I just came back from a refreshingly packed trip abroad with my friend Patton. We visited several cities each in Japan and Vietnam. I took way too many photos, and given Burning Man is less than a week away now, I’ll post these entries as quickly as I can but likely won’t finish until September. This first one covers Tokyo, the city in which I lived for a year back in 2014, and didn’t realize how much I missed.

Planning

More than half a year ago, Patton told me of his plans to quit his job working in occupational health and safety and to apply to medical school. Having at one point planned to apply to medical school myself, and knowing my layoff was coming in February, I pondered if I could do something like that. It wouldn’t be easy, as I’m eight years older and have a few more obligations such as this damned house. It’s never easy, of course.

What we could agree on is we both wanted to travel soon. I would have time, not working and all, though I am a bit surprised it’s taken me almost five months to get away for a while. Better late than never! I was happy to have been able to go to Poland last September, but this would be my first trip abroad just for pleasure since 2015. The time. Has. Come.

We talked about where we would go on and off February through May and settled on Japan and Vietnam, where Patton could visit old friends and colleagues, and help me get around with his language skills! We didn’t actually book a flight until July 16, to leave July 21. I’m nothing if not flexible? We decided we’d fly back from Hanoi, Vietnam, August 14, and July 31 we’d fly from Osaka to the island Phu Quoc. That allowed me to apply for the Vietnamese e-Visa, which should have taken 3 days but wasn’t approved by the time I left for Japan. We’d fly from Phu Quoc to Saigon after a few days, and then from Saigon to Hanoi after about a week, depending on how things were going.

Beyond that, the planning involved Patton forwarding me a long string of Instagram stories for things to do in Japan and Vietnam, for weeks leading up. I’m not much of a short form video watcher, but I did learn some things and get some ideas. Thankfully neither of us is super anal or anxious about travel plans, and we still ended up keeping extremely busy for most of the trip. There was so much we did, and so much more we didn’t do I am now eager to go back!

Packing

I started packing Saturday evening for an early Sunday departure. There was so much I needed to do in the days before, everything from getting my isopods and springtails in an easily maintainable state to doing laundry from my last camping trip to cutting the cats’ nails to finding my Pasmo IC card for Japan transit. My three year old SolarEdge inverter also died a few days prior, and I was trying to get that replaced before I left so as not to miss out on a month of solar production; that didn’t work out since my installer wanted to charge $1000 for the labor despite my warranty. Alas, I got everything done except for dealing with the inverter and my mushrooms that are ready for the next stage of growth. I was particularly happy I found my Pasmo card just as I was going to give up around 9 p.m.!

I found my and Yizhen's Pasmo cards just in time the night before I went back to Japan.

Note: The reason I cared so much about the Pasmo card is I was worried I wouldn’t be able to easily use transit otherwise. Normally one could get a physical card at various stations upon arrival, but the pandemic caused supply shortages. I read conflicting information about whether physical cards were available again. It seemed at least the “Welcome Suica” card was available again but only at Haneda airport, and I would fly to Narita. Physical cards shouldn’t be necessary in the age of NFC phones, but Japan’s virtual cards only work on iPhones and Japanese Androids. Being an American Android user, it seemed I might be out of luck. One further kink is the physical cards become permanently deactivated after 10 years. I last used mine in July 2015. So I was close, but it should work, should I find it!

The last thing I needed to figure out was what bag I would bring. I knew I would just carry on, though Zipair’s 7kg carry on limit made that difficult. I planned to wear my camera and a fanny pack around my back, minimizing the weight of my bag. With my laptop and clothes and everything, I still pushed the limit. It came in at 8kg I think, but they let it slide. I had ordered two new backpacking bags a few days prior, and surprisingly they both arrived before I left. The one I went with was the Durston Kakwa 55 Pack (medium, UltraGrid options). It was a tad shorter than the OutdoorVitals Shadowlight Ultralight Backpack (regular, dark blue, small), and I worried about the physical length being used against me on a budget airline. Also, the Shadowlight has more outside unsecured pockets that would be less useful in a flying context.

