Off To Tokyo!… As A Visitor

Four years ago, I went Off to Tokyo! for my four month study abroad semester (okay, it was more like three months). Upon returning to the United States, I longed to go back to Japan. Although I recently returned to Japan as a JET Program participant, I found three of my closest friends all ended up in Tokyo (Juliette, Mitsuteru, and Makoto). I had to visit them all, so I spent the weekend of November 5-7, 2021 doing so. Off to Tokyo once again!

What did I do?

Well, I didn’t plan it properly. More on that later. November 5th was a normal work day for me. Once I stamped out, I took the trains directly to Fukuoka Airport, where I boarded my flight from FUK (yes, that’s the airport code of Fukuoka) to Narita International Airport. While in Tokyo, I revisited my former home, Takadanobaba, the Seibu Ikebukuro Department Store, walked around Kagurazaka, ate at Nakiryu for the third total time, and after a failed attempt to explore Kawagoe, ate dinner. For the second day, I visited a friend of mine from TUJ, walked around the Daimon area, revisited Zojo-ji, enjoyed the scenery at Shiba-koen, and enjoyed delicious kaiten-zushi before returning to Fukuoka.

Revisiting Takadanobaba

Takadanobaba is Tokyo’s quintessential college town, full of cheap eats and izakayas. Thanks to its proximity to Waseda University, many college students come here to have fun and enjoy good food. “Taka,” as I used to call it, is located between two of the world’s busiest train stations: Shinjuku and Ikebukuro. Yet despite this, the neighborhood remains relatively peaceful and quiet.

I brought my friend Juliette along for a tour of the neighborhood. I was looking forward to showing her the ramen shop I used to eat at (Ramen Komen), the streets I used to roam, the apartment where I used to live, and even where the Tex-Mex Cantina, a bar which closed in early-2019, was located.

I was in for a shock. First, I saw the sign for Sakae-Dori, a shopping street, was replaced! The new sign looked nice, but it reminded me how much had changed! As we headed west along Waseda-dori, I quickly realized Ramen Komen went out of business. I also became upset upon walking past the bar I used to frequent, despite having prior knowledge of its closure.

Thankfully, the little red Izakaya I once visited was still there! As we walked past, I recalled the story of the time I met Yousuke and spoke with him. I also recounted the time the owners gave me not only their business card, but that of a sake house in Los Angeles!

I’m Home!… Sorta…

As we headed closer to my former apartment, I saw yet another closed conbini, now turned into some posh-looking shop. Eventually, we made it to Elm Takadanobaba, where my former apartment was located. In all honestly, I wasn’t sure if it was a hotel or a monthly apartment under new management.

Back in 2018, the building was managed by Monthly Resi Stays, the monthly apartment wing of Hotel MyStays. The building was renamed Elm sometime in late-2018, and Google Maps says there’s a hotel there too!

As we headed back to Takadanobaba Station, we walked along Sakae-dori, where once again, I strolled past many, now defunct businesses I used to frequent. Tonkatsu shop? GONE! Standing sushi restaurant? GONE! I no longer felt at home in Taka, and a part of me died that day.

Revisiting Seibu Ikebukuro

Juliette mentioned she wanted to do some shopping, so we headed to the Seibu Department Store in Ikebukuro. I thought we would find clothing within her budget, but I quickly realized this wouldn’t be the case. The store, which felt more like California’s Westfield Topanga Mall, was full of high-end name brands. We quickly went downstairs, where I gave a quick tour of the basement, home to various food stalls and delicious eats. I first went looking for Chiyoda Sushi, a sushi stall which sold some really good sushi. Guess what? GONE! Next, I sought the KitKat chocolatory in search of more butter KitKats. Guess what? GONE GONE GONE! Yeah, today was not going according to plan.

