Lost in Tokyo (and Loving It!)

Tokyo: How I Accidentally Cut a Day Off My Own Trip

This Tokyo trip started the way most of my trips do, with an itch. One of those I need to leave the country immediately feelings that won’t go away no matter how many times you refresh Google Flights. I wasn’t even seriously planning Japan. I was just chasing the cheapest option possible when I stumbled on $650 round-trip flights from Houston to Tokyo for November. I had been searching around the end of September, not necessarily for a September trip, just for any upcoming date that made sense. November felt random, but it also meant I had about a month and a half to pull everything together. “Last minute,” technically, even though that still feels like a long time, especially to my little brother, since this trip was also to celebrate his 21st birthday.

Somewhere between booking flights and mentally mapping out my time in Japan, I made a mistake. A big one. Because of the massive time difference between Houston and Tokyo, I completely mixed up my dates. I genuinely thought I would be in Tokyo for a full extra day. That illusion came crashing down about twelve hours before my flight when I got a notification reminding me to check into my hotel while I was still very much in Houston. That’s when I realized I had booked my hotel for an extra night I wouldn’t be there for (no refund of course) and scheduled excursions for a day that quite literally did not exist in my itinerary. This is not something that usually happens to me, and unfortunately, this one was fully my fault. After a brief internal spiral, I moved what I could, accepted the loss, and told myself we’d just be very busy once we landed.

Day 1/2: Bullet Trains, Shibuya and Booze

We flew into Narita Airport, which is farther from the city but significantly cheaper, and honestly, I didn’t mind because it meant getting to experience the bullet train into Tokyo. We landed on Sunday, November 23, and between customs, exchanging money, grabbing our Wi-Fi box, and figuring out transportation, it took a little time, but everything ran smoothly and was surprisingly easy to navigate for how exhausted we were. By the time we made it to our hotel and checked in, it was already 4 p.m., which meant a quick outfit change and straight back out the door.

Our first stop was Tokyo Tower, specifically RED Tokyo Tower, which is basically a gaming center inside the tower. It was cool, but I’d be lying if I said it lived up to the hype for me. We were supposed to do a mechanical robot fight, and of course the system was down. Still, going up to the observation deck right after made it worth it. Seeing Tokyo lit up from above on our very first night felt surreal, like a quiet “I really made it” moment.

Transportation-wise, we mostly relied on the train system and Uber, and despite all the warnings about Uber being expensive in Tokyo, most of our rides were pretty reasonably priced. After leaving Tokyo Tower, we took an Uber to Bar Centifolia, a world-renowned cocktail bar I had been trying and failing to get a reservation for the entire time leading up to the trip. When we got to the building, the sign at the elevator told us exactly what I already knew. Fully booked. But there was a small glimmer of hope. If we came back after 1 a.m., we might be able to get seated.

So we pivoted. We were starving anyway, and that’s how we ended up at Ichiran Ramen in Shibuya. When I say I finally understood the hype, I mean it. Simple, comforting, and genuinely one of the best bowls of ramen I’ve ever had. I’m a Jinya girl at heart, but Ichiran had me thinking about it for the rest of the trip. I even tried to convince my brother to go back again, but he insisted on trying new places. Growth, I guess.

After ramen, we walked around Shibuya and saw Shibuya Crossing in person. It was cool, but also a little underwhelming, because at the end of the day, it is just a crosswalk. A very famous one, but still.

Just before 1 a.m., we headed back to Bar Centifolia. The elevator took us up to the smallest waiting area imaginable. Maybe four people fit comfortably, and somehow there were about eleven of us crammed inside. We stood there watching everyone else get seated, all with reservations, while we waited and waited. Finally, around 2 a.m., they sat us. Even though the wait was technically only an hour, it felt much longer because we were severely jet-lagged. But in hindsight, I think it made the experience better. As people started leaving, the space became quieter and more intimate, just us, a few others and the bartender.

The service was incredible. The venue was small, intentional, and effortlessly luxurious. This also happened to be the first time my brother and I ever drank together, which somehow felt fitting given the setting. The cocktails were as dramatic as they were good. Glamour eggs, ninja-level bartending, and zero shame in showing off. We ended the night with compliments from the bartender, who told me I had to be a model, no other option. Got it! We took pictures together, me, my brother, the bartender, and the egg, and finally headed back to the hotel around 4 a.m.

We barely had time to process the fact that we were in Tokyo before calling it a night, knowing we’d be right back up in a few hours for another full day in the city.

Day Two: Three Hours of Sleep, Kimonos, and Questionable Driving Decisions

Day two started with a very rude wake-up call. We had maybe three hours of sleep, if that, before alarms went off and we had to get dressed and move. There was no easing into Tokyo. It was straight up, straight dressed, and straight outside.

