I’m now in Tokyo.

To follow up on my previous post, I did see Mount Fuji, and it was awesome inspiring.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen photos of Fuji that have any insight into what is around it, so I was rather surprised from my perch at the train door to see the industrial zone we were flying by. I had sandwiched myself between the two sides of the door to make sure I got a clear shot, not knowing how long I would have while aboard a train moving 178 mph.

I find something beautiful in these smoke stacks and wires that break the view of the otherwise otherworldly mountain. We had a mostly unbroken view of Fuji for almost ten minutes, capping off a day of memorable sights.

Now in Tokyo, it is much warmer than it has been. Today it was nearly seventy degrees, so the cherry blossoms have begun to pop up everywhere.

I can tell that soon they will be miraculous, but people are already lining up to take photos with them. They smell amazing, like honey but warmer and maybe slightly musky.

James went to the train museum, so Lukas and I went to the park. Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden was a sight to behold. Everything is well maintained, so somehow the grass is yellow and perfect instead of the customary brown and dead. The garden reminds me a bit of Central Park. There were a lot of people laying on the perfect yellow grass carpet, groups of children from school, and people just walking around enjoying the day.

From the park we made our way through the Meiji Jingu Shrine and then to Yoyogi on the edge of Shibuya. This is a shorter part of Tokyo with lots of great shops.

We stopped at Blue Lug, a bike shop I’ve dreamed about for many years. I got out mostly unscathed after winning a few arguments against myself on what the difference is between want and need.

From there we went to our hostel in Akihabara to prepare for a night out with my friend Shoyo. Shoyo took us upstairs to a restaurant we never would have found and helped me secure tickets to the Yokohama Marinos game the following day.

The next day James left us again, this time for a flight back to Boston. Lukas and I made our way to Yokohama to start our new lives as Yokohama Marinos ultras.

These fans love their team. The more seasoned ultras jumped and sang in unison for the entire ninety minutes. They had special flags for every occasion. Going to a local sporting event has become one of my favorite detours when traveling.

There was an amazing moment after the game that made it a truly Japanese experience. After the whistle blew no one got up from their seats. We waited, not sure what was happening. The teams shook hands in a line, then got together and bowed to the stadium. Following that, the entire Yokohama Marinos team including mascots did a circle of the entire stadium, stopping three times to bow to the fans. Only after they finished each stadium section bow and left did the fans begin to file out.

The stadium was also a uniquely beautiful bit of brutalism on the outside.

But that is all for now. Time for bed for me, much more of Tokyo to see.