Tokyo Day 一
The moment we landed, I could not contain my excitement. This was a trip I had been looking forward to for over a year. I also had not traveled with my parents internationally for quite some time so there was a lot to look forward to. After landing,we had a very smooth process through customs/immigration. My phone was fighting for life at 1% as I rushed to the nearest charging station. After about 20 minutes we were fully out and ready to embark on our journey to the Daiwa Roynet hotel. One of my mom's old college classmates joined our trip and we were waiting for her. For some reason, I distinctly remember being in a nearby cafe which was brutally humid and had some strange odors.Not what I expected but a complete 180 fromwhat the trip was actually like.
Turns out my mom's friend had scheduled herself a taxi and one that fit four people, so we had a relatively smooth journey home. Our driver's nickname was something strange and for some reason she wasn't replying even when I spoke to her in proper Japanese. I couldn't figure out what was wrong - was it my accent? Was my language skill not up to par? In any case,I assumed it was just the norm for drivers to not engage with passengers in conversation the way we speak to Uber drivers in the States. To be fair I did ask "are we there yet" (もうついた？), so maybe that's just a cliche thing to ask a taxi driver.
After about 40 minutes of struggling to contain our excitement, we arrived at the Daiwa Roynet hotel in Nishi Shinjuku. It was a nice and simple hotel with friendly staff and an Italian restaurant called Hearth built into it. Couldn't help but laugh at the fact that Italy follows me everywhere I go. I fought off the immediate compulsion to order a pizza margherita, which would have been purely for research purposes of course. Once we brought our bags to the hotel room, I was honestly a bit surprised at how small the room was. But honestly, not a big deal for any of us. I rescued my phone which was hovering around -5% charge and decided to explore the block with my dad.
Our first stop was going to floor B2 of our hotel which was the famous 8th wonder of the world: a Japanese 7/11. Close friends had told us that the 7/11s in Japan are NOTHING like the American 7/11s so I wasn't surprised that strange folks weren't hanging out outside smoking cigarettes (or something else) and disgruntled staff weren't simply ringing up an XL slurpee. The biggest concern we had was food options for my dad who is vegan. 7/11 had plenty of great options if restaurants didn't have foods that we could all eat. I bought some candy and considered a small umbrella but it turned out mom had already packed one (mom's always know best..). The rain was starting to come down in Tokyo which was not a problem at all. It was actually quite peaceful.
As great as 7/11 looked, we were tired after a long night of travel. We craved something filling. A quick google search yielded a restaurant around the block called オダン (Odan). They seemed to have a mix of different cuisines and I remembered walking past it and seeing ramen. Odan was the highest rated restaurant within a few blocks so it felt like an appropriate choice. We weren't wrong about the quality, but the cuisine? Unexpectedly, we were met with smiles from Indian and Nepali staff. Not having eaten Indian food in a long time, I couldn't help but crave some Chicken tikka masala w/ a large helping of rice. My dad ordered some lentils and my mom ordered a different chicken dish for herself. Her friend shared food with us. We also ordered two naan which in Japan are apparently about a foot long and 7 inches wide. The food had incredible flavor and was おいしい – just the right mix of garlic, cardamom and other spices. The meal was seasoned with an interesting conversation with our waiter who turned out to be the owner of the restaurant. He explained that he moved to Japan nineteen years ago simply to work and over time with training, opened up a few restaurants, this latest one being in Nishi Shinjuku, which was the part of "Tokyo" we stayed in. He was one of the nicest owners we have met, and one with some of the best culinary knowledge one can ask for. He mentioned he lived in Okinawa and some other parts of Japan I am struggling to recall. I spoke to him in some strange combo of English, Japanese, and Hindi. If you thought an Indian accent sounded unique, imagine all three combined.
