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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"“What is your dream?” I asked Akiko, while having dinner on the day of my arrival. Tired, lacking sleep, but culturally excited. Akiko answered, “To lay on the sofa, waiting for my husband and kids to come back.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We exchanged a nice conversation while savoring a lot of meat that we cooked on the table in Korean-barbecue style. Akiko told me that she prefers going out with foreign men since Japanese men are too shy for her taste. She told me a lot about places to visit, things to eat, and other cultural aspects of Japan. She was my first encounter on the evening of my arrival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soon enough, I bid her farewell and went home to get a couple of hours of sleep and be fresh for Monday. The few hours turned out to be a super jetlag, and I woke up around 1 pm :D, a record of 12 hours of sleep I hadn’t had for at least a few years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I took to the street for breakfast and started collecting my first impressions in Tokyo. Most of the people are still wearing masks on the street and in public spaces. A lot of men during the day are wearing suits, and there are so many bookstores. I don’t think I saw so many bookstores anywhere else in the world. The Japanese love of reading is no surprise. But still using non-digital books in a nation that digitalizes their toilet seats makes you think. More than bookstores, there are restaurants. I heard it has the highest restaurant per capita in the world! The restaurants mostly have a lot of seats for single customers. It makes you wonder whether anyone cooks at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After finishing my late breakfast around 4 pm, I rushed to meet Elias, an American traveler who got in touch with me online a couple of weeks ago. We had the customary mini-biographical exchange, and soon enough, we were discussing the different features of the bidet in our hotels :D. Elias had been planning the trip for months, and I enjoyed his first impressions about the country. “I don’t understand how a whole culture wants to be a cartoon,” he said, and I found that hilarious. We went strolling in the streets of Tokyo, and he took me to a 4-floors sex shop he saw earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There, I saw things I never imagined in my life, which made me feel like I am a baby in matters of sex. I could write a book about what I saw there. The first floor had usual costumes and outfits. The second floor was dedicated to women’s clothing, including lingerie. The third and fourth floors were prohibited for women!! The third floor had lots of “tools” and “devices,” and the fourth floor had all kinds of sex dolls. I found the names of the sections entertaining. These two floors were called the “Men Support Section” \ud83d\ude02. Elias explained to me that there are a lot of single men in Japan, and having a virtual girlfriend is not unheard of. We left the sex shop and went for more walking around the city where I kept turning my head right and left in amazement at what I saw. Especially the cutely-dressed young ladies advertising for the “Maid Caf\u00e9s,” where men are taken care of\u2014I don’t know exactly how.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elias and I parted ways in a lively area. He went on his food tour, and I went solo for dinner at a restaurant with a long line of Japanese people. It must be good, right? I had a certain kind of Japanese pancake with seafood and cabbage, and the appetizer was octopus tentacles. Everything tasted wonderful. I thought to myself, some countries have famous cuisine, but they definitely don\u2019t have the best cuisine in the world. You can love Italian food, but if you haven’t visited Portugal, Greece, or Japan (forgive me, Chiara), you’re missing out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the table next to me, there was a non-couple ex-couple \ud83d\ude01. Somehow we started talking even though they didn\u2019t speak a word of English. We used our arms, legs, and Google Translate to have a semi-conversation that lasted for at least half an hour. They were no longer together, but they seemed to have a nice connection. The guy kept insisting on telling me that they were not together anymore, and what I understood was that I could try to kiss his ex-girlfriend. She was not very kissable for me, so I pretended not to understand his suggestion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After dinner, I decided to skip a meeting with other travelers that I had planned. I opted to walk back to the hotel and just look around. On the way, I smelled a wonderful steak. I couldn’t resist. I went for a second dinner because life is too short \ud83d\ude05<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Tuesday, I should wake up early, walk more, meet more people, and eat more! And hopefully, I won’t run into any more ex-couples looking for a new third wheel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n