This trip began with a long-awaited cross-year booking. Originally, we planned to travel together as a group of three, but then something happened that reduced the number of travelers to two and resulted in one lost ticket. I was hoping that the other person who was going would help make my trip comfortable, meaning I would just follow him (since he had been there before). But for a first-timer like me, I knew almost nothing, especially about the headache-inducing train system. Time was running out, and in the end, I had to plan the whole itinerary myself. I was also worried about the other person who was going with me, not knowing if he would like the plan I had made. My intention to travel to Japan once a year began with Kanto as my first destination. The following story is about the almost 10 days that unfolded, told according to the events I recorded, as my diligence allowed. Haha.


1240¥ is the cost of a train ticket from Narita Airport to Nippori, where I will change trains to Kita-Senju and then continue on to Tobu-Nikko, my destination for the night. Unfortunately, the train is running late, so I missed the last train and now have nowhere to go and nowhere to sleep. Oh well.


1090 yen for this bowl of ramen. The first bite made me feel hungry. I walked around for a long time and ended up at the restaurant opposite my accommodation. I'm staying in Ueno tonight.

3000 Yen Capsule Hotel in Ueno

This capsule hotel in Ueno costs 3000 yen per night. Exiting the central gate of the train station, cross the street and you'll find a food, drink, and massage area (probably Ameyoko Market). Walk a short distance from the main road and enter the alley. The hotel reception is on the 4th floor. Take the elevator and remove your shoes. Put money in the machine, select the number of people and nights, and wait for the ticket to retrieve the key to your locker. You'll receive another key for a separate shoe locker. Inside the locker, you'll find clothes, towels, and a shower room with both dipper and shower options. People walk around shamelessly in their underwear (it's a men-only hotel). After showering, there's a room with dressing tables, hairdryers, razors, and toothbrushes with built-in toothpaste. The capsule sleeping pods are on the 3rd and 2nd floors, divided by numbers. Each pod is approximately 2 meters long and 1 meter wide. Inside, there's a TV, mirror, and power outlet. Tonight, I was unlucky enough to have a snoring neighbor below me. #Sigh #Capsule and Sauna New Century Hotel


2300 yen per person to take the bus from Kita-Senju Station to Tobu-Nikko Station, which takes about an hour and a half on the Tobu Skyliner. The original ticket was for 7:45, but of course we missed it because we didn't know that the train we were supposed to take was a limited line. So we exchanged the ticket with the station master and got a new one for 8:12. We had to get off at Shimo-Imaichi and change trains again. The advantage is that we got to ride on several trains. #Is that right?


310 yen is the fare from the starting point of Tobu Bus Route 2C to the stop 85. Route 2C is a World Heritage route, consisting of many temples and shrines. Each important place requires an entrance fee, some offer a cheaper package for 2 places. It takes no more than 6-7 hours to walk around all the places, some of which are under renovation and some are prohibited from taking pictures. On the way back, we chose to take a detour to the Shinkyo Bridge (which is closed for renovation) and walked around the city from bus stop number 9. Along the way, there are many restaurants and dessert shops. We walked in the city at five o'clock in the evening, it felt like nine o'clock, and at nine o'clock it felt like midnight. The cold weather made life in this city seem quiet, very peaceful but lonely. We felt that going to bed at this time was the strangest thing on our first night in Nikko. The cold covered us, the morning was so long until the new sun smiled at us. #Today I lost my camera and one glove as usual.


1100¥ The price of the bus ticket on route 2B from Tobu-Nikko Station to stop number 23, Akeyoshi-daira. Along the way, we saw a group of athletes running up the mountain. We asked them and found out that they were baseball players. While we were taking pictures, we were at an altitude of 15xx meters above sea level. This place is like a parking lot for parents and coaches to come and cheer on the players and give them water. We don't know where they started or where they finished, but we know that their hearts are truly endless. #Respect#Cartoonish


730¥ Round trip cable car ride here, takes no more than 2 minutes to go up. Determined to take a video with an action cam strapped to my head, but as expected... #batterydead


100¥ Just drop a coin and you'll see this image through a telescope at a closer distance, but no camera can capture it as well as the human eye. #Why bother looking


550¥ Paying to take the elevator down 100 meters to see Kegon Falls at the closest possible distance. Looking up until my neck hurts, I ask to take a picture of the distance...the water falls down. #How did it get through the elevator?