As is customary in Japan, we didn't leave a tip as hard as that was after both the conversation and (oishi) food. It was time to explore the city in night mode. We walked past some offices and a huge building that had some kind of event in the lobby/main area. About 30 people were dressed up as dinosaurs and were racing each other up and down narrow rows. I have absolutely no idea what the purpose was but it looked competitive. The green dinosaur won and his name flashed on the 150x150 screen. We watched about 3 minutes of it before walking toward the Metropolitan building. A close friend mentioned that the views from that building were better than most other views, including those from Skytree which was not free.
The line was surprisingly only about 20-25 people to go to the top of the building. It took some time to find because you have to go kind of underground to find the line to enter. After we reached the top floor, we were greeted with 360 views of the city. Everything from the skytree (in the far distance) to the Tokyo eiffel tower. Incredible way to start the trip. There were plenty of souvenirs and t-shirts on the top floor but it was way too soon to start looking for gifts to bring back. We made our way down after about 30 minutes – there was even a line to go down because there were a ton of people savoring the views from the top floor. The good news was that that floor had trash cans, which are brutally difficult to find in Japan. I finally got to toss my candy wrapper from earlier.
After the flight and long day, we were all tired but there was one last thing to see. There is a daily light show, the biggest projection in the world, right on the (side of) the Metropolitan building. Me and my mom led the way and we found a spot on the lawn. Honestly, we had no idea what to expect.
The first round had some stunning visuals and colors but nothing relatable/known. However, after a couple rounds, a Pacman and later 3-d Pacman was projected across the side of the building. There was also an "Ironman" type of display which stood out because it appeared as if the character was running straight towards you. The rain started to pour a bit harder, but we decided to wait for one more show which featured a pretty incredible dragon. Shocked and already blown away by how incredible Tokyo was, we made our way back to the hotel to get some rest for Day 2.
Day 二
I awoke to my parents flipping through channels and laughing at the Japanese TV guide they couldn't understand. It didn't take them long to figure out we could stream directly to the TV (yes, even hotel TVs are next-level in Japan). I went back to sleep briefly. By the time I woke up, my parents and my mom's friend had already grabbed breakfast at the Hearth restaurant next door.
I decided to explore and found a spot nearby on Google Maps: Musashino Mori Diner Shinjuku Central Park. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted and asked "how many?"—"ichi," I replied. I found a quiet nook with a private tablet menu. After browsing, I ordered my usual eggs and pancakes. The pancakes looked insanely fluffy—I had to try them. I added an omelet with veggies and a side of yogurt. Ten minutes later, the pancakes were gone, and I'd already decided this was my Tokyo go-to.
By the time I left, it was pouring. I ducked into a nearby Starbucks to chill for a bit. Some dogs were hanging outside, which of course reminded me of Argos.
First on the schedule for the day was Team Labs Borderless. This also marked our first time using the Tokyo train system — which I can't say enough good things about. We used our Suica cards and enjoyed the ride, observing the peace of the train and the ubiquitous cell phone usage that is the same no matter where you go in 2025. We tried to get tickets for Team Labs Planets, but it was sold out. As soon as we entered, we were greeted by holograms everywhere. Initially, it looked kind of cool, but after taking a pic or two, my parents and I were kind of tired of it. To me, it felt insanely overwhelming visually, and that's coming from someone who loves and has built projects in VR. It's just too much, honestly. We were eager to leave and move on to the next activity. It was a bit surprising given its popularity, but after actually seeing the exhibit in person, I felt it was more of an influencer hotspot. I probably saw more selfies and poses than I did people actually enjoying the exhibit. Takeaway: Just watch the tour someone posts on YouTube or social media. Save time for other activities. Can't speak about Planets — maybe that one is a bit nicer. To each their own. Just not something I personally enjoyed.
