Japan 2025. I’m not sure where the idea originally came from for us to head to Japan in April 2025. It’s always been somewhere on the ‘one day’ list, and with a short window of time amongst public holidays it might as well be today!
We arrived in ‘the land of the rising sun’ at the perfect time. Sun peeking above the airport, my favourite time of day. A long queue through immigration made us wonder about this beacon of efficiency, although everything seemed remarkably well organised.
My Saturday morning parkrun ritual had been thwarted by our arrival time as the closest was 75 minutes and 3 trains away. I’d joked about being able to make it, however the idea of navigating a non-English speaking country after an overnight flight meant that it was an unrealistic (read: marriage ending!) feat.
Kudos to Andrew for embracing my crazy! With zero room for error and efficiency that the Japanese would envy we hopped on the monorail, a train, dropped bags, hopped on another train, did a costume change and made it to Futakotamagawa parkrun at 7:50 in perfect time to put Brisbane on the map at the briefing. We then learned it was the first parkrun in Japan, and today is its 6th birthday! Happy birthday Futakotamagawa!
The course is ‘three laps and a dog leg’ at a sports field under a train bridge. Weather was perfect and it turned out to be a great way to energise for the day.
The 7-Eleven fare has come highly recommended as a cheap food option. They’re everywhere, including the bottom of our hotel so it seemed like the logical place for a post-parkrun snack. For $1.50 these little perfectly packaged onigiri are a great option!
We headed off to Takeshita Street in Harajuku, known as the spot for teenage fashion, sweets, and all things ‘cute’. We passed plenty of plastic toys, pet fashion and cafes where you can pat pigs, cats and dogs… all with the smell of sugar in the air. The dried fruit was great… maybe not quite the nutritional value we’re used to though!
Shibuya Scramble Crossing is known as one of the busiest crossings in the world. Every few minutes hoards of people come and go in every direction reminding you that you’re in a hugely populated city. It’s also an interesting reflection of the Japanese style and culture… respectful of each other and respectful of the rules. Around the corner we found our first Ramen for lunch in a little cafe. I feel like I need to YouTube ramen eating techniques if I’m going to master the slurp!
The view from our hotel in the North of Shibuya shows how vast this city is. There are 14 million people in the city, and while the high rises aren’t high by Australian standards there are just so many. This city just packs people in, and then feeds and moves them efficiently!
We headed to Omoide Yokocho for dinner, an alleyway known for bars and street food. Once again, bustling with people. A few chargrilled skewers and scallops later…
The walk home through the streets felt busier than it had by daylight. The bright lights, crowds of people and bustling shops didn’t feel like a Saturday night in the city. Love that Uni Qlo sells beautifully colour blocked flowers here – the beauty of a cold climate!
Long couple of days, enjoying the physical and mental overload of a new country and first-time experiences. This is going to be a great trip!
Love M & Ax
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