Day 18 Part 2

From Waikiki to Tokyo Nights ✈️🌃🍜

Arriving in Tokyo initially seemed very straightforward until we reached immigration. OMG. I genuinely think it may have been one of the longest immigration lines I’ve ever seen in my life. At one point we spotted another enormous queue nearby and optimistically assumed perhaps Japanese citizens and tourists were separated into different lines. Nope. The second line was simply the overflow from the first one.

Eventually, after about an hour, we cleared immigration and customs. Thankfully our bags were already waiting for us by then, so we simply needed to head outside and find our transfer driver. Before leaving Australia, Ted had reasoned that organising a private transfer would probably be worth it after a long international flight rather than trying to navigate Tokyo public transport immediately. As it turns out, he was absolutely right. Our driver, Keiko, even came inside to greet us personally before driving us towards our accommodation.

The drive itself was actually really interesting because it showed us a side of Tokyo we probably never would’ve otherwise seen. Since most train lines are underground or enclosed, you often miss huge sections of the city while travelling normally. Along the way Keiko pointed out landmarks including Tokyo Disney Resort, which includes both Disneyland and DisneySea and is one of the most visited theme park resorts in the world. She also pointed out the famous Rainbow Bridge, the huge illuminated suspension bridge crossing Tokyo Bay connecting central Tokyo with Odaiba. Seeing the skyline, highways and industrial waterfront areas gave Tokyo a much bigger and more futuristic feel than we’d remembered.

When we finally arrived at our Airbnb, thankfully the host had provided detailed instructions on everything from entering the property to using the appliances. They’d even translated labels on the washing machine and bidet controls into English which felt like a lifesaver. We found the hidden key, dragged our bags up three flights of stairs and officially settled into our new temporary home.

Despite being exhausted, we still decided to venture out for a quick explore. We walked about ten minutes to Nakano-shimbashi Station and headed towards Shinjuku. Before leaving Australia I’d already loaded the Suica transit card app onto my iPhone which made catching trains incredibly easy. Unfortunately for Ted, the same app didn’t cooperate with his Samsung phone, meaning he had to rely on old-fashioned paper tickets instead.

Since we’d effectively been awake since before 5am Hawaiian time and also gained another five hours crossing into Japan, our evening adventure was never going to be especially wild. We grabbed dinner at a small local restaurant called Mangetsu where vegetarian options were somewhat limited — Japan still isn’t especially vegetarian-friendly compared to many other countries. What immediately stood out though was how affordable everything felt after coming from the United States. Ted and I had definitely become a little worn down by constantly spending huge amounts just to eat in Hawaii, so arriving in Japan where meals are cheaper, tipping isn’t expected and transport is efficient has been refreshing. The weather also felt noticeably less humid and oppressive than Honolulu.

One final place we wanted to explore before heading back was Golden Gai, which took us a while to actually locate amongst the maze-like streets of Shinjuku. Golden Gai is one of Tokyo’s most famous nightlife districts, made up of narrow alleyways packed with hundreds of tiny bars, many seating only a handful of people at a time. Originally developing in the post-war years, the area has become famous for preserving old Tokyo atmosphere amongst a city otherwise constantly rebuilding itself. Some bars cater to regular locals only, others welcome tourists, and nearly every doorway looks like it belongs in a movie set. Walking through the tiny lantern-lit laneways with overhead wiring, neon signs and impossibly small bars honestly felt like stepping into another world. One thing we also noticed was just how many Australians seemed to be wandering around the area too.

By the time it reached 7pm though, our bodies were still effectively operating on Hawaiian time, meaning it already felt like midnight to us. We were absolutely exhausted, so tonight became another early one. Fortunately we have tomorrow to properly start exploring TokyoRead more