After Team Labs, we went towards Ginza. Immediately after exiting the train stop, I spotted a sweet shop, so we decided to check that out and have some tea there. One thing I observed is that for every person sitting at a table, there has to be an order. You can't simply have someone just sitting there, which actually makes sense. I'm not a coffee drinker (as if my knowledge/adherence to Seattle culture could be any worse), so I ordered tea. Also, I saw a cake on the menu and had no choice after 2 seconds of deeply ruminating on whether it was worth it. After this, we had the afternoon blocked as flexible, so we split off briefly. My parents walked Takeshita Street (sincerely hope it had plenty of toilets). I stayed in and checked out Ginza.
A close friend mentioned they have some incredible underground cafes there, so I decided to scavenge all the buildings from floor B2 all the way up to (sometimes) 10F. My first shop was one selling a variety of office supplies. I can't recall its name, but I bought a Japanese planner for 2025. Along each floor, I found a new gem. I ended up grabbing a quick bite at a seafood restaurant on the top floor and some sweets from a bakery on the way down. In the basement, I found the true gem: a conveniently hidden Italian restaurant packed with locals. There was even live music – a violinist and pianist performing duets of Disney classics including Aladdin and The Little Mermaid. The lights were dimmed, and it was also someone's birthday, so I got to experience a "restaurant birthday." I won't lie, I didn't get too creative with food and enjoyed myself a Pizza Margherita with a simple cup of water. I spoke to the staff in Japanese and hung out there an extra 30 minutes because my phone was hovering around 5% charge yet again. I felt at home.
I caught the train home from Ginza to Nishi Shinjuku on the Marunouchi line (M). I immediately fell asleep for 30 minutes after getting to the hotel. My mom woke me up and told me next up was the famous Shibuya Crossing. I wasn't particularly excited about the crowds, but I was excited to finally see the Hachiko statue. It is one of the toughest movies to watch but one worth watching, whether you are a dog enthusiast or not. Extremely sad movie but a tale of loyalty. It was very crowded, but we got a picture each and then proceeded to the Shibuya Crossing and quickly understood why it's famous for being the busiest. There was some construction, but we gradually made our way through the streets looking for dinner. There weren't too many options on short notice with our Shibuya Sky reservation coming up. We found a few arcades and enjoyed them before getting in line for Shibuya Sky. I caught some Burger King and distinctly remember standing on the roof of this shopping complex overlooking the crossing as I downed my Pepsi and crushed a chicken sandwich. My mom called me, telling me to come down ASAP to stand in line for Shibuya Sky.
Once we made it to the top, we were a bit bummed to find out that due to rain and wind, the balcony area was closed off. It was more of the same after seeing the Metropolitan Tower, but we still got some cool views of the Tokyo Eiffel Tower from there. There were also some cool art displays on the top floor which wrapped around the whole tower. The shop at the end was awesome as well, featuring a lounge-like setting with a Johnny Rockets kind of feel (can't explain, and maybe it's just how I remember it, but look up Johnny Rockets). There was a jukebox and some 80s music playing, so maybe that's where I drew that comparison. After this, we were all pretty exhausted and decided it was time to call it a night — but only after stopping at Family Mart for a quick bite. It was around this time that I started comparing the quality of the chicken at Family Mart, Lawson's, and 7/11. Famichiki was the clear winner early on (and that didn't change as the trip progressed).
The train ride back was quick, and honestly, we were still pretty hungry. So, naturally, we went right back to Odan, which was next to our hotel in Nishi Shinjuku. I had to go for another late round of Chicken Tikka with rice. I spent some extra time wandering the streets of Shinjuku, including crossing a highway overpass, which was pretty cool. There were skyscrapers everywhere, some resembling designs out of a Pixar movie like Big Hero 6, which is set in a fictitious city called "San Fransokyo." I'll add photos to this later to explain where I'm drawing these references. It was nearly 1 a.m., and it was time to go to bed, but there's something very peaceful about walking at night in Tokyo. There's no riff-raff. Eventually, at 3% battery, I made it back to the hotel and called it a night.
