With 10 countries and 29,254 miles traversed, 2017 was my most active year of travel since 2013, although interestingly my mileage count for the year seemed low given the number of flights I took (19 in total). At the end of this post you can see summaries of previous years’ adventures and how they measure up. But 29,000 or so miles is nothing to sneeze at; in some ways this last year feels like it was much longer than a year. Here’s why, and what I did in 2017:

This post was originally published in 2018. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content. 

JANUARY: Florida, Ecuador

I started off 2017 in Florida at my (kind of) home base in Hollywood where I had spent a chunk of time in 2016. By mid-January, it was time to make a move, and that move was to the mountains outside of Cuenca Ecuador to live at Gaia Sagrada retreat centre; a place I discovered in late 2016 and to where I was returning.

FEB-MAY: Ecuador

The next four months were spent at Gaia Sagrada, where I assisted the manager in trade for a break on accommodation expenses, and informally continued my studies of ayahuasca and san pedro shamanism. It was an intense and all-encompassing position that required a lot of my energy through every two-week retreat.

So I didn’t spend much time “discovering” Ecuador, nor doing much work on my online business, which had been somewhat stagnant since I took to doing “shaman things” in Peru in late 2014.

But I did get around Ecuador a tiny bit during the five day breaks between retreats at the retreat centre. I visited Banos in the north, which is the adventure capital of Ecuador, and where I (sort of) bought a hotel for $29. I also visited Vilcabamba in the south; a popular “hippie town” with an interesting vibe that compares to my former home of Pisac Peru.

But the time soon came (inspired by an expiring Ecuadorian visa) for me to move on. By the end of May I was on a plane. Doors have been left open in Ecuador (and at Gaia Sagrada) for me to return, but to this day I’m not sure if it’s in the cards.

JUNE: Florida, (Toronto), Japan

The beauty of my (kind of) home base in Hollywood Florida at my friend’s house is that it’s a great jumping-off/landing point when traveling to/from South America. So after a couple of weeks of decompressing in Hollywood, I said sayonara to my boyfriend (with whom I’d been together since my arrival in Ecuador in 2016) who was jetting off to the west coast to earn some money while I jetted off to Tokyo (with a lightning fast layover in my hometown of Toronto ) for a house-sitting gig.

My arrival in Japan was an exercise in me proverbially coming up for air and taking stock of my online business, which had been relatively stagnant after three years of sitting on Andean mountaintops “doing shaman things”. What I saw wasn’t pretty.

JULY: Japan

Among other increased business activities such as redesigning my website and taking social media to a new level, I breathed new life into my dormant YouTube channel and started producing weekly travel vlogs. Tokyo was a perfect place to do it; it was eye candy for the camera and cocaine for the brain. Selected highlights included almost dying on Mount Takao, going to the Greatest Show in the History of Entertainment, and then having the wool pulled off my eyes in Akihabara.

I started to intellectually fall out of love with Japan after Akihabara, as I pontificated in my post Why I Could Never Life in Japan. But after almost two months in total in Japan, I managed to pull it all together with this (slightly more balanced) post.

AUGUST: Japan, Indonesia

I realized that in over 10 years of wandering the world, I almost never went somewhere without having my accommodation sorted out (and usually free accommodation at that). Bali was the first time I’d gone somewhere without having any innate connections, specific opportunities, or accommodation lined up.

But I went anyway, and it was fantastic. I hung with the monkeys, negotiated like a pro in the markets, hiked through rice terraces, and learned about the beautiful ceremonial practices of Balinese Hinduism. Oh yeah – and I visited Kuta to see a Balinese healer, which was a total comedy of errors (but the kind that made for a really funny post).

SEPTEMBER: Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia

Coinciding with the expiration of my 30-day Indonesian visa was an opportunity to go to Macau to speak at a travel conference.

I stayed in Hong Kong for a week (and loved it – most of it), before taking a ferry over to Macau for the conference. The connections I made there paved the way for some opportunities for an upcoming trip to India that I’d booked after finding a mistake air fare.

After my quick sojourn in Hong Kong and Macau, I returned to Bali for what was supposed to be another month. Instead, the active volcano Mount Agung went into high alert, and although I was technically safe in Ubud, reports I’d heard from Ubud’s survivors of Mount Agung’s last eruption in 1963 didn’t make me want to stick around to find out, so I voluntarily evacuated. Turns out I evacuated a couple of months earlier than necessary, but the volcano did indeed start spewing ash which shut down the airport a few times.

I really enjoyed Bali on the whole, and am certainly curious to return….another time.

OCTOBER: Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India

Part of the reason evacuating from Bali was easy for me was because I had friends of friends (of friends) in Jakarta who were kind enough to open up their homes to me. I had no intention of writing about my three weeks in Jakarta which were pretty sedentary, but a few things happened that I found so amusing I simply had to share.

Then it was off to India (via a night in Sri Lanka). India was another destination that I chose without having much of anything organized save for a cheap flight. But after sending off a few emails and making some connections in Macau, my trip started to take shape. It began in Jaipur where I reunited with an old friend and landed in the lap of luxury, which continued on the Deccan Odyssey: the most luxurious train in the world.

NOVEMBER: India, Thailand

Even in the lap of luxury, everything started to go wrong for me, and my month in India (much of which was spent in Rishikesh) became a critical and pinnacle experience for what I suspect is going to be a big transition/transformation (still in progress). I’ll be pontificating more on this idea in 2018, as this is something that is unfurling by the day.

So it was with no small degree of enthusiasm that I left India in mid-late November on a plane bound for Chiang Mai Thailand, where I reunited with my boyfriend after six months apart. We found a sweet little condo to nest in for a wee while.

DECEMBER: Thailand

I’ll be writing a bit more about Chiang Mai in the coming weeks; but I also don’t have very much to write about Chiang Mai on the whole, since I did almost nothing noteworthy (from a travel blogger’s perspective). Instead I enjoyed all the creature comforts of this surprisingly bohemian city, ate amazing food, went to the gym, spent time with my boyfriend, and tended to some increasingly consuming issues of health and wellness (both physical and emotional).

It was an agonizing kind of bliss that capped off 2017 in the strangest of ways.

Summary Notes

For a year that started off in South America with a focus on plant medicine work, I didn’t expect to visit 10 countries; including seven Asian countries – all of which were new to me except for Thailand. Then again, it was a year full of unexpected surprises and new experiences. The easiest way to explain my current state of being is to say that it’s like every single aspect of my life has been thrown up in the air (lifestyle, location, health, relationships, career, etc), and I’m watching all the pieces float around and am waiting to see where they land. It’s simultaneously exciting and agonizing. 2018 is going to be a very interesting year. Stick around….I’m pretty sure it won’t be boring.

10 countries and 29,254 miles…..2017 is another one to go down in my own little history book.

Previous Annual Summaries

My First Four Years of Full-Time Travel (2007-2010, including Canada, Hawaii, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, USA, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, Germany, France, England, Scotland, Ireland, Nepal)

What I did in 2011 (13 countries, 73,000 kms, including New Zealand, Canada, USA, Sweden, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Russia, China, Vietnam, Grenada)

What I did in 2012 (8 countries and 20,000 miles, including Grenada, St. Martin, BVIs, USA, Switzerland, France, England, Canada)

What I did in 2013 (12 countries and 29,000 miles, including Grenada, USA, Canada, England, Scotland, Holland, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Ukraine, France, Panama)

What I did in 2014 (7 countries and 34,000 miles, including Panama, USA, Canada, Peru, Spain, Gibraltar, Italy)

What I did in 2015 (6 countries and 35,000 miles, including Peru, Colombia, USA, Costa Rica, Canada, Bolivia)

What I did in 2016 (5 countries and 30,000 miles, including Peru, USA, Canada, Ireland, and Ecuador)

This post 10 Countries and 29,254 Miles: This was 2017! appeared first on The Professional Hobo. Please click through to read it in full!

