally enthusiastic about taking the stairs down instead of the elevator, like a little golden retriever. Mind you, these stairs are open to the outside, with only a thick net serving as a barrier. If you look down, you can see all the way to the bottom. My legs started shaking so badly, I was convinced I was about to dissolve into a puddle right then and there.   But somehow we made it down to the surface again. And the Earth continued to turn. And our lives went on. Thank goodness for that, because we found a Hawaiian Poke place for dinner in the heart of Tokyo, which was to die for. The perfect way to wrap up the day.    Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!   -W

Hi folks, here’s a quick catch-up:   Yesterday we made it to Tokyo! After a three-hour Shinkansen trip (Japan’s bullet train), we found our way to Hotel Graphy Nezu—the hostel we booked for a week. It’s a nice place, catering to folks in their mid-20s to 40s. There’s a cute common area down the hall from us with couches and a TV, connected to a huge communal kitchen. On the roof, there’s a terrace lounge with a nice view of the Ueno neighborhood. Our room has two sets of bunk beds, each with a curtain for privacy, plus lockers. I took the top bunk because it makes me feel safer, and John got the bottom since it has a little more space.   Today, we set off to explore a bit of Tokyo, with our first stop = breakfast. Where? The Egg Baby Café. On the way there, we stumbled across an outdoor market with fish, candied fruit, and all sorts of knickknacks. The hustle and bustle of the market made it a very dynamic and lively place. John and I tried the candied fruit and 10/10. The crunch of the candy coating with the juicy fruit underneath made for a fresh and yummy combo. The Egg Baby Café was exactly what you might expect—a café specializing in egg-related dishes, including desserts.   After a eggy breakfast, I had a doctor’s appointment at the Tokyo Station International Clinic. I highly recommend this clinic if you ever find yourself in Tokyo and need to see a physician in person for any reason. The staff and physicians were friendly, informative, and efficient—I was in and out in under 15 minutes. And, the pharmacy they partner with is just down the street, which the receptionist will send you to with a map of how to get there.   One of the main things I’m enjoying about Japan is how punctual everything is—the trains, appointment times, even the closing times of attractions. For example, when we visited the Kyoto Imperial Palace, the last group to be let in was at 3:20 p.m. I arrived at exactly 3:20, and I was the last person admitted. Three palace staff members stood by the entrance, checking their clocks to ensure everything remained on schedule.   Once we finished with the appointment, we headed to the Tokyo Imperial Palace, where the current Japanese emperor resides. The Imperial Palace sits on the former site of Edo Castle, which was once the home of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603–1868). The shogunate was overthrown in 1868, and the imperial residence moved from Kyoto to Tokyo. It’s neat that we’ve been able to see both historical sites on this trip. While we couldn’t enter the palace itself, we were able to explore the Imperial Palace East Gardens, which are open to the public.   The palace gardens have wide walkways lined with pine trees and are flanked by massive stone walls—easily four times my height. Some remnants of Edo Castle still stand, including beautifully preserved stone foundations. Walking to the top of these ruins made me marvel at the passage of time.  Japan has had centuries of history, war, rulers, cultural shifts—so much change, and yet the country still stands. At the Samurai and Ninja Museum Experience in Kyoto, our tour guide mentioned that many Tokyo residents are descendants of samurai families, though the exact percentage is unclear. While the samurai class was officially abolished in the 1870s, their influence is still deeply ingrained in Japanese culture. By contrast, America is a baby nation—barely 249 years old. It really puts things into perspective.   After exploring the palace grounds, we spent the afternoon at the Tokyo Science Museum—and it was amazing! Five floors of interactive science exhibits, ranging from optical illusions to the physics of sound, data storage, and beyond. I grew up near a science museum, but this one blew it out of the water. A large exhibit of the museum focused on climate change and renewable energy, all with interactive exhibits and hands-on learning. It was great to see so many school groups engaging with the displays and getting excited about science. One of my favorite sections was on sustainability and how Japan is working toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—a UN action plan aimed at achieving global peace and prosperity through 17 key goals (such as ending hunger and ensuring equitable education for all). I was really impressed by how prominently it was featured at the museum.   After an unexpectedly three-hour deep dive into the museum, we returned to the hostel for dinner at its café. All in all, a well-rounded day!   -W

