12. Tokyo: Lost in the World’s Largest City

I arrived in Tokyo on the night of September 6th, flying S7 Airlines from Irkutsk.

The first challenge in Tokyo is the incredibly complicated railway system. Fares aren’t fixed; you pay based on distance and the specific train line. Pro tip: Don’t buy single tickets like I did. Buy a reloadable pre-paid card (IC card) that calculates the fare automatically. (I only figured this out on my last day!).

It took me a while to navigate to my hostel, located in the northeast, about 40 minutes by train from the city center.

The scale of Tokyo is hard to comprehend. Some days I walked for 5 hours non-stop, only to look at the map and realize I had barely moved. I spent most of my time exploring famous neighborhoods and getting happily lost in the quieter ones. My phone charger and local SIM card were absolute lifesavers.

One morning, I took a trip to Kamakura, a tourist town famous for its temples and beach. While wandering, I saw a sign that read “Gallery and Piano.” Inside, I met a lovely elderly woman who, I gathered, used to be a concert pianist. She loved Piazzolla, so I played for her on her beautiful Yamaha grand.

Caught up in the adventure, I kept taking trains south until I realized I was 3.5 hours away from my hostel in Shizuoka! I decided to just stay there for the night and return to Tokyo the next day.

Back in the city, I met Shizuko, who kindly arranged for me to rehearse for 3 hours on a Yamaha concert piano at a studio. After weeks of playing on whatever random keyboards I could find, it was a joy to touch a proper instrument again.

Japan is famous for its food, and while Tokyo is expensive, eating out is surprisingly affordable. Now, after some fresh sashimi, I’m ready for the next leg of the journey.