The morning after our last big night out in Tokyo and…I’m dying 🤕
But it was such fun, I’d do it all over again. Except I can’t. Tomorrow’s flight to Kuala Lumpur is at 10am so I have to get the first Narita Express train. At 5:55am.
The morning after our last big night out in Tokyo and…I’m dying 🤕
But it was such fun, I’d do it all over again. Except I can’t. Tomorrow’s flight to Kuala Lumpur is at 10am so I have to get the first Narita Express train. At 5:55am.
On a surprisingly quiet Shinkansen back to Tokyo.
Funnily enough, having Vietnamese for lunch.
Gorgeous little place in the centre of Sendai.
A deliciousus matcha latte here in Sendai.
Just what I needed after wandering around town this morning.
Went to the Miyagi Zao fox village and saw some foxes! 🦊
Beautiful to look at but you can imagine how the place smelled! Up in the mountains, covered in snow. A lovely experience but now it’s time to warm up in an onsen. ♨️
Thanks to my friend’s status with the local Westin hotel, we have a room on the 34th floor here in Sendai. And the views are absolutely spectacular.
After a quick rest and a shower to freshen up, we’re taking advantage of the hospitality of the executive lounge. I’m a sucker for a self-pour beer machine, and the one they have from Asahi is great! Throw in some nuts and decent wifi and I’m a happy guest.
I’m looking forward to exploring the city tomorrow, but for this evenings, it’s going to be a quiet one.
Time to brave the elements and go cause some mischief in Ni-Chome!
I have to admit that today’s weather put a bit of a dampener on things, so I didn’t get to do as much as I’d planned. We enjoyed a coffee and a wander around Meguro this morning. We visited the Traveler’s Factory shop,home of my favourite notebooks, but I didn’t buy any. I have a significant backlog to work through back home. It was still lovely to see what was on offer, and I bought The Frank Flyer a new penknife.
Then it was off to Ginza and after a couple of hours, I felt like I’d been hit with a new wave of jet lag. So we headed back to our hotel and I enjoyed a much-needed nap. We’ve visited the executive lounge for the free cocktails and buffet session (no calories in free food, right?!) and I caught up with journaling this trip’s adventures in my paper journal.
This kind of weather really makes me want to curl up in bed, but I feel like that would be such of a waste of my time here. So I’m going to brave the elements later and head to Ni-Chome for a drink in my favourite bar: Eagle Tokyo.
Tomorrow morning I’m off to Sendai with my friend Truong. It’ll be a first for both of us and while I’m excited to visit a whole new city, I’m also intrigued by the hotel he’s booked for us. Apparently, it’s the tallest in northern Japan. So I’m hoping for some good views! But of course, that will all depend on the weather.
I’ve no idea what we’re going to get up to in Tokyo today.
The weather is a bit rubbish, so that might limit our outdoor wandering. But if there’s one thing Tokyo isn’t short of, it’s umbrellas! I’m sure we’ll survive.
I have quite a few things left on my list fort his trip - and this and Monday are my last full days in Tokyo - as I’m spending the weekend up in Sendai. But first, some more coffee and a nice hotel breakfast to get my brain in gear.
Nobody needs to see another photo of me in the bath!
Unless it’s in a beautiful onsen in Hakone, Japan. This has to have been the most relaxed I’ve felt since… the last time I was in an onsen. An incredible experience, one I’ll miss terribly once I return to London.
I spent my birthday today split between Hakone and Tokyo. And it was fabulous.
I started in Hakone with a soak in the hotel’s amazing onsen. It was everything I could have hoped for. Nice and quiet, boiling hot, and with a wonderful view of the hills overlooking the hotel. Afterwards, a delicious breakfast and a train back into Tokyo.
A couple of hours later, I was sitting down to an incredible afternoon tea at The Tokyo Edition where everything was delicious and presented with panache. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re in Toyo and want to celebrate something special.
Fast forward a few hours and I’m reunited with my partner, who just arrived in Tokyo, and nicely checked in to the Hilton Tokyo for a bit of pampering. A glass of celebratory bubbly later, I’m now in bed, grateful for a wonderful day and the opportunity to spend it in such exciting places.
Yesterday I spent a good chunk of the afternoon, soaking in a local onsen here in Shinjuku Tokyo.
It was just what my tired and jetlagged body needed. I could switch off completely - free of my mobile phone, and any other devices - and just focus on relaxing in a series of different baths, a sauna, a steam room and then some more baths.
Half-way through the experience, I put on my fancy onsen “pyjamas” and headed down to the restaurant where I enjoyed a delicious pork Katsu curry and a bottle of Asahi alcohol-free beer. My focus was most definitely on rehydrating!
After the most leisurely of meals, I headed back upstairs to the onsen, where I completed another round of the baths. My favourite was most definitely the outdoor bath, where I could sit in the water, watch the steam rise from its surface, and feel the misty rain fall on my head.
I then went for a very relaxing stroll around Shinjuku. It’s an incredibly lively and busy area, but you can still find moments of peace and quiet. I picked up some gifts for family back home and then wandered back to my hotel. Sadly jetlag is still with me and I’ve been awake since 4 am this morning.
Later this morning. I’m meeting up with a Tokyo based friend and we’re taking the train down to Hakone Onsen for an overnight stay. And yes, there will be more soaking, sauna and generally staying wet!
No photos from inside the onsen, obviously - but here’s the delicious, ice-cold beer I enjoyed half-way through.
Jet lag means I’m way ahead of schedule for today so I have time to enjoy a very leisurely bath in my hotel.
