There’s something about the way my heart feels when I return to Tokyo that is difficult to describe. I feel the most myself when I’m there and it warms my heart to no end. Somehow I don’t feel restricted by labels or how I should act and feel when I’m in Japan. It’s like all rules and regulations go out the window and the only thing that matters is culture, food and self expression. Fashion in Tokyo really does give me life and as someone so aptly identified to me years ago, nothing ever goes out of style.
When I arrived in Tokyo this time around it felt like everything had changed. My world had shattered and fallen out from under me so many times in the year that preceded. It felt like I had lived as a shell of myself, mainly as a coping mechanism for the last very many months. I didn’t want to be seen, I couldn’t find the joy in anything and I was just existing for the sake of it. But I felt like I came alive again in Tokyo. The city breathed life back into my soul in a way that I could never have anticipated. All of a sudden I was revived again within its city limits and after months of what felt like constantly holding my breath, I could finally breathe again.
I’ve always felt Tokyo to be an incredibly magical place and one which I feel a deep affinity with. There is something about wandering the streets of such a vast city and seeing where the day takes you. To cozy coffee shops, incredible food spots, rummaging through vintage thrift store gems. The city has limitless experiences to occupy you endlessly. In truth there were so many highlights of this trip but for the purposes of this blog, I will highlight only 4…
TeamLabs
The TeamLabs experience was something I was looking forward to but could never have imagined the depths of incredible insanity that they encompassed. I’ve always felt calm and at peace in immersive art experiences and both TeamLabs Borderless and Planets took things to a completely different realm for me. It was only after having wandered around Borderless for 30 minutes that I began to realise that I could smell jasmines in the rooms where they were projected. Such is the incredible commitment to the display and the true immersive experience which matched flowers projected on the walls with their scents.
TeamLabs Planets was truly bonkers. That’s the only way I can describe it. You are taken to a completely different realm where every single one of your senses are engaged and amazed at what they come across. The room where you wade through knee high water with animated fish projected was my favourite and one I will not forget anytime soon.
Ginza Art Aquarium
This Art Aquarium in Ginza was on my secondary list of possible things to do, but only if we had time. In truth it turned out to be my favourite memory of the entire trip. There was something so ethereal about the sound of running water and slowly flashing lights. I found myself in another realm of consciousness as I walked around the exhibits. To say I was overcome by peace would be an understatement. The Piscean within me was so happy that day to simply be engulfed with sensations of such tranquility.
Mendokoro Kinari
We innocently embarked on a search for ramen in our Higashi Nakano neighbourhood and stumbled upon this absolute gem. Mendokoro Kinari is an incredibly unsuspecting corner ramen shop that just blends into its surrounding neighbourhood. You have to line up, which is a good indication of the quality of what’s inside, with predominantly locals eating here as a stop on their way home after work. However upon entering the shop we were presented with a slight problem, we needed to order from a machine which had no English labels – showcasing its authenticity! Luckily, we were graced with a very friendly young Japanese patron who also managed to speak English and essentially ordered for us. The proceeding meal for me was the best of the trip with subtle flavouring and a thin broth in a fabulously layered duck ramen.
Lou – Nakano
Anyone that knows me is aware of how much I love a cozy coffee shop with solid brunch options. The find of the trip for me was ‘Lou’ which is tucked away in the backstreets of Nakano. It had an effortlessly cool vibe and getting there at 9am meant there were no lines to wrestle with. I loved that diners could pick and put on a record of their choosing, and the the hospitality and the food were both incredible.
Those are only a few of the amazing things encountered on this trip. There are too many to do them justice within just one blog post, so I won’t even bother trying for that very reason.
Part of the wonder of this holiday for me was that I almost cancelled it. A few months before, I was pregnant at the time and was days away from pulling the pin on it. I am so thankful that I held back on doing that because by the end of that week, I was no longer pregnant. For me, the trip gave me something to look forward to. It gave me something to put all of my energy into planning for. It gave me a reason to wake up and face the next day; and for that I will forever be grateful to Tokyo. In truth, this trip saved me. I re-found my passion, my reasoning for being in Tokyo. The city whispered into my soul and kept repeating:
You are enough, you are revived.
I blog for Change. 