tokyo, japon: round dos

we woke at the crack of dawn and flew from kyoto to tokyo on peach airlines. its probably the cheapest way to travel and if you have solid plans peach is a good option. but my travel plans werent solid, they never really are so i booked a refundable fare but peach makes it a nightmare to make any changes to your reservation even if you book a refundable fare. you only get your cash back in points and the points arent automatially placed into an account. it takes a few days for the points to appear, which come in the form of an email where you are given a voucher number. none of this is explained on the website, its all very obscure and you're left in the dark not knowing what the hell is going on.

"why not give them call?" you might say. 

i did, several times, at different times of the day, and all i got was a pre-recorded peach message. luckily i cancelled my leg in advance and got the points voucher a few days before i needed to fly but if i was truly in a bind id be screwed.

ok, so back to tokyo.

tokyo was fun, tokyo was intense, tokyo was tokyo. 

we stayed a few blocks from machiya station with some co-workers from our seattle station. in total, there were 10 people, included us staying at this house and we were crammed. it was all good though, like all trips you never really intend to spend your time at the place youre staying at. we went out the same night and headed to the hirajuku area. the group wanted to shop, i just wanted to eat. we walked and walked, saw some interesting outfits and finally found some chow. it was a gyoza restaurant, nothing really fancy. we ordered 4 fried rounds and 2 steamed and it was heaven. the rest of the night we walked, hopped on trains, and walked some more. we had some drinks but all i really wanted was some sleep. 

the next day we really didnt have anything planned. it was our sole day in tokyo, the following days would be spent in tokyo disney and tokyo disney sea. brianne had never been to tokyo, aron and i had. we were hungry so we looked up a sushi joint that had great reviews and off we were. after some wrong turns and walkin aimlessly through subway tunnels, we finally found our spot. it was one of those conveyor type sushi joints where the plates are priced depending on the color. the three of us went to town. the sushi was cheap and tasty, no waiting no hassle trying to translate; just look and grab. afterwards we headed to tokyo tower, then went to zojo-ji temple where they were having another yearly furniture burning. last time i was in tokyo they were having the same event, i should probably look into it. it looked cool though, there were munks humming, furniture burning, and it was just an odd sight to see.

we walked some more after that, stopped for some manaken waffles, then headed to shibuya to walk the five corner intersection. but not before having some bubble tea on the way. once we were done taking mandatory selfies and touristee videos of the shibuya crosswalk madness, we headed back to our hood and had some tempura. it was good

the next 2 days were spent in tokyo disney and sea and it was a fun time. if i had to choose a park id have to with disney sea. its bigger and they have journey to the center of the world. the food options arent the best but you will come to find massive lines for the popcorn. didnt get to try any but there was one that definitely got away, soy sauce and butter popcorn. there is also something to be said of the tokyo disney staff and that is that they are AWESOME! i hardly ever use all caps but they truly are. every single worker is giving 100% in something in as simple as hello and goodbye. i honestly think that was the most impressive thing about tokyo disney; not the rides, not the food (soy sauce & butter popcorn maybe), but the staff. makes you think twice about what you do and where your passions lie. 

from disney sea we went our seperate ways. aron flew back home to LA, and brianne and i continued on our travels. tokyo was fun but its such a massive city. it needs to be broken down in a manner that suits you, which takes planning. next time i might take some of that advice and plan a little more but judging from the little ive seen i know that tokyo wont dissapoint. 

but now im in the abu dhabu, uae waiting on a flight to india and something tells me the best is yet to come.

up next: kochi, india

japan through a vegas rearview mirror

in the midst of last night's bass and crowded casino hallways, i brought myself back past the international date line, back to the broken place i had found myself a few days ago. 

seems like a litimetime since i found myself alone, lost in rappongi but life goes on and unfortunately a few suckers will follow in my footsteps.

but today, and actually at the moment I find myself inside the MGM arena, at kanye's yeezus tour.

the place is nuts!

people are all over the place. countless hands sprawled in the air chanting yeezy's anthems.

it's a bit spooky to see so though, so many my age adoring this dude.

he's good at what he does but what I don't understand is the level of worship he commands. coming to this show sure feels a bit idolatrous but then just like that he drops another one of his countless hits.