I’m pretty happy with how the bag held up. I didn’t use the pockets a ton because I didn’t end up carrying it around as much as I expected, but when I did, it was very comfortable. I am now more excited to use it actually backpacking when I get back from Burning Man. (!!!)

Sunday, July 21: Getting to Japan

Being mostly packed aside from toiletries, I set my alarm as late as possible. It was still quite early for me, around 7:30. I needed to get to the bus stop by 8:20 to get to San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) by around 10 for my noon flight on Zipair 29. I successfully made it to Terminal B, Gate 15, well in advance of departure. And everything was quite empty, even the flight was not very full. This makes me a bit sad about the carbon impact, but I did have a row to myself and could spread out a bit. Not that I needed to sleep much on the flight.

On the BART train to San Jose

San Jose bus 60 to Winchester Station, passing by the airport.

Zipair flight ZG 29 was not too full, and I had my row to myself.

Since it was a direct flight, it arrived in Tokyo the next day, at 14:50 local time. That means my Sunday was only about 17 hours long. For possibly the last time, I filled out the paper customs and immigration forms, as I hadn’t heard about Japan’s newish “Visit Japan” web system.

One of the first glimpses of Japan from the sky on Zipair flight ZG 29 between San Jose and Tokyo-Narita.

Monday, July 22: Checking into the capsule hotel, shopping

Patton would by flying in from Hawaii but landing at the same time as me. I planned to use Google Fi’s automatic international service, but Patton would need to find Wi-Fi. I landed at Narita around 14:14, and then immigration took about an hour. I made contact with Patton while in that line. For a while we thought we were in the same line, but eventually figured out that he was in a totally different wing of the airport. I determined upon exiting customs at 15:26 I was in North Wing Arrivals, and once I saw Patton’s location on Google Maps, learned he was in South Wing. So I went over there, successfully met him, and then we went off to figure out the train!

Narita International Airport, awaiting Patton.

First I used some of the cash I saved from my last Japan trip to try loading my IC card. I was not totally sure which machine I could use, but followed my muscle memory to a machine that looked familiar and saw a Pasmo logo on it. Then I fumbled a bit looking for the English button, found it, and tried loading 1,000 yen first on Yizhen’s old card I brought. I suspected that one would not work, as it had been 10 years and a week since it was last used, and it did not. Sad. Then I tried my old card, and that one worked. I added 10,000 yen to it and was happy.

Then I assumed the train would be easy, as I have taken the Skyliner a bunch of times, though it’s been almost a decade. Unfortunately it was still confusing to match what Google Maps was suggesting to the signs at the station downstairs. We weren’t sure which trains were the JR Skyliner and the Keisei Access Express or Narita Sky Access. I understood there were two train companies involved, but the naming of the trains and the prices were not clear. For the Skyliner, you pay about 1300 yen to get into the station, and then another roughly 1300 to reserve a seat. I wasn’t sure if it was possible to not reserve a seat and not pay double, but it didn’t seem so. Skyliner also has Wi-Fi and luggage storage. We ended up just reserving a seat on the mostly empty — at the time — Skyliner train and getting on our way.

We took the train to Shinjuku Station via Nippori Station. We went right to the Shinjuku Kuyakushomae Capsule Hotel and checked in. I was a little anxious about that, as Patton had booked fancy Hiltons — with discounts and points — for much of the trip, but this capsule hotel was my idea since Tokyo Hiltons were hundreds of dollars a night. The listing online stated I paid for a “two twin bed capsule”, but I don’t think that actually exists. We got two capsules for about $20 per night, and would stay two nights.

We first wanted to drop our bags and go back out. It was a bit tedious, as we needed to remove and lock up our shoes upon entering, bring the key to the desk, check in and exchange that for a bigger locker key. Then we could go to the fourth floor, store our bags, and go back to the desk to exchange for the shoe locker key, and then we could leave. This would become a very familiar process as we’d come back to shower and wash up after getting completely soaked with sweat outside due to the heat!

Luggage storage area on the fourth floor of Shinjuku Kuyakushomae Capsule Hotel

Our first stop was 7-Eleven for some drinks and so I could try to get cash from an ATM. Most chain stores and even restaurants do take credit card these days in Japan, but still it’s easier and more appreciated to use cash in many places.

