Date of Visit: June 2019
Tokyo was a dream come true for me. I went out there for my 40th with the lads and honestly… what a trip. Tokyo is the shizz. Everything about that place had me wide-eyed — the tiny UX hacks everywhere, the architecture, the people… all of it.
Even the underground system had me nerding out. In London, you tap in and the barrier pops open. Tokyo? The barrier is already open. You tap out and it just… stays open. That alone sums up Japan: trust baked into the culture, and efficiency everywhere you look.
We did the full spectrum too — old temples, the resting place of the 47 Ronin, wandering through arcades while women dressed like Hello Kitty characters tried to drag us inside. Got a serious massage, trained some BJJ with the crew, hit bars, ate ramen, tried a capsule hotel (because obviously), crossed Shibuya, chilled in Yoyogi Park, and even caught a wrestling show at the Tokyo Dome. My step count was on violence the whole trip.
One surprisingly wholesome highlight: a group of vocalists we met sang me a full acapella “Happy Birthday.” Quality moment.
And the people? Unreal. Everywhere you go it’s smiles, friendly energy, and the warmest “Arigato gozaimasu!” you’ve ever heard. Then you land in Europe on the way home and the contrast hits hard. Proper post-holiday blues.
Out of everywhere I’ve travelled, Tokyo sits right at the top. Easy.