I’m here to crush that dream.

This post was originally published in 2017. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content. 

House-Sitting in Tokyo: Daily Life

I’m being dramatic; I’m not here to crush any dreams. But perhaps, after watching my utterly gripping (utter sarcasm intended) video below, you’ll have a different idea of what full-time world travel actually looks like on a day-to-day basis.

I remember when I was house-sitting in Switzerland (a three-month gig); after a couple of weeks one of the neighbours came over to check in on me. She was puzzled by the fact that I hadn’t done much more than take the train 15 minutes into Zurich to walk around and snap some photos.

“You mean, you haven’t visited Museum X, swum in Lake Y, and climbed Mount Z?” She asked incredulously.
“Nope,” was my unapologetic answer.

But I was apologizing. I felt bad. She was almost offended that I hadn’t played the tourist by seeing and doing everything any other visitor to the area would have done by then.

My Trip to Tokyo: Context

Every country is different for me. Since travel is so contextual, it depends on the five Ws:

• WHO I’m with,
• WHAT I’m doing,
• WHY I’m there,
• WHERE I am, and
• WHEN I’m going (or more operatively, how long I’m staying).

The answers to these five questions dictates what my daily life looks like.

So, to plug this contextual formula into my recent trip to Japan:

• WHO: Going solo (Here’s how I travel alone as a woman)
• WHAT: Spearheading some major work projects, after ignoring my business for the last three years
• WHY: House-sitting in Tokyo (and unable to leave the house for more than 24 hours due to animal care responsibilities)
• WHERE: A house in a quiet suburb, which meant it took some effort (and money) to get into the city centre
• WHEN: Seven weeks in the height of (hot drippy) summer

So, since I couldn’t leave the house for more than 24 hours, you might now understand why I didn’t conquer the country of Japan as a whole, but rather stuck to the Tokyo area.

By knowing I had some major work projects to do (with my first taste of fast internet in six months), and that the summer temperatures in Tokyo were regularly 37 degrees (PLUS the humidity factor), you might sympathize with my desire to remain indoors and work.

By seeing that I was traveling solo (after spending five months at a retreat centre and living constantly with people), you get why just chilling out on my own without any firm commitments was a treat.

And, by knowing I had seven weeks, you’ll see there was no rush to see and do everything in the first two.

Although I seem to be setting the stage for a dormant two months of house-sitting in Tokyo, in reality that was far from the case.

• I visited Shibuya Crossing (the world’s busiest intersection) within days of arriving.
• I strolled the crowded old-world alleyways of Harmonica Alley.
• I met up with a travel blogging colleague and chatted about life in Japan.
• I researched and discussed with many the art of intercultural love in Japan.
• I wandered around Tsukiji Fish Market with a local Tokyoite.
• I became completely overwhelmed (and disgusted) by Akihabara and hid underneath my bed for days.
• Once I recovered from Akihabara, I discovered all kinds of other reasons why I could never live in Japan.
• I went shopping. A lot.
• I got lost looking for an Okonomiyaki restaurant with a friend – which ended up being one of the best meals I ate in Japan once we eventually found the place.
• I went to an owl cafe, before deciding I wouldn’t do that again.
• I almost died on Mount Takao.
• I danced in a kimono at New Bon Odori.
• I visited Tokyo’s Robot Restaurant, which really is the greatest show in the history of entertainment.
• Out of all that, I formulated 16 random observations about Tokyo, and what it’s like to live there.

And all that is on top of everything I did in my business.

• I had a little business crisis meltdown.
• I changed my web host to a managed hosting plan.
• I created a profile and got busy on Quora, which turned out to be a lot of fun and a relatively effective way to drive traffic to my site. (And a total time suck).
• I re-started my vlog, kicking up my frequency to weekly videos. (Please subscribe to my channel, and like my videos!)
• I got even busier on my other social channels like Facebook, and breathed new life into my Instagram account.
• I designed, edited, and published a 10-day course about Long-Term/Full-Time Travel on the popular site Highbrow. (Even though it’s a premium course, you can do it for free with the free trial).
• I even completely redesigned my website, so readers can now navigate my 10 years of content with more ease.

So, yeah. I was busy. Not just with house-sitting in Tokyo, but with everything.

Creating This Video

While I was busy discovering the wonderful world of Instagram, I created a “story” of a day-in-the-life of house-sitting in Tokyo. The story was really popular, which inspired me to edit it together and make it available to everybody here.

(That’s why you’ll notice the video below is in portrait mode, instead of landscape mode – Instagram is all about portrait photography/videos).

You’ll also notice in the video that my day gets hijacked by searching for an “error fare”. (I’d recently audited a course on error fares and now I receive timely alerts of such fares to my phone). It was the deal of the century: return airfare from Saigon to Europe in business class for less than $500 on Qatar airways. I had a few good reasons to go to Europe for the fall season and this was all the motivation I needed.

You’ll also notice that it didn’t work out. (These things happen). But it certainly put a spanner into my day. Although I’d like to tell you that such unexpected time-sucking spanners are anomalies, these things find their way into my days regularly, so as uncharacteristic as my day in the video below was, it was also kind of standard fare for me.

A Day-In-The-Life of House-Sitting in Tokyo

But enough of me telling you what you’ll see in my video. Just watch it! It’s fun, and ends with me getting a bit drunk and cooking dinner like one of my favourite YouTube vloggers does (except she gets paid to do it. I just get wine on my shirt).

Click here to watch on YouTube.

This post A Day-In-The-Life of House-Sitting in Tokyo (VLOG Ep. 20) appeared first on The Professional Hobo. Please click through to read it in full!

By random coincidence I learned that fellow travel bloggers Jess and Hai of Notes of Nomads were living in Tokyo while I was house-sitting there. (I had recently migrated to the same managed hosting service as them and e-met Jess on a related group forum).

A few emails later, we agreed to get together and attend their favourite Japanese summer festival: New Bon Odori. All I knew was that it was a new take on traditional Japanese dancing, that doesn’t require knowledge of dancing, but does require participation if you want to have fun.

This post was originally published in 2017. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content.

What is New Bon Odori?

Before we establish what New Bon Odori is, let’s talk about Bon Odori – which is a Japanese style folk dance, performed around a central stage and under traditional lanterns.

New Bon Odori is a new take on this old faithful. This annual event has taken place in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro neighbourhood since 2009, and is run by a famous Japanese comedy dance troupe, who keeps the evening light and enjoyable.

It’s considered a fairly unknown festival (“only” a few thousand people come, which by Tokyo standards, is hardly anybody). For me, it was the perfect size.

How the Night Rolled

Jess lent me one of her yukatas (traditional casual summer kimonos) to wear for the evening, which was a real treat, and is a Japanese summer festival must. Yukatas are complicated attire, and while Jess was helping me dress in a nearby department store bathroom, the elderly bathroom attendant pushed her aside unceremoniously and took over. She spun me around and bound me into this rigid outfit in an almost comically efficient way. Dazed and confused and standing straighter than I had in ages, I emerged from the bathroom smiling widely in full yukata regalia.

We arrived nice and early to the open square near Ikebukuro station; in time to learn the first few sets of dance moves as taught by the eccentric comedic dance troupe. The moves were pretty easy, and the dances were repeated through the evening. Once learned, the troupe would kick in with drums and music and singing, and off we would go, around and around the central stage performing our moves. The closest approximation to New Bon Odori I can approximate is that it’s like Japanese line dancing. Except cooler. (Wearing a yukata automatically amps up the cool-factor in my books).

