While I first came to Tokyo, Japan on March 13th, 2020, I didn’t leave Tokyo until the end of the month. So this year, during the spring break, I was able to re-visit Tokyo, pretty much at the exact same time I was there last year.
I was able to meet with friends and do some fun things, so I figured I’d share some of the pictures I took here!
I stayed in Tokyo for just about a week, although a few of those days I spent the night at a friend’s place in Saitama. Anyways, I didn’t take pictures of everything I did. Unlike the first time I came to Japan, I’ve become somewhat desensitized to the country. When I first came here, even just regular streets and buildings themselves seemed photo-worthy.
But I still got plenty of pictures anyways, so here we go.
Also, it’s kind of nice that everyone is wearing masks so if I accidentally got some other person in a photo, I don’t feel as bad sharing it haha.
Little Shrine in the City
First up is this neat little shrine tucked away right in the city. One of my friends and I were walking around Koto-ku, by Kiba station, (I was staying in the area with other friends) and we just happened to come across this place. It’s definitely not the only one, I’ve seen others in the city as well, but being from the countryside myself it’s cool to see these little shrines.
Cherry Blossoms on the Bridge
Just a single photo, but I revisited Kiba Kouen and was able to see the exact same tree that I saw last year all blossomed and hanging over the pedestrian bridge again! Maybe I’ll make it a tradition to revisit this tree every spring, for however long I stay in the country.
Tulips in Odaiba
I also revisited Odaiba again this year, which is a great place to check out if you are ever sightseeing in Tokyo. Last year I got pictures of the little statue of liberty and the gundam, as well as some cherry blossoms while I was here. But this year, I took more pictures of the tulip gardens that are very close by the gundam. There are some other flower gardens as well, but most of them are tulips.
teamLab Borderless
This was the highlight of my trip to Tokyo. I went to this place called teamLab Borderless with a couple friends. The pictures don’t really do it justice, but basically it’s a series of very dark rooms that use lights in a very artistic way. Many of the patterns and such move around from room-to-room, and change over time, so there’s a lot to see. There are also several special rooms with their own thing going on. Overall just a really cool experience.
Just try to keep in mind that everything is moving all the time, something my pictures can’t capture.
Asakusa
Revisited Asakusa as well, this time at night as my friend mentioned that Sensoji is very nice at night when it’s lit up. It was also fairly empty by the time we visited, which was nice too, because even with covid it gets busy during the day.
Those are the highlights from my trip. I did some other things and walked around some other areas but didn’t take any really nice pictures or anything. It was a fun trip but it’s also nice to be back in the countryside. Part of me wants to experience living in the Greater Tokyo Area, but I’m not sure yet. I’ll likely think it over next year. For now, I’m sticking to where I am in Nagano for another year.
Hope you enjoyed the pictures!
Until next time,
Thanks for reading.
Umai Yomu Anime Blog 
Beautiful photos ❤️
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Thanks!
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How eerie, I started the James May documentary just the other day — he seemed quite impressed by the Borderless exhibition too. Which, for a grumpy Brit, is saying something XD
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Interesting!
There are actually two Borderless locations, both fairly close to each other. The second one that I didn’t go to is more linear, and you go through it barefoot because you walk through water and they use the water on the ground for some different effects with the lighting. Next time I’m in Tokyo I’ll probably go there.
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Lovely photos, and lucky you! I haven’t heard of teamLab Borderless before, but the pictures are stunning.
Kind of curious about any traveling restrictions: did you have to quarantine at all?
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There are no travel restrictions within Japan. There aren’t really any restrictions at all, aside from bars having to close earlier in Tokyo to my knowledge.
Even the state of emergency was basically just the government urging people to not go out as much, there’s no real enforcement. But there was no state of emergency where I live, so I don’t know the exact details on how things changed. Trains are crowded as ever, so likely not much.
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Interesting! That’s what I thought – or else it probably wouldn’t be worth going on vacation only to spend 1/3 of the time in quarantine and the rest of it social distancing.
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It would just be the quarantine, but I think it’s only three days if you test negative? Don’t know for sure though.
As for social distancing, that’s up to you haha. No one really does that here, aside from certain establishments that put tape on the floor so people are a little more spread out while lining up for things.
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Wow, that is surprisingly lax! I know social distancing wasn’t much of a thing in Taiwan either, but they were super hard on the travel quarantine and tracked your location for 14 days.
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Where I am, you wouldn’t even know covid was a thing if people weren’t wearing masks. Personally I’m happy about it, been able to go out and enjoy the last year without any issues.
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