January 13, 2025
I started my Working Holidays in Tokyo. I decided to stay there for almost 3 whole months (from the beginning of August to the end of October), wanting to explore it to the absolute maximum.
So, what were my highlights from that stay (in no particular order)?
1. Explored free museums
In the insects' museum, I saw (and touched!) the biggest beetle I had seen in my life. In the parasites' one, I the small living trapped in formalin reminded me to always, ALWAYS wash my hands before eating. In the origami museum, I was able to observe how the origami paper is made and painted - with brushes made from goats' and horses' hair. In the stationery one, I got to see the letterpress machine... with kanji! So far, I only saw it with the latin alphabet. The advertisement and packages museums were both really modern, and they took me through the history of marketing and inspired me with their expositions filled with functional and aesthetic designs. In the bags museum, I learned how the luggage was transported throughout years and regions, and even received a free gift bag! The firefighting museum gave me a chance to peek inside the helicopter, as well as showed me how the fires were controlled in the past - police one was similar, with a special exhibition dedicated to the water patrols. In Seiko museum, I spent over 2 hours sighing at so many little marvels of engineering.
Those are only a few museums that can be found in Tokyo and what is even more interesting - all I listed just now were free! Some of them are almost like a private collections, curated by the the real enthusiasts.
But there are just so much more of them. Fireworks, money, NHK, metrology - all those great exhibitions are for free! Tokyo is a paradise for museum lovers.
2. Made a traditional Japanese washi paper
I made paper before, but never from a pulp like that and not with shapes on it! Thanks to this workshop I was able to experience a traditional way of making a washi paper.
From the workshop's website:
Rakusui, or “water dropping” in English, is a traditional washi-making technique that allows us to make washi with different patterns by dropping water from above spraying water with a shower.
We can also use a mold made of water-repellent material with a smooth surface, to create patterns.
In practice, you place a plastic stencil over a wet pulp, and spray it with a water from around 1 meter. It's quite easy and fun!
One could choose the patterns from many available, or if any pattern wasn't too interesting, there was also an option to add flowers and colours into the paper.
3.Lost myself in... shopping malls
There are tons and tons of malls in Tokyo. Some are bright and shiny, some hidden under the ground or at the train stations. But most of them offer not only a simple shopping experience... spaces fot photoshoots, exhibitions, art installations, pop-up stores with train or anime merchandise, displays with costumes from movies - it's all there! While simply walking around the shops you can find many gems like that.
But of course, the "normal" shopping experience is something else in the biggest city in the world as well. I spend hours and hours just looking at the displays - things that cannot be found in a shops in my country, alternative and lolita clothes, Pokemon and Gundam toys and handcrafted accessories.
Shopping malls had also one more, huge advantage.
Air conditioning.
During my August-October stay, when both the temperatures and humidity were sky-high, shopping malls provided not only entertainment, but much-needed cool air.
4. Went for a indie idols show
While Japan is well known for its idol scene, many of them popular enough to have their own billboards in the busiest part of the largest city in the world, not all of them are like that, of course. Some of them never make it big, some of them are just starting, and some of them are in only for fun.
Akhabara's underground pubs host a lot events like that - both male and female idols in various stages of popularity levels are performing there.
I had the pleasure of going to one of the show like that. For a mere 1000yen (two drinks included!) I was able to watch over a dozen teams of indie idols. The scene was really small, so was the space for the public - not more than 20 people could fit there. It was truly an indie stage, but for idols!
Despite the beginner level and sometimes mediocre skill in singing or dancing, the public (consisting mostly of a middle aged salarymen) was ecstatic and extremely supportive to all of the performers, which I found really endearing.
The singing and dancing were extremely fun - idols shows are always a pure serotonin shot.
5. Visited places from movies, games and animes
I made a day-long tours to the places I knew from media. Yakuza, Persona, Perfect Days, Your Name, Bochi the Rock, Girls Band Cry - just to name a few - it was amazing to see those places in my own eyes, and walk on the streets my beloved characters walked.
6. Went to a Manekineko Temple... in a Neko train
You might have heard about the lucky cat temple, but did you know there was a matching train going there? This cute little vehicle has a cat face in front of it, paws all over the floor and cat-like handles. Taking this train and then visiting the temple absolutely flooding with maneki nekos is the full experience one should aim for.
7. Trains. Just trains. All of them. Everywhere.
Speaking of trains...
Trains are an inseparable part of Tokyo. Quick, efficient and... beautiful.
I've encountered so many photographers who clearly only focused on train photography. Sometimes even as much as dozen of people gathered in a particularly scenic spots, waiting for a perfect moment to capture a vehicle on a beautiful background.