First stop was 7-Eleven, obviously. I needed to see what the hype was about, so I grabbed the famous egg sandwich along with some musubi. The egg sandwich was good, but honestly, it’s not something I could eat every day. Not even every day on the trip. Once was enough for me. I did add a fried chicken patty to it, though, which absolutely took it to the next level and made it worth the experience. That felt like the correct decision.

After our 7-Eleven run, we headed to the train station to make our way to our kimono rental appointment at Cocomo. Cocomo was such a cool experience. They had so many options to choose from, with kimonos in all different styles, colors, and patterns, so we really took our time picking ones that felt like us. Once we made our selections, they dressed us up like actual dolls, which somehow felt both surreal and very on brand for the day.

From there, we took a short walk over to Sensoji Temple. Walking through the area in kimonos felt special in a way that’s hard to explain. We picked up our fortunes, observed local customs, and took so many pictures. Afterward, we wandered around the surrounding area, shopping at local stores and trying different snacks and foods along the way. It felt busy but calm at the same time, like the area had its own rhythm that you just fell into.

Once we were done exploring, we returned our kimonos and stayed in the area a bit longer to continue shopping. We didn’t go up Tokyo Skytree, but being on that side of town put it right in front of us, which was still pretty cool to see up close.

After that, it was time to catch another train to make it to our go-karting reservation. This was one of the excursions that had to be moved because of my earlier date mix-up, but thankfully it worked out perfectly. For this activity, I had to get an international driver’s permit ahead of time, which you can get through your local AAA. Going into it, I was so excited and genuinely thought I was about to be Tokyo drifting through the streets. That confidence disappeared the second they put me in the kart. Immediately, I felt like SpongeBob about to fail his driving test all over again.

It was nerve-wracking. You are literally in a small kart driving alongside full-size cars on actual city streets. I did my best to calm down, and once I got over the initial fear, I really started to enjoy it. By the end, it was actually fun, and I could tell my brother was having the time of his life, which made it worth it.

After go-karting, my brother convinced me to take him to a type of Japanese casino. I can’t remember the name, but he really wanted to gamble. Unfortunately for him, every machine was completely in Japanese, so he lost his money pretty quickly and we were out of there not long after. Short-lived experience, lesson learned.

From there, we headed to Ginza to explore and shop. I was on a mission to get a pair of Onitsuka Tigers. This was the first time I tried, and I quickly realized that if I wanted a pair, I was going to have to get there super early and keep trying on the following days. We spent the rest of the night just walking around Ginza, popping into stores, and taking it all in.

We ended the night with dinner at a Michelin-rated spot called Ginza Tenryu, known for having the largest gyoza I have ever seen in my life. And when I say largest, I mean these things were massive. I’m convinced the secret ingredient was melatonin because I was genuinely falling asleep at the table. Between the lack of sleep and the full day we had packed in, my body was done.

We ended up calling it an early night because I physically could not keep my eyes open, knowing we still had more Tokyo waiting for us the next day.

Day Three: Disney Sea, Samurai Swords, and Fighting Jet Lag in Public

Tuesday was our Tokyo Disney Sea day. There is only one Disney Sea in the world, so it felt non-negotiable. I think if it were completely up to my brother, we probably would have gone to Universal Studios instead, but that’s in Osaka, and there would have been way too much moving around for not enough amusement. Plus, I already promised him I’d take him to the one in Los Angeles, so Disney Sea it was.

One thing I will say is that tickets for Tokyo Disney Sea are significantly cheaper than Disney in the United States. A day pass was only about $66 USD, which honestly felt unreal. What did feel very real, though, was how packed it was. We got there pretty early, but even then, the wait times were immediately 90 minutes or more. I have truly never seen anything like that in my life.

We got in line for Tower of Terror first because the wait was about an hour and a half, and I figured we might as well knock it out early. Mind you, I had absolutely no intention of getting on that ride. Kenzie don’t do drop falls. But within the first five minutes of standing in line, I remembered a little thing called fast passes. I opened the Disney app and realized I could buy one for my brother for about seven dollars. Immediately, I said yes and sent him on his way. He was in and out while I stayed firmly planted on the ground.

After that, we realized this was going to be the strategy for the rest of the day. We just kept buying fast passes because it was only about twelve dollars extra for the both of us at a time, and we were completely fine with that. It made the day way more manageable.

We tried a good amount of snacks and food around the park, and I actually really enjoyed the food. My favorites were probably the chicken leg, the Toy Story alien mochi, which was so cute and actually really good, and my strawberry hot chocolate. That one definitely stood out. Even with fast passes, though, Disney Sea was a long day, and by the time 5 p.m. rolled around, we were both kind of over it.

We had an excursion that I had moved earlier in the trip, and it happened to have availability that same day that we could actually make it to on time, so we decided to go for it. This experience was the samurai experience, and it ended up being really cool. They taught us samurai techniques using swords and even walked us through a routine where we acted out a full fight scene. My brother definitely showed me up, but I genuinely enjoyed doing it with him.

