Konichiwa, Tokyo!

The descent into Tokyo, what a gorgeous view!

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD! So this is what it feels like to be cold again! Welcome to the transition into what we feared: winter in the northern hemisphere. Heysuschristo, I am freezing!

Over the past 2 days, Lara and I have been on almost every method of transport: bus, plane, and train. It's been very exhausting, causing some lethargy but I'll get past it with some handy Vitamin C (or in my case, Airborne).

This picture was taken by Lara who sat across from me, observing this woman next to me on the train, perhaps drained from her day and slowly crumbling into the hands of exhaustion... or onto me... trying to cuddle, I guess. Pure comedy. I'm trying to keep a straight face, as you can see.

Her subtle movements went something like this:

I can't believe it! We're hereeeeee!!

The descent into Tokyo was a fantastic introduction into the beauty and awe of Japan. I feel incredibly spoiled that it's been about 5 months since I've last visited Japan... and now, here again! Tokyo is such a marvelous city with a huge consumer-concentrated population. I'm curious to learn how they do it. How 35 million people could live in such a densely populated area and still be able to function properly with no blatant signs of frustration and discomfort. One thing for sure is that living space is prime real estate everywhere and not to mention, helllllaaaa compact (something American's fail to recognize) and expensive!

Lara and I arrived late into Kawaguchi district, a small, serene area only few people make a stop at and about 14 km away from the city center of Tokyo. I stared in awe at the bright signs and foreign hirigana and kanji written all over the neighborhood and realized that it's somewhat a comforting atmosphere although I haven't a clue what's posted in front of me. I guess I've come to appreciate foreign texts and it's complexities.

Our hostel, which is ridiculously cheap for Tokyo is everything we paid for and that is, literally a 5x7 private room for the both of us. You'll see below. The staff here (or owner, I should say) have been a great help and provide all the necessary directions to get to all the "must-see" sights.

Our make-shift room. 5x7, no joke. And the bottom bunk is freeeeeeezing! I had to ask Lara if I could sleep with her on the top because it is significantly warmer due to the heater positioned on the wall

JGH Hostel

Note: we will be wearing the exact same outfits, or what looks like exact in almost every picture. Thank's Jorina for bringing us these jackets, we wouldn't know what to do without you (actually, we'd buy some... but this is a cheaper option!)

This is how excited we were to arrive into Tokyo!

We roamed the streets for a little bit after we've checked int our room and found a small restaurant in front of the train station where they served ramen. I especially love udon noodles! This soup was comforting to have in such piercing cold weather. Delish!

Vending machines are literally everywhere... meaning every possible empty corner of a street a vending machine is placed. Hot milk tea was necessary as well to survive the weather!

I can already tell our trip here will be a blast. I can't wait to share photos!

Tomorrow: Harajuku, Shibuya and Shinjuku districts to explore!