Japan: The Sequel

Hiroshima Shukkein Garden

A few months ago, I took a spontaneous trip to Japan. I was getting antsy after being in San Francisco for almost 4 months straight and was exhausted from four graduate courses that semester.

So there I was staring at my screen, a little tipsy, at 2 AM on a Wednesday (I think) and a Google flight alert for San Francisco to Tokyo floated into my email inbox. It was an absolute steal of a ZipAir flight for only $500 (round trip!) that I fully intended on refunding the next day but never did, so a couple of months later I found myself once again weaving through Tokyo crowds, hopping on to bullet trains, and peering down Hiroshima alleyways.

Tokyo Part 一

I landed in Tokyo on a cool evening and was fully prepared with a loaded Suica card. By this point I was a pro at getting lost in the Japanese transit system, so after 20 minutes of bumbling around Narita airport I was on my way to my first night in a capsule hotel! After staying in what is essentially an above ground coffin, I can confidently say that it could have been a lot worse 🤷🏽‍♂️. It was hot, and a little cramped, but the hotel was clean, quiet, and most importantly: cheap.

The next morning I packed up before it was light out and navigated my way to one of the many entrances to Tokyo station eager to get onto the Shinkansen bullet train. I love trains.

Trains, Trains, Trains!

I think that even the most brilliant American struggles to comprehend Japanese mass transit. The concept of timely, clean, affordable, and safe transit is unfathomable in any American city today. My first trip to Japan opened my eyes to a world that could have been, and the more I learn about the history of transit in the United States the more resentful I feel. So as silly as it sounds one of the things I was looking forward to the most on this trip was taking the Shinkansen from Tokyo to Hiroshima.

In the early twentieth century cars were seen as the more progressive transportation system, and the various rail and streetcar monopolies were the “bad” guys. Interestingly, this sentiment seems to have been common to the Japanese as well because when the Shinkansen was proposed Japanese opposition to the plan was that rail would become obsolete. There are many factors and more than a few conspiracy theories on why American mass transit has struggled in the last century, but the fact of the matter is that the Japanese public transit system is a marvel of modern city planning and engineering.

Hiroshima

This was one of my first truly solo international trips and so when I hopped off the train at Hiroshima station I had my first wave of Solo Traveler Syndrome (“STS”). STS is a feeling of extreme joy followed by an extreme loneliness. The high of a brand new experience followed by the low of realizing that there is no one with whom to share. So as I was walking to my hostel I felt surreal being in a city that I had read so much about, but I was alone. I honestly don’t think STS ever really goes away it just fades into a new normal.

Over the next 3 days I walked all over Hiroshima, Miyajima, and Nara by myself. It is one of my favorite places so far in Japan because the nature is pristine, the people are friendly, and the food is delicious.

A world at war

My first stop was the Atomic bomb park and museum. It is impossible to fully comprehend the scale of the depravity of war. Especially nuclear war. Weapons so devastating they can never be used. Nuclear catastrophe is ticking closer every day and is far beyond than anything we can comprehend. Terror and shame are weak words because they fail to capture the essence of simply walking through the atomic bomb museum, especially as an American citizen.

As I was writing this post I saw a disgusting softening of the atrocity of the atomic bombings by Fox News professional jackass Jesse Watters saying: “We’re big boys. We dropped a bomb on Japan and now they are our top ally in the Pacific.” Fuck Jesse Watters and others who trivialize these historical horrors.

At the park, there are guides who are almost entirely elderly Japanese volunteers who lived through the aftermath of the bombings. My guide was a wonderful older woman who was born 10 years after the bombs were dropped. She grew up in the shadow of the mushroom cloud. The cruelty was the point and it is miraculous how far the Japanese have come in the last 70 years.

Alleys of Hiroshima

The highlight of the Hiroshima visit, and the original inspiration for this post was my adventure down a dimly lit alley and into a tiny 6 seat restaurant.

On my last trip to Japan some friends and I shared a lovely Italian meal whipped up by a single chef in an underground Kyoto kitchen. In search of the next spot I asked him where we could grab a drink. Chef left his post, customers and all, to walk us across to the street to a shady alley with a neon G at the end of it, and promptly went back to work. Faced with my first Japanese alley, staring right into the darkness (pic related) my curiosity overcame me and the three of us inched down the path to the G. The heavy wooden door creaked as I pulled it open, revealing a dimly lit bar through the light smog of cigar smoke and the sound of classic rock on vinyl. I don’t know how a random person would have found their way to Gear bar unless it was pointed out to them which was my favorite part about the entire experience. There is no sophisticated online presence, no web application with all their spirits, not even yelp page. Word of mouth and the courage to walk down dark alleys is what it takes and when you walk in you know every other patron has done the same.

