白人少年が日本へ行く
Context
note on pat mckenzie note on notebook note on hiragana and katakana note on context (vacation, with gf, etc)
Jump to concluding thoughts...
Field Notes
Sunday, March 30, 2025
- Hello Kitty-themed airliner landed at Taoyuan International
- Airport beers
- Friendly bartender woman shared cherry tomatoes from her lunch with us? (seems like a strange thing to do, but she was very sweet)
- Connecting flight to Tokyo
- Chaos finding and boarding the express from Narita Airport to Asakusa
- Hordes of people getting off trains like rushing river currents
- Walked 15 minutes dragging our luggage through the streets to hotel
- Found out the hard way we booked a smoking room
- Divided tiny hotel room territory into His and Hers before cracking open suitcases -- must maintain organizational sanity
- Explored Sensō-ji (est. 645 AD)
- Hit two izakayas
- At the first, we sat "outside" on the street but surrounded by plastic walls taped together -- it was a lively karaoke bar and a woman there was wearing a Chicago Bears windbreaker jacket
- Had beer (I cannot remember the brand) and kimchi, tuna sashimi, + yakisoba
- At the second izakaya, we sat at the bar, had more beer, and were served weird green snacks
- Consulted Claude and learned these weird green snacks were konnyaku -- I didn't care for it
- Learned it was common for bars/pubs/izakayas to serve guests small (not free) snacks
Monday, March 30, 2025
- Went to Tsukiji Outer Market
- I'm notoriously annoying about tourist traps, but thought this place was awesome
- Ate strawberries, a wagyu skewer, a small sushi lunch, and some chicken skin
- Went on shopping spree with GF in the ritzy Ginza district -- reminded me of Michigan Ave in Chicago
- Visited several stores incl.:
- Onitsuka Tiger, popular Japanese sneaker brand and stressful store expierence
- Uniqlo, spent an extraordinary amount of time on escalators in this building
- GU (?), BEAMS (pretty cool), some malls, and Kapital (very cool)
- Enjoyed ramen at Ichiran
- Encountered a strange man clicking with his mouth and incessantly sneezing on the metro
- Saw businessmen in Toranomon corporate district, Tokyo Tower, and an urban temple with some visitors still stopping by to pray after dark
- Cocktails on the Andaz hotel rooftop (skyline view but very cold)
- Went to Akhibara -- I found it underwhelming (and dead, maybe our timing was poor?)
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
- Woke up to a foggy rainy day
- Browsed kitchenware and restaurant supplies at Kappabashi-dori
- GF bought customized chef's knives (one for herself and one for her father, a former and very much still-talented cook)
- The saleswoman who helped us had a comically quiet voice -- literally leaning over and whispering into our ears
- Taxi to Tokyo Station
- Moisturizing face masks GF purchased at Don Quijote leaked all over my backpack
- Purchased two ekiben boxes to eat on the Shinkansen to Kyoto
- Train attendant made us move our luggage -- we were accidentally occuyping reserved spaces and needed to stow our bags overhead
- Got lost and frustrated at Kyoto Station for a moment before making it to the hotel
- Walked very busy Kyoto streets w/ beautiful cherry blossom trees
- Had drinks at a tachinomi standing-only bar
- Waitresses complemented GF and asked for a photo with her using Google Translate
- Dinner at Itoh Dining -- incredible food, mid ambience
- Sat at table by large window alongside canal, watched a heron stalk prey in the water while waiting for our meals
- "WAGYU WAS LIKE MELTING BUTTER"
- I believe we were in the Gion district (heavily touristy area)
- Hit Lawson for electrolytes, tomorrow morning's caffeine, and fried chicken balls
Wednesday, April 2nd
- Woke up to the sound of a gong from Bukko-ji (1212)
- Uber from hotel to Kiyomizu-dera @ 7AM
- Driver wore a suit and white gloves
- Some small crowds already at the temple
- Loved the tall pagoda
- Beautiful cherry blossoms
- Made wish, lit candles, heard priest chants and instruments at giant Budda statue temple (Ryozen Kwan-on)
- Walked Kyoto streets
- Did not like matcha coffee
- Taxi to Saihoji
- Copied sutra at Saihoji Moss Temple
- Soba @ Juu-go *
- Ginkaku-ji and some coffee on Philosopher's Path
- Decided I do not enjoy highball drinks while in the shower
- Shopping in Kyoto: Onitsuka, Kapital, random thrift shops
- Strange dinner at some random restaurant: sashimi, sushi, fried chicken
- I remember it being very red inside and we sat by the window/patio -- waiter laughed when I asked and hand-signaled for a giant beer
- Afterwards went to an 2nd floor tourist-marketed bar
- Sat next to some British tourists (RANGE ROVER) and drank comically large beer -- felt like almost a small keg's worth
- Showed images of Chicago deep dish to bartenders and they seemed disgusted
- Fancy smoking bar near hotel (Bukko-ji)
[2025-04-03] Kyoto
- Hiked to the top of Mt. Inari (Fushimi), pretty damn crowded
- Admittedly, we had a pretty late start to our day
- Sandwiches at some Korean street food spot
- Got into a fight with gf over said sandwiches
- Took train from Fushimi back towards hotel
- Took naps
- Got coffees at Lawsom
- Shopped: clothes, art, manga, no jewelry, no perfume
- Wandered many more beautiful cherry blossom streets
- "Mountains behind the river... wow!!!!"
