My heart is at home in: Tokyo. Part two.

My heart is at home in: Tokyo. Part one.

The last night in Tokyo X had a DJ gig. Beforehand we had been out for an amusingly bizarre meal, taken a final selfie together and for me the trip was over on a high. The DJ bar was not accessible so I stayed at the hotel and he would be back by midnight, 1 at the latest. We still had a bit of packing to do and were being collected for the airport at 6am.

I got an early night but woke up at midnight, and 1am. 2am still no sign. 3am still no sign. 4am I made my way down to the 24 hour reception with the phone number for the bar which I had thankfully had the presence of mind to take before he went out. The receptionist managed to get through to the bar and X on the phone. I told him what time it was and that he really needed to get back, checking he was sober which he assured me he was. He had been sober for 2 months after a previous incident that led to me moving out to a hotel for a week.

He eventually came in the hotel room steaming drunk and furious with me for calling the bar. I held it together, I kept calm, I ignored the non-stop torrent of verbal abuse and we somehow managed to get packed and ready to go by 6am.

I held it together as we made our way through Narita airport; two suitcases, a rucksack, a DJ bag, me in a wheelchair and X barely able to walk straight. Once finally through security I cried and the verbal abuse started again until several hours into the flight when he eventually fell asleep. I continued to cry.

So that’s it, no fairytale ending, those were the final 12 hours of the trip of a lifetime. But now that is out of the way I can get back to the joy, wonder, beauty and excitement that is Tokyo.

I landed at Narita airport early morning and knew there would be several hours before being able to check into the hotel room so had made a plan. The Yamanote line is a loop rail route around Tokyo so perfect for seeing the city. I dropped off the luggage at the hotel and set off into the city.

I had naturally been concerned about how accessible Tokyo might be so had started by looking at the hotel on Street View. Amazingly there was a businessman in a powered chair outside the hotel and the Google car follows him down the street to the first crossroads. My concerns were pretty much instantly allayed. The rail and subway lines were also very accessible.

The rail line was perfect – I was able to sit, relax, ignore the jetlag and watch the city scenes go by. It slowly sunk in that I was here. I got off at Harajuku station. Turn left out of the station and you are into the trendy shopping area with every fashion style on show both in the shops and on the streets. Turn right and there is the Meiji Shrine. I turned right.

It was exactly as I had dreamt. Right there, in the middle of the city a beautiful, peaceful woodland walk through a giant wooden Torii gate, past rice barrels down to a traditional Shinto shrine. The architecture was everything I had imagined. There was a traditional Japanese wedding taking place in the grounds. I had my first Japanese meal.

It was then back on the train for the rest of the loop back to Shinjuku. I love the opening credits of Midnight Diner on Netflix as the city scenes are right where the hotel was and I am taken back there instantly.

After a few hours sleep I set out into the evening street life of Tokyo. It is a whole new world at night. Neon lights and signs everywhere, bustling with people and energy. Stores, bars, pachinko salons and restaurants all open for business and full of life. An advertising van drove past, one side a huge TV screen with the soft tones and music saved for adverts playing out over the crowds. I was in a scene from Blade Runner.

My first day was done. By the end of that day I knew my heart had found a new home. My dream had become a reality. The reality was better than I could ever have dreamt and I hadn’t even seen the cherry blossom yet…

https://ninaisinhere.home.blog/2022/04/15/my-heart-is-at-home-in-tokyo-part-three/