Two ABCs take on Tokyo, Japan! My cousin and I landed at the Narita International Airport at around 8:30pm and took the train to our hostel (East 57) by Asakusabashi station. At that time, it was raining pretty hard so we picked up one of those clear umbrellas from the closest 7-Eleven. We were struggling to get the sim card to work in the beginning, so we got lost a bit for about half an hour in the rain. By the time we checked into our hostel, it was around 10pm.
Despite all the fun and traveling, I had a Skype audio interview for another summer internship at 10:15, so I was a little stressed. However, I found a quiet spot on the floor of our hostel (a bathroom stall!) and was able to make it work in the end.
The next morning, my cousin and I had planned to take a bus to see Mount Fuji. But we ended up being behind schedule after getting on the wrong train and missed our bus. Disappointed and already tired, but determined to make something out of the day, we changed plans and explored the nearby East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. It was insanely quiet, although busy, and we got to see our first cherry blossoms on the trip! Colder than Hong Kong, where it is currently quite warm and humid, we took advantage of the brisk Japanese weather and cool sunshine while we could.
For lunch, Joey was craving Shake Shack, so walked back towards Tokyo Station and picked up a couple burgers. (I know, I know,…. can’t the America out of the Texan…) After that, we explored a little bit of the Tokyo International Forum, then returned to our hostel in Asakusabashi where I studied a bit for an online exam. We went to a ramen place around the block for dinner and ordered our food by using an electronic menu machine. Afterwards, we returned to the hostel, where I prepped for another summer internship interview, which I would have later that night in the bathroom stall once again. (The real world is beckoning!!!)
ABC in HK 