The trip had been sitting in the back of my mind for years, though I only admitted it on a wet Qingming morning in Guangzhou. Cantopop had been mentioning Japan for as long as I could remember, and Japanese anime had been part of my childhood screen diet. Somewhere between those two things, the next stop had quietly become Japan.
I had actually asked about a Japanese visa soon after returning to Guangzhou following Lunar New Year. The conditions looked manageable, and I even considered getting it first. The catch was that once issued, it had to be used within three months. Since I could not pin down when I would have time, I put it aside.
Then the rain gave me an excuse to stop and arrange something that mattered. I opened Taobao, found a travel agency, paid for the visa, and sent all the documents the next day. My execution was, at least, on form. I had planned solo trips before, though the last proper one had been Malaysia in 2019.
The wait followed. The seller advised me not to book hotels or flights until the visa came through. It arrived neither quickly nor too late. I booked immediately. With May Day approaching, I did not even look at direct Guangzhou-Tokyo fares; they were bound to be absurd. I focused on Hong Kong to Tokyo. Even from Hong Kong, close to the holiday, prices were not cheap. I eventually found a Hong Kong Express return ticket, surface fare just over 3,000, and after baggage and the cost of getting from Guangzhou, it came to about 2,000-plus each way. Probably roughly double the usual price. But for Japan, at that time, it was worth it.
April 28
A week ahead I asked for three days off and finished a small version before the holiday. Everything went smoothly enough. I got up very early to catch the 6am Guangzhou-Shenzhen intercity. It was my first time flying out of Hong Kong, and I did not want any middle-of-the-road mistake to make me miss the flight.
The most tense moment of the whole day arrived almost immediately. At the Lo Wu border checkpoint I was stopped. The officer asked where I was going, why, whether I had been there before, whether I was alone, whether I had been abroad, how the visa was obtained, and when I would return. I admit I was a little nervous. I had seen plenty of stories online about people being taken aside. After my answers he stamped my exit, but he also called over two colleagues, a man and a woman, and said quietly that this one was going to Japan. The rest I could not hear. Then I was taken to one side. The man checked my suitcase item by item, not exaggerating, and scrolled through my WeChat work groups, transactions, and hotel bookings on my phone. The woman checked my small bag and asked why I had not changed any yen. I said I had a bank card and planned to withdraw from an ATM locally. It lasted about ten minutes. They seemed to decide I was not suspicious and let me go.
I was rattled afterwards. While he was going through my phone I had a VPN running and various apps outside the firewall. I had never done anything against the socialist core values, but I did wonder whether that alone could be enough to land me in trouble.
After Lo Wu, everything from Hong Kong to Japanese immigration went smoothly. The people I met were kind, and that calmed me down.
It was around 8pm Tokyo time when I got from Narita to my accommodation. A Japanese man at reception received me. My clumsy English was painful; through a translation app I understood that the manager was out, I should fill in basic information, and I could check in the next day. While I was filling it in, the manager appeared: a handsome European, by the look of him, and the biggest surprise was that he spoke fluent Chinese. He was very nice and explained the check-in details. I wanted to chat, but other guests came in, so I did not bother him.
I rested briefly and went out for food. The streets at eight or nine in the evening were quiet in a way I found deeply pleasant. I saw a ramen shop with people standing outside and went over without hesitation. A seat opened just as I reached the door. After a long, fiddly day, I finally had my first meal in Japan. Perfect.
April 29
I had not planned to go to Fuji that day, but I checked the visibility forecast and it looked like the best chance during my stay. So I dragged my still-jet-lagged body out. I was going to see Mount Fuji, no matter what.
I left Shinjuku at 8am and reached Kawaguchiko around 10. Fuji was visible from the bus, but then I saw the top was covered by a huge band of cloud. My heart sank. I thought I had come all this way for nothing. Still, I was there. I rented a bicycle as planned and started riding from Kawaguchiko toward Oishi Park. Honestly, without that cloud the route would have been stunning. The cloud ruined my mood, and I rode less happily than I should have. I finished the Kawaguchiko part in under three hours and headed for Shimoyoshida, another good Fuji viewpoint. I was still a little disappointed because the cloud showed no sign of moving.
At Shimoyoshida Station I did not follow the crowd toward Sengen Shrine. Fuji was visible from the station too, and with the cloud still there I decided to sit and rest for a while. I sat watching the mountain. Then I noticed something was off: visibility seemed to be improving. I ran toward Sengen Shrine. Along the way I watched the full shape of Fuji become clearer, bit by bit. By the foot of the shrine the whole mountain was out. That visual shock wiped out my tiredness. I had cycled for nearly three hours that morning, then climbed the shrine steps in two bursts. At the top, when I saw Fuji, all the fatigue disappeared. There was only awe. The trip had not been wasted. It was worth it.
I got back to Tokyo close to 9pm. The Fuji round trip had taken five hours. I was lucky to see the whole mountain; otherwise the remaining days would have been played out with regret.
April 30
I was staying near Asakusa, so I wandered around Sensoji on foot. During the day the tourists were out in force; at night it was quiet. Then I went to a few nearby spots for views of Skytree. Since I passed them every time I went back to the accommodation, they began to feel ordinary. Ha.
