Hello Japan!

Hello Japan!

After my travel mate Micky and I unfortunately had to split at the airport in Singapore, she flew home and myself headed to Japan, Tokyo! An almost seven hours flight later I landed in Tokyo being on my bucket list a long time already. I am dreaming of going to Japan since I read the book The Geisha more than 15 years before. So here I am! Totally excited how this is gonna be for the next two weeks! First challenge was to carry all my stuff because backpacking is also a long time ago and somehow my backpack is quite heavy 😂. Second to make it to my capsule hotel that I booked for the first nights with train and metro and by walking (with all that stuff). But after some time I found it, going by train and metro is very convenient in Japan. I booked the Japan Rail Pass which is a great option for foreigners (only) to explore the country by all the super-clean and super-speed trains. You have to book this from home and bring your voucher that you change at the airport. Like it! My capsule hotel is right in Ginza – the famous and well know fashion, shopping and entertainment district. It is so known that know every big city in Japan has a „Ginza“ district now. So my capsule hotel  „The prime pod Ginza“ is right in the middle of it – a more or less premium location for a budget option to stay at. After I read about this kind of hotels in Japan I knew I have to try it. As I loved camping I thought it must be similar, just no tent and sand between your teeth. And also I thought it is safe. So my first words are just about my first night meaning this capsule experience. It feels like a hostel at the entrance, you have a little bar (for breakfast they serve hotdog and a cafe) and a lounge area where everyone is sitting with their MacBooks. Audience is quite young of course but I also found people being older than me so obviously it is not a question of age. The total of 104 capsules are separated into Women’s and Mens ones and are located in the 13th and 12th floor, so you have a wonderful look of Ginza. Once you enter your floor you have to leave your luggage in the entry room and change shoes into slippers that you get with your package. With your card you open the door to the dorm room which looks like sleeping cabins in a train, quite designed with wood and messing colors. The only element of privacy you have left is the red curtain that separates you from the others. My capsule has a dimension (love to use this word in this connnex) of app. 2 square meters (they told me it is a bigger one), it has a (surprising comfortable) bed (single of coz), a flat screen (?), a little safe, a small wall rack and two hooks. This is it. Eating and talking in the beds is forbidden so it is really quite. And, and this is actually the most important thing – it is really clean. For a very fair price. For two nights I paid around 90 Euro which is a very good deal in Japan. This also includes the pajama that I forgot to mention and everyone has to wear. So I changed into this white somehow Asian Cook like outfit (not thinking about how many people already have worn this one) and after being awake for more than 30 hours I felt into my (big) capsule and slept really well! In the morning  I felt quite young and funny when teeth brushing with all the teenagers around me, all in our white pajamas. Such a crazy picture (could not take pictures of coz, unfortunately). The girls next to me stared at me (what?!) and giggled the whole time. I just wanted to feel old again 😁 but then they said „You so taaaaall“, so loooong legs, mine just here.“ Then they touched my hips. So funny and cute. Seems to be that Asians are fascinated about our size because it happened in the lift again. So after finishing the bathroom talk I got ready in the (clean) shower room (nobody touched me 😂) and today Tokyo is waiting for me! Keep you posted!

PS: Featuring the lovely MeezTheWorld Illustration – now in Japanese Style – from my friend Cat again! ❤ ❤ ❤ Thank you, lovely.