13 Sep 2024
As of writing this post, I am just a little under two full days away from boarding a plane to Narita Airport.
I’m going to Tokyo, the capital of Japan.
It’s still a little hard to believe. This was a dream of mine for ages.
And it’s coming true soon.
I’m landing at Narita on Monday, 16th September, in the evening (JST). That day’s most likely a wash, I’ll just have to check in at my hostel and try to recover from the 12h flight and the jet lag.
I’ll be staying there for about 10 days and returning home 26th September.
I’m going alone. As cool as it would have been to go in company - be it my girlfriend or my otaku friends - it’s hard to coordinate such big plans. Don’t worry, though, I’ll be meeting people there - whomever comes out to the Alchemist anison bar or Mogra, and some folks I know from Discord.
I’m keeping my trip limited to Tokyo and its surroundings. The temptation to dip out for a day in Osaka was there, but shinkansens are mad expensive. Tokyo alone is already too much for 10 days, but… listen, that’s all the PTO I could manage. I’ll hit up the other big cities or the countryside if I have the chance to go again.
I’ve mentioned before when talking about why I got into film photography - I want to go on the juiciest photowalks of my life. I want to bring some amazing negatives home - captured light from Tokyo, a hard physical reminder of my trip. This is why I got myself a Pentax MX (an appropriately Japanese brand) and a Smena 8m, and why I practiced with them for a good while.
I’ve even been tipped off about some films that are only really sold in Japan, like Fuji Superia Premium 400. Great opportunity to try those out.
I’ve mentioned Alchemist and Mogra - I really want to experience the Japanese otaku night life. The Mogra club in particular has been on my bucket list almost as long as a trip to Japan in itself. I’ve watched the streams and wondered what it’s like to party to proper anisongs.
And of course… I’ve got to hit up all the famous otaku stores in Akihabara. Melonbooks, Mandarake, Bookoff… I want to come back with as much doujins and merch as I can handle packing into my carry-on luggage (and maybe ship any excess back home). Not just for myself, of course - I’ll also be hunting down rare Sylvanian Families for my girlfriend, and various other souvenirs. I’ve even signed up for a small doujin market run by Melonbooks.
I’ve looked at some hiking spots, since I’d love to see some local nature. I’m not sure which one of the ones I picked out I’ll go to… it’s basically a toss-up between Mount Hiwada (and the nearby Kinchakuda park) and Mount Takao. I doubt I’ll have time enough for both, since it’s basically a one day trip to either.
There’s also a couple events I’ve earmarked, namely the Shigure Ui solo exhibition and the RakuSpa x Hololive Gen 0 collab.
I’m not quite as interested in the “usual” touristy spots like the Sky Tree or whatever. I’d certainly love to check out some shrines and stuff like that, but honestly - I’m more excited about just finding random, really cool, off-the-path places on my photo walks. I also want to grab a one day bikeshare pass and do a lap around Tokyo, seeing how much of it I can cover on a bicycle.
It feels like I’ve been researching for - or daydreaming about - going to Japan for ages. Well, it’s been ages. In that time, I’ve learned a lot about Japan - not just the Cool Japan Epic Sakura side of it, but also the mundane and annoying parts of it.
I have lots of friends who have been there many, many times. It sometimes even feels a bit weird being this excited about a novel experience when surrounded by people who just go there like 2-3 times a year to hang out, or for events, or to buy a lot of stuff.
But thanks to listening to all those various experiences and all the advice I’ve been given - and thanks to having been learning Japanese for a while now - I feel pretty confident even when I’m going alone. Of course, no plan survives contact with reality unchanged… but that just kinda has to happen.
Would I want to move there? Maybe. Probably not. I don’t think I’ve really got a line to stay there, and moreover, I’m kind of averse to the idea of moving countries in general. Don’t get it twisted, it’s not out of any kind of patriotism - it’s more about the countless social relations I would have to leave behind.
I’m happy enough being a tourist in my own way.
I’m gonna embrace the novelty and ride it out. I’m going with the feeling that I might never get to go again - more of an anxious and bleak outlook on the future of this world than any more concrete reason. Well, the money part is sorta concrete, I’m terrible at saving and I don’t know if I’ll afford another trip anytime soon.
But that only means I’ve got to live that moment even more.
God, I can’t wait. I hope the crazy rainstorms hitting Poland right now won’t fuck with my trip.
See you soon, Tokyo…
–Wikt