As the evening progressed, more and more people showed up, and given the oppressive Tokyo summer heat, we were actually relieved and refreshed when it started raining. (It didn’t last long so it wasn’t a party-killer).

The craziness escalated with each dance; one dance a revered “special guest” joined the troupe on stage to teach us the moves: some sort of costumed cartoon anime character who made a splash with the locals.

It hit an all-time high when a troupe of young women took to the stage to help teach the craziest dance of the night, complete with riske dance moves that earned English nicknames by the troupe such as “double-click” (to represent a sharp double-thrusting of hips) and “sandwich” (an indescribable move that involved much touching of private parts).

Once I picked my jaw up off the floor, I looked around to see that people were relatively unfazed by the instructions; this was just good clean New Bon Odori fun in their books.

And it was. I laughed and danced and sweated, and laughed and danced some more, as the music increased in fervour and audience increased in number.

New Bon Odori – Video

Check out New Bon Odori in action, in this week’s vlog episode! If you’re ever in Tokyo in July, I highly recommend attending this fun festival. Knowing how to dance is not required; the only pre-requisite is an open mind and sense of adventure.

Click here to watch this video on YouTube.

Related Posts/Videos

Robot Restaurant: “The Greatest Show in the History of Entertainment”

Old World Tokyo, in Harmonica Alley

This post Dancing in Kimonos at New Bon Odori in Japan (VLOG Ep. 19) appeared first on The Professional Hobo. Please click through to read it in full!

First, A Bit of Info on Mount Takao Japan

Mount Takao (also known as Takao-san) is considered the best day trip from Tokyo (it’s less than an hour by train from Shinjuku!), and from the top you’ll get great views of both Tokyo, as well as layers of mountains (including Mount Fuji in the distance). Although it’s not exactly in the middle of nowhere, Mt. Takao feels like another world, and is a great chance to get out into nature for a beautiful hike.

It’s incredibly popular during cherry blossom season in the spring (cherry blossoms on Takao mountain are in full bloom a couple of weeks after those in the city). The last half of November is popular for enjoying the autumn colours. 

Takao san is also a place of worship, and you’ll find buddhist statues and shrines along many of the trails. 

Around the base of the mountain behind the railway station, there’s a well-known Mount Takao onsen (public hot spring) called Keio Takaosan Onsen Gokurakuyu, and a free museum. (Click here to find out why I didn’t go to the Mt Takao Onsen).

Top it off with restaurants at the top (and enroute), a popular monkey park (great for kids), and you’ll see that going out for a Takao hike is kind of like a choose-your-own-adventure experience. 

Hiking Mt Takao

There are about eight different Mt Takao trails to the top from the Takaosanguchi train station, most of which take about 90 minutes to ascend.

Climbing Mt Takao isn’t as complicated as it may sound; with many different levels of difficulty, and even the mechanical assistance of a cable car and chair lift, there’s something for the whole family. 

How to Get to Mount Takao From Tokyo

Located at the end of the Keio train line, you can get there in less than an hour from Shinjuku station. You have two main options to get from downtown Tokyo to Mount Takao: 

The Keio line has a direct train from Shinjuku station to Takaosanguchi station for 390 yen (about $4), and it takes around 50 minutes. 

A slightly faster and less direct route would be to take the JR Chuo line from Shinjuku to Takao station for 550 yen, then transfer to the Keio line to ride one stop to Takaosanguchi station for 130 yen. Overall this route is about 10 minutes faster, but costs more. However if you have a JR Rail Pass, it’s cheaper since you’ll only need to pay for the last part on the Keio line. 

Okay. You’ve got the basics. I’ll fill you in on the other important details in my “what not to do” instructions below.

Mount Takao Weather: Don’t go on the Hottest Day of the Year.

I learned, after the fact, that temperatures hit 37 degrees (Celsius) the day I went (and with Tokyo’s characteristic 90%+ humidity in summer, 37 degrees feels like about 37 billion degrees). This explains why I got heat exhaustion, which is the main reason why the day turned out so hellishly.

Mt Takao weather can change on a dime, and I was so determined to go on a day with no rain that I neglected to look at the temperatures. My bad. 

Mt. Takao Weather (Pt 2): If You Do Go in Summer, Don’t Suffer. Bring a Towel.

It wasn’t long into the hike that I became completely drenched, with sweat dripping off every part of me. I disgusted myself, and probably everybody around me, who had ingeniously brought hand towels to delicately mop the sweat from their brow.

In weeks prior, I’d seen people in Tokyo with these hand towels around their necks, and I thought nothing of it. Silly, silly me.

Don’t Miss the All-You-Can-Eat Restaurant.

I missed the all-you-can-eat restaurant. I thought it was at the top of Mount Takao, and I hiked up with a spring in my step, excited to experience the famed Takaosan Beer Mount, with a reputedly wide range of excellent food and drink, and even better views.

No. At the top of the mountain, I was slightly disappointed to discover a few smaller eateries that were okay but not fantastic.  The all-you-can-eat Takao restaurant is at the top of the cable car station (which is not the top of the mountain).

The main Mt Takao hiking routes up the centre take you by the restaurant. I took a random trail because it’s more naturalistic and takes you by a pretty waterfall. Except I couldn’t see the waterfall because of a locked gate. I saw this instead:

Had I not taken another route entirely off the mountain (more on that mistake in a minute), I could have enjoyed a sweaty sunset meal at the restaurant on the way down. But no. Sigh.

Don’t Go to Mount Takao Tokyo on the Weekend.

I actually got this one right! I went on a Tuesday, so I could avoid the renowned weekend crowds. 2.6 million people visit Mount Takao every year, and in the already ridiculously crowded city of Tokyo, it takes some planning to get away from it all.

Problem was, this stroke of brilliance in going on a Tuesday backfired on me….keep reading.

Don’t Choose Obscure Mount Takao Hiking Trails if you Don’t Have a Clue.

I decided if I was going to hike in Japan, I wanted to hike. So instead of doing what most people do and descend the way I came up, I opted for one of the many Mt Takao hikes along the ridge of mountains to the next peak. I mention the name of the peak in my video below, but I have since blocked it from my memory, so you’ll have to watch the video if you want to know where I went.

Although this detour to another peak afforded even more majestic views of Tokyo and the neighbouring mountains than I got from Mount Takao (pictures above), it also dehydrated and exhausted me even more. And the fun was just beginning.

Don’t Use a 15+ Year Old Guidebook.

My 15+ year old Lonely Planet Hiking Japan guidebook suggested this is a “lovely” alternative to simply hiking Mount Takao up and down. In about three hours, I could hike up Mount Takao, hike over to this peak-that-shall-not-be-named, and then down off the ridge from there to some other train station on the JR Chuo line that could take me back home. Lovely. (Spoiler alert: the hike took me six hours, not three).

I didn’t realize the guidebook that was lent to me for this adventure was 15+ years old, so I loved the simplistic instructions and assumed it would be a simple hike. Problem is, a lot can happen in 15 years, including the changing of trails and the ripping down of signs. What signs remained were entirely in Japanese. So I spent the afternoon correlating my overly-simplistic-and-ridiculously-outdated guidebook map with the terrain. It didn’t match up well.

And, because I had the brilliance to hike on a Tuesday, what few people I might have encountered on this trail on a busy day were nowhere to be seen.

So there I was, suffering badly from heat exhaustion, lost, frustrated, and completely alone. Despite my general proximity to civilization, I could have died on that trail and it would have been days before I’d have been found.

Perhaps this is a bit dramatic, but this was among the many scenarios that floated through my heat-affected brain as I was desperately trying to find my way to this bloody train station from the side of a mountain, with absolutely no energy in reserve.

