We Made It

October 8-9, 2025

“But anything that you hear about Japan is nothing like what you see when you actually go over there and see it, you know, in a real situation.”

— Billy Higgins

It is an odd thing flying into tomorrow  We take off on one day and land the next one many hours into the future.  You feel full of adrenaline at the thrill of being in a new place and battling impossible fatigue at the same time, especially at our age.

Counting layovers and flight time the journey lasted some 19 hours with only one stop.  It seems so much longer in the cramped, clot inducing, cockpit that is economy class.  We flew through the night at 37,000 feet over the Earth’s largest body of water covering some 6,452 miles or one quarter of the way around the entire world.  After awhile your body’s circadian rhythm says “F**k it your on your own”.

And there is a typhoon named Halong (Or No. 22 - depending on which nomenclature the local authorities use)  off the coast of Tokyo currently.  We were in no danger and the flight, although very long, was uneventful.  We have learned that, much like Florida, there is a Typhoon season here every October.

So bleary eyed and battling the scourge of jet lag we arrived at Narita airport, the largest serving the Tokyo metropolitan area.  Passing through customs we tried to get oriented to our new world.  It was a bit of a challenge despite years now of traveling, but eventually we made our way to the commuter express train that would take us into the city. The trip would take over an hour.

Outside the windows we watched as the sunset and the buildings raced by.  The clouds  from the outer hurricane bands were painted with a fantastic array of reds, oranges, and pink as the sky darkened. After another transfer to a subway and a short walk we made it to our hotel.

After a short meal, we took our anoxic brains to our small but efficient room and there, in the dark, we passed out.

After an uncertain amount of hours we at last felt a little better.  We opened our curtains to reveal sunlight streaming in and surrounded by what appeared to be mostly a business district with a high scale mall nearby.

We did what we always do on the first days of a new trip.  We went for a walk.

A few facts are always helpful to give perspective.  This is the biggest city in the world.  Almost 40 million people live here.  That is four times the size of New York.  The population is so dense that around 6,000 people live per square kilometer here.  It shouldn’t work.  But it does and more efficiently than another metropolis on Earth.

Tokyo’s original name was Edo.  As this trip unfolds you will hear a lot of that term.  The Edo period refers to a 268 year period of history here when Tokugawa, a powerful warlord, defeated his rivals in the 17th century and became the first “Shogun”, or military ruler, of the country.  The Tokugawa Shogunate united the disparate clans and the country enjoyed relative peace and prosperity for nearly 300 years.  The novel Shogun by James Clavell essentially mirrors this plot.  More on this subject in the days to come.

Colleen had booked us near the central core of the city with easy access to the metro.  We got off the train after a few minutes at Shibuya.  This is the home of high fashion enclaves, trendy shops, bars, and eateries.  We were far too jet lagged still to appreciate much of this fare.  We mostly wanted to just get out and see what this place feels like.

We soon found one of the most iconic stops in all of Tokyo - The Shibuya Scramble.   Perhaps no where else in this mega metropolis better symbolizes its enormous crowds yet methodical efficiency than “The “Scramble”.  It is a series Five different crosswalks that allow crossing every 30 seconds.

Every 24 hours over 500,000 people cross the street here!   Yet traffic continues to flow in all directions.  It is a testimony to the cooperative spirit of the Japanese.  Despite such good manners, there were more than a few westerners who wanted their Instagram moment and stood in the middle of the flow posing for shots.

Our waiter at lunch (Skynet is real)

I have tried to show a few shots of the area and the surrounding buildings to give a flavor of the scene.  One of the things I noticed right away was despite the tens of thousands of people, the streets were very clean, no litter, and there were no trash cans anywhere.   

The most hated tourist attraction in Tokyo. They drive in traffic, blocking up roads

We moved on to Harajuku neighborhood.  This area was formally where most of the US post war occupation offices were located.  Now it is a youth oriented edgy artistic hub and within it is a large park.

Here we found the majestic Meiji Jingu Shinto Shrine, the first of what I am sure is many more we will be seeing.  This is the largest Shinto shrine in Tokyo.  It is dedicated as the final resting place of the Emperor Meiji and his consort.  Meiji was the first Emperor to rule after the fall of the Edo Shogunate and under his rule, Japan would at last open up to the world and begin its ascent into modernity.

The path to the shrine is a gorgeous tree lined space with streams running through and massive Torii gates.  The busy sounds of the city fade here and birdsong is everywhere.

After an afternoon rest we left for some dinner and another nearby stop at Shinjuku center.  This overcharged district is surely what inspired Ridley Scott in the film Blade Runner.  Here is an explosion of neon lights, electronic signs and crowds that would make Times Square in New York pale by comparison.  Huge electronic billboards soar upwards over the tops of endless arcades, bars, restaurants, and trendy shops that lean towards the huge anime culture here.

And even Godzilla was part of this chaos.

For just going for a walk, it turned into a big day.