When I was shopping for my plane tickets to Malaysia, the option presented itself to have a 20 hours layover in Tokyo. I decided to take this opportunity to take a quick dip into the Japanese city to see how much I would really enjoy it on a future trip.
My interest in the Japanese culture started after I began watching Anime. As I tried to learn more about it, this interest changed into fascination about a way of life that is completely different to ours. I wanted to experience it first hand and this was my chance since I promise my friend Dave that I would wait for him for visiting Japan.
What I discovered there made me realize that I wanted to live in Japan. The delightfully polite people, the food, the organize society and the culture won me over in the time of perfect night.
Since my two past short layover last year, I was already a little familiar with the Narita airport. Following the instructions of a friendly information clerk, I found myself in the Skytrain to the city. Views of rice fields in the country side passed quickly as the train headed to the center of Tokyo. After getting off and passing through the maze of the Tokyo sub-terrain, I got out at the Asakusa district. The temperature outside was not too cold, but I was still a little under dressed for the occasion. I easily made my way to my hostel, dropped my bag and headed out.
Walking around the Asakusa district, I found myself drawn to the Senso-ji temple. Many local were gathering there to pray and to draw there fortune. Was this related to a local festivity or the normal occurrence of this Sunday afternoon, I do not know, but I did not yet had the courage to make an inquiry. I did however go draw my own fortune. Luckily for me, a small English paragraph was present to announce : Regular Fortune. Not the best, but at least it said it’s good time to start a trip. Hooray for me!
Drawing your fortune is a tiring affair and my stomach was starting to rumble. Time to find a good place to eat. When I started cooking my own Ramen broth at home, I promised myself that I would eat my first restaurant cooked Ramen in Japan. The time was now upon me to find the perfect little spot to do so. Needless to say, Tokyo is not short of Ramen shops, but I found myself drawn to this small place. It was packed with local and had exactly the feel I was looking for.
As I sat at the end of the bar, I ordered myself a bowl of the deluxe Ramen and waited patiently. The two cooks in front of me were running a really organized kitchen and the number of dishes they were expertly putting together was astounding. A small elevator in the back was able to serve an unknown number of guests upstairs. Every bowl looked as tasteful as the last and I was ready to devour any of them. And then, I received mine.
The taste and the presentation was incredible. I have to step up my Ramen game at home! Lemon confit, the Chashu, the egg, everything was great. I would have consume it in a moment if it wasn’t that hot!
After a meal like this, I was ready to take on the world. I thanked the chef in a broken Japanese and made my way outside. The air was cold, but the streets were still buzzing with people. I walked around aimlessly for a while, taking in every sights that I could before my tired body gave in. Just before I thought I would head back, I started to hear some loud music. Following the chanting and the light, I found myself in front of a stage.
Locals were chanting and dancing along, and after watching for a couple of minutes, I joined in! The dance was not super complicated, but with all the locals knowing all the moves, it was a little overwhelming. As I started to move with the flow, I had time to take in the magic of the moment. I was on the other side of the world, dancing along in a festival I knew nothing about, surrounded by smiling and happy people who welcomed me. I didn’t want it to stop.
It lasted for at least 1 hour, and when I left, it was still going strong. However I had to go to sleep at that point. I left behind the festival and lighted streets and made my way to my hostel.
After a short night and a Japanese breakfast at a local joint, I said good bye to Tokyo.
It was a short glimpse of the city and culture of Japan, but it changed things for me. I know what I want to do now. I feel the need to go live there. I will start to learn Japanese and I will go teach English, maybe even work at the Olympics. Just thinking back to this magical night makes me want to go back. I want to experience that feeling again.