Day 三
One of my regrets of the trip is not joining my parents for Mt. Fuji. It was probably worth it and is something I'll have to go back for. This was the only time I broke itinerary. I was not feeling like spending all day in a car and wanted to be more active. Turned out, after hearing from my parents, it was actually a good combo of relaxed and active. Anyways, I got some extra rest and was incredibly tired after the previous night.
I decided to check out a local arcade up north and visit a bookstore that looked particularly unique. Tsutaya books is a chain in Japan but the location I went to was unique. It was two buildings connected by a bridge with some incredible outdoor seating. I decided to treat the day as my "study" day. I know, it's a vacation, but I did have some things to do: run some scripts for a few projects I have been working on, follow up on a few emails, and check on Argos. The store itself was relatively unassuming from the outside but once you enter, you're greeted with a peaceful and unique store with a car in the middle of it. That's actually where my exploration began. Anyways, eventually I found a spot to sit and work. After some time, a lady interrupted me and asked if I had a badge. I didn't realize I had to pay but had absolutely no problem doing so, especially since it came with access to the snacks and drinks. Naturally my first instinct was to grab a bunch of sweets and also a bowl of fruits for good measure.
I found a few cooking books (in Japanese) and flipped through them. Not going to lie, I wasn't very focused and was mostly just looking to see how much I could actually read. Lesson: I have improved but damn do I have a ways to go. After a bit, it was time to head to the next location. I wandered through random streets and eventually found the train station I needed to go to. I was definitely not in the busy parts of town anymore and most people seemed local. I did see a pet store on the way which was tempting but I decided to stay focused on getting to the arcade.
I eventually found Takadanobaba Mikado Game Center, a famous retro arcade. Couldn't help but remember how fun places like this were to hang out at with friends. Seattle has a great one called GameZone that went out of business for a bit but came back a couple years ago near the Convention center. I played a few games and then made my way towards Ginza.
I simply had to go back to that underground Italian place with the live music. The street was closed off to traffic and there was a table with some chairs right in the middle of the wide street. A few old couples were sitting there relaxing. It was an interesting visual with people sitting in the middle of what I assume is normally a very busy street.
I could tell this was the expensive part of town and the stores were all well known name brands. I'm not a big shopper but for me, the food was exemplary. I was pretty tired by this point and decided to go back to the hotel. My parents got back just after me and were raving about how great Mt. Fuji views were. There were hardly any clouds and visibility was incredible. I was a bit bummed I missed it all said and done, and decided I'd come back during hiking season and do the full hike. I had a flashback to the time I went to Cotopaxi but couldn't actually climb it in Ecuador (en route to Banos which is on the edge of the Amazon forest). My tour guide, who I recall mentioned he was also the guide for Dave Chapelle when he passed on the huge contract (not sure how that's relevant but it's a detail I remember), told me I'd have to acclimate for 3 days before making the trek up Cotopaxi which I recall was approximately 14k at the base and 19k at the peak. Anyways, basically I want to climb Mt. Fuji.
I was exhausted so after hangin with the parents for a while, I dozed off.
Day 四: アキハバラ (Akihabara)
The day started at 6am and featured breakfast with my parents. We found some great places nearby but the spot I found the previous day stood out. The fluffy pancakes were insanely good and impossible to pass up. After going back to the hotel briefly, we made our way towards Akihabara via the trains. I got a hilariously awkward picture of me wearing headphones giving my mom the "please don't take a picture of me right now" look. My expression did not match how excited I was to check out Akihabara's Electric Town.
I honestly had no idea what to expect. But as a fan of video games, anime (Full Metal Alchemist - yes, I still think about that Nina scene, Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, and more), the occasional card game (Pokemon and Yu-gi-oh from ages ago), plus the Ghibli staples, I couldn't wait.
When we got off the train, I spotted another infamous 7/11 with a McDonalds next to it. Bookmarked it for later because I absolutely wanted to go back and see if even McDonald's restaurants in Japan were a level above those in the States. We split off and decided to explore and regroup later.
