Itadakimasu

My last time in Tokyo was about 7 years ago. Back then my priorities were quite different. I valued motorcycle jackets bargained from corner streets over an uni-filled omakase experience and more than satisfying bowls of gyudon/ramen/udon.

This time I relived Tokyo 2010 with one of the best. We packed the trip with a variety of new and old experiences. We would end the night late from wandering around the many streets in Shibuya and force ourselves up the next morning to attempt snowboarding at Kamui Misaka.

In between activities, I subconsciously made Omotesando my to-go hangout while spending slightly excessively on overpriced candles for the sake of a steady supply back home. And Disneyland was nothing short of overwhelming/magical.

Some might say that we were too ambitious, but it was perfect. We parted with all smiles and some good tears.

Google Translate: 我們說中文

After years of procrastination, I finally made my trip to Taipei. One would think that this was a carefully thought out plan but as we were indecisive and spoilt for choice, we literally drew lots in a cafe while having waffles with ice cream. 

The difficulty faced in conversing fluently in the language was definitely painful, despite years of Chinese lessons and laoshis hating on me (trust me, it felt like punishment when I failed to articulate the characters that were suppose to mean Negitoro and Uni Kaisen Don). 

Apart from me being an embarrassment to my race, I appreciated the dynamics and creative culture that surrounded and penetrated the city. While it reminded me of home as a well developed country, it also felt different in a good refreshing way – perhaps it was the abundance of ABC Marts.