My Mount Takao Hike Gone Wrong – Vlog Ep. 18

Sounds like an adventure, huh? Yeah. I did everything wrong. Like I said, don’t do what I did.

However, I did do something right – I turned on the camera, and the result is actually pretty funny. Check out the good, the bad, and the ugly side of my day trip to Mt Takao fom Tokyo!

Click here to watch this video on YouTube.

Related Posts

Why I Could Never Live in Japan

16 Random Observations About Tokyo, and Survival Tips

Climbing Mount Rothorn, in Switzerland

This post What NOT to Do on Mount Takao in Japan (VLOG Ep. 18) appeared first on The Professional Hobo. Please click through to read it in full!

He had a point. I knew the Robot Restaurant was going to be ridiculous and over-the-top before going, but I was nonetheless totally unprepared for what I saw.

This post was originally published in 2017. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content.

Why on Earth Would I Go to the Robot Restaurant?

Anthony Bourdain told me to. Okay, maybe he didn’t expressly do so. But he is kind of a hero of mine with his simultaneous literary and television successes (one of the best travel books I ever read was his A Cook’s Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal).

In his Tokyo episode of the Parts Unknown series, he went to the Robot Restaurant, and emerged quite obviously lost for words. So the first words he spoke were “that was the greatest show in the history of entertainment.” It’s the only other time in my life I’d seen an attempt at simultaneous sarcasm and truth, similar to the man seated next to me at the Robot Restaurant.

Funny that sarcasm and truth seem to collide when it comes to describing the Robot Restaurant. But that’s just the kind of place it is.

What is the Robot Restaurant Show?

Truly, words defy this experience. I could try to explain it, but it will inevitably fall short of the mark. All the pictures I took, and even the video below truly doesn’t do the Robot Restaurant justice. The closest description I could give, is that it’s an epileptic’s worst nightmare and an ADD’s dream come true. But still….it doesn’t capture the full flavour of it.

Expect to be bewildered, shocked, amazed, confused, and possibly disgusted. Anything is fair game.

I can offer three simple pieces of practical advice in going to the Robot Restaurant:

1. If your ears are sensitive, bring earplugs. They actually pass out headphones for children; although I didn’t see any adults wearing them, they’re not all that bad an idea. It’s loud.
2. Despite being a “restaurant”, the Robot Restaurant has very little to do with food, and nothing to do with good food. Some tickets include a bento box style meal. If you end up getting one for free, great. But don’t expect it to fill you up, and don’t go out of your way to get one. With all the great food Tokyo offers, you’re better off to eat before or after the show. Because this is first and foremost, a show.
3. Buy your tickets through Klook. I’d never heard of Klook before, but a friend who got his own tickets through them attested to the viability of the site, and the discount is good enough to make it worthwhile.
   
   

See For Yourself.

I’m not going to say any more about the Robot Restaurant, largely because there’s nothing to say. It’s….it’s…..I…..just go. (Watch my video below first. Then go).

Can’t see the video? Click here to watch it on YouTube.

Related Posts/Videos

Akihabara? No Thanks

Owl Cafes – Good or Bad? 

Searching for Okonomiyaki in Japan

16 Random Observations About Tokyo, and Survival Tips

This post Tokyo’s Robot Restaurant: The Greatest Show Ever (Vlog. Ep. 17) appeared first on The Professional Hobo. Please click through to read it in full!

I thought it would be cool. I love birds. I’ve had birds as pets (though admittedly that was before I adopted my “zoos-are-bad” attitude). You might even say I am a bit of a bird whisperer.
So when I visited an owl cafe, I heard whispers: “this is not a happy place.”

This post was originally published in 2017. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content.

Animal Cafes in Japan

Animal cafes are merely another incantation of a range of themed cafes you’ll find in Japan (namely Tokyo): maid cafes, manga cafes, butler cafes, and more.

The animal cafe craze started in 2004 with cat cafes, then branched out to dog cafes, rabbit cafes, goat cafes, snake cafes, and reptile cafes.

These cafes were initially borne of the desire for busy Tokyoites to enjoy the company of “pets” without the associated responsibility. Many apartments don’t even allow pets, so something like a cat cafe serves a purpose. But as with many things in Tokyo – the land of the outlandish – it went a little too far. (See Also: Akihabara? No Thanks)

Not All Owl Cafes are the Same

Now, not all owl cafes are created equal. Some owl cafes, I later learned, allow the birds full freedom to move around the cafe at will, and/or don’t allow guests to touch them. This was not the case in the cafe I went to. Other cafes may allow petting but regulate it with compulsory “rest times” for the birds (which the cafe I went to may or may not have done). Although you might want nothing more than to snuggle up with an owl, I wonder if they’re simply best left to be admired.

So if you do want to visit an owl cafe in Tokyo (and really, after the whole Harry Potter thing, who can blame you), I suggest you choose carefully.

I read this about owl cafes in an article published on CNN:

It’s tempting to feel a pang of sadness for them — little lines of owl captives — but in reality they don’t look like they give two hoots about their situation.
“They’re imprinted on humans as soon as they hatch,” Yabe tells us. “Humans are the first thing they see so they grow up used to us.”

This is true. The owls I saw didn’t necessarily long for some other kind of life; they’re obviously quite accustomed to humans, and I could see they even had an endearing relationship with the staff at the cafe.

For a curated list of animal cafes in Tokyo that are as ethically run as possible, check out this post.

Devil’s Advocate

Before you berate me for even considering frequenting an owl cafe (as a bunch of people on Facebook and Google did), I urge you to consider the following. Fair warning: if you have pets you won’t like what I have to say.
If you’re going to get all up in arms about owl cafes, I’d suggest you have a closer look at the concept of domestication of animals as a whole.

• Is it ethical to have a cat, rip out their claws, and keep them inside without any of the kinds of freedom or stimulation that their animal instincts still clearly demonstrate they long for?
• Dogs are a species (theoretically) entirely created by humans for domestication, originally bred from wolves. Look at a chihuahua and tell me it’s not a gross departure from the animal it once was.
• And fish. They’re lovely to look at, and studies show that having an aquarium is very therapeutic. But Nemo didn’t think much of his time in captivity.

Yes, this is an extreme argument. But I think it’s necessary to look at our own backyards before pointing a condemning finger at, for example, the owl cafe industry, and/or those who wish to frequent such cafes.

Where is the middle ground? Is there a truly ethical way to keep animals – any animals – in captivity, solely for our own pleasure or even therapy?

I like a cat or dog cuddle as much as the next person, and my house-sitting career is largely dependant on caring for other people’s critters. So I’m not trying to be hypocritical. I’m just putting both sides out there for consideration. You decide where you want to stand on the spectrum.

For me, I went to an owl cafe out of curiosity, and decided I wouldn’t return. But I wouldn’t hold a grudge against anybody else with the same level of curiosity if they were moved to go to one. Just like I don’t condemn people to go to zoos, or have pets. It’s all about choice.

Owl Cafes, Vlog

Check out my own owl cafe experience. I start off very excited, but as you’ll see in the video, everything kind of turns for me, and I leave with a sour taste in my mouth (rightly or wrongly – it’s simply how I felt).

Can’t see this video? Click here to watch it on YouTube.

This post Owl Cafes in Tokyo, Good or Bad? (Vlog Ep. 16) appeared first on The Professional Hobo. Please click through to read it in full!

This post was originally published in 2017. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content. 

During my time in Tokyo, I ran the full gambit of emotions.
I enjoyed the change of pace from the previous three years of living in South America, doing “shaman things”. I loved the friendly Asian culture, and discovering yet another new place, and figuring out how to live (and shop) there. I was blown away by the bizarre and outlandish things that make Tokyo (and to a larger extent, Japan) shine.
And sushi. I ate lots…and lots….and lots…of sushi.
I was also confused (and at times disgusted) by certain aspects of the culture. I was bamboozled by the language. And I was overwhelmed by the number of people.