Another thing I’d like to bring home with me: Japanese baths. Best in the world. And onsens, of course. But can’t see it working in the UK.
My epic journey to Tokyo begins at last!
Wide awake at 5am!
Sitting up in bed with a coffee and my packing list for Japan, double-checking I haven’t forgotten anything. I don’t fly until 6:30pm, so it’s going to be a long day… But I don’t care because…Japan!!! ✈️
Made it downstairs to our gym after work today.
Seems there’s a new neighbour in our building. One who likes to make loud phone calls on speakerphone while walking on a treadmill. He was like something from a cheap reality show.
And I hope our paths never cross again.
🎥 Yesterday, I published a new video on my professional YouTube channel, answering one of the most frequently-asked questions I get about my job as a psychologist: “Does your job ever make you sad?"
♨️ I wrote a little on how to navigate your first visit to a Japanese onsen over on my travel blog:
Your first visit to an onsen in Japan can be daunting. Set aside your worries about being naked and get familiar with some basic rules, and your visit will be a relaxing and memorable one.
You can read the remainder here: Baring it all in the onsen
Another summary of the week that was…
I’ve had ups and down on the health front. On the one hand, I’ve stuck to my healthy diet and got to the gym after work. I’ve now lost 3kg since the beginning of the year. On the other hand, my gastro symptoms and associated pain have slowed me down several times. I’m just focused on my hospital appointment on March 4th and getting some clarity and a plan of action after that.
Doctor Google has not been my friend, and I’ve had to force myself to stop looking at articles about my disease and routes through surgery. None of it has brought clarity and instead has left me feeling worried. Which is never helpful.
Despite my wellbeing issues, I’ve managed to have a stellar week at work. I received two pieces of feedback about my work podcast which set my heart soaring. Feedback isn’t a constant, so when I hear from listeners, it makes all the difference. And it wasn’t just the usual ‘thumbs up’ or ‘well done’, they provided some context and helped me understand what they’ve taken from the various episodes.
Client projects continue apace and I’m working on an exciting set of new coaching programmes for clients to purchase. After the rather unwelcome rise in corporation tax (thanks for nothing, Tories) I need to work extra hard and more efficiently to bring home to the same money from my business. So I’m also reducing my fixed costs and looking for subscriptions I can end.
You’re probably sick of hearing about it, but yes - my upcoming trip to Japan is less than a week away and I’m still just as excited. I’ve been doing more research, making a prioritised todo list of venues and experiences, and watching videos about the JAL First Class cabin (and, more importantly, the on-board food service!).
You can read my extended Japan-related gushing over on This Guy Flies.
My Dry January streak came to an end on Wednesday this week, when I went out for an after-work drink with a friend visiting from Newcastle. And while it was lovely to head to the pub and have a natter, I regret the pint. Not at a deep, existential level, but because it was possibly the worst pint of Guinness ever pulled in the history of pints. It almost brought a tear to my eye. I wish Dry January had ended on a more positive note!
I also went out to the pub with friends on Friday night and noticed my tolerance of alcohol seems to have evaporated in the last five weeks. I felt a bit grim the following morning, so I got right back up on the saddle of… let’s call it ‘Dry February’. My epiphany was this: booze is expensive, is basically a poison, makes me sound like I’ve had a blow to the head, and makes the following morning a real effort. I don’t need that in my life.
So, no more casual trips to the pubs with the sole goal of drinking. I might have the odd drink at home when entertaining, or for a special occasion. But I think I’m leaving my beer monster days behind me.
And that was the week that was…
Just spent a while writing a blog post about ‘How to navigate your first onsen visit in Japan’.
Actually, I’ve titled it ‘Baring it all in the onsen’ as lots of people seem to get hung up on the nudity aspect. Scheduled to go live over on This Guy Flies on Tuesday.
Yesterday evening’s sky over London was something else.
✈️ The first of my Japan trip posts is live on my travel blog:
Finally got round to doing something with all the video I took of last month’s Winter Lights here in Canary Wharf.
Whittled it down to two minutes, which you can find here on my fledgling YouTube channel.
I’m so excited that this day next week, I’ll be walking the streets of Shinjuku!
I have so much to do on the work front before I can leave with a clear conscience, but I know I’ll get there. There’s nothing as motivating as the deadline associated with an exciting holiday.
I’ll be taking a gazillion photos, and using my DJI Osmo camera to make some videos. So feel free to mute me or unfollow if this doesn’t sound like your cup of tea.
Now it’s time for my second coffee of the morning and then a run by the river.
I’ve had quite a fun and productive day!
I started my morning by editing a podcast episode and then edited the video version of the same. I’m now using Descript for the podcast and I’m loving it. It’s the perfect, pragmatic solution for a non-techie like me. Although I noticed quite a few glitches in the video, courtesy of my Elgato webcam, but after lots of back and forth, I decided to publish it anyway and let the audience be the judge of how annoying it is. The stats will tell me all, I’m sure, in time.
I had a couple of client calls and some writing time for a new project, then headed back to Canary Wharf to meet an old friend visiting from Bath. He was in town for business, but had a gap in his schedule to come see me. We had time for a quick coffee and catch-up before he had to go catch his train home.
And I found a whole new (new to me!) floor and coffee shop in the local ‘Market Halls’. It was great and I can definitely see myself heading there at the weekend with my laptop if I wanted to do a bit of writing in a different environment.
I then headed to the gym, caught up on my podcasts while on the elliptical machine, while also capturing some ideas for future podcast episodes of my own.
I know I’m not the only person who gets inspired while exercising, right?
Now it’s time for a chicken salad and something good on TV. I’m filing today under ‘mission accomplished’.