Gear bar Kyoto - Photo Credit: Naoki Endo

On my last night I found myself walking through the shopping district and chanced upon a folded sign pointing down a dark alleyway. This seemed like fate, and after a quick self pep talk I walked into a 6 seat restaurant and found myself next to 4 Japanese men, a US Marine captain, and a lively chef. The rest of the was a blur of ginger highballs, botched Google translate conversations and damn good music. The owner/chef has been working his tiny restaurant for over 20 years, and is a fairly talented DJ. Around 1 am, I wandered back to my hostel through the rain, feeling unbelievably grateful for life. I loved that night, and it’s a challenge describing exactly what it felt like. The best description I have is: flow. That wonderful feeling of intense focus and productivity but for the simple act of living. To everyone reading I encourage you to seek the flow of life and make the most of it. You never know where you might find it, it might be waiting down some dark alley in Hiroshima.

Oh deer

After bopping around the city for a day I was told by people in the hostel that I had to go and see more of the landscapes in the surrounding area. So I hopped on a streetcar to Miyajimaguchi Station on my way to Miyajima, one of the largest islands in the Setonai Sea.

The streetcars of Hiroshima are incredible because they predate the war and survived through the indiscriminate firebombing and atomic bombing of the city. Taking one across the city is like taking a ride through history, the history of Hiroshima, and the history of transportation.

Almost immediately after you get off of the ferry and out of the terminal you’ll come face to face with some beloved Japanese deer (sika deer). They aren’t too bothersome but they will bully you out of some crackers if you aren’t careful. The island is beautiful has ropeways that can take you almost all the way to the top. It’s all worth exploring — one could easily spend an entire day just wandering through the trails and towns. From high up you can see the seawalls built to break up large waves in case of tsunami. It’s remarkable what we do to avoid nature’s wrath, I think most of human technological progress can be attributed to a battle between natures unpredictability and our brains predictive nature.

I spent the following day in Nara, wandering around the trails, hanging with the deer, and devouring some stellar curry & rice.

Osaka

From Hiroshima I made my way to Osaka where I met up with my cousin Manav who has been living in Tokyo for almost 2 years now. We did so many things in just 2 days:

1. Visited Osaka aquarium, an absolute unit of an aquarium with 8 stories of fish to discover.
2. Had the best coffee I have ever had at Glitch coffee Osaka
3. Ate and drank through Osaka’s nightlife.
4. Climbed Japan’s smallest mountain.
5. Rode a Ferris wheel.

Osaka felt like a nice middle between the peaceful atmosphere of Hiroshima, and the tourist chaos of Kyoto. After making some new friends in the hostel my last night and trying burdock gin for the first time, I hopped onto an early train, heading back toward Tokyo for my final days in Japan, leaving Osaka behind.

Tokyo Part 二

I arrived in Tokyo on my last full day in Japan with the express goal of eating good food and that’s exactly what I did. My strategy was simple: wander until something smells or looks good and eat. It worked perfectly and I ended up meandering 5 kilometers through the city and somehow ended up at Tokyo station! After another quick pastry I was off to Yokohama where Manav was going to meet me to show me the famous skyline. Fun fact: the fastest elevator in Japan is in Yokohama tower and you can take it to the top for a spectacular view of the surrounding city. On my final day I met up with a friend from San Francisco who had recently moved to Tokyo and got another tour from a rapidly developing Tokyoite. Cuong and I got some wonderful coffee, drank some special Tokyo cola, and after saying goodbye I was on my way to the airport.

Japan 3: What’s Jappening?!

I know this was a long post, and if you made it all the way to the end then you are a real one. I loved my week in Japan, and there is plenty that I didn’t even share here. This whirlwind week reminded me how much life can be packed into just a few days — and how easily I take some weeks for granted, letting them drift by unnoticed.

I am already thinking about my next trip, so if anyone feels inspired, reach out, and maybe we can make it Jappen together!