I must say, I also fell a victim to their beauty, and more than once went as far as skip my train back home just to be capture it on a photo.
Ad, of course, I can't forget about the Metro Museum! I got to see some vintage cars, slice of a subway tunnel in making, and try operating 4 different train simulators, with one being inside a real cabin, shaking as the train went on its virtual route (and now I get why there are so many people enjoying them... they are so fun!).
8. Shibuya's toilets trip!
Yes, you read that right.
Japan is well-known for its free, ever-present and clean toilets. But some of them are not only functional, but serve an aesthetic purposes as well.
In Shibuya, a 17 unique toilets designed by the renoved architects can be found - commissioned by The Nippon Fundation as a symbol of Japan's hospitality. Read more about the project here.
I highly recommend watching Perfect Days to see some of them as a vital part of the story!
9. Hunted for treasures
It might come as a surprise, but I quite like video games. And Tokyo has a lot to offer when it come to them.
Surugaya, Bookoff, Lashinbang, Mandarake, K-Books - but the list could go on and on - are a chains with variety of second-hand goods for nerds. Lots of goods. Looooooots of goods.
If you are lucky to have anime and gaming taste correlated with the mainstream, I'm sorry for your wallet. All those shops will have a dedicated alleys for the most popular titles - from Demon Slayer to Jujutsu Kaisen, overflowing with aaaaaall kind of merch.
But if you are into something less popular - you'll need to spend more time in those shops. Way more time. It's all about digging in many, many boxes labeled with "games", having all kinds of random merch from various games in them.
Sometimes, it will be worth it. Sometimes not. But finding something from a niche series I liked was always such a win!
10. Took the biggest rollercoaster in Tokyo
Tokyo Dome City is a huge entertainment facility in the middle of Tokyo - with amusement ferry wheel, baseball stadium, shops, spas, and... a rollercoaster going through the nearby buildings.
Yes, through the buildings.
It was a 80m drop, with maximum speed of a 130km/h (81 mph).
I nearly died. Would ride again.
11. Witnessed a sumo training
There is a dojo in Tokyo, where a glass wall allows public to observe sumo wreslers' training. They start their routine early in the morning, at 7am, and excercises consists of everything from stretches, through series of forward rolls to a friendly matches.
I guess that's also the perfect way for the sumo wrestlers to get accustomed to random people watching them!
12. Went to second-hand and handmade events
Shimokitzawa is a district known for it vintage shops, but... they are absurdly overpriced, and mostly imported from States.
This is not where the fun is.
Being a huge thrift fan, I found some smaller events, usually hosted on a weekly basics in a public spaces or around some temples. There, I could find some goods.
Old toys, kimonos, trinkets, and, of course, handcrafts. The fact that I only bought a belt made from kimono and a coin wallet in cute cats (it was only 300yen, sold by a lovely old lady?) was a miracle, but I had to be able to pack in one backpack for a whole year.
13. Hiked
Just an hour by train, one can find themselves in the mountains.
I went near the Hachioji three times, because there was just so much to see!
I was surprised that, while the most popular Mt. Takao was visited by quite a lot of people, nearby mountains didn't get much love... at all. Sometimes, I was the only person on track, in a weekend, during a few hours hike!
The paths were surprisingly difficult and also not marked very well, so I don't recommend going there just for a leisure trip. But for a raw nature enthusiasts - this is the place to go.
And I also got to spot a weird-looking leech, native to that region.
Gross. Cool.
14. FESTIVALS!!!
Dancing, parades, art, food! Japan loooves festivals and hosts a lot of them, mostly in the summer. Watching all the amazing performances helps easing the absurd heat coming from the skies a bit!
15. Walked around to eventually find something interesting
Tokyo is the most walkable city I've been to. The pavements blend into the road without any inaccessible steps, and while the main streets can be full of cars, thanks to the affordable and efficient public transport, almost all of the smaller streets are fully walkable, with pedestrians having priority over the cars.
On some days, even the busiest streets (like the one going through Akihabra!) are closed to car traffic, allowing pedestrians to walk freely on them.
Exploring Tokyo by foot was, by far, my most beloved activity. I love walking, so with so many conveniences it was a pure pleasure.
With a city this big, many treasures are waiting to be discovered - be it a local shops, restaurants, architecture wonders, events (like a breakdancing contest!), live concerts and festivals happening on the streets, or just a smal figurines hiding under the plants at the enterances to the buildings.
Thank you, Tokyo, for the amazing 3 months. I thought this will be enough time to get sick of you, but... Nah.
See you later!
