BLTN: Japan 2024 1st Leg (Tokyo)

Our Trip Roadmap

Tokyo (1st leg) > Fukuoka > Osaka > Tokyo (2nd Leg) > Nara > Tokyo (Final Leg)

Airline Food

You know what’s great about food in Japan? The lack of chemicals and preservatives. Remember how I’m allergic to dairy? Well, I didn’t have to worry about that in Japan at all. Take this airline food for example. During my flight on ANA, I was given a delicious dinner that consisted of a saffron seafood rice with a cream sauce and vegetables, alongside a bowl of soba noodles, salad, tuna salad, pasta salad and bread. There were about 3 things in here that contained dairy and guess what, I had no issues in the restroom after eating this. The airline food was such a refreshing change of pace after experiencing the mediocre American airline food.

1st Leg Highlights

Festival of the Steel Phallus

As you might surmise from the picture, this “Festival of the Steel Phallus” is an annual festival paying homage to the male genitalia. The roots of this event an be found in the early 1600s and is believed to have originated as a place to pray for fertility, marital relationships and protection against STDs. Prostitutes especially would visit these shrines.

Nowadays, it seems like this festival is more lively and colorful. I saw a good amount of parades, funny cosplays, themed merchandise and food. I will not be displaying pictures due to the subject matter. You’ll just have to trust my word that it was an adventurous outing

Odaiba City

A tourist classic. This city is mainly known for the giant Gundam in front of the Odaiba mall. As a weaboo, of course I had to stop by and take a picture. Within the mall, you will find an actual Gundam store or the “Gundam Base” as it is called. Exploring the base itself was like a giant museum dedicated to Gundam. Yes, there was a ton of merch to buy, but they had creations from hobbyists and builders on display. It was a real marvel looking at some of these creations.

The rest of the mall was fun to explore as well. We came across stores that were Hello Kitty themed, Gudetama themed and even a One Piece themed store. The food here was not too shabby either. Japanese food court food blows a majority of American food out of the water already.

Shibuya

Shibuya is often mentioned as one of the big centers for youth culture and fashion in Japan. The area has many iconic spots for tourists, one of which being the Shibuya Crossing where a great number of pedestrians cross every few minutes. The area is also known for shopping enthusiasts as countless boutiques, cafes and restaurants line the streets. Near the Shibuya Station lies a statue of the legendary dog Hachiko, who carved his legacy as the dog who waited for his owner every day for nearly a decade after his death. Its easy to see how one can get lost in this city for hours.

Parco

Parco is a well-known Japanese department store chain. Its flagship store is located in Shibuya. But as nerds, the main reason we visited was for the nerd culture vibes. The stores ranged from Shonen Jump to Nintendo to Capcom.