Photo Diary: First Day in Japan

We went to Japan for Jan's birthday which is just in time for spring. And since it was only the first official day of spring when we landed, the weather was still chilly and temperatures dropped to as low as 4°C. I actually thought that I was prepared for that. I had 3 layers of clothes (base thermal, thick sweater, winter coat/jacket) and it still wasn't enough. Tagos sa buto ang lamig.

Nonetheless, we had a great time! To be honest, I can still recall almost everything that happened, but I don't think I will be able to narrate the details of our adventure. Although it's not a surprise that this trip is not well-documented, I'll let the pictures speak for it (yes, yes, lame excuse for being lazy).

(Note to self: next time, Sarah, please take a lot of photos so that you won't have a hard time looking for decent photos for the blog)

Our first agenda the night we got in Tokyo was, of course, to eat authentic ramen. After checking in at Sakura Hotel in Jimbocho, we went straight to Shibuya and took some photos of Hachiko and Shibuya crossing.

There were a lot of people around Hachiko's statue. But surprisingly, there were more locals than tourists who were just hanging around. Even though there was a flock, it wasn't really that hard to take a photo with Hachiko.

Hachiko

Shibuya crossing, which is just literally a stone's throw away from Hachiko, is indeed the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing. Funny that we crossed the lanes multiple times in an attempt to take an instagrammable photo only to capture those moments I got shoved or pushed. I still wonder how my friends did it fabulously.

Shibuya Crossing

After five failed attempts, we just we walked around Shibuya and shortly found the place we've been looking for. Ichiran Ramen! Since it was still a bit early and the weather was pleasant (probably around 16°C), we decided to take a stroll and go back just in time for dinner.

I find it amazing that almost every corner, every street in Japan is simply photo-worthy.

The colorful streets of Shibuya

That was a mistake though. When we got back, the queue has reached the street. I should know. People patiently line up for a reason⁠. Ichiran Ramen, as claimed by the majority, is the best ramen in Japan.

And they were right. Absolutely right.

We tried eating like a local but we just couldn't do it right. It does take time to master the art of slurping a hot ramen. Nonetheless, it is the best we ever had.

After filling our tummies, we continued strolling around Shibuya when the temperature unexpectedly dropped to 10°C. Since I only wore a sweater and faux leather jacket (I did not bundle up when we got there), I was uncomfortably shivering. We took shelter inside the arcades to keep ourselves warm and wasted a few yen pushing our luck to these money eating machines. It was a good night. :)

Just when I thought that I won't be writing a story, here I am, telling you how our first day in Japan went. I'd like to share a lot of beautiful things about Japan. So I guess, I'll do this in parts.

Anyway, that's all for now. I'll be off to attend a stock market mentoring in an hour.