Day: May 21, 2023

Traveling to Japan

My trip from the US to Japan was a chaotic and anxious time, but was fun nonetheless. The trip started in Sacramento, CA at 5am PST, when I left my house to go to the airport. My flight began boarding around 7am and took off at 7:30am, bound for LAX. I arrived in LAX at 9:00am in the American Airlines terminal and no clue how to get to the international terminal. After asking one of the staff at the terminal how to get to the terminal I boarded a shuttle and arrived within a few minutes. Then I scurried off to Starbucks for breakfast and then metup with Vincent, who would be flying with me, at our gate. The 10hr flight straight over the ocean to Japan took off at 12:45pm on ANA.

This was by far the best airline experience I have ever had. Not only was the staff insanely nice and helpful, but they also offered us water and tea on a regular basis. The flight included 2 free meals that were so delicious. For the first meal, I chose the seafood option, which was a mix of various fish topped with rice. There was a salad on the side, as well as some meat and a piece of bread with butter. For the second meal, I chose the beef pasta option, which was a thick tube pasta topped with really yummy beef sauce. The sides for this one were a mayonnaise pasta salad and some seaweed. For desert we got a Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream. The rest of the flight consisted of either sleeping or playing Tears of the Kingdom. The seats were comfortable and there was a flipable table to eat on. They even gave us a blanket and pillow! Overall 10/10 plane experience.

Upon arriving in Japan we had to get through customs, which was a mess. I have never been out of the US so I didn’t know how customs worked. This caused some confusion when one of the airport staff asked me if I needed immigration documentation, which I took as documents for moving to Japan, so I said I didn’t need them. As it turns out I did. They were just the documents required for entering the country. This meant that I had to leave the line and fill out the docs, then re-enter and get everything checked. After getting through customs, which took longer than it should have, we made our way to the train station. This is were the chaos really ensued. We didn’t know how to get tickets into the train station or for our train, but we eventually figured it out. Unfortunately the train that should have taken us directly into shinagawa stopped for some reason or another, meaning we had to take the train to Tokyo Station and then cab to our hotel. This caused us to arrive at the hotel later than the intended time of 6pm JST, so we had to hurry to the Shinagawa station to get out JR rail pass for the trip.

Celebrating my Inner Child

Today was by far my most anticipated day of the entire trip, and I can confidently say that it was 100% worth the hype.

After taking a quick pit stop in Asakusa to visit a retro game store we had managed to miss yesterday, me and Megan headed to Nihombashi to meet up with Fabian and Pavel for our Pokemon Cafe reservation. After spending an embarrassing amount of time (and money) at the Pokemon Center Tokyo DX, which was connected to the Cafe, we were able to check in for our reservation at 12:30 and get seated.

Honestly, the food in my opinion was REALLY good. I got the Pikachu themed meal, which featured an omurice shaped like Pikachu’s head, with an egg tail, a pokeball topped mac and cheese, and a hamburger patty on the side. There was also a salad (which I didn’t try) and a fried shrimp (which I did try and really like), but I think my most favorite part was the mac n cheese. The shells were shaped like Pikachu although it was hard to tell under all of the cheese, but it was super cute!!

Pavel ordered the Eevee themed dish, which I believe was a bread bun with clam chowder and something else with shrimp in it. Megan opted for the Pikachu soufflé pancake, which I ordered later in the meal and fell in love with. Fabian decided to order one of the special sets, which was a Pikachu themed ramen bowl that came with this cute Pancham steamed bun. We also all got our own themed drinks, which included a latte with a picture of Rayquaza drawn on it, Sprigatito and Fuecoco soda floats (melon and apple themed respectively), hot chocolate, and this cute drink set where you mix your own chocolate milk. But the best part about the entire experience was hands down the show.

Right after making their last call for orders, a large Pikachu comes out from behind the kitchen and puts on a show for all of the diners. Typically he’s wearing Pokemon Cafe attire, but because of the special event he was wearing a Chinese-themed outfit that was still super cute. Remember how I said that the seats we had been given were important? We ended up being right next to a majority of the show, which meant that the experience was AWESOME and felt super personal for me.