I got Yen cash from an ATM at 7-Eleven. I first tried one in Lawson, but that one was not compatible with my debit card. I selected to charge my account in Yen, which gave me a better rate in the end. My account was charged $192.55, and I got an instant refund of $1.40 for the ATM fee. So I got 30,000 JPY for a rate of 156.945 Yen per US dollar. That's also the rate used to calculate the $1.40 refund for the 220 Yen ATM fee. So basically, no need to pay their stated 4% conversion fee to charge USD to my account.

Then we explored Shinjuku, which mostly meant shopping. I would learn on this trip some people really love shopping, moreso than me! But it was interesting nonetheless to see some things I normally wouldn’t do myself. There was a secondhand store called 2nd street 新宿店 where everything was still super expensive, but designer. We walked over to Nichome, the “gay area” close to where I used to live.

I had gotten a rundown of the changes over the years from my friend Reito who used to bar tend at Dragon Men, a bar that is still popular. But other ones I loved to go to, Arty Farty and Annex, are apparently no longer. He told me about some new ones, “king, eagle, eagle blue, aiiro and alamas”. So Patton and I walked around looking for some of those. Nothing was very happening, but it was early Monday night. We’d come back the next night.

KING TOKYO, a newer gay bar in Nichome, Shinjuku, Tokyo.

I loved these tiny little parking areas for the rental scooters, and appreciated how much more disciplined Japanese people are about using them!

Shinjuku, Tokyo

We got dinner at a sushi train place called Oedo, 新宿3-35-10 (ロイヤルプリンスビル 1F).

Oedo conveyor belt sushi in Shinjuku, 新宿3-35-10 (ロイヤルプリンスビル 1F).

Oedo conveyor belt sushi in Shinjuku, 新宿3-35-10 (ロイヤルプリンスビル 1F).

Then did more shopping: Lululemon; Tiffany, where Patton had some things cleaned for free; Gu; Don Quijote, which has an endless supply of interesting merchandise, from household goods to sex toys to clothes to souvenirs.

Shopping at Don Quijote in Shinjuku. Patton was trying to find specific types of sunscreen that he had apparently researched online, which I think meant Instagram or TikTok.

Shopping at Don Quijote in Shinjuku

Shopping at Don Quijote in Shinjuku. I loved the variety of protein powder flavors, including matcha!

Then we went back to the capsule hotel to shower. That was an experience, something unlike what we have in the United States, but familiar to Japanese who go to onsens. There was a bathroom on our sleeping floor with sinks, but to shower, men need to go through the third floor locker rooms to the shower and sauna area. It was one big room with about a dozen seats around the sides where one can sit — or stand, awkwardly — and soap up and shower off. Plastic cloth scrubbers were provided. Then you could choose to spend some time in one of the three pools — one hot and still, one hot with jets, and one cold. There was also a sauna. It seemed like most people did a rotation through the sauna and pools before drying off and leaving. We were there pretty late that first night, close to midnight I think, and there were about ten guys showering at the time. I think most were in their 30s but a few were older and one or two younger. It was a pretty chill atmosphere overall. I even saw a few tattoos, something you wouldn’t see at a traditional onsen.

A funny sign above the toilet at Shinjuku Kuyakushomae Capsule Hotel

Then we went to our capsules to sleep! I brought my phone charger and battery, found a convenient outlet inside, and was all set.

First time seeing these neat battery power banks for rent.

Tuesday, July 23: Hedgehogs and old friends

Tuesday our main plan was to go to a hedgehog cafe. Patton researched options the day before, and we settled on and made a reservation online at Chiku Chiku ちくちくCAFE Hedgehog Home & Cafe in Shibuya. But first, we went to check out the nearby Harajuku, two stops from Shinjuku station. I left the hotel earlier than Patton, so I occupied myself by observing the utility poles and some construction across the street.

Not sure why the utility poles here appear to be knurled

We walked down Takeshita Street, a famous fashion and shopping street. It is more popular and lit up at night, and this was my first time there in the morning. We stopped right away to get cold matcha at NOA CAFE, and Patton gave me his creme dollop because he’s lactose intolerant. This would be a common theme for the trip. Then checked out more shops along that road and nearby, including Luna Earth, Capsule Lab and two separate Onitsuka Tigers.

