It’s been six years already since I last went flying to another country for vacation. Six years I last went to Japan. Maybe for some who don’t fly as much waiting that amount of time is nothing special, but for me it’s a long time.
This year, after years of demonstrating freedom and waiting for the result of draconic measures on both pilots and the public to materialize I noticed energy was changing and so I decided this year was a good time to start picking up where I left off and booked a flight.

Humanity still has a way to go for sure with those wars raging, but you got to raise the energy somehow. And holding off on what you like to do will become detrimental pretty quick.

There are two major wars going on at the moment, and I think we all know which. During both flights I was checking the flight path as I like to do. Coming from west Europe, on the way to Japan we went much further south than planes used to a couple of years ago, avoiding as much land as possible. On the way back we went the North route, going much further north than normal, avoiding almost all land. While I understand the need to avoid war zones, I could not help but frown on it. Because I remember years ago when I took the same trip (maybe 2015, I can’t remember exactly), the regions of Donetsk, Lugansk and Crimea were an active war zone as well and still we’ve flown right over it. That’s what media does to people I guess, it only matters if mainstream media decides that it matters…

Arriving in Japan

The unreasonable demands the Japanese government (just like a lot of other countries) put upon tourists were cancelled and traveling without sacrificing bodily integrity was possible again. The view of life on the streets seemed like somewhat normal, even though I got the clear impression more people were wearing masks than I was used to seeing in the past. Before 2020 I didn’t really have an opinion of masks and I just saw them as being part of Japanese culture. While that is still true of course, my view of masks this time was drastically altered. So many hotel staff, restaurant waiters and store workers were wearing masks even though I’m pretty sure it’s not mandatory in those companies for employees, because not all employees did. Also with all the times I traveled with trains and metro I saw many people wearing masks and for seemingly no other reason than “It’s what we do”. Because they all seemed perfectly healthy. Maybe with a few exceptions not many people seemed to stop to consider those masks aren’t needed: Looking around you could see most people not wearing masks and they were perfectly healthy as well. So assuming masks work, what reason does that leave for you to wear it? It is also remarkable, many times I’ve seen people have really taken the time to dress up and look nice, but then half of their face is covered in a piece of cloth. I was thinking things like “You look much more beautiful if you take that stupid thing off your face girl”.
It seems obvious the hysteria of 2020 have pushed an – in my opinion – already unhealthy habit to new heights. But like I said, most people have stopped wearing them and maybe a little bit more time is needed.

Able to relax again

Despite of the crazy world and the ambient temperature being an average 34 degrees celcius, being away from “home” did me a lot of good. Being sick and tired of being forced to watch the old energy thrashing around in my hometown I was glad to be away from it for a bit. After I landed I explored Shinjuku for a couple of days. Doing nothing special, just being there looking around. This country has always felt like my other home. Even the very first time I visited.

I went visiting my friend I hadn’t seen in a while and even though six years had gone by it felt like no time at all. I checked out his home and we went to a local summer festival with lots of people and a nice cosy atmosphere. (See the photos page)

Looking up some quieter places

The weekend had past and for the next week I planned to go to West Japan. First to Nara and then to Fuji.

Nara is great, it is so relaxed with its green park in the city. There are no clear borders between the park and the rest of the city either. It goes simply gradually from the one to the other. In that park there are deer. And the deer are completely free to go where they want. If they choose they can leave the park and walk straight into the city, but they don’t.
You can buy special deer crackers when you are there to feed the deer. And they absolutely love it. From the second you have the crackers in your hand you are being followed and chased across the field and streets by every deer in the vicinity. It’s a lot of fun. Also some deer make a bow before accepting the crackers. Some also did when all my crackers were gone and it made me feel bad. I would have loved to give some more, but they eat so much and so fast, it was all gone in the blink of an eye.

Besides the deer; a lot of green scenery, lots of trees as well. Perfect during the heat. And several temples and a museum which you could visit. It’s quite simply the perfect place to be when it’s hot. Not to mention I like temples and shrines, so I really enjoyed it.

After my visit to Nara was done I went to Fuji. Not the actual Mount Fuji, but the city Fuji, just southwest of the mountain. I had read about a few places you could go to make beautiful pictures of the mountain and was planning to go there, but unfortunately it didn’t turn out the way I expected. The closest bus stop to where I needed to be was still an hour walk away and there were no signs whatsoever that indicated the direction of the spot I was looking for. So I ended up walking around the city a lot without actually seeing the mountain.
But hey, it’s not a bad thing. I’ve seen some new things and it kind of was an adventure in itself, although a bit tiring.