I recently published a post about Why I Could Never Live in Japan. I didn’t mince my words in making some harsh observations about the Japanese culture that for me, are deal-breakers in choosing Japan as a place to live “forever”.
A number of readers observed that it wasn’t the full picture. They’re right. That post was never meant to give a complete analysis of what it’s like to live in Japan. So today, I’d like to share with you some random observations about Tokyo that hopefully, will give you a slightly more well-rounded sense of why people might choose to – or not to – live in Tokyo.

16 Random Observations About Tokyo

I’ve done these “random observations” articles in a variety of countries (like Switzerland and Grenada for example), and they’re always a hit. Let’s see what you think of these 16 random observations about Tokyo.

Transportation is Expensive, but Effective

…to which you might reply “DUH, Nora! It’s Tokyo!”. Hear me out. I know things like taxis are murderously expensive (I’d heard years ago from afar, that it costs something like $400 to take a taxi from the airport to the city).
But even the trains; the trains that everybody takes every day to and from work, shopping, and play; they’re really expensive. Even more expensive than Switzerland – and Swiss trains aren’t cheap. You pay for the train according the line you ride on, and the distance you travel. So every trip is different. I spent an average of $25 per week on trains, and I only went out a few days a week. It ain’t cheap.

But there’s good news: since public transportation is the way most people in Tokyo get around, it’s everywhere, and everything generally runs on time. Tokyo is one well-connected efficient city.

Local Tip: If you’re coming to Tokyo, get a Suica card right away. You can get them from vending machines at any train station. They cost 500yen (a deposit that’s refunded to you when you turn in the card, minus an admin fee). Charge up the card with cash at any of the same vending machines. When you ride the trains, you simply swipe your Suica card when you enter and leave each train line.

Fruit is Obscene

The cost of fruit makes trains looks cheap. My breakfast of choice in general is a homemade fruit smoothie; packed with whatever is plentiful and locally available wherever I’m living. In Tokyo not only is the variety of selection a little unimpressive, but the price of what’s on offer is ridiculous. $4 for a peach (in season no less!). The same for a bunch of grapes the size of your fist. $10 for a cantaloupe.

And this is just your average fruit. Japan has a culture of gift-giving, and it’s customary to give fruit as presents. But not just any $10 cantaloupe – no, that would be an insult. Instead, you buy beautifully wrapped, obscenely-priced prizes. $50 for a mango. $140 for a melon. Yes, $140 for a melon. I watched a hilarious video made by some Canadian vloggers living in Tokyo, comparing your average $10 melon to a $140 melon – well worth a watch and a laugh.

So needless to say, I didn’t have my usual morning fruit smoothies. I did however, indulge in the cheapest fruit available: $1 grapefruits, kiwis, and mini-nectarines.
For the record, fresh vegetables are cheaper on the whole, but it depends on what you buy.

Local Tip: If you’re a fruitarian, stay far, far away from Tokyo, and probably Japan on the whole.

But Sushi is Cheap

Oh, glorious sushi. Tokyo has been financially redeemed! It’s available everywhere, even in convenience stores. For less than $4 you can get a tuna roll that would fetch double the price in a North American grocery store, and the quality is even better. I regularly stuffed myself to oblivion at sushi train restaurants for under $10 (which was even cheaper and better quality than supermarket sushi). A beautiful bowl of donburi (sushi fish on rice) is regularly around $8. Now, as with many things in Tokyo, the sky is the limit for price; the more you want to spend, the better the quality of sushi you’ll receive.

Local Tip: Find a sushi train restaurant near you, ideally of the MySushiro chain. Although sushi-snobs will tell you it’s on the lower end of the quality scale, my practiced palate didn’t mind. The beauty of sushi train restaurants is that you eat only what you like; and at 100yen ($1) for a plate with two pieces of nigiri, you can’t go wrong. Your bill is tallied by the number of plates on your table at the end of the meal. I was the only non-local at my regular sushi train restaurant, so it’s not just a “touristy” thing.

It’s Super Safe

Considering Tokyo is the most populated metropolitan area in the world, it’s ridiculously safe. I’m writing this in a coffee shop while waiting for my airport bus. I left my luggage and drink unsupervised at my table while I went to the bathroom; not something I’ve ever before considered. As a solo female traveler, I can walk around at night in most areas of Tokyo without worrying. (See also: Traveling Alone as a Woman)

Bicycles are the preferred mode of short-term transportation in Tokyo, especially in the suburbs. Most stores and restaurants have designated (at times extensive) bicycle parking. And although most bicycles are inexpensive cruisers, people don’t generally lock them up. Imagine that.

A reader who used to live in Tokyo wrote this to me: “After the big earthquake there was NO crime; imagine that scenario happening in the U.S., or other places.” Wow! No looting. No crimes of opportunity. I actually can’t imagine that happening in most countries.

Vegetarians: Good Luck

I was warned before arriving that if I were vegetarian (I’m not) I’d have a hard time in Japan. Not only is the cost of fresh produce a bit prohibitive, but keeping a vegetarian diet while eating at restaurants is challenging. Basic staples of Japanese cuisine seem to be fish or meat, and rice or noodles. Vegetables are generally garnish at best.

Local Tip: Shop for what’s seasonally available at major grocery stores, which will have the most variety. For me, it was lots of bok choy, mung bean sprouts, cabbage, carrots, onions, some mushrooms, and the occasional $2 shrub of broccoli.

Medical Care is Good, Cheap, and Fast

I can’t attest to this personally, but more than one American expat pointed this out to me emphatically as an exemplary quality of Tokyo (and Japan). Apparently getting medical insurance is a cinch, and it’s incredibly cost effective. Should you need to actually use the medical system, that too, is efficient and effective.

Buddhism and Shintoism Coexist Peacefully

When I toured Tsukiji Fish Market with a local, we ran across a Shinto shrine. She shared with me a brief history of how Buddhism and Shintoism came to coexist in Japan, and although it wasn’t always peaceful, it now is. Today, you’ll often see Buddhist and Shinto shrines right next to one another in Tokyo. According to an expat reader of mine, together they “lend an air of the love of nature and doing good deeds. Streets are clean, and the countryside is beautiful.”

Garbage Separation is an Art

There is a distinct lack of garbage cans on the streets of Tokyo. If you have something to throw away, you take it home with you and figure out how to get rid of it. There’s a book about how to separate garbage in Tokyo. There are different pick-up days for wet/burnable/organic waste, plastic wrappers, plastic bottles, cans, glass bottles, milk cartons, cardboard, clothes, and more. And don’t screw up, because they won’t take your garbage (it’s in colour-coded transparent bags so you can’t sneak stuff in that doesn’t belong there). I thought the garbage separation process was finicky in Switzerland; Tokyo takes it to a whole new level.

Interestingly, this attention to separation of garbage (and lack of ability to throw things away while you’re out and about) makes for a very clean urban landscape. I didn’t see any litter in Tokyo – the world’s most populated metropolitan area; that’s impressive.

Local Tip: Get somebody to walk you through the garbage separation process; the “garbage guidebook” is all in Japanese, and although there are pictures, it’s not the easiest to understand.

Packaging is Over the Top

For a city so attentive to the separation and recycling of waste, I was mildly horrified at the amount of packaging. First of all, because of the work culture (see below), people don’t often have time to cook their own meals, so buying prepared meals at stores on the way home is common. Almost a quarter of every grocery store is dedicated to such prepared food. Every prepared meal comes in its own plastic container, with a plastic pack (or two, or three) of accompanying sauce. That’s a lot of plastic.