Next were the Tokyo National Museum and Ueno Park. Perhaps Sensoji had frightened me with its crowds, because the museum felt like a treasure: plenty of people, but not the crushing tourist kind. The museum charges admission, but it is absolutely worth it. I know almost nothing about Japanese history. I could only rely on fragments from television, and even then the place had a strong cultural atmosphere. With more background knowledge, the experience would be even better.
Outside the museum I found a place that had not been on my plan: Ameyoko. I would describe it as a market, shopping street, and food street rolled into one. I like places like that, grounded and full of ordinary city life. I ate raw oysters and takoyaki there and was very satisfied.
As it got dark I went to my last stop of the day, Akihabara. I had long heard it was a holy land for anime fans. I am not one, but when I saw Dragon Ball figures I lost my composure. I could suddenly understand why fans love this stuff. There were plenty of adult figures too. This is Japan!!! And the maids on the street were genuinely pretty.
May 1
It rained all day. Outdoors, my umbrella never closed.
Odaiba, honestly, would be a great place to look at the sea when it is not raining. It also seems to be an international port, and later I learned it is a pilgrimage spot for Digimon fans. Because of the rain, after seeing the Statue of Liberty I mostly wandered inside the nearby mall. That was how I found DiverCity. Inside was a Doraemon future store. The moment I walked in, my childhood came back. I had read no fewer than the anime, and the theme song was playing on loop. The nostalgia was turned all the way up. I had not planned to buy anything, but I could not help it. I ended up with a backpack and a few small figures. The backpack has grown on me. I kept thinking, family, who gets it. Later I found One Piece and Hello Kitty stores as well. It was a treasure of a mall, and since I was hungry, there was a food court with all kinds of Japanese food. Very satisfying.
The second half of the day was Tokyo Tower. Because of the weather I did not plan to go up. On a rainy day there was no point expecting a view. From a distance, though, Tokyo Tower with the rainy city filter had its own flavor.
In the evening I went to Ginza. Luxury goods, I understand none of it. I did make a point of visiting the Uniqlo building, but there was no Pooh bear I wanted.
May 2
Meiji Shrine. I regretted not doing homework beforehand. I should have learned something about its history, otherwise you just walk through like an ordinary tourist. Inside, Japanese people were performing some ceremony. I had no idea what it was for, but I could see discipline and a strong sense of seniority and status. Overall it was not too crowded, and it was well worth experiencing.
From Meiji Shrine I wanted to walk Omotesando, the one from that Cantopop song, the one where Hins Cheung gets lost. Only when I arrived did I realize it was a street of luxury stores. I really do not understand.
I looked at the map. Shibuya was less than two kilometers away, so I walked. It was not because I could not afford the subway; I had bought a three-day unlimited transit card. I simply wanted to see the Japanese streets along the way. I wanted to see the busiest crossing in the world. I had not booked a Shibuya Sky ticket, but I did get a free view from the 14th-floor Starbucks in the same building. I did not buy anything, just looked. There was nothing I particularly wanted to eat or drink at that moment. I kept thinking: it is free, the view is this good, what more could I ask for.
As night fell I went to Kabukicho. I only walked around the edges. I ran into two people livestreaming and, sure enough, they were fellow Chinese. I also saw plenty of free information centers. Maybe I looked too recognizable, because people came up and started pitching to me in Chinese, introducing this and that. I had no such plan on this trip. To be honest, from the surface Kabukicho does not look that different from a commercial street in any city. Really experiencing it would require going into the shops.
May 3
This was my last full day in Japan. My flight left at 2am on the 4th. I did not want to go too far, so I visited Nezu Shrine and the University of Tokyo, both not far from Asakusa. Compared with packed Sensoji, quiet Nezu Shrine was much more to my taste. I drew a fortune there. It was good. I hope everything goes as the slip says.
From Nezu Shrine I could walk to the University of Tokyo. The two are close. Walking the quiet lanes was genuinely comfortable. The campus kept surprising me. Perhaps because I entered through a small gate, and followed signs I only half understood, I felt the academic atmosphere more and more, and the campus seemed to grow larger with every step. I bought a drink at the campus Starbucks whose name I could not pronounce, then wandered along the roads. I still miss being a student.
In the afternoon I went to Akihabara again. I had thought about visiting Ikebukuro, another anime holy land, but I heard it was full of fellow Chinese and it was far from Asakusa, so my interest dropped. Why Akihabara again? Souvenirs, of course. Last time I had missed some places, and after doing a little more research I felt that skipping them would make the trip incomplete. Looking only at the storefronts, with only Japanese signs, it is easy to walk right past. After visiting a few shops, I realized that places advertising DVDs are basically that kind of shop. The first floor is ordinary; the basement and second floor and above are another world. Fellow Chinese really are formidable. Apart from the Japanese coming from the DVD displays, all I heard was Chinese. Because of what happened at Lo Wu, I only bought a small mold. It was still a feast for the eyes. I had never seen so many of those things at once.
May 4
I flew from Haneda to Hong Kong, then bought a ferry ticket at Hong Kong airport to Pazhou, and finally took a taxi home. It was almost 11am by the time I got back. Compared with the grilling on the way out, the return was smooth. Even though my hand was peeling and the fingerprint scanner would not read it, they only asked my name and birthday and let me through.
Tired, but happy and satisfied. I had finally completed the Tokyo trip, to the country Cantopop mentions so often. I will definitely go again.
