Hi buns!
Something that I've wanted to do since I was visited Japan is to go there by myself, and I'm finally getting around to planning my trip! Read on to find out what I am hoping to be able to do, how long I want to stay for and where I'm looking at staying.
Happy reading
Keri AKA Ichigo Bunny
xoxo
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| Taken during my first trip to Japan |
My Japan plans for my solo trip
I first visited Japan in 2017 with my mum. I had planned on going to Japan on my own, but I am so glad that my mum said that she wanted to come with me! It had been lovely to experience a new country with my Mum and I would of been completely overwhelmed if I had tried to do this by myself.
I then made plans to visit Japan in 2018. I stayed in Tokyo for two weeks on this trip, and spent a lot of time on my own despite having someone with me for this trip. This made me realise that I REALLY wanted to visit Japan on my own.
I have always enjoyed taking myself out on day trips on my own, taking things at my own pace and enjoying the simplicity of running to my own time. When I was in Tokyo in 2018 I at times felt a little rushed when exploring certain areas, and I'm looking forward to going back and taking the time to immerse myself in the things I felt I had missed out on.
When am I planning on going?
I am aiming to go late 2021 or in 2022. Gwyd and myself were supposed to be going to Japan in March this year but that got cancelled due to COVID-19. Because of this, we'll now be going either in October 2021 (hopefully!). If we end up going in October I'll be pushing back my trip to a later date. No matter what, I will go on my solo trip!
I am hoping to go either during April, May or October. I don't want to go in the summer time as the Japanese summer can be incredible hot and humid and I do not cope well with the heat!
Where am I planning on staying?
I shall be going back to Tokyo! I've been to Tokyo every time I visited Japan but I'm constantly finding new areas to explore! I like that Tokyo is quick and easy to get to from Narita airport and I have friends living in Tokyo so it will be nice to be near them.
I'm looking at staying in an area of Tokyo called Koenji. It was the home of the punk scene in 1970s and now home to thrift stores, some amazing cafes and restaurants and live houses. I've grown up with a love of punk music (thanks Dad!) so I thought it would be really interesting to stay in the location where punk music was thriving, and to be able to explore the live houses in the evening.
I was originally planning on staying somewhere close to the yamanote line as that train circle has stops close to locations that I like, but I thought that I should shake things up a bit and explore a different location. Koenji is roughly 30 minutes away from Tokyo station, so it's not that far away. I've wanted to explore Koenji for a while, and by staying there I can spend as much time as I like nosing around! Staying in Koenji will encourage me to go on different train lines and explore places nearby.
However, if staying in Koenji doesn't work out when I start properly researching places to stay, I'm still going to try and find somewhere new to stay! My back up choices are Meguro, Shibuya/ Shimokitazawa and Nakano.
I'm looking at staying in an area of Tokyo called Koenji. It was the home of the punk scene in 1970s and now home to thrift stores, some amazing cafes and restaurants and live houses. I've grown up with a love of punk music (thanks Dad!) so I thought it would be really interesting to stay in the location where punk music was thriving, and to be able to explore the live houses in the evening.
I was originally planning on staying somewhere close to the yamanote line as that train circle has stops close to locations that I like, but I thought that I should shake things up a bit and explore a different location. Koenji is roughly 30 minutes away from Tokyo station, so it's not that far away. I've wanted to explore Koenji for a while, and by staying there I can spend as much time as I like nosing around! Staying in Koenji will encourage me to go on different train lines and explore places nearby.
However, if staying in Koenji doesn't work out when I start properly researching places to stay, I'm still going to try and find somewhere new to stay! My back up choices are Meguro, Shibuya/ Shimokitazawa and Nakano.
What am I going to do?
I have so many things that I would like to do! I'm doing to plan at least one day trip outside of Tokyo and I'm thinking of exploring either Kamakura, Hakone or Atami.