Or maybe you want to get some ramen at the supermarket to make at home. Each ingredient is separately packaged in its own plastic wrap for you to assemble. Maybe you want some cookies or snacks; within the double-wrapped package are more individually wrapped goodies.
And it’s not just food; I bought some underwear. Each pair came double wrapped and hermetically sealed in heavy-duty plastic, with a piece of cardboard in the middle.

I guess all this packaging is a testament to the general sterility and cleanliness of the culture. Which in a place as packed as Tokyo, serves a purpose in not enabling the spread of germs and disease. But when it came to separation of garbage, the most garbage I produced – by far – was plastics. And I don’t honestly know if these plastics are actually recycled at the end of the day.

Local Tip: Be careful what you buy; you can reduce waste by choosing products that aren’t over-packaged. And as tasty as that little plastic bento box to go looks, perhaps you don’t need it.

Toilets are Funny

I’d heard about Japan’s confusing toilets from afar. So the first thing I did on landing in Tokyo was race to the airport washroom to take a picture of the “dashboard” of my toilet. There are buttons for everything, from ambient music (to drown out the sounds of your ablutions), to bidet spray, to “lady” spray, butt dryers, seat heating, and more. Every toilet is different, so make a point of visiting the bathroom in as many places as possible if such things amuse you as much as they did me.
Also, some toilets are squat toilets; a commonality in Asia. They lack dashboard functions though.

Local Tip: Funny story: some expat friends warned me to sit firmly on the toilet when I dare to try these buttons. They had a visiting friend who emerged from a public toilet soaked. He was standing in front of the toilet when he started pushing buttons to see what they did, and ended up learning – first hand – the power of the various spray functions. Don’t be him.

A Culture of Overwork

I discuss this in detail in my post about Why I Could Never Live in Japan. I find Japan’s working culture to be disturbing, with overtime expected and changing jobs frowned upon. There’s a uniquely Japanese term for working yourself to death. There’s also a uniquely Japanese term for leaving work on time, and it’s akin to a miracle. After a highly-publicized suicide that highlighted Japan’s culture of overworking its employees, they implemented “Premium Fridays”, allowing people to leave work early, at 4:30pm. Most people continue to stay late. Although this culture of overwork is likely exaggerated in Tokyo, from what I understand it’s prevalent throughout Japan.

Local Tip: If you’re an expat (or even a local) looking to land a job in Tokyo/Japan, it’s best to work for international companies; they adhere more to international standards and don’t expect the same kinds of hours from their employees.

Stability (of Job AND Home) is Revered

Changing jobs within your first three years out of school is considered taboo, because it labels you an unreliable employee. Moving house too often is also a no-no. Actually it’s financial suicide to move too often; every time you sign a new lease it’s an expensive proposition with costly “gifts” and “deposits” owed to the landlord, much of which you don’t actually ever get back. In fact, there’s a uniquely Japanese term for becoming poor because you move too often.

Local Tip: Many expats who come to live in Japan (the most common of whom are English Teachers) often have housing arranged for them. The school has leases on a number of places to live, so when you move in you’re sub-leasing from them, thus not having to pay these “gifts” and “deposits” to the landlord. As I understand it, if you’re not working for a company that arranges your accommodation, you can find a place to live through a similar company that acts as a landlord and subleases their place to you, again saving all the move-in fees.

Tattoo Taboos

Again in my post about why I could never live in Japan, I indulge in a little rant about how tattoos are taboo in Japan, and how it meant I refused to go to any onsen/sento (public hot springs/baths) for fear of being kicked out or ostracized.
Although this social policy is apparently relaxing, to my eyes it’s not quickly enough, given the upcoming 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. If anything, I guess it will just be mass chaos during the Olympics where anything goes, then Tokyo will return to its antiquated ways.
What shocked me the most was when I went to the Robot Restaurant (more on that soon) – a wonderfully gaudy and touristy place. But right there on the ticket, they stated clearly that people with visible tattoos would not be allowed in.

Local Tip: If you can, dress in a way that covers your tattoos. Most people dress pretty conservatively in Japan anyway (eg: spaghetti straps and flip flops are uncommon). And if you can’t (or won’t) cover up your tattoos, wear ’em loud and proud. Just don’t expect to blend in, and don’t be surprised if you get the odd dirty look.

It’s a Fashion Show

Every single time I left the house, I was impressed by how well put together people in Tokyo are. The people-watching opportunities are everywhere; Tokyo is not just about Harajuku Girls and cosplay either. There are many styles on the street, many of them understated and classy. Other styles are fresh and flirty. Both men and women are consistently well-coordinated and accessorized. I guess all this “girl power” stuff (I didn’t think much of the Japanese interpretation of “girl power”) pays off in producing a generally pretty population.

People are Honest

I never worried about being scammed in Tokyo. I guess honesty goes hand-in-hand with the general level of safety. In many cultures, a foreigner who doesn’t speak the language and is a total fish out of water (as I was in Tokyo) is a prime target for scams, large and small. Although I guess I’ll never know if I got scammed, I can pretty safely assume I didn’t.

It’s All About Your Blood Type

“What is your blood type?” is a common first-date question in Japan, and apparently much of Asia. Compatibility and personality profiling is judged not by your astrological sign or numerology, but rather, your blood type. It’s a big thing. There are some Japanese traditional festivals that involve buying little plaques and writing your wish on them. Instead of writing in your own wish, you can actually search pre-made plaques by blood type and find a wish that suits your (stereotypical blood type) desires.

Local Tip: Uh. I’m lost for words. Don’t date in Japan unless you know your blood type, I guess??

Random Observations About Tokyo: Conclusion

Before arriving to Japan, I expected Tokyo to be over the top. And it was. Years ago, after a friend showed me a crazy anime movie set in Tokyo, I coined a phrase that became a silly go-to among my group of friends: “Tokyo is years ahead of us in nonsense”.
And while Tokyo is certainly ahead of western countries on many levels (not the least of which is technologically), it’s also steeped in what we in the west would call antiquated ways. This juxtaposition of futuristic and antiquated is one of the most culturally bizarre phenomenons I’ve ever experienced.

Its been a while since I’ve been in Asia; perhaps I forgot how jarring the culture shock can be. This was also my first time in Asia totally solo, which likely exacerbated my feeling like a fish out of water. Cap it off with a transition from Andean mountaintop to Tokyo skyline, and it’s no wonder I suffered a “crisis of dislike” with the place.
But I’m not giving up on Asia (I’m currently settling in Bali for a month or two), nor am I giving up on Japan or Tokyo; in fact I just might return to the same house-sitting gig next summer. Sucker for punishment, or open-minded? We’ll just have to wait and see.

History of Japan: A Short Movie

Shortly after arriving in Japan, I saw this little animated movie, which was simultaneously the most educational and entertaining nine minutes I’ve experienced in recent memory. I highly recommend watching this; I found it culturally and historically enlightening.

Click here to watch this on YouTube

Where to Stay in Tokyo and Japan

Open your wallets to the possibilities of accommodation in Tokyo! It’ll cost you, but the transportation is ridiculously efficient.

Things to do in Tokyo

There is no end of amazing activities to take part in in Tokyo alone, much less Japan as a whole! Click below to get started in planning your trip to Tokyo.

This post 16 Random Observations About Tokyo, and Survival Tips appeared first on The Professional Hobo. Please click through to read it in full!

This post was originally published in 2017. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content.

When I arrived to my house-sitting gig, the homeowners were gracious enough to leave me with maps, guidebooks, and a few recommendations. Among their recommendations was an okonomiyaki restaurant they said I simply must try. Although they didn’t mark it out on one of the many maps they left for me, they did leave me with a business card.

