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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Historical_Corgi77 on 2023-09-01 13:52:43.

TRULY the only date available for us. In our social circles, we’re basically the only ones who’ve never been to Japan, and everyone was going “nooo you’ll melt, it’s worse than it is here [Southeast Asia]!”. Perhaps our friends are simply too rich and haven’t spent a summer not abroad in a tad too long, or perhaps we’ve maxed out our heat-resistance skill trees from how we spend every summer home, because the weather was just identical to us, if not a bit cooler at times. Perfectly bearable heat.

I’m from Southeast Asia, so what I find bearable may not be what you find so (idk what’s wrong with the ppl I know irl), and my norms may not be yours, so keep that in mind while reading this report. I did a lot of research online, including on this sub (this is my way of giving back lol), and here’s what I found to be true and not so true:

True (in my brief experience in Tokyo):

  • Trashcans are EXTREMELY scarce.
  • Stand on the left and walk on the right on escalators—I kinda stressed constantly about which direction was aligned with left or right, too, in various places (aware I get too easily stressed).
  • Saying the English loan words in a Japanese accent can help.
  • Preparing the Japanese names of locations/having google maps in Japanese was indeed a good (required) step to take (for taxi-drivers to read). Google Translate is helpful for plenty.
  • Those money trays.
  • Half true; many places do only take cash, but cards aren’t as useless as some make them sound.

False (in my BRIEF experience in Tokyo):

  • Talking on trains is forbidden; on every train, there were locals talking; wasn’t uncommon for them to be shockingly loud/laughing heartily. Nobody paid them any mind, and I hope my mask obscured my surprise. One train did say “no talking on the phone”; I saw a local talking on the phone. I’m not saying talk on trains because of these possible rebels, I stayed silent myself, but don’t be anxious about HAVING to stay 100% mute as I initially was. Act normal, and go for 90%. For worriers to know, y’know.
  • Most locals wear masks; should you accidentally drop your mask / get it dirty, no one will care and you’ll blend in without it. Please stay safe and wear a mask regardless, even if no one else is doing it.
  • Serving portions are small; I found them to be bigger than usual sometimes! Guess people are overly stingy with their resources where I’m from. Note: a take-home food container typically isn’t an option, so know your limits and finish your food.
  • Food is very salty; it’s possible this is true and I eat too salty, take my opinions with a grain of salt.
  • The heat I already mentioned; dunno if I was just lucky and it’s normally hotter, if people just like exaggerating, or if we all have higher heat tolerance than I knew.

My family prefers sleeping in and so my plans of getting up at the crack of dawn never come to fruition, and in general, we’re never minmaxers with vacations. My mom calls us The Addams Family not because we look gothic, but for less flattering reasons, many of which are our unorthodox ways of traveling. But! We still had fun. I planned this trip and I’ve never planned trips.

I’ve also never done trip reports or made a long post on Reddit, and I typed this on mobile, so sorry for typos and formatting!

28 July: Arrival, Kawaguchiko Music Forest Museum

  • Scenic area and we saw Mt Fuji, which was quickly obscured by clouds so we were incredibly lucky. Good museum, and unless you hate loud noise and mildly off-key sounding tunes, you should totally insert ¥100 into the doctored transparent piano music box at the restaurant. This place is Western-European and Titanic-themed, and has organs (the instrument, not what’s inside you) and antique music boxes!
  • 2-3 hours should be ideal, we unfortunately came a little too close to closing and had to rush it. Very nice environment, and a must for music box lovers. You can rent out princess-y dresses, too, but it’s likely expensive (only saw one person in one).
  • Food: pricey, average taste, just okay presentation; when I was there they were selling CREMIA, which I 100% recommend if you love milky ice cream!
  • ¥1800 (¥1600 for university students and younger), free parking.

29 July: Kaneko-Hannosuke, Exploring Shibuya, Square Enix Cafe

Kaneko-Hannosuke: Waited an hour, and the serving size of their only dish was bursting with precariously balanced food. Equal amount of tourists and locals that day. We packed the leftovers with our own tissue and plastic bags. Tasted great, or at least I assume as I don’t normally ever eat tempura but did so for the experience, as my sister is a fan.