Today, we ventured out to Nara Park in the Nara prefecture—a vast park filled with temples, museums, and freely roaming deer. We left our Airbnb around 12:30 and walked half a mile to the nearest metro station. The walk was enjoyable, thanks to the smaller cars, slower traffic, and the general respect given to pedestrians. It truly feels like the road is a shared space between cars, pedestrians, and bicyclists here. Like anywhere, people add cute and quirky touches to the fronts of their homes—garden clown statues, framed fish—little details I love to notice. I enjoy observing things like the shape of a house’s windows, how the houses cluster together, or how many plants line a doorway.   I needed to add more money to my IC card, so we stopped at a 7-11 on the way to the station to withdraw some cash. We learned that to have a mobile version of the IC card in your Apple Wallet, you need a non-Visa credit/debit card (for some reason, non-JP Visas don’t work for this purpose). Without that, you have to add cash to the physical card at a Family Mart or a metro station ticket machine. Once that was squared away, we took the M line to a station where we could transfer to the Kintetsu Express Line to Nara Park. Fun fact: three trains go from Osaka to Nara Park—the express (40 mins), rapid express (35 mins), and limited express (30 mins). The express and rapid express accept regular IC card swipes, while the limited express requires an additional ticket. Our express train ride was quiet and clean, as loud conversations (in person or on the phone) aren’t socially accepted in Japan, especially on public transit. Most people journal, scroll their phones, or sit quietly, making for a relaxing ride.   Once we got off the metro, it was a short walk to the park. We knew we were getting close when we started seeing “Caution: Deer Crossing” signs. Inside Nara Park, deer were everywhere! They’re tiny—about waist height—and very socialized. In Japan, deer are considered sacred, and hunting them has never really been a thing. Vendors were selling round deer crackers for 200 JPY (about $1.32). John and I both got a pack and started wandering the grounds, feeding the deer. It was so cute—you guys, the deer are used to interacting with people by bowing! If you bowed, the deer would bow back before you fed them a cracker. Some deer were too sleepy for food, just lying down and napping. In certain roped-off areas, deer would poke their heads through to grab crackers, and as soon as one figured out you had food, others would rush over, playfully “competing” for the treats.   After we ran out of crackers, we split up to find lunch. I was craving ramen, while John wanted to try the Nara Museum Café. I was a little nervous about sitting down at a Japanese restaurant alone, but it went smoothly. The ramen spot was just off the park, with a plaque at the bottom of the stairs reading, Enter Here. I walked through the hanging ramen-patterned curtains and headed up. The attendant at the counter smiled, led me to a six-person table, and gestured for me to sit. She brought me water, pointed to the chopsticks in a cup, and handed me a menu. A little later, another attendant came over and asked me something in Japanese—I assume it was, Are you ready to order? I smiled and pointed to the ramen I wanted. He nodded, asked a few more questions I couldn’t answer, then took my menu. A few minutes later, the first woman returned, gesturing for me to move to a counter seat by the window, apologizing with multiple “sorry, sorrys.” Honestly, I was grateful—people-watching made the experience even better. The ramen was delicious. Thankfully, the table number marker had Please take with you when you pay written on it, which helped me figure out how to check out. I’m so appreciative of the patience people have had with me as I navigate my new-to-country confusion. By the time I finished eating, John had already headed into the Nara National Museum, so we met up at the gift shop in the basement accessible to those without tickets. Then, he went to the Todaji Museum, while I explored the Nara National Museum.   The museum displayed artifacts and artwork from across Japanese history, from 1130 AD to modern times. One of the coolest exhibits was a video about the Shuni-e, a Buddhist service held annually since the Nara period. Every spring, ten monks gather to pray for universal peace, national prosperity, and a joyful life for all. The exhibit showcased ritual items like sacred water vessels, fire-burning branches, and monks’ robes. Another fascinating section focused on Japanese Buddhist statuary. Since wood is abundant in Japan, most Buddhist statues here are wooden. To make them lighter, many are hollowed out. The exhibit went in detail into the different techniques used to create these statues, ranging from joining two pieces of individually carved wood together to gluing multiple pieces of wood into one big block for carving.   After finishing at the museum, I walked across the park to Todaji Temple, home to the Great Buddha Hall. The path was full of deer roaming freely and people feeding them. I met back up with John inside the hall, and oh my goodness. The Great Buddha is truly great. It left me feeling awestruck, to be standing under such a huge statue. Commissioned by Emperor Shomu around 750 AD to bring national peace during social unrest, the gilded bronze statue of Variocana still stands today. At nearly 50 feet tall, the Great Buddha towered over me in a way that felt both peaceful and powerful—unlike anything I had ever experienced. It made me reflect on humanity’s obsession with building massive structures: the tallest skyscraper, the biggest pyramid. But this felt different. It wasn’t about money or fame —it was about reverence, faith, and

Today, we started our morning with a light breakfast in our cozy Airbnb in Osaka. To give you an idea of the space, it’s quite small—about 150-200 square feet. A narrow hallway stretches from the front door, where you take off your shoes, leading to the main room. Off the hallway, there’s a washroom (sink + shower + bath), where the shower sprays the entire room, including the sink. The toilet is in a separate room and has a heated seat. There’s also a washer, but instead of a dryer, clothes are hung out on the balcony—even in winter. It’s cute to see hanging laundry on balconies swaying in the wind, as you walk down the street.   For breakfast, we ate food we picked up at a local grocery store last night (which is open 24/7!). It was immediately obvious we weren’t from Japan—we were the only ones speaking English and were using our phones to have apple translate decipher the packaging. I spent at least 10 minutes staring at the bread aisle, hoping to find gluten-free bread, but no luck. At the self-checkout, the attendant had to help me twice—once because I couldn’t figure out how to input the avocado’s produce number, and again because I had no idea how to get plastic bags. Not being able to read or understand 95% of what’s around me has been an experience. It’s amazing how long simple tasks take when you can’t read the language. I’m now realizing just how valuable universally recognized symbols are—like arrows. I’ve definitely taken the “tear here” instructions on sauce packets for granted. My sincerest apologies, sauce packets. Then in the afternoon, we took the metro to the Osaka Aquarium KAIYUKAN, in Osaka. It was pretty amazing, and I don’t say that lightly. When you first enter, you step into a stunning fish tank tunnel, surrounded by fish and rays swimming all around you. As you move through the aquarium, each exhibit showcases a distinct biome, featuring a variety of animals and sea creatures coexisting within their natural environment. The sections are arranged geographically, with the biomes becoming deeper as you descend through the building. One of the highlights is a massive tank where schools of fish, manta rays, and various species of sharks—including whale sharks—gracefully roam. Then, at the very bottom of the aquarium building, in almost pitch black, there were different tanks of jellyfish.   Once we were done with the aquarium, we took the metro to the Shin-Osaka station to pick up some bao steamed buns. The line was around the entire store, but it was worth the wait. More tomorrow! -W