After that, we headed to Shinjuku to see the Godzilla head. While we were there, we randomly decided to go to an IMAX theater and see a movie. We ended up watching Predator, and I’m just going to say this quietly, but I absolutely fell asleep during the movie. The jet lag was still beating me up at this point.

Once the movie ended, we went to check out Memory Lane in Shinjuku. It’s this narrow, lit-up alley filled with small restaurants, and it was actually really cool to walk through and see everything buzzing at night. From there, we decided to catch the last train to Round One Arcade at midnight. If you didn’t know, the train system in Tokyo shuts down around midnight every night, so timing matters.

We didn’t go to the Round One location that’s truly open 24 hours. Instead, we went to one where most of the arcade shuts down around 2 a.m. They do keep bowling, billiards, darts, table tennis, and karaoke open later, though. After spending way too much time on claw machines, we ended up playing darts and just hanging out until about 2 a.m. before finally heading back to the hotel.

Another long day down, and somehow, Tokyo still wasn’t done with us yet.

Day Four: Shrines, Shopping Wins, and Saying See You Later to Tokyo

Our next and last day in Tokyo started very early with a visit to Hie Jinja Shrine, which was only about a five-minute walk from our hotel. It’s a pretty popular picture spot, so getting there early was key. The morning felt quiet and calm, and it was a really nice way to start our final full day in the city.

After that, we took the train over to Tsukiji Fish Market, which I had been looking forward to the most. I went in with a very specific bucket list in mind that included king crab, tuna, and wagyu, and I’m happy to say the market exceeded my expectations. I was in full seafood heaven. Everything was so soft, buttery, and flavorful. This was easily one of my favorite experiences of the entire trip, and y’all know I’m greedy, so that says a lot.

Once we finished at the market, we headed to Meiji Shrine, which was somewhere my brother specifically asked to go. He’s not a very particular person, so when he makes a request, we make sure it happens. I will say, it’s a lot of walking, but it was absolutely worth it. The space is beautiful, peaceful, and feels like a complete reset in the middle of the city.

After Meiji, it was finally time for my Onitsuka Tigers mission. When I say these are hard shoes to get your hands on in Tokyo, I mean it. I didn’t even end up getting the exact pair I originally wanted, but I honestly feel like I left with something even better. I got their pink ballet flat style shoe, which felt like a win for me because if you don’t know, I have very large feet and finding cute, dainty sneakers in a size 12 is not easy. I took the loss on the original pair I wanted and gained these instead, and I’m really not mad at it at all.

After securing my shoes and being extremely happy about it, we headed to Harajuku, specifically Takeshita Street. While we were there, we went to a pet café. I’ll admit, I’ve heard very mixed reviews about places like that, but I went in with good intentions. They had ferrets, foxes, capybaras, and meerkats, and I actually got to hold them. That was really exciting for me. We also checked out the local shops, and I made it a point to stop into vintage luxury stores because I am a vintage purse girly through and through. Unfortunately, I had no luck, but I learned to be okay with that.

From Harajuku, we headed to Akihabara, the anime district. My brother is a huge anime fan, so it wouldn’t have been a Tokyo trip without going there. We went to the two biggest anime centers in the district and shopped for hours. Even though I personally have no interest in anime, I was genuinely happy just watching him enjoy himself.

After that, I made one last attempt to convince him to go to Ichiran Ramen for our final night, but he wasn’t budging. Instead, we ended up at a Kobe beef burger spot, which I honestly don’t regret at all because it was so good. Our night pretty much ended there. We were exhausted after all the moving around we had done that day.

We did have one more thing planned, which was a 24-hour onsen. The idea was to go back to the hotel, take a short nap, then get up and spend the rest of the night there until it was time to leave for the airport. Unfortunately, that nap turned into real sleep, and we didn’t wake up. So we missed it. It happens.

We headed to the airport early the next morning around 6 a.m., and just like that, our Tokyo trip was over.

I know a lot of people plan trips to Japan that last two or three weeks, visiting multiple cities and really taking their time. I don’t want anyone to mistake my short time there as feeling like I didn’t get the experience. I agree that I didn’t get the full experience, but I also did so much more than I thought I would in such a short amount of time, and I truly enjoyed myself. Even the things I missed out on, whether that was due to planning or sleep, don’t feel like regrets. Tokyo isn’t going anywhere.

I loved it so much and would go back any chance I get, whether someone asks me tomorrow or the next cheap flight pops up. I’m not worried about what I missed. I’m grateful for what I experienced, and I hope Tokyo is ready for me to come back soon.

Most of all, I’m grateful for the time I got to spend with my brother. This was our first adult trip together, and I hope we get to experience many more in the future.

Happy birthday, Caleb.