And oh boy, did I spend it shopping! My final day, Day 9, was spent sticking to the Ueno and Akihabara area shopping for souvenirs. I was able to get a few more beauty products and a couple nice things for my mom at Ueno Marui department store. Found a couple more retro Super Famicom and SNES games for Jeff. I re-learned that the best place to find figures is right next to arcades (where talented people are able to easily win the figures from crane games and then sell them to the nearest second-hand hobby shop). I want to say it was the Sofmap next to a GiGo arcade in Akiba where I had my most luck, but the pictures don't look right. Unfortunately I was deleting the saved locations from my "last day" map. 😑 Way to go Past Angie.
Brunch was delicious and cheap tendon from Tendon Tenya while walking to Akiba. Mmmm, cheap and delicious!
I didn't go to any large Donki, but there's a nice smaller one in Okachimachi that was much less hectic. Still a crap-ton of stuff and small aisles, but at 10am I was often the only person on a floor!
I also found, for the first time, the shrine that's tucked away on the rooftops in Ueno! I've been in Ueno at least four times in past trips, but this was my first time seeing this! I had seen it from the train the other day and thought to myself I'm gonna finally try and find that this trip, and I did! It really is small, but nice and out of the way. Some Japanese show/YouTuber was there getting ready to film, so I walked around (doesn't take very long), took some photos, and went on my way.
I ended the night visiting Yamashiroya, or "The Store of Awesome" as we dubbed it when I came to Japan the first time ever in 2008 with my Japanese Art History and Culture class. Still there and still has 6 floors jam packed with the newest anime and hobby merch! While I didn't find any souvenirs for others, I definitely made like a bandit with some new Cardcaptor Sakura pins for my CCS ita bag!
It was only about 7 pm and I thought to myself, I really want to end this trip with one last karaoke session, but I hadn't packed yet. I made the adult decision to pack first, and if I had time afterwards I would go do some karaoke. My flight the next morning was at 10:50 am but I knew to be there at LEAST 3 hours beforehand and was planning to leave around 6:30am, taking the train and the monorail back to Haneda. I guess I'm glad I decided to pack first, because of course it took 2 hours to make sure everything was safely packed or re-packed and in the right spot! The new, wheeled, checked-size suitcase was full of souvenirs and I couldn't have fit any more without having to unzip the expansion zipper (and even then, that doesn't get you THAT much more room).
I was happy to have made the smart decision to leave so early. I got to Haneda by 7am, giving me about 3.5 hours to check in, add my new checked bag, and find my gate. JAL has about 4 counters in Terminal 3. 3 of them are for business and first class. The furthest one away was of course for economy and the longest line. The kiosks wouldn't let me add a checked bag. So I waited in the line and it did take a good half hour to get through it. The lady at the counter was very kind and patient and even walked me all the way over to a separate counter (that I wouldn't have found on my own), away from the JAL counters, past the money exchange counter, to one that was for purchases and payments, where I was able to pay for my (overweight) bag. 7500 yen or $47 USD, now THAT'S steal! And it was paid to go all the way back home to CVG ( I would of course pick it up at ORD, take it through customs, and then hand it back to the AA people for that last, connecting flight). With that off my hands, it was me and my Nomatic with my clothes and liquids, having put only souvenirs in the checked suitcase (a lot were actually wrapped in my clothes, or clothing squished in between cracks for cushioning, and that made my backpack a little lighter). The gate wasn't too far and I whiled away the remaining couple of hours snoozing and grabbing some foods from the nearby vending machine (salmon onigiri, maple syrup pancake sandwich with butter in the middle, and a pocari sweat). I once again lucked out with an aisle seat and no one in the middle. Yay! I even got what felt like a few hours of sleep. I watched While You Were Sleeping and had the first meal and dozed and the first time I decided to check the ETA it had already been 5 hours!! My Garmin says I only got 44 minutes of sleep, but I think that was actual sleep, with a lowered heart rate and whatnot, but those first 5 hours seemed to go awfully quick, Mr. Garmin! I'm gonna call it a win and say that's now the most sleep I've ever had on a plane. Thank you Lorazepam!
And for my future reference here is the order of things when we landed: deplane, walk, walk, moving sidewalk, walk, down some steps, head toward the Global Entry line, got handed a laminated half-sheet that said "Global Entry" on it. Hold on to it. Head towards luggage pickup. Stand near conveyor belt and worry where to go. Feel intense relief when you see your suitcase. Take it and follow the signs posted every 3 feet that says EXIT with an arrow. Join the long line for the one customs officer. Give him your Global Entry card and he doesn't need to ask you if you have anything to declare. Head towards the exit and signs for local connecting flights. Go to a smaller place with some airline counters and there are people taking suitcases for domestic connecting flights. Give your suitcase to the AA guy and then head up the stairs to the monorail that will take you to the correct terminal for your next flight. Don't need to go through security again! Yay! (Or did I??? I don't remember going through it again, and if I did, it was not traumatic and I was very sleepy). Find your gate. Fly home and be reunited with your suitcase at CVG carousel 3 and your partner. Go home and wish to sleep but make 6 dozen buckeyes and oreo truffles instead.
