Autumn in Tokyo: The Long Wait Is Over

I know, I know. I hate to write this sentence as an opener of my blog entry, but here goes nothing: It's been a while since the last time I updated this post. I felt like I was still in high school, feeling apologetic for not updating my blog regularly.

Anyway, I have been traveling with my close friends for the past five years. People who knew me well know that that I'm choosy when it comes to inviting people for my trips. I'm a firm believer that a person's personality will show up during our trip. My closest friends since grade school have been planning for an international trip since 2015. The plan was always shelved off due to time constraints and conflict of our respective work schedules. It became a reality this year as we booked a low-fare to Tokyo, Japan. We all loved Japan, and since it will be their first time to visit the Land of the Rising Sun, it only took me seconds to book a roundtrip ticket to Tokyo.

As always, I was the group's navigator and booking officer. I was the one who booked for our hotel, tickets for Disney Sea world, and a whole lot more. The first time I went to Tokyo was three years ago, and despite being a megacity, Tokyo remains one of my favorite cities in the world. I just loved the Tokyo's unique character. And for first-time visitors, it can be intimidating, especially their ultra-fast paced lifestyle. It felt like time was set to fast-forward as everyone was in a hurry but an orderly manner.

We chose the Autumn season because we all look forward to the colder climate and the autumn foliage. The streets bleed crimson and orange in preparation for the winter season. More so, we can wear sweaters and trench coats, something that we can't wear back home because it is perpetually hot and humid. When we were there, the average day-time temperature was around 12-15 degrees Celsius. Even if we walked more than 30,000 steps for just a day, we didn't break a sweat, well except at some moments when we were almost running at the train station so as not to miss our train.

Like any other tourists, we visited the famous pedestrian crossing in the world–Shibuya Crossing. If you're a Resident Evil movie fan, there was a particular scene where the infected ones or zombies crossed this huge pedestrian. We all knew what happened next. Since Louie brought his 35mm prime lens, we tried taking photos right in the middle of the pedestrian. It was challenging because we have to do it fast!

We also visited other commercial districts such as Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Ginza, Odaiba, Harajuku, and all those hidden lanes in downtown Tokyo. And the best way to experience Japan? Burn all your Japanese Yens! Normally, I'm frugal and a bit stingy when it comes to money, but Japan had changed my perception. And besides, it's not that I go to Japan every day, so why not spend my hard-earned money on all those good stuff, right? I deserve this treat.

As for my close friends, they all enjoyed Tokyo as well. We shopped, we ate at different restaurants and enjoyed our company. We had the time of our lives, and we are all thankful for all of the opportunities and blessings that we have received this year.

This is probably the best trip that I've had this year. I still have one left this year, but that's another story to tell.