700 yen is the price of curry rice at a restaurant with a sign that says "28" next to Lake Chuzenji, which is within walking distance of Kegon Falls, almost a kilometer away. But we can feel the loneliness of the city in the dozens of tons. Some shops are closed, some hotels are bankrupt. I really want to know why. #This city is lonelier than me, my dear.


$1.10 in exchange for a hot cup of tea at the shop at sign 38. We got off at sign 37 and walked straight ahead, passing through the Senjogahara field, an empty field covering an area of more than 4 square kilometers. #Hipsters must walk through the field


1xxx¥ From the sign 40 back to the city center, after visiting Yudaki Falls and walking through the nearby forest for about 1.4 kilometers, it was time to return to our accommodation. In the morning, we saw people running hard, and on the way back, we saw a lot of cyclists going down the hill at the figure-eight bend, just like Tokyo Drift. They even overtook our car. #Two-day pass 2600 but we are rich so we pay per trip #Spent about 5000¥ #Hall is coooool


1360¥ to take the train to Asakusa. We missed the morning express train, so we had to take the slow train (called Rapid Line, but let's call it that way). It stopped at every station and was also late because of the snow all over the city. I feel sorry for the Thai family who stayed with us last night. Will they be able to go out and have fun? #Morning when I woke up and found that the city had changed


2¥ 2 coins donated... From what I thought would be good, I had to walk in the rain, shivering. #Who said Tokyo is hot


0¥ The cost of bird food that we didn't give, but the uncle and aunt walked and threw it to the birds from the public park to the pier in front of Aqua City.


0¥ with the model fee that we didn't hire


800¥ One-day pass for round trip to Odaiba


$0 There is no cost for what we have our eyes on.


920¥ for the giant Ferris wheel ride to see the view we had our eye on earlier (if I remember the price correctly)


0¥ There is no charge for walking to take pictures after returning from Odaiba.

3710¥ Down the Drain: A Busted Plan and a Majestic Mount Fuji

Our meticulously planned trip to Kawaguchiko went awry, costing us 3710¥ and a good chunk of time. The bus we intended to take from Shinjuku was mysteriously cancelled, leaving us scrambling for alternatives. The staff simply suggested taking the train, which would add a whopping two hours to our journey.

With time ticking away and panic setting in, we frantically searched for connecting trains, only to be met with packed platforms and full carriages. Eventually, we managed to board the JR Chuo Line to Otsuki, where we transferred to the Fuji Kyuko Line for Kawaguchiko.

By the time we arrived, we were two hours behind schedule. The sun had already risen, casting an unfortunate glare on our view. But even the harsh light couldn't diminish the grandeur of Mount Fuji. Its majesty held us spellbound, filling us with a sense of awe and contentment.


1200¥ Two-day red and green bus charter at Kawaguchiko. There are many stops that we want to get off at, but luckily, the good luck that we like to find us happened again. The cable car and the lake cruise will be closed during the winter due to snow. It's okay... Another place we wanted to stop by was the Music Museum. We got off at that stop without knowing anything, and we later found out after returning to the train station that the museum was closed for renovations from January 18th to 22nd. #May bad luck stay with us


300¥ is the price of a train ticket that we are willing to pay before we die, just to see this view once. We took the train from Kawaguchiko to Shimoyoshida and walked for hundreds more steps, through a path covered in ice. Cold, numb feet, tired, every part of the body agreed to work hard for this pair of eyes. Until we reached the viewpoint above the red pagoda, Chureito, as I said, I would die to see it. Mount Fuji is still as powerful as ever.


$3.20 for a box of milk at FamilyMart to start the day


3200 yen for the cost of wanting to eat crab while drunk, and also wanting to eat shrimp, shellfish, fish and various other seafood at the Tsukiji Fish Market (today I explored both the inner and outer parts of the market to find the Information Center and plan to queue up to watch the fish auction tomorrow, but at 3am that night I was defeated by the cold, I really couldn't go out).


500 yen for a tiring walk to find Yū Aoi's photobook in Jimbocho, a district full of books. In the end, I could only find one copy.


2xxx¥ for sunglasses in Shimokitazawa, a trendy shopping district full of second-hand clothes and items.


