We woke up at 7, feeling refreshed. I slept wonderfully. It had been a while since I rested this well. Honestly, we really needed it—the journey was long, but I’m happy we’ve adapted to the time zone here so quickly.
Our first destination today is the Tsukiji Fish Market. Although the port is no longer operational, they maintain an amazing market where you can see countless stalls selling food. We didn’t buy anything since we had just had some pastries from 7-Eleven for breakfast. In hindsight, we didn’t choose the best place for breakfast, considering all the cool food we’ve seen here. But we loved the visit nonetheless.
After that, we took a stroll through the Ginza neighborhood, exploring its luxury stores. We didn’t buy anything, but once again, we saw some incredibly beautiful multi-story shops. One that stood out was a crafts store—I’m sure Grandma Conchi would have spent her entire pension there, without a doubt. The attention to detail was astonishing, with each floor dedicated to a specific category. For example, the pencil floor only had pencils, neatly arranged on massive wooden and acrylic shelves, sorted by color and hardness…
Interestingly, on the top floor of this building, they were growing lettuce!?!? 🤨 It looked like a hydroponic farm visible through a window, though it must have been recently harvested because we only knew about the lettuce from a sign, haha.
Oh, we did end up buying some plush toys at a department store. We had gone inside just to enjoy the air conditioning for a moment, but a wave of people practically carried us to the seventh floor, where they were selling Snoopy merchandise. By the way, after paying, we passed through the tax refund area—if you present your receipt and passport (with the QR code they put in it at immigration), they refund the tax, as long as you’ve spent more than 5,500 yen.
Speaking of which, the heat is brutal. We keep ducking into every 7-Eleven, Family Mart, and other kombini every five minutes just to cool off with their air conditioning, hahaha.
We move on, taking the metro to Shibuya, home to the world’s most famous pedestrian crossing. After checking it out, we went to see the statue of Hachiko. If you haven’t seen the movie, I highly recommend it (and stock up on tissues too).
It was lovely—so many people everywhere! We decided to eat since we were getting tired of the heat and walking. We tried to find a sushi place that had been recommended to us, but either it was closed, or we simply couldn’t locate it. So, we ended up in a random dumpling restaurant. We ordered dumplings, fried chicken, spicy wings, and for dessert… fried dumplings, haha. Everything was delicious and quite affordable!
Moving on, we entered a massive store called Don Quijote (or “Donki,” as I think they call it here). It’s several floors high and sells absolutely everything—a mix between a Chinese bazaar and a department store, but with super cheap prices. Apparently, people go crazy shopping here… We got ourselves a mini portable fan, which we had seen everywhere today. It’s a lifesaver in this extreme heat, and I think we’re going to put it to good use! 😂
Next stop: Harajuku, to visit the Meiji Shrine. We really enjoyed this visit. After passing through the impressive torii gates, we walked along a gravel path through a forest, which at least provided some relief from the city’s extreme heat. Apparently, you’re supposed to walk on the sides and leave the center clear, as that’s where the gods walk. After a short stroll, we reached the shrine. Out of respect, we only took photos from a distance, bowed as a sign of respect, and moved on. The bowing ritual consists of making a donation in a box, bowing twice, clapping your hands twice at chest level, and then bowing again.
We headed back to the hotel for a much-needed shower, just in time, because around 7 PM, a massive thunderstorm rolled in. It kept us trapped indoors until about 10 PM, by which time it was too late for dinner (the Japanese typically eat around 6-7 PM). At least we were lucky it caught us at the hotel!
Once the downpour stopped around 10, we ventured out to find some dinner. Unfortunately, most nearby restaurants were already closed. We considered going to a livelier district like Akihabara, where we’d surely find something, but in the end, we opted to grab some food from 7-Eleven and rush back to the hotel before the next wave of rain hit—and sure enough, it did!
And that’s how our first day ended—grateful for the chance to see so much. More adventures await tomorrow!