And that was it! So, time for the real reflecting and for some awards.
-Solo Traveling: I am so SO glad I took this opportunity. As an only child, I grew up learning to be independent. I enjoy my own company and am an introvert. Japan was the perfect place for me to take my first solo trip. Having been there 6 other times, I pretty much knew how most things worked. Jeff had been the navigator on the previous trips, but Google Maps made navigating the trains and subways pretty easy. Japan is set up so that you can be alone and it's not weird. The city of Tokyo is very much set up for the single person (usually businessman) to go about their day solo, and it is easy to take advantage of this as a solo traveler. No one gives you weird looks, you don't feel out of place, restaurants are used to it, so never did I feel awkward as a solo traveler. Okay, strike that, the places where you would take a date/partner were a little awkward. Yomiuri Land and some of the Christmas illuminations were definitely geared toward couples, and made me miss Jeff a little, but I never felt totally, cheek-burning awkward. I would totally take another solo trip to Japan (sorry Jeff)!
Other countries, ehhhh, I dunno, but being so comfortable with Japan already and how much I enjoy it really helped. The only other place I can think of I would want to try solo is Disney World. The appeal was that I could do what I wanted to do at my own pace. I didn't have to feel guilty leaving Jeff on the ground while I did a sightsee way-up-high, or not even do it at all.
I'm very glad I made an itinerary with things ahead of time instead of trying to plan the day-of. It gave me time to research and find places I'd never been when making it the few weeks before leaving. I would never have that much time to research so deeply had I relied on my gut and poor memory on what the day would hold so quickly. Plus, I like a good, organized itinerary telling me what to do. I'm happy to swap days around (didn't feel like walking or doing Gotokuji, so early on so swapped it with a shopping day) and take it easy if I feel like not doing something, but this itinerary was pretty balanced and not too strenuous. Good job me! *pats on back* 10/10
-The weather: Never rained, always sunny, a little windy a few days before I left. Always in the 40s when I woke up, warmed to a high 50/low 60 during the day. PERFECTION. 10/10
-The flights: never before have I had such perfect timing and flawless flying. No delays or cancellations, didn't have to talk to a single representative. Google Flights alerted me to the fantastic deal of $720 RT to Haneda and I booked through American Airlines. 13 hour flight from ORD to HND (and opposite on flight home, were both) through JAL, which is amazing. Layovers were all more than 2 hours, giving me plenty of time to get through customs or security or in case of delays. Going through customs at HND was the quickest I've ever had, which was less than 30 minutes! I hope to be this lucky with flights again for future trips! 9/10
-Google maps: was very easy to understand and got me where I needed to go! It told me what line, what platform, and what direction. Never got lost (only confused about that Platform 1/2). I did not like the walking instructions when I had put in public transit as the mode of transport. They'd merely say Walk to Ueno Station. No indicator on the map, no directional queues or instructions. There was an augmented reality option that would use your phone camera and lay down blue arrows to show you the path to the station, but I hated that immediately. So I would just put in walking directions to the station, back out and then put in public transit directions to my destination, and then back out and put it back to walking directions when I needed to walk from the station to my destination. Also, ALSO, my phone HATED Akihabara. My little icon was Tokyo drifting EVERYWHERE and I basically turned it off and found my way back to Akihabara station by memory. My GPS was useless in Akiba. Google Maps: 7/10
-Ubigi eSIM: I feel eSIM was the way to go as a solo traveler. Jeff and I have used pocket wifis rented at airport kiosks in the past (we like Global/Ninja Wifi), and that's great if you're away from towers and can have more than one person join the same wifi. Good for groups. My eSIM worked just fine for just little me, and I didn't have to worry about recharging the pocket wifi or losing it. I downloaded it to my phone before leaving. Turned off my T-Mobile SIM before taking off in ORD, then turned on my Ubigi eSIM as soon as we landed in HND and it worked right away. I was able to access my Travel Japan Web QR code and fly through customs (seriously, I'm still amazed I was out of the airport and on the monorail within 30 minutes)! 8/10
-APA hotel: Thankfully was NOT running hot or blasting its heat and my room was the perfect temperature (aka, a little on the chilly side so I can snuggle under blankets). Their pillow options are down-topped buckwheat or flat, pancake seat cushion. The location really was great and I loved that I got a room that looked out over Shinobazu pond. Ueno station only a 5 minute walk away and close to so many shopping and food options, but also set a little bit out of the way. The price I got through Agoda was $98 USD/night sounds about right. Any more expensive might not have been worth it though. Oh, but the hotel had the best shower head and I've become obsessed. The brand is Bollina and is a micro bubble shower. It was fantastic and now I'm on the hunt for something similar that I can install easily here in the US! On the other hand, though, I do know about the president of APA group and that he's a right-wing extremist and has published history books that has erased Japan's torture and occupation of China. I feel a little guilty, but about as guilty as reading a book by JK Rowling or Orson Scott Card. It was the best choice in the location I wanted for a semi-decent price of hotels that were left when I booked a little less than a month before my trip. 7.5/10
-Jet Lag: I didn't have time to move my sleep schedule as dramatically as I usually do. Usually I move it forward about an hour each night for a week and use Jet Lag Rooster. This time I tried an app called Timeshifter which only started me off two days before I left. It wasn't as drastic, and sleep-wise it wasn't so bad, but I think the jetlag really through off my appetite as I was usually hungry only once a day. 2/10
-Tempura herring roe: The one from Sushiro tasted like fried styrofoam balls. 0/10
-Saturday nights in the big city: I'm not drunk, but everyone else is. Big groups of tourists and young Japanese people taking up lots of space and being loud and not entirely in control of their motor skills. Not my scene, especially in a small 7-Eleven when all I want is some oden and some sleep. 1/10
Awards:
#1 Cycling Holiday Tokyo. I got to see so much of Tokyo I had never seen before! It was a great way to zip around midtown and see lots of illuminations! Jenny was an excellent guide and I had a lot of fun talking with her. While some of the paths were narrow and I was nervous having to be so near traffic (or IN traffic) or weave through crowds, Jenny kept me safe and informed. I can't wait to book another tour with them!
