I had no intention of going there. It was never on my secret bucket list. But somehow, I ended up becoming a reluctant tourist in Tokyo.

A family wedding was occurring during the summer in Jersey, Channel Islands. If you’re not sure where that is, it’s a group of islands situated in the English Channel, just off the coast of France.

We had all been invited, but financially Jacqui and I weren’t quite able to get there. My mum and dad were going, and excitement was building. As it normally does in the lead up to family get togethers.

About a month out from the event, I asked Jacqui if I could use our Frequent Flyer points to take the trip. My wife is an extremely generous soul and encouraged me to go.

We decided to keep it a secret from everyone except the bride and groom. Obviously, it would be difficult to change catering on the day.

So, I set about making the bookings. From Perth to Jersey was easy. Just a 3-hour stopover in Tokyo, a couple of hours in London.

The return journey was a different kettle of fish. The only way home involved a 4 night stopover in Tokyo, which was something I had never contemplated.

Now, because this was a secret trip, we couldn’t tell anyone about. Including our three kids. All of whom were studying Japanese. It would have been handy to spend a few nights bouncing some language about.

Arrival

The family component of the trip went well, and soon I was jetting towards Tokyo. The plane got to Tokyo at about 9.00 am. Narita airport. I was aware that there was a train service going from the airport into town.

I trundled downstairs to the station and looked and the train map. Holy crap, I’m in trouble. I’d been to London several times. I knew how to read a train map.

Nope, I’m in trouble.

Now, there’s a lot of places in the world where looking lost, dumbfounded and confused is a bad idea. Downright dangerous in fact.

Tokyo is not one of those places.

It took about 30 seconds before a well-dressed man stepped up beside me and asked if he could help me. I couldn’t have been more relieved if he’d put a blanket around my shoulders and handed me a warm cup of cocoa.

He quickly pointed out the stops for me. Wrote them down and showed me to the correct platform. It was a pattern that would be repeated several more times over the next few days.

It took me about an hour, but I finally made it to the accommodation.

The Accommodation

There are hotels in Japan. Very nice hotels in fact. But I was on a tight budget, so I had booked at the other end of the spectrum.

Now I had heard about the capsule hotels, and that they were cheap. But somehow, I sensed that they may not be made to accommodate 6 feet 3-inch-tall guests. Maybe I’m wrong. I still haven’t been to one.

I had booked into a Ryokan. My guess is that these take on varying guises. But in this case it was a cross between a guesthouse and a hostel.

There were only 4 rooms. One for men, one for women and two for families. Toilets and shower in the hall. The men’s dormitory was three flights of stairs up and I went to step up but was stopped at the foot of the stairs.

Shoes. No shoes to be worn beyond the foyer. Fair enough. I had heard about that. So, as instructed I took my shoes off and put them in the rack near the door. I was then handed a pair of sandals.

You’re kidding. I’m a size 13 and these were about an 8. Biggest he had. They didn’t even come to my heels. So now I had to climb the stairs with my bag in a tiny pair of sandals. It may be my imagination, but I think the treads on the stairs are smaller too.

Everyday felt like a real balancing act on the stairs. The rooms had cane mats on the floor and rolled up futons. There were kitchen facilities for guests to use. You just had to clean up after yourself and label your food. Fair enough.

The Food

Now, before anyone gets stuck into me over my food choices let me bring up a couple of defences. Firstly, this was a few years ago, when my metabolism could handle any amount of processed food without recourse to my waistline.

And, secondly, I draw your attention to my budget. Which was small.

I had heard terrible stories about the cost of food in Japan and I was very wary. However, for someone with access to a kitchen the convenience stores in the area made things a lot easier for me.

On the first morning I bought a half loaf of bread and a tube of butter, along with a tub of yoghurt. In this way, I had a couple of pieces of toast each morning and went down to grab a small tub of yoghurt again. This worked a treat and cost me very little.

For lunch they had McDonalds. Okay, it’s not a choice I would readily make today, but at the time it seemed safe. When the staff saw me coming, they would turn over the mat on the counter which had the menu in English. I just had to point and bow, and we were good.

