A Long Weekend in Tokyo

After telling all my friends from home that I was moving to Japan, I received tons of messages from people saying they wanted to come visit. I always responded positively, but kept in the back of my mind that Japan is quite far away and most people will probably not follow through. Much to my surprise, a friend of mine let me know she was coming in September to travel around the country, and she conveniently scheduled her trip over two long weekends, so I was able to go to Tokyo to meet up with her.

I took the overnight bus from Kanazawa to Tokyo and arrived early Saturday morning. Lili and Kate did not arrive until that afternoon, so I did some exploring on my own. I ended up at the Mori Museum, which a number of people had recommended to me. I, of course, did zero research on what this museum was about, trusting the fact that multiple people had told me it was great. I walked in and the first thing I saw was a clip of people from Pixar discussing how Toy Story 4 was made. This was not what I’d had in mind to say the least. I took the elevator up, wondering what the heck I’d just paid $18 to see. I got to the top and saw signs for The Science Behind Pixar and, thankfully, The Soul Trembles.

I left the strollers and screaming children behind at the Pixar exhibit and walked into a dreamworld created by Shiota Chiharu. I slowly made my way through the magical artwork strung together largely with thread. The whole idea of her exhibit is experiencing life as a journey and the various emotions we often feel as humans, many of which we can’t even understand well enough to express. I soaked it all in before heading back out into bustling Tokyo.

I met up with Lili, and, after lots of hugs and some catching up, and we strolled around the Sensō-ji temple before making our way to a sushi dinner. Lili was jetlagged, so I took it on as my mission to keep her awake. We walked about an hour to the Rocky Top Bar in Tokyo, which my cousin had told me about because a Forever Bluegrass sticker was spotted there, and we have no idea how it made its way to Tokyo! It was wonderful to hear a bit of bluegrass music all the way in Japan, and it was absolutely hilarious trying to explain the significance of the sticker to a room full of Japanese people. I’m unsure if they understood, but they all seemed very excited about what I was saying.

Kate arrived that night and we all went to sleep with next to nothing planned for the following two days. We ate breakfast in our hostel as we solidified what we hoped to accomplish that day, each of us nose deep in guide books and websites. We finally decided to start at the 21 21 Design Museum, go to the Nezu Museum, and then head into Shimokitazawa to do some exploring.

Kate was the one who discovered the 21 21 Design Museum and initially said she would just sneak off to do it on her own. Lili and I were quick to tell her we wanted to join the party as well. The exhibit was all about bugs and looking at them from a design perspective. It was amazing. It was so interesting to see an animal that most humans either are impartial towards or completely hate, highlighted as a beautiful piece of art.

Next we made our way to the Nezu Museum. This museum is largely traditional Japanese artwork. I’m glad I saw it, as I can now check it off the list, but the artwork itself did not blow me away. The building and the gardens, however, did. The building is this beautiful, angular, simple structure that feels like an oasis nestled within the (organized) chaos that is Tokyo. The garden has a similar feel, with winding paths and trickling streams all hidden within bamboo fences.

Our next stop was Shimokitazawa, a neighborhood that had been described to me as the “East Village of Tokyo.” We went to a cafe where we all suddenly felt the exhaustion from a day of plenty of walking and two beautiful museums. We ended up sitting in there for a few hours before roaming the streets. It’s an adorable neighborhood with tons of boutiquey shops and cute cafes. In fact, I’ve booked my next hostel in Tokyo to be in this neighborhood.

We went to Yakitori Alley for dinner, where tiny little restaurants are crammed back to back with no more than ten seats at each. You order and they cook the food right in front of you. Yakitori is a Japanese skewer, so all the restaurants cook different kinds of meats and serve various Japanese sides to go along with it.

A hip-looking shop woman had recommended we go to Golden Gai to drink, where, much like Yakitori Alley, small bars are crammed together in a small neighborhood. We grabbed one drink, had very interesting (confusing?) conversations with some Japanese men, and then decided the jetlag for the newcomers was too much.

We had a slow start to day two, not doing much of anything until around lunch time. I pulled out my list of recommendations and took us to the Meiji Jingu Shrine. It is surrounded by a giant garden or park, so you step off the streets and into this serene, green haven. Lili and Kate were giving me high fives, saying “nice find,” as if it weren’t the most visited shrine in Tokyo. They didn’t know that, so I’ll take the credit. It’s hard to capture in photos, as it is very large, but it was a truly beautiful place to visit.

Our next stop was a tea house that I’d seen in a picture and had been dying to visit. It is hidden within a flower shop, and is incredibly magical. We sat and sipped on tea and ate cheesecake and soaked in the beauty that surrounded us.

If you regularly read my blog (hello mom and I don’t even think dad!) then you know that I visited a teamLab exhibit in Kanazawa and adored it. I couldn’t imagine being in Tokyo with two people who have never visited Japan and not taking them to the teamLab exhibit. It is such an amazing, bizarre experience. I enjoyed every second of our time there and wish we’d had more time to spend exploring each of the rooms.

We rushed from the teamLab exhibit to a restaurant Lili had been recommended, Seirinkan (featured on ugly delicious). To be honest I was kind of bothered that we were leaving teamLab to rush to an Italian restaurant, but I can honestly say I think it was the best pizza I’ve ever had. When in Japan, eat Italian. Call and make a reservation next time you’re in Tokyo! They’re busy.

If you made it to the end of this blog post, congratulations. It was a long one. I always tell people I am not a big city person, and, to be fair, I don’t think I would be happy living in Tokyo; however, I found myself time and time again in amazing little nooks of the city that made me feel like I was not in fact in a massive city at all. I loved my time catching up with friends and feel like many more visits to Tokyo are in my future to keep seeking out all the amazing treasures that are hidden within its busy streets.