Gakusei Travels

日本に戻る

I’m back again and on another adventure (//∇//)

I’m excited to be back in Tokyo Japan after two years. This time, I’m here for two weeks for a mixture of sightseeing and to actually work on my thesis project. In the past year since I left D.C., I’ve been working on my master’s degree in international studies. As part of my degree, we have to write a thesis paper, which can be on any topic really and we work with an advisor. Obviously, I wanted to do something Japan related haha.

My paper is going to look at the experiences of black men and women living in Japan with hypervisibility and comparing how they’re treated. Unfortunately, as a black foreigner, we tend to stick out regardless, so my project is looking at whether there are any differences in the experience of black women compared to the men. I’ve already started working on it before I left, interviewing several women I already know, and it’s been extremely fascinating so far. They’ve all had different experiences compared to my own, and I’m excited to be in Tokyo to hopefully talk to even more people. Even better is that my trip was funded by my university through scholarships. So I’m truly grateful to have this opportunity again.

I left home early Wednesday morning. Shout out to my stepdad for taking me to the airport by 6 am! The first time I went to Japan, I flew through Detroit, but this time I flew through Dallas. I had a game plan in mind with traveling this time. 1. Do not pack too much and 2. Try to sleep on the plane early to try and adjust to the time difference better.

When I arrived at Dallas, I got all my meals. I know they serve meals on the plane but I was worried I’d fall asleep before (happened to me on my way back to the U.S. and I missed a meal) or I wouldn’t like it. I just got Panera and ate my sandwich and salad at different points of the flight.

The fight wasn’t terrible as much as it was just so freaking long. It was around 12 and a half hours. I was in economy so the seats were uncomfortable but there wasn’t much you could do about it. At least I had the aisle seat so I could get up and stretch frequently. I took a Tylenol pm to help me sleep at the beginning of the flight. When we left Dallas, the local time was around 11, meaning it was 1 am in Tokyo. I figured I’d try to sleep when it was night time at my destination to adjust better. And it kinda worked. I slept about 4 and a half hours before I woke up.

So funny story. For like 3 hours I lost my glasses. I was so deliriously tired that I thought I dropped and misplaced them. I had the flight attendants pulling my seat apart looking for them. Turns out, I put them in the seat pocket in front of me and forgot. So yeah. *sigh*

Honestly, the flight itself isn’t bad. It’s just so long. By the 5-7 hour mark I was kinda going crazy and wanted off the plane lol. I couldn’t text anybody either because the WiFi was going to cost $35. So I just alternated between watching anime and sleeping. I was prepared with an eye mask too which was helpful, because one passenger had her phone on MAXIMUM brightness the entire time.

I landed at Haneda early afternoon. Since I slept most of the flight, I really didn’t feel that tired. And then combined with the excitement of traveling, I was super energized. I think I said this in my last Japan post but always fill out the customs form online BEFORE you land. I did it several weeks ago and screenshot the QR code. It just saves you so much time instead of having to do it on paper, and it makes the line go by faster. I can also tell that my Japanese has improved considerably. The customs agent didn’t speak much English, but I was able to answer his questions no problem in Japanese and go on my merry way. The only question he really had was about my old student visa, which has already expired, but it didn’t cause me any issues.

In my second time coming to Tokyo, there was no one to pick me up, but I honestly had no problems. It was actually way easier the second time around. After I exchanged my currency, I bought my bus ticket on my own. Before I left home, I mapped out my route from the airport to my hotel. I only had one suitcase and one carry on this time, but I wanted to avoid dragging those around through the subway as much as possible (I have bad memories from coming home last time lol). I thought the bus was the smartest, because they can store your luggage underneath.

And honestly, I’m just so proud of myself and how far I’ve come. I was able to buy my ticket in Japanese. I found my stop on my own and got on the correct bus. Like the amount of growth from two years ago where I had someone helping me and still didn’t know a single thing about what was going on. I’m just so amazed at what I can do on my own.

The bus ride took about an hour to get to my stop. I then had to take the train, but only about two stops to where my hotel was. Much better than trying to navigate several line changes or drag heavy bags during rush hour. One thing I did not really miss about Japan was how everyone seems to be in a hurry. You really have to keep up with everyone around you, because it’s all so fast paced. Like I went to the wrong side of the platform and ended up having to carry my bag up the stairs but I didn’t want to cause traffic, so I just picked it up and kept it moving. Tokyo is always bustling and unfortunately, if you’re in the way, people will simply bump into you.

I had no problems checking into my hotel either. The staff were very friendly. My room though is so tiny haha. I expected it, but it was still kinda a surprise. American hotels are so large, even with just one bed so coming to the one in Japan I’m like “that’s it?” It barely fits my big suitcase. It’s hard to open it on the floor due to the lack of walking space. But it’s still really nice and I had a good laugh about it showing my family and best friends.

By the time I got checked in and situated it was around 6pm. Again, trying to beat jet lag, I didn’t want to sit down. I fell asleep on the bus for that very reason. I just went and explored nearby Ikebukuro. Forgot I also dislike Ikebukuro station lol. It has such a confusing layout like Shinjuku. And then it was also rush hour so it was even more packed. I also did not miss how people in Japan will literally stuff the trains so full like sardines. I was already also so sweaty and gross from traveling for so long, and being packed in the train did not help.

I do like Ikebukuro though. Especially sunshine city. It’s so pretty at night, and it has so many anime stores. I’m trying to control myself and not impulsively buy a whole bunch of stuff at the beginning of my trip lol. I was just walking around to kind of get a feel for what’s in stock. I also know that in the touristy areas, the stuff tends to be more expensive, so I plan to one day take a trip back toward my old campus to visit my friends and shop there. Further towards Tachikawa, I know a few shops I used to frequent where the stuff will be cheaper.

By the time I decided to go back to my hotel, it was morning back home. I was able to call my mom and give her my little updates. We’re now back to our old little routine from when I studied abroad where I call her before work while I eat dinner and I’ll call her again when she gets off work while I eat breakfast. After I got off the phone with her, I then had to call my best friend, whom I was also giving updates to lol. She works 3rd shift, so by the time she was getting off of work, I was getting settled and eating dinner (McDonald’s), which was perfect. Not as perfect as that shower though when I could finally wash all the sweat and grime off me.

Anyway, as I write this at 4 o’clock in the morning, because I woke up wanting a snack lol, I’m very excited for these next two weeks. I’m going to work hard for my project and get as much as I can done before school starts up in the fall. At the same time, I’m going to enjoy my time in Tokyo, reconnect with old friends, and continue to explore the city!