Takeshita Street in Harajuku

Capsule Lab on Takeshita Street in Harajuku

This sign had me wondering if the outlet is broken or if they didn't want people crowding the area charging their phones. It has the message in English, Korean, Chinese and Japanese. Very thorough! At capsule Lab on Takeshita Street in Harajuku

Capsule Lab on Takeshita Street in Harajuku

NOA Cafe on Takeshita Street in Harajuku

Nothing like cutting down a 250 year old tree to serve as a decoration at the Japanese shoe store Onitsuka Tiger!

We also got snacks at Marion Crepes and FamilyMart.

Marion Crepes, Harajuku

Famichiki from FamilyMart

A type of dragonfly called a white-tailed skimmer (Orthetrum albistylum) that lives in south Europe, China and Japan.

Then we headed to our 60 minute appointment with the hedgehogs! We took the train from Omote-sando Station to Shibuya and walked to Chiku Chiku, which was pretty easy to find.

Chiku Chiku ちくちくCAFE Hedgehog Home & Cafe.渋谷1-13-5 (大協渋谷ビル 2F).Shibuya, Tokyo

There were a few other people there, and we just had to wait a few minutes to check in and hear about the procedures. They said the hedgehogs are rotated such that they get a day of rest every other day. These ones were in cages in the center of the room. Then around the outside are the hedgehogs you can interact with. They gave us leather gloves and recommended we use them, but Patton mostly did not. We also got to buy food — either pellets or meal worms — for 400 Yen per small serving. This was a little much, but we bought two and it was about enough to occupy us for the hour.

The care instructions at Chiku Chiku Cafe Hedgehog Home, Shibuya, Tokyo.

I was hesitant to try picking up my first hedgehog, not because I was scared but because the animal seemed scared. I think the first one I tried to pick up didn’t want to be held and hissed at me. Through a combination of coaxing with food and moving on to other hedgehogs, I got to hold a few, and interacted with most. I did feel bad for the hedgehogs, as most seemed to want to keep to themselves. One seemed to want to play, and another was so chill he didn’t seem to care what you did to him.

We spent about an hour playing with the animals at Chiku Chiku Cafe Hedgehog Home, Shibuya, Tokyo.

This one hedgehog was apparently addicted to running on his wheel. He did it nonstop basically the whole hour we were there. Chiku Chiku Cafe Hedgehog Home, Shibuya, Tokyo.

We spent about an hour playing with the animals at Chiku Chiku Cafe Hedgehog Home, Shibuya, Tokyo.

We spent about an hour playing with the animals at Chiku Chiku Cafe Hedgehog Home, Shibuya, Tokyo.

We spent about an hour playing with the animals at Chiku Chiku Cafe Hedgehog Home, Shibuya, Tokyo.

We spent about an hour playing with the animals at Chiku Chiku Cafe Hedgehog Home, Shibuya, Tokyo.

We spent about an hour playing with the animals at Chiku Chiku Cafe Hedgehog Home, Shibuya, Tokyo.

We spent about an hour playing with the animals at Chiku Chiku Cafe Hedgehog Home, Shibuya, Tokyo.

We spent about an hour playing with the animals at Chiku Chiku Cafe Hedgehog Home, Shibuya, Tokyo.

They also had two other types of animal, these small mice I forgot the name of, and something related to a hedgehog called a tenrec. Overall it was a fun experience. I hope the animals don’t mind too much.

Our next mission was to visit Pokémon Center Shibuya. We of course did more shopping along the way. I remember stopping at Le Labo, a brand one or two of my friends are obsessed with, and we also stopped at Ray-Ban, Onitsuka Tiger and a few others. Then the building where the Pokémon Center is has a ROOFTOP PARK as well as a lounge for card playing.

Walking around the building that houses Pokémon Center Shibuya, which has a rooftop park.

Interesting to have a nice rooftop park but not allow people to sit on the grass. Above the Pokémon Center Shibuya.