After walking around the block a bit, I found myself in a narrow alley with a sign saying "Electric Town". I knew I was in the right place. I walked past an ice cream spot and immediately stopped to get a scoop of Vanilla. I had a few coins I was trying to get rid of so it was perfect. I ate the ice cream pretty quickly, trying to stop my hunger from taking even a minute away from exploring the stores.
Unfortunately, the ice cream experience was followed by the "where the hell is the trash can" experience. I walked probably half a mile till I found a trash can to throw my remaining ice cream. On the way I spotted a girl dressed like she just walked out of Re:Zero was promoting a maid café. Respect—the outfit looked like it took an hour to assemble, and she was fully in character.
Anyways, after my "trek" around the block, during which I counted over 10 stores I needed to come back to, I found myself at the original ice cream store I got the ice cream at. I asked if I could throw my ice cream there, and I finally did. Damn. Time to move onto the real stuff.
The shop was right in front of the famous street. [insert image here].
The Card Store Adventure
My first stop was a 10F building with a card store on the first floor. This was my first time in a Japanese card store, so it was an interesting experience to say the least. I spoke to the store owner at the first store and asked in Japanese if they had a Base Set Charizard (highly valuable). I knew it was a long shot, but I had to ask, like trying to summon Exodia without all five pieces. Unfortunately they did not, and I had a tough time finding vintage cards.
New Pokemon I don't even recognize don't mean as much to me, so I decided to focus on the base 151 set. I wasn't sure what to buy, so I bought one simple booster pack from the store next door and then two additional packs from the vending machine in front of it. I pulled a Zapdos (my old Wifi password in Seattle - now it's moltres).
I am glad I brought a bag because I was prepared to do some shopping. I didn't actually go up immediately. I instead went to the basement via an escalator. Around the corner there was a huge Namco sign with incredible anime art. There was incredible art everywhere as I arrived on the basement level. I was greeted by the coolest arcade I've ever seen. From Street fighter to some other classics, it was packed and packed with energy.
Arcade Floors and Gaming
I kept going up and remember me and some other people there struggled to find the elevator up. Instead, after some effort looking to no avail, I decided to run up the "down" elevator. Interesting workout but I made it. Next floor was a "claw" game floor. I tried to get a Snorlax, but after 2-3 attempts I got lazy (get it?).
The third floor had this awesome drum game and I played a few rounds with someone random. I did NOT do well. Anyways fast forward a few floors and I ended up at a card tournament. Yu-gi-oh is a lot bigger in Japan than here. I watched for a bit then took the stairs all the way down.
Next stop was a card store to buy some more booster packs. The first floor was pretty simple but as I made my way up, I started walking into (and getting kicked out of) some private card tournaments. That building was one of the coolest and photos/videos tell the story more than words.
Next up, I walked through some small alleys and found shop after shop with awesome anime art and Pokemon cards. There were a few other card games I'm not as fond of like Duel Masters there as well. Anyways, I got super hungry after that and decided it was time to check out that McDonalds.
McDonald's and Electric Town at Night
It was pretty great and the second floor seating and ordering with a screen was next level. We need more of this kind of service/quality here. The food itself was mostly the same, maybe a bit better but it was more the ambience of the place that stood out.
After some time, I noticed it was starting to get dark. Which is when Electric Town truly lights up. I didn't stay too late but wanted to see how it looks in the dark. The town lit up and I was in video game/anime heaven. It was arcade time.
However, out of nowhere, three modded cars pulled up and I felt like I was in Initial D until I saw the 'I Love Hentai' shirts and realized with higher likelihood that they weren't expert drifters or drivers. Briefly I thought I was getting a preview of drifting, but oh well (I ended up postponing drifting till next trip anyways).
The cars were playing loud EDM and D&B music which fit the location. I talked and shot the shit with them for a while and I was surprised to hear they were not actually drift experts but rather simply tour guides. The backdrop with Electric Town and the cars in front made for an awesome futuristic visual. Straight out of an anime. Oh well, the cards looked awesome and I got to hang with some locals. I threw on some D&B on my Spotify (Commix - Painted Smile is incredible).
