[2019-10-01]
We woke up with some Colombian coffee I had brought for my trip, worried I wouldn’t find something similar in Japan; but later I would discover I was wrong, there are plenty of places where you can find great coffee. Aside from some specialized and pricy cafes, I can recommend the fresh coffee from the konbini, but don’t go for the canned or bottled ones unless there is no other option.
After the coffee, we went out searching for a quick breakfast on a konbini; I think I had a delicious sandwich; those are pretty famous and truly tasty, although you should keep in mind that they look huge on the front, but most of them are just empty bread on the back, especially the ones with fruit. I loved the egg ones, they come in multiple preparations (boiled, omelet, egg salad…), each one was incredible.
This second day in Tokyo, we went first, to the Embassy of Colombia, where my friend needed to do something about his visa. We crossed a big part of the city to get there, and I was starting to realize of its size. It didn’t look like a long route on the map, but I was checking it from too high and the ride was around 15km; even so, I was still amused with everything, even an hour ride on a train.
We had a nice walk beside Meguro River later and visited the Mirai Store Tokyo, home for the Smart Dolls, some 60cm beautifully crafted and articulated dolls.
We spent the afternoon in Akihabara, the electronics district, and a lot of anime and manga stores; it looked amazing at the beginning, but it started to feel extra overwhelming; too many people, too much noise, every 3 steps someone luring you to some café or store. The truth is that despite its incredible popularity, and that many friends dream to visit, it’s not for everyone, not for me; I prefer quieter places. Also, I began to feel that Tokyo itself was a bit too much too.
An important fact if you’re looking for a specific store: you may not easily find it, even if you are in the location the map gives you. Some stores could be on higher floors or basements, and to access them you may need to locate small corridors that lead to small staircases. (This applies to many places in Japan.)
Still on Akihabara, we went to some anime-related places, full of figurines and goods. I wanted to buy everything, but I wasn’t there to buy things, at least at that moment; I didn’t want to be overloaded for the rest of the journey, and also, I was on a tight budget, so I wanted to focus first on my experiences and wait until the end when I would know the money was enough.
Although, if you find something really important don’t hesitate, because when I got back at the end of the trip, I couldn’t find anything that I had spotted the first time. Maybe something you can do is to leave this visit for the ending days.
We ended the day (again) walking around Sumida River, really pretty and calm by night. Also, it was amazing how safe I felt walking close to midnight with my camera even in some dark places under bridges.
Don‘t hesitate to ask any questions in the comments below.
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