Since COVID-19 isn’t going away anytime soon, that means I won’t be travelling for some time yet. Thus, this is the perfect moment to revisit my older trips that I did not get to blog about in the past.

This 2013 trip to Tokyo was a fabulous one. It was my second time to Japan – the first was in 2010 on a package tour with my parents, when we visited Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Nagoya, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka and Kobe all in the span of six days. We then extended the trip by another three days in Tokyo on our own. Even so, it was very rushed moving from place to place and I felt like I had barely scratched the surface of what this wonderful country had to offer.

For this trip, I was fortunate to have the luxury of travelling solo with 11 days to spare. As such, I could explore Tokyo and its surrounds at a much more leisurely pace. I also managed to meet up with my primary schoolmate MB, which really made the trip so much more memorable. She brought me to her favourite eating places, and we spent much time chatting and catching up over delicious meals.

As this trip took place over seven years ago, I won’t be able to remember everything I did and capture every detail. However, I will rely on my Facebook photo captions and my journal to recreate those 11 marvellous days. Enjoy this trip down memory lane!

14 February 2013, Thursday
I booked Delta Airlines for my flight to Tokyo. The return air tickets cost S$638.50. My flight 622 was scheduled to depart from Changi Airport Terminal 1 at 6:00am. It was a very early flight, but as always, dad sent me to the airport and we arrived before 4:00am. Love you, dad! I was still feeling quite groggy because I had barely slept for two hours.

The night before, I hosted some colleagues at my place for a Chinese New Year gathering. We played mahjong, boardgames and Blackjack before culminating in an epic game of In-Between. We then had dinner at a Japanese restaurant near my house. It was a night of great fun and laughter. By the time I finished my last minute packing and got to bed, it was already past midnight.

(Tokyo is one hour ahead of Singapore)
(Exchange rate: JPY 100 = S$1.36)

The Delta Airlines flight touched down at Tokyo’s Narita Airport Terminal 1 at 1:08pm, about half an hour ahead of schedule. After retrieving my luggage, I proceeded to take the Keisei Sky Access train directly to Asakusa. The train ticket cost JPY 1,240 (S$16.90) and the ride took 56 minutes. It was so much more convenient and comfortable than taking the airport limousine bus, which was what I did during my last visit.

After alighting at the train station at 3:00pm, I walked for about 15 minutes and reached my accommodation, Sakura Hostel Asakusa. The hostel building was five storeys tall and it was painted in pink (just like sakura flowers), so it was easy to spot. I booked an 8-bed dorm room and it cost JPY 10,410 (S$142) for four nights, or about S$35.50 per night. It was cosy and reminded me of a hostel in Perth that I stayed previously a few years ago.

After dropping my bags, I went out to explore my neighbourhood. Sakura Hostel was located very close to Sensō-ji, Tokyo’s oldest temple and a major tourist destination. However, the surrounding area was very peaceful and it wasn’t too crowded. I loved the vibe in the neighbourhood immediately.

By the way, you will see in the following pictures that I visited Sensō-ji in the reverse order (Hondo-Hozomon-Nakamise-Kanimarimon) because Sakura Hostel was located closer to Hondo (the main hall) than Kaminarimon (the entrance gate).

I spent a short time snapping pictures of Sensō-ji before walking back to Asakusa station to buy a Nikko All Area Pass by Tobu Railway, which I needed for my trip on Monday. The Nikko All Area Pass cost JPY 4,400 (S$60) for a seat on the Rapid train. There is also a Limited Express SPACIA train but the ticket cost JPY 1,140 more. The Nikko Pass includes round-trip travel from Tokyo to Nikko and unlimited travel within Nikko, as well as discounts as certain shops and restaurants. It is valid for four days.

After settling that important bit of business, I walked around Asakusa aimlessly. I spotted a cat café and decided to pop in for a look. It was located on the sixth floor of a building. In fact, it was more like a cat shelter than a cat café, as it did not serve hot food or drinks for humans.

There was a total of 13 cats in the small apartment-like space. Most of the cats were snoozing away happily and were completely nonplussed about the whims and fancies of the human beings present. Besides me, there was another couple of visitors. I was getting a little bored until the lady owner called for the cats and some of them woke up from their slumbers to play with us.

The cats were well-behaved and generally didn’t do much, content to let us stroke them. Only one cat was active and game enough to chase after a string tied to the end of a rod as the other male guest tried to play with it. In all, I spent about 45 minutes at the cat café.

Next, I went to look for a nice place for dinner, as I didn’t have a proper lunch while on the plane earlier. I settled for a small ramen restaurant called Japanese Niboshi Soup Noodle, located in a quiet side street. The bowl of ramen cost JPY 750 (S$10.20). The broth was very thick and a little too salty for my liking, but it was still quite yummy.

I just did some research on niboshi and realised that niboshi are Japanese dried infant sardines. This explains why my bowl of ramen tasted different from the usual pork broth ramen that I am more accustomed to. The thick soup is made from an arduous process of simmering hundreds of pounds of niboshi, so the thicker the soup is, the stronger its essence.

I finished my dinner at 6:25pm and walked around Asakusa. I loved how clean and neat the streets were. I saw many cyclists and noticed that there were designated pedestrian and cycling paths. Tokyo is such a bicycle-friendly city. But most of all, I loved the friendliness of the Japanese people. Staff at the shops greet you with genuine smiles and friendly tones, which make you feel so welcome. It is really a joy to shop here, even if you are not buying anything.

At 7:15pm, I visited Jakotsuyu, a traditional sento at Asakusa dating back to the Edo Period, making it over a century old. The entrance fee was JPY 450 but as I came unprepared, I had to pay more to rent a small and big towel, plus a small bar of soap and shampoo. In the end, I paid JPY 560 (S$7.60) altogether, which was still all right.

Jakotsuyu had undergone several rounds of renovation so it was actually pretty modern. At the entrance, I purchased my ticket using one of those ubiquitous vending machines that you commonly see at ramen restaurants. In the main bathing area, a classic mural of Mount Fuji made up of coloured wall tiles hovered over the bathers.

In case you’re wondering what is the difference between a sento and an onsen, a sento is a public bathhouse while an onsen is a hot spring. Sentos are man-made while onsens are naturally available near volcanic areas. Sentos use heated water while onsens use water that is heated naturally by the earth and is usually rich in minerals.

Sentos were very popular in Tokyo after the war when the population increased and apartments became smaller. Not all homes had a bathroom, so the residents went to their local sentos to bathe. Thus, sentos became important places for social gatherings and they are intricately linked with the character of a neighbourhood.

However, not many authentic sentos remain in Tokyo today as modern apartments now all come with bathrooms. In fact, at the time of writing this post in 2020, I found out that Jakotsuyu has closed down permanently in May 2019. Such a pity, but at least I got to visit it.

Jakotsuyu’s clientele was almost entirely local. I was practically the only tourist there, so it felt nice to experience a bit of local culture. The water in the hot pool was 40 degrees Celsius so it was really quite hot. However, after the short soaking session, my body felt pleasantly warm even after stepping out to the mildly cold weather.

I left Jakotsuyu after about 45 minutes and made my way back to Sakura Hostel at about 8:00pm. It was my first day so I didn’t want to over-exert myself, especially since I didn’t have much sleep yesterday. Looking forward to more good times in Tokyo tomorrow!