Exploring Kagurazaka

Kagurazaka is famous for being Tokyo’s French neighborhood, so I thought Juliette would like the neighborhood. Actually, when she received her Tokyo placement notification a year ago, I told her to go here in search of authentic French food. After getting off the Yurakucho Line at Iidabashi station, we walked along Kagurazaka Dori, which eventually turned into Waseda Dori, we chatted and window-shopped at various shops, and even walked past a Chiyoda Sushi branch!. As we were heading west towards Takadanobaba, we decided to eat at Nakiryu, a Michelin-stared ramen restaurant, and headed towards the Sakura Tram to Otsuka Ekimae.

Revisiting Nakiryu

Juliette and I, now starving, waited two hours for one of Tokyo’s most-acclaimed bowls of ramen. In fact, when I first met Juliette, I shared pictures of Nakiryu’s tantanmen with her, such as the ones featured here. Once our wait was over, we ordered two different bowls. Due to dietary restrictions, I went with the Shoyu ramen while she ordered the Tantanmen (which I highly recommend).

When going to Nakiryu, order the Tantanmen. The shoyu, like the tantanmen, was well-crafted and balanced, yet didn’t leave me feeling as satisfied as the tantanmen did twice previously. However, Juliette later said “if I had a piece of bread, I would’ve left that bowl clean.”

So was it worth waiting two hours, even during pandemic times? I would say “yes, and French person approved!”

Dinner with a brief stop at Kawagoe

As Juliette and I parted ways, I took the train to Kawagoe. I heard this historic city, located in Saitama Prefecture, is a must-visit place. Mitsuteru and I agreed to meet here and explore, but thanks to my poor planning, we quickly returned to Ikebukuro via the Tobu Tojo Line. While there, we made a brief stop in Shinjuku so I could give him some Omiyage from Fukuoka. We then headed towards Shibuya, reconvened with Juliette, and got dinner.

As we searched for a non-touristy restaurant, we stumbled upon this izakaya which served a variety of chicken yakitori, located just west of Shibuya station. While my two friends both ordered drinks, I sipped on some apple juice wishing I could drink (I used to drink beers occasionally. Had to stop, unfortunately). It seemed like the two of them were having a good time.

We finally headed back towards Shibuya station, explored the recently-opened Miyashita Park, and went our separate ways. I headed back to my hotel in Shinjuku and called some friends before heading to bed.

Thoughts?

I felt like a visitor rather than a former resident. So much had changed over the past three years, I barely recognized anything. Among other changes, Harajuku Station was completely rebuilt, and Shibuya Station is currently undergoing a massive reconstruction project. I should’ve planned better for today, but both my friends didn’t seem to mind. I also realized just how fast-paced Tokyo life really is, and today marked my transition from a Tokyo student to a Fukuoka teacher.

Day 2: Reuniting with Makoto

Day 2 was a new day, and an opportunity to explore a different side of Tokyo. Now fully embracing my role as a Tokyo visitor, I checked out of my hotel and boarded the Toei Oedo Line to Shiodome station.

From there, I met with Makoto, whom I met at TUJ. We stopped by his apartment to drop off some things and exchange gifts. From there, we headed towards Zojo-ji and took in the iconic view, featuring Tokyo Tower, and… a new skyscraper? Yep! The iconic view of old and new will now become a view of the old, the new, and the newer. I think it’s become clear I don’t like change. Regardless, we then went across the street to a nearby park and enjoyed our lunch.

From there, we relaxed at Shiba-koen. In case you’re wondering, the park has nothing to do with Shiba Inus. The park gets its name from the Shiba area of Tokyo’s Minato Ward (where TUJ’s campus was located until 2019).

We explored the surrounding areas a little more before returning to the apartment. From there, we got kaiten-zushi (conveyor belt sushi) and went our separate ways. While Day 2 was less eventful, it was much more fulfilling.

Overall Thoughts

This weekend trip was an important transition point. It made me realize that the past will remain the past, and it marked an important transition point for my new life in Fukuoka. Upon returning to Fukuoka Airport, I finally felt at home.

Hats off to Tokyo, but Fukuoka is my new home.