- Sitting a wooden jazz bar drinking a Manhattan now as I write this [sic]
- Rushed to a (GYUEN) Wagyu Yakiniku dinner reservation that was really difficult to find
- Chatted with waitress named Manami who lived in Toronto and played Rugby
- She told us she wants to leave Japan and return to Canada because the people are too judgemental
- Fancy smoking bar again, this time with something to smoke
- Incredible cocktails and good conversation w/ the bartenders
- Other patrons loud and annoying
- Served broth and snacks with cocktails
- Owner, male, spoke no English but was jolly
- Bartender, male, spoke good English and talked to us for a while
- Bartender, female, poor English but adorable, hit us with the famous "ohhh... sorry" reaction after asking if they sell cigars
- Bartender, female, did not chat with
[2025-04-04] Kyoto -> Osaka
- Rushed through Kinkaku-ji, Ryoanji (saw interesting wall/door dragon art by former Japan PM), and just the outside of Ninnja-ji
- Visited a traditional woodblock art (?) around this point
- Stopped for coffee at a tiny local shop
- Paid in coins, no other customers, just one old man working, seemed to be his home
- Walked what felt like a very suburban neighborhood
- Tried and failed more Kyoto shopping for GF
- Really good Kamo Namvban at a ramen shop near hotel
- Had to take shoes off at this restaurants and wear shared slippers in the bathroom (a first for me)
- Took train from Kyoto to Osaka, 1 transfer
- All urban-ish train lines through populated yet mountainous areas
- Saw Suntory Distillery (Or was it Yamazaki? Or Asahi?)
- Group bar crawl with our guide, Taka, in the Temma neighborhood of Osaka
- Started with a nice icebreaker about how he took too much acid and he thinks it helped him master English,
- In our group was Arjun, Danielle, Neil, Kelly, Nick, Grant, and a his new fiance, I forgot her name, GF, and myself
- This tour was marketed as being "off the beaten path"
- It truly felt off the beaten path.
- Drank in cool tiny bars and had "tapas" like fried ginger, some kind of hot dogs, and chicken fallopian tubes
- Slurped generous pours of sake
- Pre-game spot
- Liquor store bar
- Izakaya w/ broken bathroom lock
- Continued to karaoke with the group afterward - surprisingly actually a lot of fun
- Chatted with foreigners at a random tiny bar afterward
- British man gave us horrible travel recommendations
- Russian woman was in a fight with other tourist group - something about Putin, geopolitical tensions on vacation is not fun
- Too drunk, thjought we lost GF's pusue, found it... CHICAGO CUBS!
[2025-05-05] Osaka
- Didn't leave the hotel until around noon (hungover)
- Explorted Dotonbari and saw its famous signs (like the Gilco man)
- Okonomiyaki was so good at this little tucked away place
- Also had more yakisoba
- DON QUIJOTE FERRIS WHEEL
- Lots of shopping for GF: BEAMS, Orange St., more thrift stores, etc.
- Walked all the way back to a thrift store long after leaving to buy an indecisive GF's sweater with a dog on it (worth it)
- Returned to hotel to nap and freshen up before the night out
- Sushi and beers w/ Japanese-style seating on 2nd floor of some random place off the street
- Cool restaurant, sat next to a funny group of smoking salarymen
- Beer and wine at tiny alley bar you had to coruch to enter into
- Met Japanese man that had some connection to Slugger's in Wrigleyville (Chicago)
- Tried takoyaki, I enjoyed, GF did not
- Claw machine arcade
- GF won Mike Wazowski plush
- I Failed to win the Toy Story alien and got way too into it
- Tried and failed to return to the little tiny alley bar
- Beers at another bar that was pretty dead
- At some point this day we also shot carnival cork guns and won some cheap plastic junk toy and some bubblegum. Wow!