22,356 yen (for 2 people) for a barbecue at Yoroku in Omotesando. After strolling down the upscale streets of this district, we opened the map and searched for this restaurant, which we had invested in calling to book. The restaurant is very mysterious. When we arrived, we had to wait in line... The way to eat meat at this restaurant is divided into sets and à la carte. We ordered the most expensive set. The way to eat is that the staff will grill it for us and tell us how to eat it. The food served in the course is all thought out and ordered for us. Each part of the meat has a different way of eating. Some have to be wrapped in rice, dipped in sauce, folded in half, and so on. But that's the best thing about it. I swear that every bite of meat we eat, we will experience a different kind of deliciousness, reaching the spirit that sacrificed its life for us. I have never eaten such an expensive meal before, nor have I ever eaten such delicious meat. This is the meat that makes us reach the ultimate level of the characters in Japanese cartoons. It's worth calling to book, it's worth walking for miles, it's worth waiting for. It's a grilled meat that people who don't eat meat should try at least once before they die. It lives up to the restaurant's motto: "Good meat, beautiful women, eat as instructed, the famous restaurant in Omotesando." #Female staff selected by face to work #Pleasure for the tongue and eyes #nicetomeatyou #ilovebeefnotbrief


730 yen for a taxi ride in Japan because I was afraid of missing the last subway train. The meter didn't even have time to move before we arrived, so I ended up losing money and getting slightly injured. #don't take a taxi unless it's necessary


200¥ for the fare from Omotesando back to Tawaramachi because I lost my subway ticket. #SuckMyLife #TomorrowIsMyLastDayInTokyo #NotJustBadLuck #PureStupidity


X¥ is the price of a souvenir from the Ghibli Museum, which I lost in Harajuku. It also includes the film I received for entering the museum. Fans of this animation studio will surely scream because it is full of pictures from various stories. There is a special short animation (not sure if it changes according to the round or day, the round I saw was Totoro). You can see the details of creating good animation films, references, character design, scenes, and many other things in the language of animators. There is also a section selling cute things. It is not far from Tokyo, so anyone who likes it can try to stop by. (No shutter release inside, please keep your eyes clean)


400 yen for a slice of pineapple jam bread and a fried chicken drumstick, which are sold in a bakery in Sawara City, a city that tourists are likely to visit in the summer.


2xxx-3xxx¥ on Omotesando Street in Narita, the tour line before reaching Narita Temple, is the price range for grilled eel and eel rice bowls. The difference is in the amount and size of the pieces. Some restaurants, like this one, will have a show in front of the restaurant. The people inside are the ones who handle it. Starting with live eels, they pin the head, cut the middle of the body in half all the way to the tail, then remove the internal organs and bones. One piece is divided into 2 pieces, and the other person puts it on a skewer and sends it to the grilling department. Luckily, I didn't have any money to eat, so I saved it for the day I went back.


10,000 yen is a hefty price for a three-day Kanto Pass. Tomorrow, I'll have to make the most of it by traveling from northern Chiba to southern Chiba. I've already spent all my money on food.


740+500¥ The first chunk is the bus fare from Tateyama Station. The second chunk is the entrance fee to see the Jorakusan Mantokuji Temple, the largest Gandhara-style bronze reclining Buddha in the world (selling things). It's located in the south of Chiba, very far away. It's difficult to get there. If you don't really love it, don't come. Haha. ‪#‎Waited for the bus for an hour on the way back‬


600 yen is the entrance fee to see the Great Buddha (Daibutsu), the largest statue in Japan, at Nihonji Temple on Mount Nokogiriyama. The statue is 31 meters tall. For those with money, it is recommended to take a taxi from Hota Station. For those who want to walk and enjoy the nature and houses of the Japanese people, and who have little money, you need to be quite fit.


On the way back to the train station, I encountered a very proud Japanese cat. The ratio of cats that will allow you to pet them is 10 to 1. I guess I'll have to speak Japanese to the kitty.


550¥ Grilled meat on a hot pan, 1 skewer. On my last day in Japan, I decided to visit Narita Temple again, as there were still some areas of the temple that I hadn't seen. When I arrived in the morning, I found that it was full of tourists from all over the world, including Chinese, Thai, Westerners, and Japanese people. The souvenir shops along the road were doing a roaring trade.

Paul ended his trip with a memorable experience. He enjoyed the eye-opening experience and meeting people in Tokyo who dress in all styles and ages with great individuality. These things seem to be nurtured by the society and culture, even though in the winter you only see people in black clothes. But the small details tell you how much fashion this city has to offer. We will continue to visit other regions in the future.

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