Ever since I was a little kid growing up in Toronto I've had dreams of coming to Japan. For me, it was all about the futuristic world of bright neon lights fused with the honour, humility and social awareness of the ancient Japan. I wondered if it could really be as good as all the movies, video games and anime made it out to be.
In 2009, I arrived for my first time, and I was confronted with a challenge I never expected. Turns out there are just way too many super-interesting places to check out, and way too many amazing restaurants to eat at. There just wasn't enough time. And getting to these places was complicated.
Fast-forward 6 years and I'm living here now. I still feel the same!
Here's a view from Roppongi Hills in Tokyo, looking out towards the Tokyo Tower. On a clear night, it looks like Tokyo goes on forever. So jaw-dropping. So impressive. But so many places that I feel like I have to visit!
Roppongi Hills is a really interesting place with a really interesting history. I found that the most impressive part was the view from upper deck. It also has movie theatres, a (weird) art exhibit that changes regularly, and a bunch of restaurants.
Here's another view from the other side of Roppongi Hills. If you look carefully you can see Mt. Fuji on the horizon. The city just goes on and on forever. After this leaving Roppongi Hills to go to a restaurant that I thought was a 10-minute walk away. And we ended up getting there about an hour later. Turns out getting around this behemoth city is not easy. I wish I had a solid internet connection so I could have used maps at the time!
This was our final stop of the night. In one of those impossible-to-find-in-North-America spots, where modern is fused with the ancient. Asakusa. Famous for it's huge lantern, it's an interesting and bustling marketplace full of all kinds of random goods, omiyage and restaurants. Behind it was this picturesque temple.
I've lived here 6 years already and I still haven't visited a tenth of the places I want to. But little by little we're ticking them off the list!
What kind of places are you planning to visit? Are you a student of the ancient culture? Or are you the energetic type looking to make new friends in the Maid Cafes of Akihabara?! Share in the comments below!
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