Walking around the building that houses Pokémon Center Shibuya, which has a rooftop park.

There's a Pokemon card lounge, where apparently you can play the Pokemon card game.

There's a Pokemon card lounge, where apparently you can play the Pokemon card game.

This seems like a strange place to sit, and an even stranger place for a big sign you could trip on?

Oh, no, is a new generation growing up learning that ChatGPT is key to future success?

I love the detailed and pretty clear mall map here.

We tried some ramen at Keika, where you paid for a ticket through a vending machine and then gave the ticket to the staff. It was pretty good, and so was my beer!

Keika Ramen.宇田川町27-1 (渋谷センター街).Shibuya, Tokyo

Shibuya crossing in the summer, with many umbrellas that are not for rain.

Then we saw the Hachiko statue. Patton recognized it from social media, but somehow I didn’t know about it despite having lived nearby. There was a long line to take selfies with the statue, but I was content to simply take a photo of it as folks were changing out. Nearby we also found a related mosaic depicting that dog’s fictional family.

I guess this statue is also famous. The Hachiko dog statue at Shibuya Station near the Shibuya crossing. According to Wikipedia, Hachikō was a Japanese Akita dog remembered for his remarkable loyalty to his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno, for whom he continued to wait for over nine years following Ueno's death. He lived from 1923 to 1935. The station entrance near this statue is named "Hachikō-guchi", meaning "The Hachikō Entrance/Exit", and is one of Shibuya Station's five exits.

This mosaic is apparently by Ryutaro Kitahara and depicts the imaginary extended family of Hachiko, and is made of 1200 shigaraki ceremic pieces.

We went to Akihabara and went shopping again at Yodobashi Camera and other stores such as JINS, an eyeglass place.

Yodobashi camera in Akihabara.

Yodobashi camera in Akihabara. Patton was looking for a new case for his iPhone, as his existing case started warping and he felt that was embarrassing.

Fire extinguishers are often on the ground in these little holders, as opposed to mounted on the wall like I usually see in the United States.

Akihabara, Tokyo

Akihabara, Tokyo

Then we walked around the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. I got whistled at by police when I briefly jogged to catch up with Patton after taking a photo in a no running zone.

Walking around the outside of the Imperial Palace complex in Tokyo.

Near the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

Near the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

I got yelled at by the police for jogging ahead to catch up with Patton here after I was taking some photos. Apparently running is not allowed on this stretch, though I have no idea why. This is near the main gate and the Nijubashi Bridge, at the Imperial Palace complex in Tokyo.

We arranged to get dinner in Shinjuku with Tai, my Japanese roommate from January through June of this year. He just moved back to Japan a few weeks ago. I was able to bring him something that arrived the day he left, and of course catch up and eat some great food! Tai identified an izakaya that wasn’t too expensive but was cozy and nice, a place called Ponto-cho.

Reunited with former roommate Tai at Ponto-cho, an izakaya in Shinjuku.

I forgot what this noodle salad dish was called, but it was pretty good! At Ponto-cho, an izakaya in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

Something like okonomiyaki at Ponto-cho, an izakaya in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

This was called glass matcha. When I ordered it I thought it was mochi, but then I realized it was some kind of gelatin with matcha, not mochi. Still, it was interesting. At Ponto-cho, an izakaya in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

After dinner, Patton and I parted with Tai, though we expected we’d see him later at the bar.

Shinjuku, Tokyo

So we headed over to Nichome again, and met up with my friend Kai, who used to go by Alex. I knew him when I lived in Japan, and he is one of the few people I have still been able to keep in touch with. Prior to coming here, I tried to get back in touch with about a dozen folks I hoped to reconnect with. Some moved away, but most are just unreachable now. This is partly due to my LINE history getting erased while ransfering phones back in 2016ish, partly due to LINE having no way to identify a profile if the person changes their name or photo, and partly due to my being a poor friend and just not staying in touch over time. But I was able to meet with Kai, and was very happy to see him.

Then I was reunited with my friend Kai (Alex), whom I used to go out with when I lived in Tokyo.