So when I met up with my friend Tim of Spirited Travelpreneur (who I originally met in Ecuador), I suggested we eat at this restaurant.
Finding the place wasn’t nearly as easy as you might think. My navigational skills are normally top-notch, but the business card was in Japanese, and given that many streets in Japan don’t actually have names, googling the address was far from an exact science. Thus when I googled the address it showed me a location quite a few blocks from where the restaurant was actually located, which started us on our wild goose chase.

So, it took us a very (very) long time to find the restaurant. While we were aimlessly wandering, I turned on the camera and chatted with Tim about some of the culinary experiences he’s had in Japan.
We chatted about the thing Tim has eaten the most since arriving in Japan (hint: there are 21,000 of these restaurants in Tokyo alone).
We also discussed wagyu beef in Japan, and how I happen to know that this Japanese food isn’t actually Japanese.
Then we went on a tangent about coffee, and why Vietnamese coffee is the best ever (even better than Colombian coffee in my opinion).

When we finally did find the okonomiyaki restaurant, we were rewarded with a delightful experience of watching our server prepare it in front of us on the hot plate that was our table.

Searching for Okonomiyaki

Check out this video of our wandering chats, as well as the preparation of a most delightful lunch.

Can’t see this video? Click here to watch it on YouTube.

Okonomiyaki Information

Since the video actually has very little to do with okonomiyaki itself, here is some more information about this very traditional Japanese dish:

It is known in English as Japanese pancakes or Japanese pizza. In reality, okonomiyaki bears little resemblance to either pancakes or pizza, but is tough to describe any other way. Literally translated, okonomiyaki means “how you like” and “grilled”. The “how you like” refers to the variety of toppings and ingredients you can have in/on your okonomiyaki, which is grilled on a hot plate.
Some restaurants prepare the okonomiyaki for you (at your table if you go to a place that has hot plate tables, as we did), and other restaurants simply bring you all the ingredients for you to grill it yourself (which, depending on how much sake you imbibe in the process, can make for an interesting culinary experience).

Okonomiyaki originated in Osaka, and was later adapted in Hiroshima. So depending on where you go, you can get Osaka okonomiyaki or Hiroshimayaki. Okonomiyaki restaurants can be found all over Japan, and I believe most serve the dish Osaka-style.

The restaurant we ate at is called Nanban Tei, which has three locations in Tokyo; the one we visited is located about a two-minute walk from Higashi-Koganei train station, where we ironically started our search an hour prior to actually finding the place.
They make an (uncharacteristic) square okonomiyaki, and cook it in front of you at your hot-plate-table.

Despite the long search for this restaurant (hint: it’s right under the train tracks), the search was well worth it, and if you visit Japan, I highly recommend a traditional okonomiyaki experience at a restaurant where they cook it in front of you.

Want more Tokyo Adventures? You’ll want to check out: 

Tokyo’s Robot Restaurant: The Greatest Show Ever

16 Random Observations About Tokyo, and Survival Tips

Akihabara? No Thanks! 

Tsukiji Fish Market

Dancing in Kimonos at New Bon Odori

This post Searching for Okonomiyaki in Japan (Vlog Ep. 15) appeared first on The Professional Hobo. Please click through to read it in full!

This post was originally published in 2017 . It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content.

Shopping in Tokyo, Part 1: Department Stores

Part 1 of my shopping in Tokyo vlog (below) is about perusing the aisles of Ito-Yokado, a well-known department store chain in Japan. It’s actually part of the 7-11 franchise (known as Seven & i) – which is far, far, very far from being the convenience store it is in most other countries.

It’s apparently akin to a Target shopping experience in the U.S., except, as with most things in Japan, it isn’t a large-footprint monstrosity (there’s not enough land for such things), but rather a multi-floor monstrosity. It offers a bit of everything from clothes to music to cleaning supplies to beauty products to household goods to music, and more. The prices are reasonable (well, as reasonable as prices can be in Japan), and the selection is wide.

I love the sporadic use of English on Japanese products. Consistently, things get just a wee bit lost in translation.

Shopping in Tokyo, Part 2: Supermarket

Now this is where the shopping in Tokyo gets real. I can spend hours in supermarkets, and today was no exception. I wandered around and around, gawking at products, prices, and produce. Buns filled with chicken teriyaki, over-priced cheese, a vast array of things I couldn’t identify, and fruit. The most beautifully presented immaculate fruit in the world, priced accordingly. ($5 a peach, you say? Bring it on).

Oh yeah, and sushi. Lots, and lots, and lots, of sushi.

Adventures Shopping in Tokyo, Vlog Ep. 14

Check out my shopping adventures at Ito-Yokado. If you find yourself in Japan, don’t forget to squeeze some shopping adventures into your own itinerary. You won’t regret it.

Can’t see this video? Watch it on YouTube here.

This post Adventures Shopping in Tokyo (Vlog Ep. 14) appeared first on The Professional Hobo. Please click through to read it in full!

Before I published this post, I ran the ideas below by some expat friends. I wanted them to tell me I was off my rocker, and to give me a different perspective. Instead they said “Nora, we would really like to tell you you’re wrong. But how on earth did you figure all this out in just a month?!”

That’s just what I do.

You Might Also be Interested In:
I Visited the Robot Restaurant (cuz Anthony Bourdain Told me To)
Visiting Tsukiji Fish Market
Harmonica Alley in Kichijoji: A Slice of the Past
12 Truths About Travel…and Life (as Gleaned from 12 Years on the Road)

This post was originally published in 2017, and has since been updated for accuracy of links and content.

Disclaimer

Before going further and risking a backlash from people in love with and/or living in Japan outside of Tokyo, it’s worth noting that I’ve spent the majority of my two Japanese months in and around Tokyo. I understand that Tokyo is not an accurate representation of Japan as a whole, and it may or may not be the best place to live in Japan. At the very least, Tokyo is not the only face of Japan.

Why didn’t I see other parts of Japan as well, then? Because I can’t conquer every country I visit. I’m not on an endless vacation. I have work to do every day (and a kitty cat to take care of – which is the reason I’m here to begin with). If I’d made time to see Kyoto as well, I’d have been berated for not also seeing the north. And if I’d done that as well, I’d have been berated for not seeing Okinawa. The rabbit hole of travel runs deep. So I just do what I can, where I am.

Although some might think two months is a long time to spend somewhere, it’s not. I suspect I could spend a lifetime discovering Tokyo alone, let alone Japan as a country. This is simply my impression of the place given my time here, and some of the “dealbreakers” that mean Japan is not a place I believe I’ll ever want to call “home”. I believe my observations below are not just isolated to Tokyo, either.

Reason #1 Why I Could Never Live in Japan: Girl Power (or Not)

In the West, we define Girl Power as that of a woman’s independence, empowerment, control of her life, and expression of femininity in a courageous and still flirtatious way. Although I would never have called myself a raging feminist, seeing the attitude towards women in Japan has made me reconsider my stance.

This picture above is a very prevalent ad on the subway. With this sort of slogan, you’d think it’s for something empowering to women. Instead, it’s for a hair removal product. Because Japanese women apparently like to embrace their “Girls Power” by ensuring their arms are hair-free. It’s part of a whole cultural movement encouraging Japanese women to be pretty, and “feminine” in the most delicate (and labourious) of ways.

After spotting the Girls Power ad, I started taking pictures of humourous (to me) mis-uses of the English language. This little ditty above (“Feeling happy and pretty thanks to my favourite makeup and my best little friend”) is on a pair of underwear. Never mind who – or what – her “best little friend” is supposed to be(!); she’s feeling happy because of her favourite makeup???

Then, I started to realize these slogans aren’t actually the unintentional mistakes I originally thought them to be. This, on the packaging for a whole line of makeup accessories: “Good make-up goods will make you happier and cute.”