After a lot of speaking in Japanese that I didn’t understand, a lot of cute running and dancing around the cafe, and a performance of ‘If You’re Happy and You Know It’ (a true classic), he scurried back to the staff room so we could finish eating and make our way to the ever-looming merchandise wall.

I am not ashamed to say that this was, and likely will always be, the most expensive day of my trip in terms of merchandise. While it wasn’t outrageous, I did purchase quite a handful of small goodies and trinkets that I certainly don’t need, but definitely wanted. The picture shown is not just of the Pokemon Cafe merchandise (the Pikachu ditto plate, the small chef pikachu keychain, and the gengar silverware), but also of some things I got from the Pokemon Center next door (gachapon figurines, a very fluffy pastel Rowlet, and a hefty hoard of charms and stickers). Some other small wins from today were a Korok keychain that I won from an LoZ ichiban kuji (a lottery with a set number of prizes) and a Mega Lucario keychain that I found on the ground very far from any Pokemon Center or other merchandise store. There’s also some small things that are not pictured because I had forgotten to include them, which are a canvas tote bag and a pair of wooden chopsticks themed after grass types in Paldea.

In a daze from the heaven that I had experienced for the first half of the day, Megan and I worked our way back to our hostel to pick up our lugggage and then turn around and jump on another train to head to the first planned event of our trip by the school at the Grand Price Hotel Shinagawa. By this point, my brain was in a fog and my feet were killing me, so after heading to exchange our JR rail passes and grabbing dinner as a group I was ready to crash. My inner child has been fully satisfied by this experience, and I am so grateful that I was able to live it with my friends and fulfill it to its fullest potential.

Tomorrow we will head to Kyoto to meet up with the KCG students that we’ll be doing the game jam with. I’m very nervous, but also pretty excited to see how different the vibe is in Kyoto compared to Tokyo. I think we are also going to the aquarium attached to our hotel tomorrow (if my feet can handle it). I am quite literally fighting the urge to nod off as I write this, but as always, I’ll end with some extra photos.

Arrival in Japan (5/18 ~ 5/21)

5/18 – The Beginnings

As the 14 hour flight came to a close, with the first Matrix movie, the first two Lord of the Rings movies, and a pittance of melatonin-induced sleep, I took my first step into the country who’s language I’ve spent 6 years learning! (Well, second, but this is the first time I’m truly on my own ;P)

Navigating my way past the 56-desk long immigration checkpoint, picking up my baggage, exchanging currencies, and picking up my pocket Wi-Fi, I encountered my first vending machine. A fresh-squeezed orange juice vending machine!

After enjoying a nice fresh cup, I headed off to the Keikyu line headed into Shinagawa, where I picked up my first ever IC card, a Pasmo!

Now, you may question my following few decisions:

  • I wanted to spend the first two nights in a capsule hotel.
  • I wanted to spend the third night in a manga/internet cafe.

The answer? Don’t really have one! I just thought it would be neat to try something off the beaten path for once and come through with some interesting stories to tell on the other side.

Also it was super cheap and I wanted to read some more of Jojo Part 8

The capsule hotel was charming, but a bit much to get used to. Little privacy there, and making a peep was frowned upon. Luckily, I don’t rely on alarms to wake up!

5/19 – Solamachi

I found myself feeling a little cramped from the capsule hotel, so I thought it would be a good idea to meet up with some of my classmates who also came early, over at the Skytree Town, Solamachi! A lovely collection of stores and cafes sitting right beneath the Tokyo Skytree. I definitely ate way too many sweets, but it was all so worth it.

Oh, did I mention the GHIBLI STORE AND THE POKECENTER IS THERE TOO?

YET NO GENGAR PLUSHIE ;w;

5/20 – The Calm Before the Storm

Since I was tired of hauling around my own luggage everywhere (the capsule hotel has you checking out everything at 10AM), I bit the bullet and booked the 24 hour stay in the manga cafe.

Funnily enough, if you run the numbers, a 24 hour stay going for 4400 yen, equivalent to 32 dollars a day, renting a space which provides free showers, free books, free cleaning, free drinks, and all-you-can-eat soft serve would run cheaper than summertime dorm rent at RIT.