The prices at McDonalds seemed to be roughly in line with those at home.

For dinner each night I went back to the convenience store, where they had a selection of heat and eat meals. Into the microwave and good to go.

The Last Meal

At the airport, at the end of my trip I met a young New Zealand girl who was crying. She was supposed to be in Japan for a couple of months, but her money had run out in 3 weeks.

She hadn’t eaten for a couple of days, and she was hoping that they could change her flight so that she could get home. I had just enough money left to get some more McDonalds for us both and was pleased to see that she was given a seat on a flight home.

So, maybe I was right to not try the restaurants on that trip. As in most cases, it pays to know where to go. The same could be said for any city.

Asakusa Sensoji Temple

I was staying in the Asakusa area, and one of the brochures mentioned the temple, which was only a 10-minute walk from where I was staying, so I went and had a look.

The temple truly stands out. I still don’t know how old it is. I haven’t looked it up, because I’m working from memory, and I don’t necessarily want to cloud that up with facts.

It’s one of those places that when you see it, you have to take a breath. It just stopped me in my tracks. It’s such a contrast from the modern city that has grown up around it.

I’m not a religious person, but it’s impossible not to show some reverence in this place. Leading the way to it are small shops and stalls. No doubt in days past they sold offerings. These days they are geared to tourists.

I had saved part of my budget for gifts for Jacqui and the kids, so it was Kimono’s all round. And a new carving knife for me. Here is a website that will give you more information.

Edo-Tokyo Museum

I had picked up somewhere that this museum was worth a look. So off I went.

This museum takes you from the old feudal states, right up to the present time. It also includes World War 2, and I thought that they put that story in a well-balanced way.

All in all, a great place to spend a few hours.If you’d like more information on this museum, click here for their website.

I saw a Caucasian girl while I was there, so I went up and said, “excuse me, do you speak English?” “Oh god yes,” she replied. She was a New York girl and we chatted for about 20 minutes.

It’s a strange feature of Japan. Most of the people there speak English. However, they’re a very shy people, almost too embarrassed to say anything in case they make a fool of themselves.

So, after a day or two on your own here, it can become easy to miss talking. I would think of things to say when I was looking around but had no-one to say them too. So mostly I didn’t speak.

Not that the Japanese people were rude to me or avoided me. On the contrary, if I tried to speak to someone to get some help, they couldn’t have been nicer.

Sumida River

The Sumida River is pretty close to the temple. So, while I was walking around, I thought I’d try a river cruise. The brochure seemed to indicate that there was a commentary in English. There wasn’t.

It didn’t matter though. I still enjoyed the trip. I just made my own stories up about the places I passed. I’m not sure about their world, but mine had a pretty good back story.

There was a turnaround point further down river and I had about an hour to wonder before my ride home. When I got back near the boat, I saw a tour group of Caucasians getting ready to board.

This is my chance I thought. English commentary all the way back. So close. What I got was German commentary all the way back. Still, I suppose if I did enough trips, I’d crack the right one sooner or later.

Maritime Museum

Tokyo has a maritime museum inside a building shaped like a ship. It’s genius.

It’s also a very good museum. And, importantly, it has an audio guide where you can select your language. That made it a lot easier.

I spent a few hours here, but then, I’m a sucker for any maritime museum.

Final thoughts

As with so many things in life, if you have little or no expectations, then you can be pleasantly surprised when it turns out well. Tokyo, and Japan in general, is a place I’d loved to go back to and spend a lot more time.

The Japanese people that I met seemed confused about this. They think that I came from an exciting place, and why would I want to go to Japan.

Well, because Japan is special. If you want a place that is strong on history and culture. Embraces the modern world, friendly people who aren’t in your face, and you can feel safe to walk the streets. Then Japan should prise its way onto your bucket list.

If you’re interested, I have a couple of posts that may help you get to Japan.

24 Tips to survive a long-haul flight

How to pack for overseas travel

Cheers and happy travels