Tokyo layover experience: 19 hours in Japan

How did we end up there?

As I mentioned in my previous article, we left home in BC, Canada to spend some time in Vietnam during the shoulder season at home, when our village feels almost like a ghost town.

We intentionally chose a flight with a long layover in Tokyo– about 19 hours.

By the time we landed we were dead tired. The flight was long and we barely got the chance to stretch our legs and our backs the entire time. So we really needed to lie down and get some sleep!

Our hotel room was so tiny but it had all we needed. The space was so thoughtfully designed that despite the size, we felt comfortable and even impressed.

The excursion

Jet lag or excitement or maybe both woke us up at 4 AM. We tried to fall back asleep, but failed, so hit by excitement, we headed out at 5.

It was a chilly and windy morning. We walked in the half-asleep neighborhood. We met many young boys and girls who probably were just getting back home after partying. We also met some bikers hurrying somewhere and some early risers heading somewhere. It was a Saturday so I cannot say if they were going to work with certainty.

Why many around me want to go to Japan and how it affected me

I haven't been to Japan and I know that during the past years it has been a hot destination, at least in North America. Everyone around me's first favourite destination has been Japan, with no exception. And I don't know why.

Since many people are talking about it I got curious too. I wanted to know why it is becoming a hot destination even though apparently the Japanese locals are not happy about the increased tourism in their country and are looking at tourists as an unpleasant nuisance.

It might sound ridiculous but I don't mind sharing it. For me the interest in having this layover in Tokyo was first because everyone around me dreamed of going there or had already been there, and second because I have heard that Japanese are so respectful at least to themselves (not necessarily very happy with the tourists).

Anyway the decision has been made and now we are in Tokyo. Now it was 5 am and even though my brain was about 30% off, I wanted to use the remaining 10 hours to discover some facts about Japanese culture by myself.

My perception of Tokyo based on 19-hour stay with a brain at 70% capacity

Well, time now to share my personal experience of Japan and how it matched or mismatched with my pre-existing mindset.

Expectation:In my head, they would look at us with eyes like "what are you doing here? Get back home.” Then roll their eyes once seeing us.

Experience:I didn't experience any eye rolling or “what are you doing here” look. In fact, I found a kind of a curiosity in their eyes while they were making eye contact. I need to add that most Japanese were not looking at others while walking, but my super curious eyes caught their short sneaky evaluative looks (but no eye rolling). Also I need to say that Gab and I stayed in a non-tourist area. During our 10-hour walk, we probably saw a handful of non-Japanese. So I am not sure if their reaction is the same in touristic areas

Expectation: I thought Japanese were cold to non-Japanese and non communicative.

Experience: I was somehow wrong. In one experience, someone walking toward us had a smile on his face and looked me in the eyes, I looked away unconsciously. I think because I didn't want to be disrespectful by looking him in the eyes but I think I ended up looking like an anti-social person.

In another encounter, we got into a restaurant, all Japanese, both owners and clients. We were ordering from the machine and it was probably obvious that we were trying to understand how to communicate with that machine … There was one client enjoying his ramen and looking at us with smiling eyes (smiling eyes are different from smiling lips if that makes sense.

We were still busy making the order when he finished his ramen, passed by us and said something in Japanese while looking at me. Since he was smiling I was sure that he didn't find us annoying. I said “Pardon me?” and he said in 20% English, 80% Japanese that the food here is really good. Oh! That was sweet!

Expectation: I thought Japanese do not like to communicate with those that do not speak Japanese. I have read stories about some non-Japanese workers who experienced not very welcoming behavior from fellow Japanese at work. I mean I understand them. This is their country and they come first probably. So no offense.

Experience: I was getting more curious. As I had received some non hostile and even welcoming eye contacts during the day so I wanted more direct contacts. Just some exchanged words. But I only know a few words in Japanese, I know how to say “thank you so much", “bye”, “yes” and the number ” seven” (which I learnt randomly).

So when the urge for contact grew, I used Google Translate. Google translated my text into Japanese and I pressed the pronunciation button so it could say it out loud. I was ready to get one of those looks saying “Ok, that’s not fun”. But I was surprised to see their reaction. Not only did I not get any of those looks, but I realized they were happy to help.

Some extra notes

1. I am sure that some people have different experiences, more or less welcoming. Maybe the area we were staying in was not representative of Tokyo as a whole. It might reflect just one type of local community, with its own social dynamics and background.

2. When we arrived from my -5°C city to Tokyo’s 20°C daytime temperature, I did not have any clothes appropriate for that temperature. So I purchased some clothes from a Japanese chain shop and I ended up getting some Japanese-style clothes. Also I think my eye shape looks slightly Japanese so maybe I didn't stand out that much.

3. Gab, my partner, is a cute white blue-eyed man who tends to attract attention. So maybe his presence beside me would make a difference ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anyhow, these are all speculations. I am not sure about any of my hypotheses. I am just happy to weave some mental stories for myself.

Last words

I loved my experience. I know, however, that I experienced Tokyo, as a tourist who had nothing to do, except eat and drink and forget about the life challenges for one day and not as a Japenese fellow who was biking hurriedly in that cold chilly morning to get to the work, or running in the street to catch the metro to get to the work on time, or not from the point of view of a Japanese fellow who had their ramen in 7 minutes just to rush to work soon after and spend that beautiful sunny day in the enclosed office.

I know my experience was not representative of the real Tokyo and maybe poetic. But I prefer keeping it as it is. I know that down the way, it would lead to this article that filled me with joy as I wrote it 🙂

Talk later.