Yano-sensei and I went to Shibuya on a rainy Monday. Even then, it was incredibly crowded, and I mostly saw tourists around. We crossed the famous Shibuya Crossing, watching people move in every direction at once.
We also walked through Center Gai (Sentā-gai), Harajuku, Takeshita Street (Takeshita-dōri), and the Omotesando area, all well known for shopping, fashion, and youth culture. Each area had its own vibe, but all of them felt lively and energetic despite the weather.
In Asakusa, she showed me two unique buildings near the Sumida River. One was the Asahi Beer Tower, designed to resemble a glass of beer. Next to it stood the black Asahi Beer Hall building, topped with the golden “Asahi Flame,”, often jokingly called “unko biru” (literally “poop building”) because of its unusual shape.
On the second-last day of my trip, we went up to the Tokyo Skytree Observatory and enjoyed a stunning view of the city. The weather was clear, which made it possible to see very far into the distance. I was even able to spot Tokyo Tower from above. It was quite crowded there as well, with many foreign visitors.
While coming down, I accidentally took the wrong elevator and found myself on the fifth floor instead of the exit level. It took me a moment to figure out where I was.
During the trip, we also visited the Tokyo headquarters of our major client, NKES. There, I had the opportunity to meet a representative from the company who works closely with the students we teach. We spoke briefly about the lessons, the students, and the learning process. Visiting the office gave me a better understanding of the company’s atmosphere and the professional environment in which our students work.
Through this trip, I also gained a deeper appreciation for the effort our own team puts in behind the scenes. Working closely with Yano-sensei each day allowed me to see how much preparation, coordination, and care goes into supporting both the students and the lessons.
On my last day in Tokyo, my third ambassador (an NKES student who came all the way from Fukushima to Tokyo just to take me out and show me the city) took me to a capsule toy shop to try gacha. Gacha are capsule toy machines in Japan where you get a random toy after inserting a coin and turning a knob. I got a character I really like from the anime Haikyuu!!, which made me genuinely happy. My ambassador enjoys gacha and collected many toys herself, though she joked that this place is dangerous for her wallet. I completely agreed, gacha can be quite addictive. You can end up using lots of money on cute things. I was also impressed to see machines that exchange money into ¥100 coins, making it very convenient to keep trying.
Later, we visited Sunshine Aquarium in Ikebukuro. It turned out to be one of the most calming experiences of my entire trip. Aquariums are quite popular in Japan and are common family outing spots. I had never visited an aquarium before. Seeing so many different marine species up close was fascinating. The entire space felt peaceful, quiet, and comforting.
Visiting the aquarium wasn’t something I had planned, but it became a highlight of my trip. Sometimes, locals introduce you to experiences that don’t appear in typical travel guides. I became curious about marine life and how aquariums maintain different environments for different species. I made a vlog of the aquarium visit, and my father and I really enjoyed watching it together. We both got excited like children watching the fish swim.
I also watched an outdoor seal show , where seals (or sea lions) performed simple tricks and movements by responding to their trainer’s signals. It was playful and something I had only seen in Crayon Shin-chan before.
The next article is about meeting students in person — read it here.