Final Arcade Experience
The arcade I went to next was an incredible experience. I remember there were floors after floors of games and it had a minimum age for entry with strict rules. For smoking there was a separate room which I found cool and is something I wish we had more of here.
My last stop was the original building I started in. I made my way up and found some cool shops, many of which I had no interest in but were cool nonetheless. There was a doll shop with some… pretty interesting visuals to say the least. I also found a shop with some pretty unique collector items. I spotted a Jujutsu Kaisen poster of Gojo mid-domain expansion which was incredible and also a Kingdom Hearts keychain, small but reminded me of one of my favorite childhood games. There were probably a lot of others there but I probably only noticed the series/games I have watched/played.
Wrapping Up
Anyways, I was tired and it was time to catch up with the parents, so we made our way to the train station and decided to get ready for Miyajima. I'll be honest, pulling me away from Akihabara was going to be a challenge. I decided I needed to come back at least once before leaving Japan. I was less keen on Miyajima, but I'm not afraid to admit I was wrong. I switched Commix/DnB to some calming music as I got ready for bed.
Day 五
I woke up feeling like Akihabara from the day before was a dream. It definitely was not though because I had a Zapdos and opened booster packs next to my bed when I woke up. My mom and dad were up at 5am and I was trying to bury my head in the pillows to get more rest knowing we had a full 5 hours of transit to get to Miyajima. My parents were ready and told me to quickly grab some breakfast. I went to my usual spot a few blocks away and had 3 fluffy pancakes, knowing food options would be relatively limited on the train (outside of the food that was packed for me by the restaurant from the previous night).
This was all of our first experiences on a Shinkansen. I had heard rumors of how it always operated perfectly on schedule, was clean and noise free. I didn't actually realize how fast these trains were till a few days later when we were at a station the train was skipping. It sped through at 200 mph. Anyways, back to the train to Hiroshima. Three hours later, we arrived in Hiroshima and took a more local train to get to the ferry station. I won't lie, I was very shocked at how nice the location was. I knew Miyajima was nice but after seeing the views from the ferry I was genuinely shocked. The photos didn't do it justice - I mean don't get me wrong, they were awesome but in person, it's a whole other story.
The ferry had a 360 view from the top deck (you could walk around and see everything from the edges of the ferry). I had a flashback to Seattle's ferry to Bainbridge island, which is also incredible but in a different way. Once we got closer to the island, in the distance I spotted the largest Torii gate I had seen to date. It was submerged in the water at the time which was pretty incredible. Once we disembarked, we were greeted with some unique looking deers. They were just chillin all over the island. There were kids from a local school hanging in the main square, some of whom were laughing as they bowed to the deer. Our first activity for the day was a Calligraphy class + Kimonos. I wasn't thrilled about changing into a Kimono but eventually I gave in. I was hesitant because they gave me and my dad fans when taking pictures. Oh well. The activity itself was a ton of fun. We sat at tables in a small rustic room with ink and some small しゃもじ (rice paddle). Our sensei mentioned this but to quote WIkipedia: "In Japan, the shamoji is also a good luck charm dedicated to Shinto shrines and decorated with the word 'hissho' (必勝, victory) written on the part that scoops up rice when praying for victory." Each of us wrote words of our choice on the rice paddles, after some practice runs on a few scrolls.
I can't remember which words my parents chose but mine was Samurai. We also wrote our name on the handle portion. I already knew how since I had studied my hiragana and katakana. I definitely managed to mess up the first rice paddle though. I ended up turning it over and getting a better version right. We also stamped some kanji words onto the handle between the main symbol and name. It was an incredible experience.