- Found a late night pizza place that was okay
- Ate Konbini ice cream on the hotel balcony, pretty damn good
- Went to sleep
[2025-04-06] Osaka -> Kinosaki
- Metro ride to main Osaka Station
- "Limited Express" train to Kinosakionsen (3h)
- Saw lots of the rural Japanese country with rice fields, rivers, mountains, industry, etc.
- Strange Airbnb check-in with "Kay" (?) but a really cool traditional spot (as far as I can tell):
- 2 floors, paper sliding doors, served tea after walking in, squeaky floors, etc.
- Walked town
- Nestled in the mountains, bridges over canals, cherry blossom trees; beautiful
- Saw some giant crabs at a seafood wholesaler (?)
- Tried and failed to get a ramen dinner
- Lots of things close so early in Kinosaki
- Got tiramisu from a vending machine
- Had a really mediocre Italian dinner
- Most places seemed to be closed (Sunday)
- KONBINI
- Watched Spirited Away in the ryokan (?) Airbnb
[2025-04-07] Osaka -> Kinosaki
- 9:30 AM walking tour w/ private guide, Aya
- Was not aware if would just be us, thought it would be a group
- Took train to Toyooka then a bus to Izushi
- Toyooka is considered the region's "big city" -- pop. ~75K
- aya explained there are lots of elderly, most youth leave for big cities
- Saw recreated castle ruins (lol), legitimate old samurai house, local Kabuki theather that was actually really cool (+ Japanese-translated tour from nice lady)
- There is a man-powered lever system under the stage floors still used today for theater
- Had some good food at a local soba spot with Aya
- You could hear lots of slurping after walking in
- I got Udon, GF got soba, we both got that soda w/ the marble you pop
- Saw a sheltie in the cherry blossom park
- 40m bus ride home
- Took naps -> good.
- GF was very nerous about trying the onsens because the yukatas provided by our Airbnb host were a little ugly (she was not wrong)
- We both ended up loving it; d2d 2 onsens, Goshono-yu and Ichinu-yo
- "FULLY NAKED WITH STRANGERS!"
- Felt amazing on my very tired leg muscles
- Tried and failed to get a Tajima beef burger
- Settled for dinner at some mediocre place
- Sat at bar right by the door -- accidentally paid too little cash for bill
- GF got a Coca Fruita
- GF got fried chicken karaage and I got ramen + asahi
- Next, cocktails at a fancy place that did NOT hit the spot
- Cafe Maduro?
- Sat next to 2 chatty stylish old Japanese men + bartender "mama" said goodnight to us -- ordered the cheese plate
- Wine was very good though
- Bed
Tuesday, April 8th, 2025
- "Probably my favorite day on the trip so far"
- Slept in
- Started a load of laundry
- Got Tajima beef burgers, very good
- Cable car to the top of Mt. Daishi
- "Michelin star" view of Kinosaki, ocean, rivers, and mountainscape
- Took photos and enjoyed some coffee
- Even swang (swung?) on the swingset
- Cable car down to Onsenji Temple
- Monk showed us around
- Very cool temple
- Very squeaky floors
- Some of the Buddha statues close to 1,000 years old
- Cable car down to town
- Early incredible dinner at crab restaurant above seafood market []
- Grilled crab legs, & crab/egg/rice + soup, and two big bottles of Kirin hit the spot
- GF considered buying a personal yukata but backed out
- Train to Takeno station and walked 25 minutes through a rural sleepy Japanese town to Takenohama Beach
- Stormy weather cleared and we neded up with a nice sunset
- Felt a little bit like RIO DE JANEIRO
- Walked back in the dark and waited 40 minutes at some dingy station
- Bathed at 3 onsens: Jizoyuu (so f**king hot), Yanagiyu (too small), and Ichinuyu again (good spot)
- Felt like Jesus Christ himself while bathing naked w/ bowls of water
- Went to Snack Bochi-Bochi, drank some beers, sang some karaoke, and made friends w/ the snack mama
- I think they ripped us off
- They turned on the news after karaoke was finished, nothing but Trump's China tariffs
- Bartender ladies asked us about Trump
- Konbini dinner and a smoke or 3 by the canal, texting friends
Wednesday, April 9th, 2025
- Travel day from Kinosaki to Tokyo w/ a transfer in Kyoto
- Overall pretty irritable and stressful day
- Busted elevator at Kinosakionsen station, had to carry luggage
- Starbucks and more ekiben boxes at Kyoto transfer