I would love to spend a day in a themed park and I was thinking of going to Sanrio Puroland. It looks SO cute and I'm sure that my boyfriend will not mind too much if I don't drag him with me for this!
I am also excited to spend some time exploring some areas of Tokyo that I love and areas that I've been wanting to explore for some time. I want to go back to Harajuku to explore the back streets, to go back to Meiji Shrine and go to Meji Jingu Gyoen. I would also like to go back to Ikebukuro and go to Sunshine City and go back to the basement floor to check out the shops on that level, as I loved the stores and the cute clothes. Meguro is another area that I would love to go back to as I've only been there to walk along the river.
The new areas I want to explore are Shimokitazawa, Kichijoji and Koenji. The more I look into things to do in these areas the more excited I get, they look really cool, there's a lot of places to check out for food and coffee and I'm excited to see what neat pictures I can take.
However the thing I am most excited to do in Tokyo is catch up with friends. I've got a few friends living in Tokyo and it would be amazing to get to hang out with them again and to make memories.
I am also excited to spend some time exploring some areas of Tokyo that I love and areas that I've been wanting to explore for some time. I want to go back to Harajuku to explore the back streets, to go back to Meiji Shrine and go to Meji Jingu Gyoen. I would also like to go back to Ikebukuro and go to Sunshine City and go back to the basement floor to check out the shops on that level, as I loved the stores and the cute clothes. Meguro is another area that I would love to go back to as I've only been there to walk along the river.
The new areas I want to explore are Shimokitazawa, Kichijoji and Koenji. The more I look into things to do in these areas the more excited I get, they look really cool, there's a lot of places to check out for food and coffee and I'm excited to see what neat pictures I can take.
However the thing I am most excited to do in Tokyo is catch up with friends. I've got a few friends living in Tokyo and it would be amazing to get to hang out with them again and to make memories.
What about dining alone?
One things that I was previously worried about was having to eat on my own out in public. After going to restaurants on my own when I was in Tokyo for two weeks, I realised that I am able to enjoy my own company when eating. Dining along is a common thing to see in Tokyo, and this really helped me to relax and not feel like a loner for doing so.
I'm not worried about having to dine alone again, in fact I'm really looking forward to it! The freedom of dining alone is being able to check out any cafe or restaurant that catches your eye and not having to check if the other people with you want to eat there as well.
I'm not worried about having to dine alone again, in fact I'm really looking forward to it! The freedom of dining alone is being able to check out any cafe or restaurant that catches your eye and not having to check if the other people with you want to eat there as well.
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| A snapshot taken from my first experience dining alone |
Will I be lonely?
I am certain that there will be times that I will feel lonely, and wish that I had someone beside me for some parts of my trip. But I will be able to call home via video chats and messenger calls and I will be doing that in the evenings. When I visited Japan in 2018 I had spent a lot of that trip feeling lonely or actually being on my own so it's something that I've already had practise in. The difference this time? I can call home as and when I want and not wait until I am alone.
Will I be safe?
Japan is pretty safe to travel solo around in. While no country is 100% safe for someone, I have felt safer in Japan than I have in some other countries.
When I was last in Japan I was out having a few beers on my own every night in the same bar, and the bar staff looked after me every single night. There was one night where some guy came over and was trying to ask me about buying weed and within seconds the guy behind the bar came over and pushed him away from me. While I was ready to stand up for myself, it was really kind of the bar staff to look out for a lonely gaijin drinking beer while they were on the phone.
You have to take precautions, but it's no different to being at home. You have to look after yourself and be sensible, like not getting shitfaced when you are out on your own. There are female only carriages to ride in on the trains (as some people can't keep their hands to themselves- groping is a problem on busy trains). In the evenings I'll be either in my hotel room or out and about, ringing home and letting them know what I've done/ what I am currently doing if I am out.
Let me know what you think of my plans, and if there is anywhere you would like to travel to on your own!
Let me know what you think of my plans, and if there is anywhere you would like to travel to on your own!
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