I did a lot of shopping in Tokyo and bought many souvenirs for my family and friends. I thought carefully about each person while choosing their gifts. I bought clothes from different stores and spent some time shopping around Kinshichō, visiting Marui and Termina.
While moving around the city, I also noticed some interesting details. For instance, Tokyo’s subway system reminded me a lot of the Delhi Metro. This is because the Delhi Metro was developed with significant support from Japan, including technical expertise and funding. One clear difference was security, in Delhi, bags and passengers are scanned at station entrances, but not in Tokyo.
Another thing I noticed was how store staff communicate. They repeat polite phrases very consistently, sometimes even when no customers are nearby. At first, I wondered if I was supposed to respond, but I soon noticed that most shoppers simply continued browsing without reacting. So, I learned that this is just part of Japan’s customer service culture. Sometimes, I couldn’t help but think about how tiring that might be.
Beyond these everyday observations, the trip was also a valuable learning experience for me as an instructor.
During this trip, all of my lessons were observed by Yano-sensei. I conducted my lessons in the same style that I usually use, and afterward she gave me detailed feedback. During the lessons, I often shared my experiences with students and had conversations that connected the lesson material with real-life situations. When I was not teaching, I had the opportunity to observe Yano-sensei’s lessons with other students and learn from her approach. In between lessons, students also had the chance to ask me questions in English, and I answered them directly. I felt that this training style was very helpful for my development as an instructor.
One day during a taxi ride, Yano-sensei also gave me advice about the Japanese expressions I sometimes use during lessons. She pointed out that a few of them sounded slightly unnatural, she suggested more natural alternatives. I wrote the expressions down and started using them in my lessons.
A few times, out of habit, I used the old expressions again, but I quickly corrected myself. Over time, the new phrases began to feel natural, and this experience helped me become more aware of how I communicate with students.
Meanwhile, I also continued my souvenir shopping for family and friends. I bought a muffler and a T-shirt for my dad. He wore the T-shirt to work the very next day. I also bought a sweater and a warm muffler for my mother.
I bought several items for my brother, but he ended up losing three of them at school, which honestly made me quite upset. I also bought clothes for my best friend, and she was really happy with the souvenirs.
I bought a lot of chocolates and snacks, mixed them together, and shared them with many people so everyone could try different flavors. Interestingly, no one seemed to enjoy the matcha KitKat, which made me curious about how Japanese people feel about that flavor.
Along with all this, I bought books. I had planned to buy Higashino Keigo’s books in Japan, as I had already read many of his works in English and wanted to own them in Japanese. In Akihabara, a bookstore staff member helped me find all the books I was looking for and even introduced me to a new release. Buying original Japanese books in Japan and reading them in their original language had always been on my wishlist.
I bought three books by Higashino Keigo and later got another, making it four in total. I also bought two manga from Animate. While Akihabara felt more expensive, likely because it’s very popular with tourists, Animate in Ikebukuro felt like a dream place for anime lovers.
In the end, packing everything was a challenge. My suitcase was already full of bulky winter clothes. At Haneda Airport, I used the remaining cash I had to buy a jacket and a T-shirt from UNIQLO, which felt like the perfect way to end my shopping in Japan.
The next article is about some other well-known spots I explored in Tokyo — read it here.