He was reluctant to go into the bar with us and get a drink, it being a work night and all, but he caved and got one with us. We started at Dragon Men, and by some crazy coincidence found my Taiwanese friend Nori there. I had never met Nori in person before, but I knew him online for about a decade through his former partner. He learned I was in Tokyo that day through Instagram stories, and we both decided to go to the bar that night.

I also got to meet my longtime friend Nori, who used to be boyfriends with another friend Eric, whom I knew from when I lived in Japan. Nori lives in Taiwan and was traveling with his friend Jing.

Dragon Men was not super crowded, but there were more than a dozen people there, mostly around the bar drinking and chatting. A few people danced at times, and the music was loud, but we mostly talked and caught up. Kai was extremely helpful, teaching Patton and me how to check on the shinkansen train tickets for our trip to Kyoto the next day and get our IC cards linked to the tickets so we could use the QR code to board. After almost two hours, it was already almost 2 a.m. I was sad to go, and wished to spend more time in Tokyo. Patton and I had to go back and shower, and then check out in the morning.

I took a few photos of the capsule hotel I probably shouldn’t have, but I wanted to remember what it was like.

Inside the Shinjuku Kuyakushomae Capsule Hotel

Inside the Shinjuku Kuyakushomae Capsule Hotel

Inside the Shinjuku Kuyakushomae Capsule Hotel

Wednesday, July 24: Off to Kyoto, too soon

We checked out of the Shinjuku Kuyakushomae Capsule Hotel and took train from Shinjuku to Shimbamba Station. We had some time to walk around, so we put our bags in a coin locker at the station and went to the nearby Shinagawa Shrine.

Coin locker at Shinagawa Station, which we used so we could go walk around before taking our Shinkansen train to Kyoto.

Shimbamba Station in Shinagawa, Tokyo.

The weather was hot, hot, hot. Probably about 100 degrees F and very humid. I was sweating like crazy 10 minutes after exiting the station! We walked up about 50 or 70 stairs to get to the shrine, and then there was another higher up lookout point. It wasn’t super fancy, but it was peaceful. I spent some time recording the sound of cicadas in the trees.

Shinagawa Shrine, Tokyo

Shinagawa Shrine, Tokyo

Shinagawa Shrine, Tokyo

Shinagawa Shrine, Tokyo

Shinagawa Shrine, Tokyo

Shinagawa Shrine, Tokyo

Then we went back down to the Shinagawa Shinkansen Station. We bought sushi bentos and a box of assorted potato croquettes for the ride to Kyoto departing at 12:24 and arriving at Kyoto Station at 14:39.

Shinagawa Shinkansen Station in Tokyo.

Shinagawa Shinkansen Station in Tokyo.

Patton wanted to see Mount Fuji as we passed, but he fell asleep almost immediately after we ate. I saw Fuji in the distance, but thought there would be better viewing later, so I didn’t wake him. But later I realized that was it. I snapped a few photos, but it was obscured, anyway. Some day I hope to hike up the venerable mountain.

On the shinkansen high speed train from Shinagawa, Tokyo, to Kyoto.

Photo of Mount Fuji showing the rolling shutter effect of the electronic shutter on the mirrorless Nikon Z7ii camera. Mount Fuji in the background looks fine because it is moving much more slowly relative to the utility poles in the foreground, as seen from the shinkansen high speed train from Shinagawa, Tokyo, to Kyoto.

And that was it for Tokyo! Two days into this 25 day trip! Next up, the Kyoto Gion Matsuri.

Entries in this series

1. Japan reunions, hedgehogs, my first capsule hotel (July 22-24)
2. Kyoto: Gion festival and a hillside run (July 24-25)
3. Exploring Tenjin Matsuri in Osaka (July 25)
4. View from Daihikaku Senkōji Temple, and Arashiyama Bamboo Grove (July 26)
5. Deers of Nara, then Uji and Fushimi Inari (July 27)
6. A walk from Kyoto to Lake Biwa (July 28)
7. Touring Osaka Castle, Umeda Sky Building, Osaka gay bars (July 29)
8. Running around Osaka, Kobe, leaving Japan (July 30-31)
9. Another delightful but very short Japan excursion (August 14)