Hachiko: And I’m a fan of The World Ends With You (TWEWY: game that takes place in Shibuya). You can photograph Hachiko anytime, but there’s a lengthy line to pose with Hachiko, in spite of the heat. Luckily, it’s not difficult to find a window of time to photograph just Hachiko without a stranger next to him. There’s also a neat mural.

Shibuya Scramble Crossing & SHIBUYA109: It is just a crossing, but I’m a TWEWY fan so leave me alone. 109 is just an old and unremarkable mall, but I’m a TWEWY fan so leave me alone. Plenty of cute stuff in 109, and they’re selling not just tons of anime stuff, but really any famous merchandise from all over (Genshin, Friends, Disney, Harry Potter, etc.).

Shibuya PARCO: Went there for the Nintendo Store on the 6th floor. Crowded, got shoved left and right. The line to enter the Nintendo Store was by far the longest—the others, such as the Jump Store or the Pokémon Center, you could waltz in and out of freely.

  • According to online sources, you can get free Nintendo tickets by PARCO’s Spain Hill entrance on busy days like these, but I’m not sure if this is still the case. As we were about to leave, Nintendo staff started shouting and rearranging the line, and my mom wandered outside (still on the 6th floor), where a lone Nintendo staff member had spawned—utterly alone—and gave her a free ticket with a smile. Thus, we got in without a wait, as the ticket was for 3PM, the current time. The store didn’t have any interesting merchandise to me, so it’s a skip if you’re just a casual Nintendo fan, but I didn’t hate it.

We also ran into a Disney Store while exploring Shibuya (didn’t get anything). Inconveniently designed stairwell, but an otherwise okay store. I unfortunately have forgotten the names of the remaining locations we went to in Shibuya…

ARTNIA Square Enix Cafe: Eorzea is known to be cooler, but I’ve never played FFXIV nor do I want to battle with reserving seats, so Artnia was my choice. Getting to it was a calming and short walk from the Higashi-Shinjuku Station. The café is by SE’s HQ, and the environment is tranquil, with barely any people despite google maps claiming “busier than ever”. Small spot, very expensive merchandise. If you love FF7 this is super cool, and if you like SE’s famed games in general, this is alright-cool. If you only like the less famous FF/SE games, there’s nothing there for you .

  • Food: Rather pricey and average, but the buster sword made for a decent chocolate bar. It’s also “themed”, so even if the taste isn’t special, it’s a unique presentation, so I liked it!

30 July: Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, Ghibli Museum, exploring Kichijōji

Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum: The museum is hot during this time, being open-air, but they provide umbrellas and tickets are cheap. I expected more from people complimenting it here, but it wasn’t terrible. If you can’t handle the heat, don’t come in summer—by 10AM, the speakers started warning people to be wary of heat stroke; wasn’t that bad for me, though. 6/10 experience. 4/10 if you factor in my high expectations, but that’s not the museum’s fault (it’s mine). Really rushed this in over 2 hours.

Ghibli Museum: I was shoved to death here, but maybe I have a shovable demeanor (not a scary big guy). Rule-breakers run free regardless of age, though due to the vocal register of young children, their voices cut through more than their older counterparts, whom are more prone to sneaking photos lawlessly. I witnessed three Japanese visitors (two separate incidents) employing mild violence to ensure they got seats at Straw Hat Cafe, and one would have given my mother a concussion had she not dodged a chair as the perpetrator passed by swinging one (with no apologies). Rude behavior is distributed evenly by all nationalities here. <3

  • The food is below average and pricey. My sister wanted to eat, so we got lunch here, but you’re better off eating at your local McDonald’s. The food is not Ghibli-themed and the presentation is McDonald’s.
  • The Museum itself is beautiful, although your viewing experience is occasionally interrupted by light savagery; if you’re a Ghibli fan, it’s worth it. It’s frequently mentione…

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