Japan, April 2018

I was in Tokyo last month. Alone... well there were millions of people in Japan but yeah I was travelling alone. Up till the night I boarded the plane, I was still asking myself “Oi! Apasal nak pergi sorang arr? Japan pulak tu... London kan senang? Gang ramai, semua cakap English” Ok panic kejap tapi tak boleh keluar kapal terbang dah.. So, yup, there I was on that MH night flight with an itinerary for 8 days in Japan. No turning back, perempuan!

April was my birthday month and what I wanted was to spend it quietly alone. Anyway, last year I had enough birthday celebrations to last me till this year. Alhamdulillah for good friends and family! Sampai Narita at almost 7am. First time in Tokyo and how do I buy a train card? With a lot of asking (ayam and itik bercakap) and hand gestures. Masuk train Jepun at peak hours and everyone in the train is either sleeping, reading, scrolling their phones or staring into space, all except for a Canadian guy and a Melayu Malaysia yang sama2 agak lost; well Mike was more lost than I was.At least I have a bed waiting for me somewhere. Mike spent the night at Narita as he missed his check in day.  Gila kuat Mike bercakap dalam train. Melayu ni duduk across pun berbual dengan Mike macam kat rumah sendiri. After a few days, did I realised that it was such a faux-pas. Gelak kuat- kuat dalam hati. Korang kalau duduk dalam train Jepun sila keep quiet ok. Don’t be like Mike :)

So for the next 8 days, I became the Japanese train regular, I walked easily more than 30,000 steps a day ( I didn’t count but it sure felt like 30,000 steps), I explored Tokyo and Kawaguchi (where Mount Fuji is) and Hakone and ate as much sushi as I could.

So many places to explore in Tokyo but as a first timer I did most of the touristy stuff but explored alone gave a different vibe to them. I was able to move my itinerary around, wake up and start exploring at my own time and eat, stop to rest, balik tidor whenever I feel like it. Suka hati la..

Here are some notable stuff  that I like in Japan in no particular order of preferance BUT I enjoyed all of them:

2 of the main things I went to Japan for followed by the rest:

1. FUJI - super love at first sight. Perasaan yang macam menangis and ketawa kuat at the same time bila tengok Fuji walaupun dah berkali-kali tengok. Each view kau rasa lagi cantik, MasyaAllah.

2. Cherry Blossoms - I was worried as I was reaching Tokyo towards the end of the cherry blossoms season there, but I was lucky that there were still a lot left for me to see. It was almost  surreal for me being used to the artificial ones in hamper decors.. eek!! The Shinjuku Gyoen Garden which I almost missed has some of the most beautiful cherry blossoms and other spring beauties. Major love!

3. Tokyo Camii ( Turkish Cultural Islamic Center) - a beautiful mosque situated in Shibuya. Lovely Turkish tiles and architecture.

4. Tsukiji Fish Auction Market - the whole experience of getting there before the auction starts at 5.40am was an adventure in itself. Kena keluar bilik before fhe last train service, which means I reached Ginza before 1am. So what did I do to wait? I slept in an internet cafe for 3 hours before walking to the market. Rupanya mamat2 Jepun yang pergi minum after work and missed the train home would also sleep at these little cafes. Kesahnya..

5. Shibuya Crossing- The most epic cross roads, the world says. I went twice; once in daylight and another time at night. 

6. Asobi Factory, the guesthouse I stayed at in Kawaguchi when I visited Fuji - the coolest reggae loving couple owns this place. Unassuming, chill, arty place just the way I like them. And a perfect private bath too! 

7. The Tokyo Skytree Tower - 3 minutes walk from my hostel in Tokyo and Oshiage, my daily station. It's the world's tallest tower, which I can easily view from the balcony of my hostel, Tokyo Hutte (which is another cool set up of a hostel wih a café and work space at the reception). This tower gives me breathtaking view with its different coloured lights daily.

7 is a good list, aye? So I'll stop here so you don't have to read so much.