Saturday 20.05.2023
Forgive me if I come back fat. But if there were a devil specialised in food seduction, he will have Tokyo as his headquarter. I just wonder how people here are not fat. Japanese people are mostly lean. The food is actually mostly healthy but the desserts seem criminal. There are food courts/halls in some malls with maaaany stalls for dessert. You don’t really know what to pick. The dilemma of choice when we have too many options which is the curse of freedom. People here are also very fashionable, but also decently dressed. Japanese fashion is minimalistic, and relatively conservative. Most of the people dress loose fits you also wouldn’t see a lot of flesh. Most of the bodies are covered. So in general, it is not a very revealing attitude. If you see very short pants or skirts, specially without taste, then you can be almost sure that’s a tourist. In contrast, some tourists look quiet vulgar in the way they are dressed. This was something I didn’t know about Japan, specially in the capital, Tokyo. I keep on seeing different tailored cuts for women cloths, beautiful, aesthetic and not just naked. I wondered, who designed all these pieces? How many designers per capita does Japan have? Or are they the same clothes from international brands that are simply well put together? I would say that Japanese people in general take an extra effort to make things look good, which combined with their brilliant engineering aspire for the formula of perfection.
It is Saturday, the 20th of May 2023.
I checked out and moved to another hotel. This time I treated myself to a fancy one and my room is in the 19th floor among the skyscrapers in Ginza. After tiny rooms in the previous hotels, I felt comfortable and a bit home. After enjoying the luxury of the day, I did my favourite activity which is purposelessly walking around the city. Without idea which direction is what. This is something you can enjoy in Japan. Since everything here is observable. The architecture, the fashion, the shops, the street signs, and more, are all different. You are never bored in the streets of Tokyo. I decided spontaneously to visit a huge park with temples and shrines in the center of Tokyo. Well, “the center” is not very precise since Tokyo is more like a collection of small cities, each is worth a visit and has a lot to be discovered.
After many years of traveling and visiting mosques, churches and temples, one gets quiet saturated. At some point, they become similar. I go inside every now and then for a glimpse of the spiritual energy in that place, regardless of which religion. I like to observe the faces of believers and wonder what kind of thoughts are now in their minds or feelings in their hearts. But my visit to the temple Meiji Jingu was more concentrated on the huge park surrounding it and less time close to the shrine/temple where hundreds of tourists gathered and no traces of spirituality were left. I tried to take a selfie but ended up with this double-shinned photo that I am posting here anyway since you probably know I am not as ugly as the photo shows 😀
Tomorrow is a busy day since I have planned a few things. Before I leave you today I would like to share with you a travel tip: ”eSIM”. If you have a relatively modern smartphone, you can buy a local phone number or data plan without needing to go to a shop. You can even buy it before you travel and activate it when you need simply with a couple of clicks, even as soon as you touch down. This is available for almost any country. Just google “eSIM Japan” for example. This way, you can satisfy your digital addiction with minimal downtime!