The problem with promising daily updates on an international trip is that the first entry will always be about jet lag. I knew that and I ignored it, because I foolishly chose optimism.
Luckily I had learned this lesson last year, where a series of plane delays meant I arrived in Bergen at midnight instead of noon, where I had just enough time to get some sleep before immediately jumping on the train onward. Today I intentionally made no plans so I could sleep a full 24 hours if I wanted. Unfortunately I barely made it to 7 and have been living with the consequences all day.
So yes, I spent a good chunk of the day zoning out in my hotel room watching Japanese TV, but I made sure it wasn’t a total loss. I scouted out the hotel’s neighborhood. Took care of some chores (currency exchange, IC card). And tested that I knew how the trains work.
I didn’t really want to go to Shibuya. I had it in my head that Shibuya, and specifically the famous crosswalk, is the Japanese equivalent of Times Square in New York. I’m even more convinced of that having now been there. But like Times Square, you gotta see it to see it, right?
I successfully left Shibuya without buying any Pokémon merchandise and have since been waiting for a normal bedtime. Tomorrow’s schedule is not empty.
