Nihon ga daisukidesu

Plus a 90 ish shots of sake salute

Oct 14, 2025

Top of mind

It feels like I’ve both been here forever and not been here long enough. Honestly though I think I’m ready for the next thang. I’m sitting next to my well worn* jeans reflecting on the last 2 weeks and damn! I did a ton of good shit. I had this idea earlier this week of doing some superlatives for the trip, but I think I’m gonna wait until later to write all that out.

I think my favorite things - in a general way - about Japan has been how intentional everything’s been. Of course you wear your bag in front of you on the train so you don’t bump into people. Of course all the toilets are heated and come with a white noise speaker to add privacy. The food, the clothing, the attitudes, all of it feels like it hits that same space of “we’re doing this because we ourselves are passionate”, which often coincides with “this is fucking awesome”.

I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it all later once I get back.

Also, I jaywalked across a one way street and this guy shot me the dirtiest look.

10/12

I’ve definitely overpacked even despite keeping the shopping and browsing light on my last day. Hit up the last Pokemon center in Tokyo so I never have to do that again and this one was particularly cursed by means of it being the most concentrated of the trip. Stopped by one of my favorite Brooklyn spots** which has a pretty large storefront in Tokyo for some locally made hat and mittens because I have a hunch it will be colder where I’m going next. Per a recommendation from my Aunt and another silly substack I pay for, I hit up a second hand store specializing in designer labels**** and right when I thought to myself “I wouldn’t wear any of this”, I stumbled upon a Yohji Yamamoto Y’s for Men corduroy shirt in a color I’ve been pondering (maroon) with some nice details and a decent price that fit me quite nicely IMO.

Shibuya visits count: 3-4.

I then killed the afternoon with Chris (cousin) and some friends for sake tasting (see below) followed by a final hoorah bath at the hotel.

What I ate

The complimentary Muji breakfast is both very tasty and incredibly Muji. Yes, most of the food I ate is in fact items you can purchase at the shop and no, I did not eat shirts and aroma diffuser oil for breakfast.

The rumors are true. I did in fact drink about 90 different types of sake in the span of 2 hours. It was served via little droppers, about a quarter shot each, so according to Chris (cousin) and his friend (professional math person) we had around 20 full shots of around 10% alcohol, which is say like, 2 drinks worth? It sounds less impressive this way but trust it was certainly no easy feat (because I didn’t eat lunch beforehand).

I should mention that Chris, Ayano (Chris’s partner and my friend), and Camden (Chris’s friend) all speak fluent Japanese. So it was particularly impressive seeing them drink sake and discuss the flavors with the brewers and owners, while I drank with minimal observations beyond “this tastes like the last one” and “this is good! (points to drink and speaks to a Japanese person).”

I have a special fondness for establishments on another floor that isn’t on the ground level. It feels extra special, snaking around narrow stairways or tiny elevators that open up to what is often a unique and memorable experience. And the dinner we had together this evening was no exception. We went to a teppanyaki restaurant, a repeated staple for the trip which I believe translates to “grilled food” - this time at a DIY grill spot (exciting!) and Chef Ayano (featuring support from Chris) prepared for the table okonomiyaki (kind of like a stuffed scallion pancake) and monjayaki, which was like nothing I’ve ever eaten before: we got it with cheese, miso, and meat with cabbage so it kiiinda was like poutine topping? In that it would absolutely slap on top of some french fries.

We wrapped the day with this local craft beer spot*** - this British guy opened a spot for making kegs of British beer (re: “I love doing _____”) and has a small window the sixze of a telephone booth where you can get little pints. We 4 cheers’d over porters and red ales, discussing classic rock bands and fermenting processes and last call’d at 8.

Family Mart haul: Likely the last major haul unless I can scheme before the airport, I grabbed some hot window spicy fried chicken (and this one was pretty good), pizza bun, 3 ice creams (orange cream, yuzu white chocolate sandwich, and a sesame?? red bean miso thingy) and a fibe mini to wrap.

What’s next

It’s National Sports Day here so everyone has off and stores are TBD open. My flight isn’t until 8 so I’ve got the rest of the morning into early ish afternoon before I need to head to the airport. 3rd laundry done ✅. I am 95% packed and hotel checkout is in 30 minutes.

Surprise! I’m going to New Zealand from here for a week and a half. We’ll see how exhausted I am tomorrow.

Arigato gozaimasu ✌️