Tokyo Weeks 3 & 4: Reflections and Recommendations
Why would you want to skip the privilege of being a beginner?
2/9/26—2/22/26
I’m going to talk about writing, because these two weeks are when I actually started doing it in earnest. Looking back on my journal from this period, I kept writing some refrain of “it feels weak – but I just need to publish it.” I was trying to follow the mantra I’d been repeating for the past year: it doesn’t need to be good, it just needs to be honest. Perfectionism is an ugly and egotistical thing to carry when it keeps you frozen in place instead of pushing you forward.
I’ve also begun to crawl out of my head and properly take in the world around me. As I continue reading back through my journal, it really is hilarious to me that my dinner at Den was the turning point for dialing into this trip. I guess I really do love food that much. But more than that, I simply love seeing people do what they love. So let’s talk about that a little bit more, and why I’m writing these reviews in the first place.
For one, writing crystallizes an experience for me. I remember so much more when I sit down and commit things to paper – whether it’s a smaller experience like a tea tasting or these weekly reflections.
And by this point I’m also asking myself what kind of angle I want to take when I write. I hesitate to even call this “reviewing” because that begets a sense of authority I don’t yet have — and trying to cosplay having a critical eye while lacking the knowledge needed for objectivity is kind of lame. Mostly I’m just recounting what I experienced and what I liked about it through an intentionally uncritical lens. And I won’t write about things I disliked, especially on a topic as subjective as food.
Do I want to mimic a critic, being as conscientious and measured as possible? Or do I want to be an enthusiast, someone who excitedly shares what they love with others? It should be very evident based on everything I stand for that I continue to choose the latter.
And honestly, that’s what makes the writing more interesting to me. There’s a good chance I’ll disagree with my own opinions as I learn and grow, and that’s a process I want to embrace, not shy away from. Even if it sometimes earns me a rude comment on Tiktok.
But I also figure that if I want to write for travel or hospitality professionally, my long and winding narrative style probably isn’t conducive to the objectivity or standardized approach a publication is seeking.
But having written several of these at this point, I’ve come to realize that objectivity is boring as hell. I’d actually rather be as subjective as possible. These experiences are just as much diary entries as they are anything else, and that’s exactly what makes them worth revisiting later.
My writing becomes a living testament to how everything builds upon itself, including how my own perspectives evolve as I experience more. My experience at Den influenced my dinner at MAZ. Sakurai influenced my experiences at Aman and norm, and so on. Ever is still a benchmark and running meme in my reviews because it was my first ever (haha) fine dining experience, a gift to myself after landing my first corporate job. A part of me is still measuring everything against it (even though it was far from my favorite!)
If I center objectivity, I lose out on the story of that evolution. I can pivot to a cleaner writing style when I’m pitching, but here, my intended audience is me. You’re free to tag along for the ride, but everyone else is secondary.
Beyond the publicly embarrassing benchmark of how much I spend on food, this is how I want to write about my life as well. I am embracing a constant and public process of learning. If I only write at the goal, I miss out on the person I was on the journey to get there. And that’s really quite boring, isn’t it? It’s just another form of perfectionism that keeps you frozen, because you’ve decided people can see you once you’re good enough. And when will that be?
So I am educating myself on the world. In lieu of resolutions, I created lists of things I wanted to experience this year – which included dining (see above), media, and reading.
If that reading list is any indication, it should be clear that I’m trying to improve my sociopolitical education this year. I’ll unpack my own perspectives more later, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they evolve as I learn more through my reading. I am looking even more forward to seeing how they evolve through actual conversations with the real people I meet on my travels. I’m excited to see what this experience will teach me about myself and the world around me, and if it comes at the cost of being wrong or humbled, that’s a blessing, not an embarrassment. And I hope it will mean that I become a better human being in the long run.
As for day-to-day life during these weeks in Tokyo: I had a lot of amazing meals, drank enough delicious cocktails to feel the spectre of alcoholism tapping me on the shoulder, and explored more of the city – albeit less than I’d hoped.
Since Week 2, I’d been enrolled in language school. By Week 3, I decided I didn’t want to commit to the full two months I’d signed up for. For one, I think I finally have to admit I’m not a classroom learner — I can be quite lazy and undisciplined. For another, the school was heavily grammar-focused (which makes sense, considering most students are probably preparing for the JLPT). So I followed half the class’s leads and decided to end my course at the end of February, then devote March to fully exploring Tokyo.
Save for one dude who claimed he had come to Japan to find a wife because Western women’s standards were “too high”, my classmates were really cool. I think I learned about as many words in German as I did Japanese. The first few days of class I thought this kid was being a punk and messing with me because he kept asking me to fully throw open the window every five minutes. Turns out that’s just good old German stoßlüften. Sorry for doubting you, Vinc.
And on the last day of Week 4 I went back to the very first place I ate in Japan, all the way back in November 2022. I shared this with the cashier as I ordered, and then went to the same table I sat at back then.
While I waited for my order, I heard the team giggling in the back, quietly chanting “Cherry blossom! Cherry blossom!” to themselves. Once my drink arrived, I saw why.
It was so sweet!!