Back to Tokyo

For the remainder of my time (1,5 weeks or so), I went back to Tokyo. There was also a different spot in the North of Japan that attracted me, but for this trip this time I decided it takes too long to get there, it’s too expensive and I was a bit late with booking, so there was almost no available room left in hotels. I had already a new challenge to deal with this time around, which I don’t like to go into, so when planning I decided to take it easy logistically speaking and booked a place in Tokyo.

This next weekend I went together with my friend to Tokyo Joypolis in Odaiba. It is an indoor attraction park. Check out this showcase below to see what it is and never mind the incredibly generic music in the video.

We didn’t stay there for very long because it’s very expensive, but it is a fun place to spend some hours. The highlight for me was definitely the Halfpipe. It is a machine where you are essentially strapped to a beam that swings back and forth with two people. You are both standing on a movable platform and it is your job to switch the platform to the right direction at the right time, when the beam is in the middle of the halfpipe. When you do it correctly, the beam you are strapped to starts spinning faster and faster and combined with the swinging motion eventually you are moving and spinning so fast that it’s hard to judge when exactly you are in the middle of the halfpipe. But we did well enough to receive something like the third or fourth highest score of all. Very fun. When you are there it is a definite recommendation.

Afterwards we went outside to take a look at Tokyo Bay at an angle I had never seen before: From the beach in Odaiba. (See the photos page)
The light of the setting sun and the accompanying atmosphere was beautiful.

Wandering around

The rest of the time I was doing what simply came up in my mind.
One of the things I wanted to do was to check out the region Hibiya. A couple of years ago I came across the music “Sayonara Hibiya” by “Silent Siren” and I really like the feel of the music. I wanted to check myself if the feeling of the music fits the atmosphere of Hibiya, so I went there to find out. And yes, yes it does. It fits, perfectly I might add. It’s a wide open city space, modern looking, very clean, especially with the nice green park in the middle it’s a great place to relax.

Moving on, having failed to get the picture of Mount Fuji I wanted, I also went on a day trip to Hakone. With the right weather Fuji can be seen from Lake Ashinoko, which is a beautiful place. Even when Fuji is obscured by clouds. This time unfortunately it was cloudy, but I was glad to have visited Hakone once more. I also like the train you need to take to get there. Since you are traveling through a mountainous area a special train is used. In stead of making sharp turns, the train actually reverses multiple times during the trip and proceeds on a different track going further up the mountain, going over multiple small ravines and drop offs as it gets closer to its destination. Very interesting to watch and an adventurous way to travel.

I went back to Yoyogi Park, Harajuku a few times to relax and read a book as well. This time was my first time seeing Yoyogi Park. The Meji Jingu shrine is right next to it, to which I have been lots of times, but I had never seen Yoyogi Park. It is so easily missed. The entrance to the Shrine is right in front of you when you exit Harajuku station. The entrance to Yoyogi Park is even bigger, but you don’t see it because it’s literally around the corner. Almost hidden away in a clever manner. Having been there now, it is definitely one of my favorite parks in Japan. It’s big, lots of benches and quiet, despite being right in the center of Tokyo.

Final steps

One of the last things I did was in the last weekend. I went to the Edo Tatemono Museum, an outdoor museum featuring buildings of different time periods that were used in Japan. A festival was held with traditional dance and music, which was great. I love subtle dance moves and this dance form, being a procession, was essentially walking in a lot of style. Beautiful.

On the last day before my flight back I spend a day at Narita to give myself time the next day. And at Narita there is also a temple which you don’t usually see because when landing most people immediately go to Tokyo. This temple, Naritasan Temple has a very big spacious ground with a lot of buildings on it and a beautiful garden with a lot of water and carp. It’s a gem that is easily missed, just like Yoyogi Park. When you are there and going back via Narita Airport. Spend the final day in Narita and visit the temple. You won’t be disappointed.

In short

Despite the crazy stuff I had a great time being away for a bit. This was also the first time I really felt at ease being in Japan. In the past I was always nervous about standing out and not doing things the right way. But if the last couple of years have taught me anything, it is to stop caring what other people think about me. In 2020 being the only one walking into a store without a mask took some courage. Especially since the “authorities”, store employees and everybody else wanted me to wear the damn thing. But knowing they violated my rights as a Human Being I stood up for myself, and it was the best feeling I felt in quite a while. Because of situations like that, these days I honestly couldn’t care less about people’s opinions. And it has improved the quality of life for me greatly.

I am reminded by advice someone said in a video I once watched: “Take them off the pedestal”! I did. Thank You.

Also check out the updated Photos page here!