tokyo

smack-dab on the 365th day of my trip, i arrived in tokyo. i had a full week to spend there until my flight back to china, so i explored the city, made some friends at the hostel, ran a 20k under the tv tower, went to museums and art galleries (the latter a newfound interest), scavenged through second hand markets, and snuck into a 5 star hotel to get a good view on the shibuya crossing.

to this point still, i had survived off of supermarket food the entire time, so i was more than thankful when an older japanese guy from the hostel insisted on making some food just for me so i could get a taste of real japanese quisine. it was really good, but of course not quite ikea-hot-dog-good.

all in all, i got a really really good impression of japan. the people are the right mix of polite and helpful, and they are 100% the masters of making things convenient. everything is clean, everything works effectively, but everything is always a little weird and somehow more oversaturated and over the top.

the way to the airport takes two hours, so i arrived way too late for my flight to shanghai. although i had been to china twice without complications, this time, the japanese guy at the ticket counter demanded a return flight ticket from me, which i didn't have. there was an italian guy there facing the exact same problem, so within 5 minutes, we both had both pressure-booked some cheap, refundable flights, were finally handed our tickets and were off the ground within an hour.Baca lagi