This mini vacation happened pretty suddenly. My family told me a couple months ago that since they wouldn’t be able to use their time share week this year (no one to pet sit) that they wanted to give it to me. Japan doesn’t have any of the resorts, of course, but thankfully they were able to use their points to book a week at the Marriott in Tokyo. I’ve always been against the time share for a while now, but my mom and sisters still like it even though they know it’s not exactly ideal for us to have…in this economy.

Well, I gladly accepted lol A week’s stay at that hotel otherwise wouldn’t be possible for someone in my tax bracket. 🥲

I’ve been to Tokyo at least four times before. It’s basically Osaka City x 10. Tokyo does have a few more options and variety though. The place I was most excited to visit was a Nigerian restaurant called Egosie in Shinjuku. I went there some 7 years ago, which was probably the last time I had really been in Tokyo. I ordered the egusi soup and fufu; it was amazing! 🥰 Osaka does not have this. There was plantain on the menu, but the owner said they didn’t have any. I investigated later and found out that you literally can’t find plantain here anymore. There were a couple online shops that I used before, but they haven’t had anything in stock for months. Depressing.

So Tokyo is packed and everything is under construction. There were multiple gigantic cranes at every major station I went to. The location of the Marriott is in Shinagawa, which is basically a big business area. Lots and lots of people in suits. It wasn’t too inconvenient since it’s the Shinkansen station and has the Yamanote line.

A fun stop was Shin Okubo, which is basically the Korean area.

Lots of places to eat, cafes, and makeup stores. I visited quite a few makeup shops, but they all pretty much carried the same things. Once you’ve been in two, you’ve been in them all. The little stands and stuff are great though. I got a cup of sugary chicken and a pricey macaron.

I almost wanted to check out Akihabara, but it’s been tourist and maid cafe land for years now, so I didn’t bother. Shibuya was cool as usual, but I’m not 25 anymore… One of the most exciting moments was stumbling upon a Panda Express. 😭 I did eventually end up ordering orange chicken because that’s just big back activities. 😶‍🌫️

I ended up going out more than I was planning to. The plan was mostly to just laze around at the hotel, but that kind of felt like a waste. Going out means spending, because I’m weak, but I got a lot of steps in and had fun. Met up with just one person and had a fancy dinner where I ended up only taking a picture of French fries…

While heading back to Osaka, I wondered why I’m so able to go out and about in Tokyo but when I’m in Osaka it’s hard for me to hop on the train when the train station is right outside my door. I think it’s that thing where you know you can go to wherever whenever in the future and then end up never going.