A Night Out in Tokyo


After flying 13 hours from Chicago to Tokyo, I was a tiny bit woozy. Although the ANA Airlines inaugural flight from Chicago to Tokyo's Haneda Airport was smooth and comfortable, the drastic time difference was starting to affect me. Although we landed at 9 pm Tokyo time, it was 6 am Chicago time and that 15 hour difference was screwing with my equilibrium. But I am the boss of my body, not jet lag so I do what I always do whenever I land anywhere; hit the streets! Walking around in the fresh air does wonders for your internal time clock even without the sun. So I grabbed MJ, the fellow Chicagoan in our group and we strolled out of the Imperial Hotel into the streets of the Chiyoda business district. I had researched a small cluster of hotels that lined the subway near our hotel and we located them neatly situated in a lighted alley, pictured above.


On a Monday night at 9 pm, there's not too much activity in Chicago but that's not the case in Tokyo. The sidewalks were filled with people and as we walked down the alley, waiters came out in white aprons to lure us into their restaurants. We walked down the alley for 20 minutes before choosing a place to grab a late night snack. Since nobody spoke English and most of the signs only had photos, we chose the restaurant that actually offered an English menu.(I need to know what I'm eating because of my food allergy and dietary restrictions.) The eatery was crammed with people who looked like they had gathered after work and were relaxing with drinks and food.


This group of men, who were seated behind us, smoked so much that our clothes were full of smoke when we left the restaurant. With the U.S. ban on indoor smoking, it's been a long time since I've been in a smokey place and I consider it part of my authentic Tokyo experience. We nibbled ramen and chicken wings and absorbed the atmosphere until our eyes started fluttering closed. Then we walked through the dark streets, back to our hotel, ready to reset our inner clocks to Tokyo time.


Comments

Amanda said…
Tokyo and Japan is general is my dream destination!!
Fly Girl said…
Amanda, thanks so much for visiting! Japan is really an incredible place and it's more accessible now than ever!
Oh, Japan, where do we start? Lucky you! :-)

Greetings from London.
Fly Girl said…
Cubano, Yes but my luck will surely intensify when I visit Cuba!

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