- Struggled to lift GF's bag into over head storage on Nozomi Shinkansen
- Japanese man to my left was watching the Nikkei on his tablet (this was a volatile tariffs day)
- One last painful train ride (metro) to Shinjuku, made space for lady with stroller
- Light nap and feshned up before exploring Shinjuku
- Bit of a seedier & overwhe;ming vibe, not orderly like how Asakusa felt + way more tourists & what seemed like drug dealers
- Walked thru Golden Gai but did not drink
- Went to Uoshin which is a chain but still very good & very fun
- I recommend! Original suggestion came from GF's friend's Japanese coworker who sent a long email of spots to try in Tokyo
- Ordered the monkfish
Thursday, April 10th, 2025
- "TIED FOR FAVORITE DAY ON THE TRIP"
- 6:30 AM wakeup
- Metro to Shinjuku Station and searched for bus terminal
- Very kind Japanese man walked us halfway there, huge help, exchanged deep bows, awesome
- 1.5 hr bus to Mt. Fuji Station (also called Fujisan)
- Day started with very poor weather (bad visibility) and I was bummed
- God hooked it up and visibility got much better by the time we got to Fuji area
- Also:
- Many tourists
- There's a theme park
- Reminded me of COLORADO
- First sight of Mt. Fuhji was incredible -- wasn't sure if it was it or if the volcano's snowy peak was a cluster of clouds at first
- Our tour guide, Shunji, picked us up in his van + 2 other tourists (from CA, Victoria + Angel)
- E-bikes were powerful
- Pulled over in rice field where Shunji walks his dogs for Fujisan photos
- Stopped for mochi in a small town and saw some old ladies making it
- Visited sacred pond w/ trout and koi
- Saw "Ghibli" templte, rode through a cool forest, stopped at a few viewpoints
- Stopped for a karaage lunch at local granny-run spot
- Biked the entirety (I think?) of the whale-shaped lake beneath Mt. Fuji
- Weather got worse, extremely windy
- 23 mile bike ride in total
- Heard explosions and gunfire; 2 military bases in the area
- Learned about FUNAC, a large engineering company increasing population of small Fuhi towns, they pay 2x average Japanese salary
- Many celebrities and CEOs (Panasonic, Sony, etc.) + Shinzo Abe have/had vacation houses in the area
- Sounded like a bit of a dick-measuring contest
- Shinzo Abe wanted Trump to come play golf out there before he was assassinated
- Reminded me of Lake Michigan towns a little bit
- Caught 4:33 bus back to Shinjuku
- Got ready quickly (ZIPPED through metro stations to make sure we had enough time -- kinda fun) for Omoide Yokocho / Golden Gai bar crawl
- It's pouring rain
- Awkward meetup/intro
- Taken to a dead izakaya that felt like a Buffalo Wild Wings
- Cold and stiff conversation with the oothers
- Beers and skewers
- Group included Indian guy going to med school, 1 Brit from London, 2 Brits from Nowhere, England, 2 Israelis, another Chicagoan (lives in Old Town), and 4 Germans
- Did not get to know the Germans but they were funny from afar
- 2nd stop was sake bar and we got stuck at the bad table (Larry David would understand)
- Tour guide's name was Kensuke - he lived in LA for 3 years
- practices english via touring
- 3rd stop was karaoke
- Continued to Piss Alley with the med school guy and British people afterward
- Bought a very overpriced round and in a very blue bar
- Moved onto leopard themed bar
- The Japanese people were a blast -- so much KANPAI!!! and we chatted with some dudes from Russia
- British crtew got into a hilarious argument that GF kept imitating
- "FUN NIGHT"
Friday, April 11th, 2025
- Saw Hachiko statue and Shibuya Crossing for the first of many times
- Saw a fork and knife for the first time at a Denny's
- Shunji recommended Denny's, says it is owned by 7-Eleven and considered pretty good in Japan
- Denny's was horrible
- They served ketchup on GF's sandwich
- Some shopping
Additonal Notes Not Belonging to a Specific Date
- I tallied a total of eight homeless person sightings before I stopped counting
- Only two of these individuals were not in the Shinjuku or Shibuya areas
Thoughts
thoughts on japan and japanese culture more generally?
go see mt. fuji, skip shibuya and shinjuku. maybe skip fushimi
Consulted Claude like 15+ times
I liked taking "field notes" and may try this out for everyday life.