Japan - Part 1 Tokyo (Dec. 2016)

Japan had never really been on my radar as somewhere I REALLY wanted to visit, but after talking to other people who had loved it there, we decided to go! I absolutely loved our visit - so much to see and do and EAT. I cannot wait to go back again during a different season to explore even more. 

I'm going to do my best to share only the highlights from our trip because otherwise I'll be here for days typing. We had 4 different base cities -  Tokyo, Nozawa Onsen, Kyoto, and Osaka. And how was it that we traveled to those 4 different cities in 3 weeks without losing too much travel time - why we road the bullet trains of course! 

Upon arriving in Tokyo, I was in complete culture shock from Bali. Tokyo is a huge city and I was overwhelmed with the amount of choices. It didn't even smell like a city - so clean and orderly. 

Tips for Exploring Tokyo:

-Signs and More Signs Everywhere!

      - "No Smoking While Walking"

      - Crosswalk signs are strictly enforced! My friend and I approached the crossing, looked both ways noticing there wasn't any traffic in sight and crossed the street even though the crosswalk sign sign said "do not cross". In our shock we received very dirty looks from two women who were on the opposite side of the street! 

     - No eating while walking. You need to stop and stand somewhere until you are done. 

     - Not sure where to go? Don't worry there will be a sign every few feet! 

- When looking for restaurants, go underground and get lost as you navigate the underground network of shops and restaurants! 

- Beware of the amount of unnecessary, but absolutely hilarious, cute, ridiculous things you can think of. We got lost in the maze of small toy vending machines for awhile and even gave in and bought a few! 

- Explore the seeming-less endless options of the toilet - heated seat, sprays from multiple angles at varying water temperature and of course the all important background noise of waterfalls and running water to help you get the job done while ensuring the other guests do not hear. But beware, not all toilets are created equal. There are still many traditional Asian squat toilets to be found. 

- When in Japan, you must visit the biggest discount store in Japan - Don Quijote! Endless aisles on multiple levels giving you hours of pure entertainment. 

Our 5 day stay in Tokyo was a huge whirlwind filled with delicious food, wandering the streets and taking in the sights, karaoke, laughter with good friends,  and a few main attractions along the way. We were lucky to have the chance to reunite with some friends I worked with while living in Brazil. 

Fake food is a HUGE thing here. There are stores that only sell fake food. Many restaurants have display windows using fake food to showcase their menu. 

 Holy subway lines! 

Cooking our own food right at our table! Delicious Okonomiyaki. It's made with flour, potato and egg. Then you can add what you want: green onions, beef, shrimp, vegetables, and cheese

We embraced the Chinese travelers and bought cheesy matching sweaters in Bali for our Japan photo shoot!

Next stop, bullet train to the mountains for some snowboarding and baring it all in the hot springs with the locals!