I connected the dots and realized that “Girl Power” means something completely different in Japan. I learned that the Japanese translation for “girl power” is joshiryoku; which carries a very different connotation and definition of women’s empowerment than we in the West are used to. It has much more to do with being a good cook, acting demurely, looking and smelling good, etc.

Although I enjoy cooking, and I’d like to think I look and smell pretty good, I’m definitely not happy because of my favourite make-up.

Reason #2 Why Living in Japan Isn’t For Me: Exploitation of Women

In the article above about joshiryoku, it outlines the top five qualities that both Japanese women – and men – attribute to this definition. The men’s top five were Good looks, Good skin, Wearing make-up well, Fashionable and knowing the latest beauty trends, and Smells good. All physical characteristics, and pretty judgemental and superficial ones if you ask me.

In my vlog last week about visiting Akihabara, I had a rude awakening that ties in with this whole Japanese Girl Power ideology. Please do click through to read my harsh conclusions and watch my bewildering video (which you’ll find amusing if nothing else).

My rude awakening surrounded the graphic and at times vile exploitation of women (and let’s get it right – more like little girls) in anime and video games. Now, I’m all for some racy content in the right context, but this stuff was everywhere, for adults and children, women and men to see and use like it’s just another day. Exit any one of these stores and walk down the street and you’ll be approached by women in a slutty maid outfits trying to lure you into their “maid cafes” – a place where people (mostly men) go to be doted on by scantily clad women in an over-the-top cutesy-pie (dare I say “little girl”??) manner.

Even if this exploitation isn’t an accurate depiction of the overall attitude towards women in Japan, the fact that it exists to even this extent is horrifying to me. And in the article, I directly link this culture of exploitation to the outrageous number of assaults on women on trains, the current favourite tactics of men being to grab (or at least take pictures) underneath women’s skirts. (I read that 2/3 of women have been groped on trains in Japan). I could be wrong, but for me, it’s no coincidence.

“But Nora,” you might say, “there’s another neighbourhood in Tokyo that’s just for women, with butler cafes.” Yes there is, and I haven’t been there so I can’t speak to the matter directly. But I’ll bet there isn’t a whole anime culture showing young boys in tight bulging underwear, and women certainly are not being arrested every year by the thousands for grabbing men’s crotches on trains. So as far as I’m concerned, it’s not the same. At best, it’s a response to and rebellion against the rampant exploitation of women.

The #3 Reason Not to Live in Japan: Work Culture

Although even if I lived here it wouldn’t be with an intent to work in the traditional workforce, I balk at the working culture in Japan and its ramifications on society. Heck, I balk at the working culture in North America, which is nothing in comparison to Japan.

There is a uniquely Japanese term for working yourself to death. Overtime is expected, despite the fact that studies show working longer hours does not equate to more productivity, and Japan is in fact known for its gross inefficiency. Overtime is simply an expectation, and part of the Japanese business culture. Throw in a requirement to stay at your first job out of school for at least three years (so as not to brand yourself as an “unreliable” employee), and you get suicides. Literally. In 2016 there was a famous suicide attempt by a young woman who was overworked and felt trapped in her job, just two years out of school. In response to this event, Japan invoked “Premium Fridays”; a policy allowing people to leave work early….at 4:30. Apparently most people still continue to stay late. There’s another uniquely Japanese term about leaving work on time, and it’s likened to a miracle.

That isn’t it. It gets worse.

An expat friend of mine shared a story about an English student of hers (a Japanese fellow) who confessed that he was worried about how to hide his recent engagement from his boss. Because apparently, when an employer learns of anything in the employee’s life that might distract them from work, they’ll commonly transfer them to another part of the country, or another country entirely. Many a family have been broken up this way – or at least separated during the workweek.

Oh wait. There’s more.

Employers require annual health checks of their employees. That in itself doesn’t sound bad, right? Unfortunately what the employers do with the results of said health checks is a bit of a grey area. For example, if they discover that your health is questionable, you’ll likely get passed up for that promotion you’re due for in favour of somebody in better health. While I totally understand why an employer would want to ensure their top-level employees are in top-notch health, there’s still something about the concept that feels wrong to me. Like an invasion of privacy. Then again, North American employers often do health checks and/or apparently access employee health records without their permission; at least the Japanese are up front about it.

There are theories that this culture of overworking and being “owned” by employers is in part what has inspired the over-the-top and often seedy outlets for people to vent some steam; anime and manga, maid and butler cafes, slot machines and pachinko parlours, and the full range of kink subculture that I didn’t dare explore.

Considering I sold everything I owned to escape the “rat race” in the first place and embrace my lifestyle dreams, it would be all too ironic (and even hypocritical) if I chose to create a home base in Japan with a culture such as this.

It’s not just me. Add all the above three reasons not to move to Japan together, and you get this brilliant article on the Economist about sexism in Japan and how nobody is served by it.

Reason #4 Why Not to Live in Japan: Taboo Tattoos

I have tattoos, big ones, and I’m proud of them. They each mean something very dear to me, and (I think) they’re pretty to look at. But in Japanese culture tattoos are very much taboo, and still today are considered a sign of connection to the yakuza (Japanese gangsters).

I’ve been told that an essential traditional Japanese cultural experience is visiting the onsen (hot springs) and/or sento (public baths). Problem is, it’s hit or miss as to whether they’ll kick you out when you get naked to enter the baths and are found to have tattoos. More often than not, you’ll get kicked out, or at least you’ll offend the other bathers who will leave.

And quite frankly, I’m not interested in taking the risk.

Such a judgemental close-minded attitude is offensive to me. That’s all. And although the prevailing sentiment is that this attitude towards tattoos is changing, it depends on who you talk to as to whether it truly is.

Dear Japan: It’s Not You, It’s Me.

There are other things that irk me about Japan, which contribute to the overall sense of why I could never live in Japan. But to be honest, they’re either too subjective or not worth mentioning.

But I will say that this “crisis of dislike” I experienced with Japan is also part of a somewhat normal course of events for me – and I suspect for many – in visiting/living somewhere new.

When I arrive, I love the place. Everything is new! The food is great. The smells are different. The people are friendly. The scenery is majestic. It’s magic. I want to live there forever.

And then, as I settle into daily life and dig around a bit culturally, I often start to see the ugly underbelly of the place (and trust me, every place has one). It always happens; in some places it just takes a while longer for a variety of reasons, and in some cases it’s easier to take the bad with the good. But depending on how bad “the bad” is, I start to change my stance.

Eventually, it’s time to go, and this change in stance helps me to justify moving on. As I’m about to do from Japan very shortly. It’s almost like a defence mechanism.

But more than that, it’s about context. If I hadn’t have visited Akihabara and been so affected by the exploitation of women/girls, maybe I’d have continued to find these quaint little translated expressions about favourite makeup and hair removal cream to simply be funny or whimsical.

It’s why I’m always loath to answer the question what is your favourite place in the world. I should love Japan; I certainly thought I would. And I still do, in my own way. It’s just that I could never live here and not feel that I’m compromising some part of myself and my culture that, to me, is uncompromisable.

Where to Stay in Japan

Assuming I haven’t scared you off of visiting Japan, and assuming you don’t have a house-sitting gig lined up, you’ll need to find a place to stay! Make sure you’ve got some cash in the travel budget for this expense! When searching for accommodation deals, I turn to Booking.com. Check it out below! (I will receive a small commission on anything you book through them. It doesn’t affect your price, and I stand by my recommendations. Thanks in advance for your support!)

Things to Do in Tokyo

Two months in Tokyo was barely enough to scratch the surface of the place; much less the rest of the country! Browse below for inspiration:

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