Stepping Unto the Unknown — Tokyo, Japan
After spending 24 hours in the Montreal airport, enduring a 14-hour flight, spending a week wandering Tokyo and already taking more than a thousand pictures, I finally decided to take some time to slow down and reflect on my journey so far.
Stepping into Tokyo felt like stepping into another world.
First, I had to go through immigration. I don’t know about you, but for me, it’s always somehow stressful. Scenarios keep playing in my mind where I’m refused entry for one reason or another and have to cancel my entire trip.
Fortunately, everything went swimmingly! Just like that, I was granted a three-month stay in Japan!
Already at the airport, I felt disoriented. Everything was written in Japanese, and after barely sleeping for the past 48 hours, I found myself quite at a loss. And now, I had to find my way to the hostel.
Whenever I get that feeling, I know the real adventure is just about to begin. That’s exactly what I was looking forward to! Finally, I was in Japan!
First, I had to find my hostel, which meant navigating my way through one of the largest subway systems in the world.
After getting myself a train pass, I went looking for my train. Believe me, for anyone who knows me, that would have been quite a funny scene to watch.
Picture me, staring at my phone while trying to make sense of the Japanese signs, asking people for directions in my extremely limited Japanese (I know about three sentences), and receiving directions in a language completely foreign to me. Every now and then, I’d end up awkwardly showing my phone to a complete stranger, hoping they could help me find the right train.
About an hour later, I finally found myself on the right one.
That was fun!
It took about an hour to reach my destination: a small hostel I’d booked ahead of time named Focus Kuramae. I was exhausted. It was finally time to get some rest.
Except I couldn’t sleep.
A mix of adrenaline and jet lag, I suppose. But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. It meant I could start exploring early and take advantage of the golden hour for my very first images of Tokyo. Little did I know, this would set the pace for the entire week.
Senso-Ji Temple, Tokyo, Japan 10/26
A little sleep, an early start (somewhere between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m.), a little nap in the afternoon, and then back out to explore at night!
I found Tokyo to be utterly beautiful. Between some of the tallest buildings I’ve ever seen, there are temples, gardens, rivers and beautiful little side streets waiting to be discovered.
There’s also something about this city that makes it feel alive. At night, lights are everywhere. Immense TV screens advertise upcoming shows and the next big thing. The smell of freshly made ramen, wagyu beef and shabu-shabu (Japanese hot pot) fills the air.
And God, I love the food in Japan! It’s as if I’m having the best meal of my life, meal after meal.
To sum up this first week, I have absolutely no regrets about my rather spontaneous decision to come to Japan. Tokyo has provided me with countless opportunities for beautiful compositions, and day after day, I find myself feeling inspired.
I love the energy of this city, and I can’t wait to experience the other side of Japan: small villages along the coast, ocean views, mountains and, of course, the magnificent Mount Fuji.