Just food for thought!

Speaking of food, I had a veritable feast at the nearby Bamiyaan (Dan dan noodles, shumai, gyoza, and sesame balls), and ended up served by a cat-modeled server robot. The future is now!

Jet lag was hitting hard, and I ended up reading a good 5 volumes of JJBA before hitting the hay.

5/21 – Reunion & Reunion

Today was the day where two things came to pass: me meeting my host family once again, and the beginning of this two weeks of study abroad.

To begin, I checked out of the manga cafe, put 2/3 of my bags in a coin locker, and waited by Oimachi station to meet the family kind enough to take me in for a whole month four years prior.

The Inoue family!

And off we went to Asakusa to take part in the 2023 Sanja Matsuri: one of Tokyo’s largest festivals! With people packed practically shoulder to shoulder almost the entire day, the energy around was simply electric! Faces of all countries came to experience places like Nakamise Shopping Street, Kaminari-mon, and Sensō-ji. The tons of food stands were a big plus! I got some wagyu, shaved ice, yakisoba, and candied fruit!

We also went to Hanayashiki, one of the oldest amusement parks in Japan, started in 1853. Although its age range is definitely for the younger crowd, we still had a good time walking around and enjoying some of the more intense rides.

Heading back to the station, we encountered a bunch of people hauling a mikoshi on their shoulders, and a Shishimai traditional dance where performers mimic a lion’s movements to mimic good fortune.

After a very long and exciting day, we went back to pick up my belongings at the coin locker at Oimachi station, got a Taxi to the Shinagawa Prince Hotel, and bade farewell once again. May we meet again very soon!

Now, meeting up with the Study Abroad gang, we all gathered in the lobby at 6, and went to go get our tickets for the next day’s Shinkansen. (Was begging to get off my feet at this point, haha. Curse you Japan, for your lack of benches!)

Heading back to the food court, I grabbed some Katsu Omurice, chatted it up with a few others, and called it a day. Can’t wait to see what’s in store the next two weeks.

Travel Origins and the Beginning


My journey started in San Francisco where my flight to Haneda airport started at 12 pm. The flight was overall pretty smooth with the exception of having the middle seat… At least I bought the wifi which was definitely worth the $18 for the whole flight. The flight was filled with me starting Honkai: Star Rail and competitive games of Hearthstone.

Upon arriving, I successfully navigated the train system to get to the hotel I booked (since I got to Tokyo early). However, I took the wrong exit out of the station and ended up in the backstreets of Roppongi where I wandered through a park. It would have been a much more welcome experience had it not been raining…

The next day, I went to Asakusa where apparently the Sanja Matsuri (festival) was happening. Supposedly, this is one of the largest festivals in Tokyo! I met with Belle and Megan who happened to be visiting on the same day. Jessica joined us later. I also got a drew a fortune in which I got a regular one. The festival was busy at first, however, by 2 pm the crowd became unbearable and we decided to split up.


Later that day I met with my dad who was on a layover and we went to the Rainbow Bridge (which there were no rainbows to be found. What a scam!). However, walking across the bay to Daiba was really pretty at night. However, the bridge was very windy and there was a lot of walking involved so by the time I got back we were exhausted. Next time I would like to take one of those ferries on the water.

From here, you can see both Tokyo Tower and the Tokyo Skytree if you look closely.

The next morning my dad and I went to the Tsukiji fish market and had sushi for breakfast. However, the restaurant was really crowded and busy in the morning so I didn’t get any good pictures. For a Sunday, where the fish market was supposed to be closed, there were still many shops open and people moving about. I did also find a sushi vending machine… Not sure how good it would be though…

My dad and I said our goodbyes and I went to drop off my bags at the hotel.
Later that day we went to a hololive event in Akihabara.

Lastly, the day ends with us exchanging our train ticket vouchers and having a meal at the food court at the hotel where I got one of my favorite foods, Kitsune Udon (udon with sweet fried tofu). I can’t wait for what’s to come!