There is nothing more confidence-inspiring than traveling somewhere new. I moved to Guam two days before Tom arrived, and I was so worried about starting our new life all by myself thousands of miles away from home. However, as I started checking things off my to-do list and navigating my way to the hotel, to work, and to places that would soon become familiar to me, a sense of confidence and pride started to bloom. Yes, there were many things I didn’t know. Yes, I was feeling lonely. But I also felt so empowered that I could find my way and find my answers all by myself. Looking back to my travels to Tokyo last week, I think it was the proudest that I’ve been of myself in a long time.
My mom was the queen of vacation planning when I was growing up. She and my dad saved all year for us to take a vacation to Disney World, and my mom was always reading up on the latest changes and developments and creating the perfect plans for meals and fun activities that stayed within our budget. There was room for spontaneity, but there was also the assurance that if we ran into questions, she would know the answers. In my mind, that is the best way to vacation: develop a plan that covers the broad strokes and guarantees delicious meals while leaving the flexibility for unanticipated adventures along the way.
Prior to our trip, I spent about five hours researching hotels, restaurants, major tourist attractions, and maps of Tokyo to plan 2-3 major activities per day and 1-2 meals that we could look forward to. Tom and I are both lucky to have coworkers who love to travel, so between their suggestions, Reddit threads (you seriously can’t underestimate how helpful that platform is for answering questions), Facebook groups dedicated to travel in Japan, Google reviews, and blog posts, I was able to create an itinerary that gave us a roadmap that left room for detours.
Our plan was to leave Guam on the night before Thanksgiving so I would not need to take any days off of work. However, the best laid plans never go well for a Brownfiel. On that Tuesday, my car (fondly named Cheryl), limped her way back home in a blinking, shaking mess of “check engine” flashes. I spent Tuesday night packing and coordinating a tow truck appointment that took five follow up phone calls to secure. When the tow truck actually came on Wednesday morning (about half an hour later than I was hoping for), I was surprised to learn that the payment would be cash only, which made for even more stress on a tightly scheduled day. I feared the worst as I left Cheryl at the dealership but was thankful the tow truck driver could drop me off at work because I was already late. I hurried into the gym part-way through our all-school chapel celebration and luckily didn’t have to miss any teaching time. A couple of hours later, the dealer called to tell me that the ignition coil was broken and they could replace it within the next couple of hours. The repair sum was lower than I had expected but still higher than I would have liked to pay with the upcoming suspension work I need to save for. Tom was able to take a half day, pick up my keys, and drop me off at the dealership to retrieve Cheryl all before rushing home to finish his packing with barely any time to spare. We rushed to close and secure all of our storm shutters in case a storm blew through during our absence (Guam is always in a condition of readiness for a storm with damaging winds to arrive within 72 hours), and no giant spiders or lizards jumped out at us. That jump scare would be waiting for our return.
I had read online that we should be at the airport 3 hours early for an international flight, and the United app warned that lines would be longer than usual. I was feeling the pressure as we made it to the airport two hours before our flight. After all of the day’s stress and worry, it was an enormous relief to come to the airport and discover that there was absolutely no wait to check our bags and we could walk right through security. In the span of just 5 minutes, we were on line to purchase snacks and ready to lounge before our flight.
After our three and a half hour flight, we landed in Haneda, and Japan’s famous efficiency was on full display as we had only minimal waiting time to get our passports stamped and to retrieve our bags. I had been worried that only knowing “thank you” and “hello” in Japanese would be a major obstacle, but from the moment we stepped off the plane, there was plenty of English to point us in the right direction. While I had read online that most travelers used an e-sim, I had noticed a few postings about pocket Wifi, and, honestly, I felt like it was the superior option. After retrieving our bags and changing some US dollars for yen (we loved the $1 to 150 yen exchange rate), we stopped at a kiosk to pick up a small Wifi device about the size of a portable phone charger. For the equivalent of about $9 a day, we could connect 5 devices to the Wifi, and because it was small enough to fit inside of my pocket or fanny pack, it was so easy to access Google Maps and WhatsApp without tapping into any costly cellular data. You can reserve pocket Wifi in advance, but we had no issues picking one up that night.
I had ordered a hired car through Booking.com to take us to our hotel, and it was so worth the money for the convenience and comfort. The car had plush, reclining seats with so much leg-room, and we were on the doorstep of our hotel within half an hour. While the subway system ended up being the easiest and cleanest I’ve ever ridden, I wanted to save my first excursion for the daytime and when I wasn’t dragging a suitcase behind me.
We stayed at the Onyado Nono Asakusa Bettei Hot Spring in Asakusa, and I could not give it higher praise for its cleanliness, amenities, hospitality, dining, and location. Plus, the price was so reasonable, especially if you plan to take advantage of all of their free offerings (more on those below).
We were not allowed to wear shoes inside of the hotel and were asked to store them inside of a locker. We also had to clean the wheels of our suitcases before we could drag them through the lobby. This dedication to cleanliness was evident throughout the hotel, and it made it very comfortable to explore in our bare feet or socks. The front desk workers knew enough English to help us check-in, and they had an iPad on hand to translate answers to any questions they didn’t know the words for.
Our room was on the second floor, and while the room was small and with very low furniture, the simple accommodations made very effective use of the available space. The entrance of the room split into the bedroom on the right and the bathroom on the left with sliding doors available to close off each section. The room also came with a comfortable shirt and pants that the majority of the guests wore as they wandered around the hotel. It felt a little dystopian with our matching beige ensembles, but the comfort of the clothes couldn’t be denied. The room’s TV gave us access to the hours of the amenities, recommendations for nearby places to eat, and even the availability of the washing machines that are available to guests and the crowd-levels of the onsen.
The real highlight of the hotel and the real reason I booked it was the availability of the onsen. An onsen is a traditional hot spring that is divided by gender. Even at midnight, women and their children were still enjoying the hot mineral water which is renowned for its health benefits. Mom and I had enjoyed the Warm Springs in western Virginia when we stayed at the Omni Homestead for my 25th birthday. The springs there were more like a pond while the onsen was more like a spa facility with hot tubs. A sauna was available, but I chose not to use it. Instead, I alternated between the various warm pools of water and relished the quiet and peace after the stressful day and flight. As usual, everything felt so clean. Just down the hall was a relaxation room filled with manga, two massage chairs, and a freezer of free popsicles. If we had arrived earlier in the night, we could have enjoyed the free ramen that is available for two hours in the hotel’s restaurant. We did enjoy this treat on our last night, and the advertised half-portion was so filling that it was easily a substitute for dinner.
In my next post, I’ll be outlining our first full day of adventures including a tour of the Imperial Palace and exploring the historic Senso-ji temple. Don’t worry, there will be lots of pictures!
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