Those who cannot feel the littleness of great things in themselves are apt to overlook the greatness of little things in others.
Okakura Kakuzo
We landed in Japan at around 3 PM and arrived at our hotel at 4. I was exhausted. Even with such comfy bedding, good food and the comfort befitting a duchess, or something, I felt gross. I guess nothing can really beat the o’ great god of airplanes. Navigating the shower was fun, the beds were soft, there were hotel-provided slippers… It was a super-nice paradise, even if it was the smallest room in a back-alley hotel. There was also a fire drill, where staff
At 7, I headed to Shibuya, one of busiest areas in Tokyo and incredibly famous for the Shibuya crossing. I used the Subway system using Google Maps, and I felt like a grandma being blown away by all the amazing advanced technology, the directions were so detailed, it even told me what gate to follow and ext from. Arriving just outside the Shibuya Crossing, I was so blown away by the sheer number of people and festivities around me. I couldn’t get a clear picture, but it was so amazing I walked the crosswalk a few more times. The buildings (and people) towered over me, I felt so tiny and this overwhelming wave-like feeling of “wow!” fell over me. Each and every person there had a separate life and story, alongside each restaurant, store, building, booth, etc, etc. Shibuya was amazing.
At this time, my stomach rumbled. Walking past all the smells of the foods, and showcases like this:
made me incredibly hungry. This is such good bait, even if you’re full, a second stomach grows while looking at all the fake food being paraded on the street.
I walked around for a bit more, enjoying the rowdy atmosphere, until I arrived at a ramen restaurant. I don’t know the name and I don’t think it’s known. I wanted to try something less popular, like something a local would do. There were students and officer workers in there already and I ordered just a plain bowl of noodles:
It was… really good. I’ve had ramen back home before, but this one really hits the spot. Maybe it’s just placebo, but the noodles were firmer and the broth tasted less like GMO + Salt and more like a variety of herbs and spices. The flavour was much more complex. Probably because I can see the chefs cooking them mostly fresh in the open kitchen.
I continued walking Shibuya after dinner. The place was really unique, an amalgamation of expensive stores like Bershka to little convenience stores lining the street. You could buy a $2 face mask in one store and then empty your pockets on a $500 serum in the store beside it. Walking up and down the endless streets, filled with neon lighting, felt like a dream, like I was in a snow globe.
Here is my entire day in a chart:
Ivy In Japan 