Konichiva! This year I fulfilled another big travel dream. I visited one of the most beautiful countries in the world – the land of the rising sun. Japan. We planned the trip in the fall, created our own itinerary and counted down the days until we left until the dream day finally arrived. After a nearly twelve-hour flight with a two-hour layover in Beijing, we found ourselves at Narita Airport, which is about three-quarters of an hour’s drive from Tokyo. A pre-booked taxi was waiting for us, which I appreciated very much at that moment. I was incredibly tired after the flight and the jet lag was starting to get to me, in Slovakia it is eight/nine hours less than in Tokyo, depending on the winter/summer time. We threw our bags into our rooms, which were one meter by one meter with an exclusive view of the wall of a building that stood two meters from our hotel. Yes, it’s true, they have really tiny apartments in Japan. My biggest fear was the toilets. TOTO, the most famous brand, produces modern weccas with integrated bidets and features we can’t even dream of here. My problem? I was afraid I’d push the wrong button and disaster would happen, or I wouldn’t know which button to flush with. Luckily, with the exception of one restaurant, I’ve handled every toilet with flying colors. So much for this convoluted problem that I dealt with the entire trip.

Let’s move on to the more interesting part. Our first accommodation was in a district called Asakusabashi. If that sounds like an incantation to you, I don’t condemn you. Tokyo may be a metropolis, but it’s divided in a very uncharacteristic way. It is divided into 23 special wards (ku), the western part (separate shi towns), towns and villages (machi and mura, smaller settlements in the western part of Tokyo), and islands belonging to Tokyo.

It was around six o’clock in the evening, and we hit the streets, admittedly wrecked from the summer, but our eyes were just glowing. We strolled through the typical Tokyo streets, bustling with activity everywhere. People were coming home from work, sitting on terraces, sipping ramen, or just rushing somewhere. On the streets we found typical vending machines, which are a real tourist attraction. They work 24/7, which means you’ll never get hungry in the streets of Tokyo. You can find hot and cold drinks, snacks and sweets, instant ramen and ready meals, but also more unusual things like flowers, souvenirs or real wagyu steaks. The way they glow with colour makes them stand out, especially at night. Next, we visited the popular self-service convenience store chains (konbini): 7-eleven, FamilyMart and Lawson. You can find all sorts of things there, and we bought rice onigiri (cooked rice formed into a ball and wrapped in nori seaweed, often filled with something, I love the tuna version) and various sweets. Just so you understand why I’m gushing over some of the deals here, they’re really iconic and part of Japanese culture. You have to experience it for yourself. It’s such a higher quality version of our unity.

We planned to spend a few days in Tokyo and then head to Kyoto. I was struggling with sleep, I couldn’t sleep at night, during the day I would have preferred to lie down on the pavement. We walked a million kilometers every day. Sometimes we just wandered the streets and always discovered interesting places, especially Shinto and Buddhist temples and shrines, which I absolutely fell in love with. You’re happily strolling down the streets of Tokyo, the sun loving your face, when suddenly a temple looms up in front of you. You enter the courtyard through the gate, wash your hands and mouth to purify yourself, and continue your exploration of this sacred place. Shinto is an animist religion. Shintoists believe that every thing in the world has a soul and is alive. Reverence for nature is sacred to them. They have many gods, demigods and magical beings to whom they offer sacrifices. Buddhism is often considered a philosophy of life rather than a religion. The greatest goal is the path to enlightenment. The Buddha preaches that problems arise from the excessive desires we carry within ourselves. Even though I am a Christian, I am very interested in these religions and philosophical movements and always find peace in these places. That’s what is so interesting about them – they are in the heart of the busiest city, but there is a quietness and a calm. We found many of these temples in Kyoto. Some of the most famous shrines and temples in Tokyo are the Buddhist Sensō-ji temple, which is the oldest, the Shinto shrine of Meiji Jingu, which is located in the middle of a large forest where ceremonies are often held, the Buddhist temple of Zojo-ji, where we experienced a ceremony of Buddhist monks, which gave us absolute chills, the Shinto shrine of Yasukuni, which is very controversial, and I’ll tell you why. In Shintoism, people become gods after death, but the Yasukuni Shrine is dedicated to fallen Japanese soldiers from World War II, many of whom are considered war criminals by international organisations.

In addition to the temples and shrines, during these days we also visited Tokyo SKYTREE, it is the tallest tower in the world, measuring 634 meters. A ticket to the top cost about twelve euros, and despite the crush of people, the staff handled the chaos brilliantly and everything went as it should. We went in the evening so we could enjoy the view of the lights of the world’s largest city. Next, I can’t help but mention Tokyo Tower, a tower in the Minato district that resembles the Eiffel Tower. We also wandered into the teamLab Borderless digital art museum, which words definitely can’t describe. Each room was created in a different theme, but the foundation was lights and the most unusual installations with soothing music. You walked through an imaginary meadow with huge flowers, or stood in a mirrored room with huge hanging light bulbs. I loved that people sat with their backs against the wall, enjoying these quiet moments as if time had stopped running for a moment.

The next day we were to go to Kyoto, where we wanted to spend five days and then come back. We packed up, got into our beds and mentally prepared ourselves for what was to come – Tokyo train station (or the maze) and a shinkansen ride. I had told myself that everything would be fine and we would hit a good connection, but I didn’t know what madness awaited us. Did we make it, or did Tokyo train station bring us to our knees? You’ll find out next time :).