alone in rappongi

my squinted eyes are fixed on the bright opening from up above. it's the first sign of light i've seen in what seems like years.
it's funny how eyes quickly distinguish the light of dawn; nothing like it.
i remember the feeling of finally reaching the top of reppongi metro station. a brisk and gentle breeze pecks my face; at my shame
150 yen in my pockets, but sadly not 170. 

all i need is 20.

for a second i contemplate begging but the thought quickly leaves as i begin to walk.
to where? not sure. but i keep walking because in this moment, it's the only thing i can do
i usually carry a good internal compass but right now, it's completely shot. 

i glance at my phone. it's alive
i spot a coffee shop.

it's like an oasis in the middle of a japanese sahara. i frantically walk. 

the coffe clerk spots me: a shady, bearded mess of a man. 

i flick through my phone's settings and check the wi-fi. nothing

i lean next to the building and inch closer and closer to the invisible halo. signal!

the jubilee fades as i begin the trek. i've been in this situation my mind keeps telling. 

nothing new, ain't no thing. 

determined to get there as soon as possible, i develop a good pace but shortly after, my senses dig feet. 

the sound of japense children saying goodbye to their parents.

the glow of the october morning sun breaking through the misty japense dew.

i approach a cementery and notice the regulars in their cold, concrete homes.

it's eerie but i can't hear anything anymore. i am underwater and the only thing i hear are muted sounds. my vision all in vignettes 

a low hum slowly catches my attention and just like that i'm underneath shibuya subway station. 

everyone walks past and around me. speedy little people 

i approach 5-corners intersection and instantly i begin to recognize.

the trek is over

i walk-up to my apartment with hope of finding my friend phillip, sprawled all across the deck. 

nothing.

i worried for a few minutes but sleep overcomes me.

a few hard pounds on the door was all it took to get me up. what time is it?

i open the door and there he is, wearing the face of a disgraced marco polo. i look at him 

an anger slowly begins to catch.

--sentence remnants woven together--

and in this moment it hits me 

all i see is faces, expressions. and 

the only single sense that functions is sight  

but i can't stop and absorb

instead it's replaced by 

reppongi's face. 

land of the rising sun via tijuana, mexico

i must've been a boy since the last time i flew out of tijuana's general abelardo l. rodríguez international airport. 

as a kid, i would fly out of here frequently. i used to have a fear of flying and i would say that it was a legitimate one; mainly because my family booked our family trips to southern mexico on an airline called aero-california. 

to those who are not familiar, aero-california was probably one of the worst maintained airlines in mexico. since then, it went bankrupt, twice, and the only remnants of their existence are the skeletal crj remains strewn across the lancaster/palmdale desert. 

i can still smell the smoke of cigarettes in the cabin and the grimy nicotine covered seats. 

for some reason i'd always get stuck with the window and as we climbed higher through the sky, i would sink deeper and deeper into my seat with sweaty palms clinching the armrests.  

my attention would shift and look at the wing, which jolted back-and-fro during turbulence. 

back then i didn't know that it was normal for wings to bend but when i looked at the wings, i couldn't help but notice the splotchy tar stains around the region where the wing and fuselage met. add the imagination of a 8-year old mexican kid to the mix and well, let's just say i was a wreck. 

so now, 20 years later, i am back. 

i never thought i'd be flying to tokyo from this place but i guess it seems fitting. 

i no longer have a fear of flying and as i sit on my window seat, i'm staring at the beautiful wings of aeromexico's brand new boeing 787-dreamliner. this is actually aeromexico's maiden voyage using the dreamliner, so in a way i'm kind of pioneer of sorts. 

our flight to tokyo was supposed to leave at 02:00am but typhoon whipa would have none of that. this category-3 typhoon delayed us about 8 hours. to our fortune, aeromexico's staff has been nothing but phenomenal. 

they kept us informed and even offered us entrance into their premiere lounge for the night where i was introduced to a comfy couch and bohemia's obscura. 

in about two hours we will be landing in narita. according to google maps, it takes about 2 hours by train to get to the apartment we booked on air bnb. 

i'll be lying if i said that i wasn't nervous/scared. the same exact feelings i had back when i was a boy are starting to come back. what did i get myself into?

i'll keep asking myself this question a few more times until the moment we land. from there something usually else takes over. 

but till then, all i could do is sit tight and try and enjoy the ride!