After our class, we changed back into our original clothes and started wandering the island. I went for a quick walk to the water which ended up becoming a much longer walk. My phone was at 2% (hey it's better than 1%) and my mom was NOT happy about this. They had gotten a local taxi last minute to drive us to the hotel. I ended up missing that and walked all the way. Worth it. I walked past the Itsukushima Shrine at sundown and the views were incredible. There were people walking up to the gate. Deers were hanging around, and it was one of the most peaceful places I've been.. Although this is something I'll say pretty often when writing about my Japan trips.
Eventually, at 1% I memorized the way to the hotel and walked all the way. It was a relatively short walk with awesome views so no big deal. We checked into the Ryokan and had one of the most incredible rooms. It overlooked Miyajima and had a view of the gate. Unfortunately our dinner was scheduled exactly at sundown so we missed the sunset from the room but got a multi course Japanese meal that was pretty good. I won't lie though, I definitely like italian food the best. I left the meal still feeling hungry but we had some snacks when I got hungry later at night.
We took a late night stroll to the shrine which was no longer submerged in water anymore. I walked right up to it while my parents hung back. My mom's friend was struggling to walk too far and didn't want to risk it on the uneven ground. It was awesome to see the ferries passing behind the gate. As a boater, I can't imagine how hard it must be to ensure boats don't get grounded here. Truly hard to grasp how the depth meters adapt with the sea levels changing from day to night. Everything was closed at this point so there wasn't much else left to do for the night.
We made our ways back to the room and went to bed. We were all awake for the first couple hours because the AC wasn't on and we were all struggling with the heat. Eventually we got it working and all was well though. I put on some easy going music for a bit before dozing off.
Day 五: Miyajima, Part II
I woke up later than my parents .. again. I got ready and was ready to take a shower in our ryokan hotel. On the way there, I felt something on the back of my leg and spotted what was possibly the largest centipede I've ever seen. I don't mind bugs usually but this thing was huge and let's just say I didn't want to risk a damn thing.
We had a Japanese breakfast that was honestly a bit underwhelming. Oh well. My dad wanted to go on the mountain hike but was a bit delayed because a friend called. My mom and her friend were more interested in taking the tram to the top of the mountain so it was just me and my headphones. I walked through some incredibly nice gardens en route to the trail. There were deer everywhere eyeing me. It was like Nara (actually, not there yet). After that, it was straight to the top of the mountain through some incredible shrines. I had no idea what to expect. I got in the zone and simply kept going. The stairs were neverending and it reminded me a bit of Positano. Eventually, with my phone on the edge of death, I started seeing encouraging signs. I was greeted with one of the nicest views ever near the top.
I immediately saw my mom and her friend chillin on the top. I regretted no part of taking the challenging way up and shortly after heard my dad was on the way up from the other path (I chose the longest one purely by chance). The view from the observatory was incredible but my phone was again at negative 30% charge. My dad honestly is not the best photo taker so he got a few but they were subpar. After the hike, he said he could have done it again. I believe him.
I honestly didn't have it in me to do much more rest of the day. We had to get back and hop on a ferry to Hiroshima anyways. The ride was very smooth but a different smaller ferry from the one we got on when we were heading to Miyajima. Hiroshima is actually an incredible city. My parents had done the planning for this part of the trip so I didn't have much knowledge about it other than some of its unfortunate history. The Hiroshima memorial was extremely sad, especially seeing a visual of how it looked before August 6th, 1945. I honestly had little interest in seeing it for more than a few minutes. It was time for the next leg of our trip: Kyoto, where we spent nearly a full week.
It was another long day of train rides. We did see a Shinkansen at the full 200mph again though which was really cool.. again.
Day 六
Coming soon.
Day 七
Coming soon.
Day 八
Coming soon.
Day 九
Coming soon.
Day 十
Coming soon.
Day 十一
Coming soon.
Day 十二
Coming soon.
Day 十三
Coming soon.
Day 十四
Coming soon.
Day 十五
Coming soon.
Day 十六
Coming soon.