#2 BEEP. How could I not give an award to the retro, used PC game store that finally gave me the PC game I've been seeking for over 15 years? The owner was very nice, jouzu'd my nihongo, and even recognized the game! Great little store that definitely had a lot of PC98 games that I didn't see anywhere else. And believe me, I did my research and mapped out all potential stores ahead of time and this shop is one-of-a-kind! Thank you BEEP!
#3 My Chase Sapphire Preferred card. No foreign transaction fees and a lot more of Japan is taking credit cards. I saved it for more larger purchases and it was a great feeling after spending over a hundred yen, to only see my Chase notification saying I only spent $60 or $70 bucks. I am saving up my points for business seats for Jeff and I when we fly back to Japan in April of 2026!
#4 UNIQLO men's striped Heattech shirts. They don't have these stripey black and gray or black and blue HeatTech shirts for women! But that didn't stop me from buying one of each for me and Jeff and immediately wearing mine as a cute undershirt with my tees for the rest of the trip. So cute! Goes great with my goth aesthetic. Kept me just warm enough that I never needed the coat I didn't bring, and I only had to carry my zip hoodie when I was boiling hot inside stores/restaurants with the heat cranked up.
#5 Shido_T_09 on Twitter. Thank you rare, fellow Nightwalker fan obsessed enough to seek out the sights of Yokohama used as reference in the anime, and for chatting with me on Twitter about it and sharing the location for Shido's office!
#6 r/JapanTravel. I had posted my itinerary about 3 weeks before leaving and made changes accordingly. One user made a very helpful and day trip-saving post saying that there was a large fallen tree in Todoroki Valley and most of it was closed off. This would have been a 45 minute train ride outside of Tokyo I was planning to work in with Gotokuji and Yomiuri. Thanks to this post I was able to save myself from a needless trip and was able to work out a much less-crunched itinerary! Thank you tilt3degree!
#7 Travel scissors. This is my 3rd international trip since purchasing a pair of small, foldable, TSA-approved travel scissors and each trip I use them almost once a day. Usually it's to open some sorta package. They have become a necessary item wherever I travel and an essential!
#8 Japanese Karaoke. Need to kill some time? Karaoke. Want to hang out with friends? Karaoke. Want to just jam alone but still have a good time? Karaoke. Japanese karaoke lets you sing your heart out, alone or with friends, eat food and drink, all in the comfort of your own little room with great acoustics and sound system. Sing for an hour or all night! While I have a pretty good set up in my basement at home, there's just something more special when you're in Japan with the copyright-free, low quality music videos that look like they were all filmed in San Francisco in 1994.
What would I do different next time?
-It's true when they say that the best way to get the lowest airfare is to be flexible on the dates. I hadn't planned on going to Japan this year, but just looking at Google flights, seeing such great prices, and making it happen without any preconceived dates was a big money-saver. They also say the week after Thanksgiving has some of the lowest travel fare out of the whole year! I'm hoping that we can make something similar happen in spring of 2026.
-Once again start moving my sleep cycle a week before the trip.
-Do more guided tours! I really liked my bike tour and I know they often promote various tours (like Magical Trip) with locals on Tokyo Creative or Norm's Tokyo Lens YouTube channels. I think Klook also has tours? Anyway, more tours!
-Remember to make a playlist of songs I want to sing before next karaoke jam in Japan for fun and efficient singing!
-Bring Jeff with me!
That about sums up this trip to Japan. Until next time (hopefully Spring of 2026 for my 40th birthday)!
