As you’ve probably figured out by reading this blog, I work a LOT. One thing I don’t often talk about, though, is that I also do a lot of fun stuff.
I currently live in Japan (specifically, Toyama prefecture), and though I came here primarily because I got a sweet job as an ALT with the JET Program, a part of me also came because Japan is full of amazing, beautiful, weird, mesmerizing, and downright awesome stuff to check out.
I try to use my days off for creative work and other productive things I want to get done, but I also make time to visit places and experience the world around me. Not only does visiting cool places serve as a solid happiness boost, it also helps me grow as a creative person in much the same way that reading books does by giving me more to think about and reflect on. It’s hard to get new ideas when you’re stuck in your room working at the computer all day, and going out and seeing new things helps keep my mind fresh and the gears turning.
I try to strike the balance between creative work, my Day Job, and having new experiences as best I can. Some months I spend way too much time exploring and not enough time on what needs to get done, and other months I definitely hole up in my apartment way more than I should, which also isn’t good for me. (Of course, the large number of Japanese holidays plus my 20 days of yearly time off also makes it easier to get out and do stuff!)
Since I also want to share my adventures with everyone reading, I thought it’d be cool to start posting more pics from Japan, since a lot of people are curious about what it’s like here and what kinds of stuff there is to see. I’ve been posting a lot to my Instagram (which you should totally follow if you’re not already), and I plan on sharing more here as part of a continuing series.
I spent my first few days in Japan at the Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku, Tokyo (cover photo) with several hundred other new JETs all going through the same massive orientation program. It was good to be back in Japan, but an extremely rough start considering I was jet-lagged, behind on sleep, and overwhelmed by a ton of new things to do all at once. As such, I didn’t do much those first few days until I got to Toyama.
Asakusa is a cool part of Tokyo with a lot of old shrines and cool ’80s buildings by the river, which also has a lot of walkable bridges like this one.
I try to visit Jinbocho in central Tokyo when I can. Not only is there a Taco Bell, but it’s a neighborhood famous for used bookstores, and sellers will lug huge carts full of books out to the street in the mornings. The vast majority are in Japanese, but there’s a few stores with small English sections. Mostly, though, I go to look for cool art books, old prints, Japanese movie guidebooks, and other oddball stuff—this particular store had a Japanese version of Breakfast at Tiffany’s that I scooped up.
Shot of the Imperial Gardens in Tokyo. The actual Imperial Palace is off-limits to the public, but anyone can wander around the gardens, which have a lot of old walls like this one and are a chill getaway from the rest of the city.
Okonomiyaki, a kind of Japanese pancake made from flour batter, cabbage, egg, and whatever meat and vegetables you want to throw in, plus sauce and mayonnaise drizzled on top. (Trust me, it’s excellent.) Some restaurants bring you the ingredients and let you make your own, and this one was made by yours truly (guided, naturally, by the pictures on the Japanese instructions).
Squid on a stick at the grocery store.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Ride at Tokyo Disney Sea. A bit of background info: I have fond memories of riding the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride at the Magic Kingdom as a kid in the early ’90s, and in high school I when I went back to Disney World I spent a confused half hour wandering around Fantasyland trying to find it again only to realize that it had been replaced by a significantly lamer Ariel-type fountain thing, a cause of much regret.
Fast forward a decade or so, when I find that the Tokyo Disney Sea park not only has a much bigger and better 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride, it’s one of the park’s main centerpieces, and was worth the long wait. (Tokyo Disney Sea is a water-themed park we don’t have in the States, and was based on an idea for a new park planned for California Disneyland in the ’80s that never got built. It’s worth checking out for the novelty, but beware the crowds!)
Gasshō-zukuri style traditional Japanese mountain house in Gokayama, Toyama. The roofs were built extra-thick to protect from snow collapses, and many housed silkworms on the upper floors.
Black ramen, Toyama’s famous dish and the saltiest food I’ve ever tasted—three bottles of juice couldn’t save me after I slurped down the broth. The black is just an excess of soy sauce, and it was popularized after World War II to rejuvenate the workers who were exhausted after long days in the hot sun rebuilding the bombed-out city.
No explanation needed. This kind of thing is everywhere here, and makes me laugh every time.
Want to see more? Check out my Instagram, or the other links below.