Tokyo was the first city in 2015 that we visited in Japan. It was a regional layover from airplane flights in between one home to another home. Flight layovers usually find us in airports like Incheon, Korea or Taipei, Taiwan. We don’t go out to explore the city. Hours were spent waiting in the pre-departure area. We decided to explore Tokyo. This was the start of our travel experiences that generated travel stories and photography.

Feeling The Boredom And Exhaustion

It is a really boring and exhausting experience to be staying in an airport’s pre-departure area for hours in between flights. Haneda Airport would have been the same had we not decided to explore Tokyo. Have you heard the quote, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey” by Ralph Waldo Emerson? Yes! That was what we were thinking before making the journey through Japan.

Planning For The Layover

We began planning for a four-day layover. Back then, we did not engage with any travel agency to assist or guide us. We relied solely on our own internet research of tourist places in Tokyo. The hotel was chosen because it was close to a train station. We knew that we had to use train transit to go to different parts of the city. The list of places that we were going to visit was based on an internet list of top-things-to-see in Tokyo. We still ended up enjoying our stay despite our lack of experience and knowledge.

The Noodle House

It was out-and-hit-the-streets after checking in our hotel. Our first stop was, of course, a noodle house that was just around the corner. We were feeling exhilarated to immediately experience an authentic Japanese noodle dish at a local noodle house in Tokyo. It was very obvious to the shop’s owner the we were not Japanese. We didn’t speak Japanese nor did we know what to order. The owner was very gracious though to serve us a noodle dish (udon). He even showed us how to properly enjoy our meal.

Sushi Galore

It was more walking and sightseeing as the night approached. The streets of Tokyo were bright with neon lights. One particular building attracted us with its display of sushi – a local sushi shop. Now, we know that there were a lot of fancier sushi houses. We were attracted to its local ambiance. What can be more authentic than places where the locals eat?

The Comfort Of A Hotel Room

It was a hectic first night in Tokyo. We retired for the night in a very small hotel room, crammed with two full-sized very comfortable beds, equipped with all the electronic gadgets and outlets, right next to a very small bidet-equipped toilet with warmed seats, and a glorious shower stall. That’s for another story.

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