Experiences
Azabudai Hills
Bougie as hell — Tokyo loves a gigantic, sprawling mixed use complex — and where Borderless is located. I loved the % Arabica on the top floor, which includes rooftop seating, the grocery store, and the various indoor/outdoor public seating options available throughout the complex, which can sometimes be hard to find without paying for a meal in Tokyo.
Don’t skip the tea shop tucked away on the upper floor of the grocery.
teamLab Borderless
I loved Planets in 2022, and I loved Borderless even more. I think it’s worth seeing at least one immersive art exhibit like this while in Japan. Borderless is the most famous of them all, but take a look through their galleries and see which one draws you the most. Go for the last time slot of the day: tickets are cheapest and crowds are thinnest then. At some points I got entire rooms to myself!
Gold Bar at EDITION
I walked here from Borderless, and while the drinks were good and I enjoyed the concept, I feel that there’s so many stronger cocktail bars in Tokyo that this is a skip.
Little Nap Coffee Stand
Located right by Yoyogi Park, I stopped by here for a quick snack and coffee before my last-minute dinner at Den. That sweet potato scone is one of the best scones I’ve had in my life, and Tokyo continues to convert me on coffee.
Den
My inspiration. I love when something demonstrably has so much heart behind it.
Kamakura
Absolutely worth a day trip from Tokyo. I liked nearby Enoshima even more, and if you’re selective about what you do you can see both in a day. Beware that everything in Kamakura basically shuts after 5pm.
Hatoya Kamakura
Hatoya has some of the best matcha I’ve had in Japan, and their Kamakura location is the only one that carries salt foam. I loved, loved, loved their ichigo matcha, but it’ll run you about as much as a matcha latte in America. They’re pricey.
GYUKATSU Kyoto Katsugyu
My first of many meals at GYUKATSU Kyoto Katsugyu was in Kamakura. I liked this more than Gyukatsu Motomura, and I love Gyukatsu Motomura. The difference between the two is that Kyoto Katsugyu is Kyoto-style (obviously), and Motomura is Tokyo-style. I like that the Kyoto style includes an onsen egg, which is absolutely delicious for dipping the steak in, and it has a wider variety of sauces.
MAZ
I can’t wait to come back here, which is something I rarely say for tasting menus.
Chiyaba Cafe
Situated under the train tracks and a short walk from Nakameguro station, this is an adorable little cafe that specializes in Nepali chai. I can’t say it’s the best chai I’ve ever had, but I keep coming back because the vibe is lovely and the barista is so sweet (say hi to Manae for me if you see her!). The seating area in the back is really cozy, but I always sit at the counter to chat with her! Their music playlist is also amazing.
I also just love walking that strip of Nakameguro. My favorite drink here was the chai with toasted rice (believe it’s called “genma”). And if you’re looking for a change after enjoying your chai, there’s another vibey spot I love just a short walk away.
Onibus Coffee
…Is near Chiyaba, and while I don’t think their coffee is the best of the best, it has the best vibe of any cafe I’ve been to, with second floor seating overlooking the elevated train tracks you were just seated underneath at Chiyaba. Some of the team speak really good English too and are incredibly sweet.
Japanese Steak Bowl & Beef Curry
My classmate Désirée took me here on her last day of class, and I gotta admit I was pretty leery about the idea of a Japanese steak bowl heading in. What did that even mean?! But this was absolutely delicious. How could it not be? It’s loaded with butter, meat, garlic, and carbs. Having been to two locations now, I prefer their Nishi-Shinjuku spot more, but the one by the Isetan in Shinjuku proper is still really solid.
Mitsui Garden Hotel Jingugaien Tokyo PREMIER
This is a recommendation from 2022 — it was the first hotel I stayed at in Japan, and is still my favorite. I’m not sure how it holds up in 2026, but I love MGH hotels for their sentos, and the view and location of this spot is unmatched. I unintentionally made the right choice staying at a hotel that was one stop away from a major hub station, and I repeat this advice to everyone who asks me for it. Being a stop away secludes you from the chaos of the crowds and confusion of navigating multiple lines whenever you need to get anywhere, and if for some reason trains run less frequently to your stop after a certain hour, you can still cinch a fifteen-to-twenty minute walk to the larger hub station.
Shinjuku Gyoen
Tokyo’s largest park and garden with a modest entry fee. If you’re doing a longer-term stay like me, getting the annual pass is absolutely worth it. It pays for itself in four visits, and I love using the park as a more scenic crossing from Shinjuku to Shibuya, or to just pop in whenever I’m in the area without feeling like I need to commit to making the most of a 500円 fee.
&c
The first place I ate at in Japan, back in 2022. I had practiced so many phrases in Japanese on the flight and that morning and walked up to the counter, ready to order, and summarily forgot every single word I learned. The barista was very sweet, a bit excited to see a tourist after two years of shut borders, and navigated me through a menu that, at the time, was only in Japanese (they have an English one now). Don’t skip their homemade pudding. It’s right outside the Sendagaya gate of Shinjuku Gyoen. Maybe I’m only recommending it because it holds sentimental value to me, but it is a really cute cafe.
