Japan Trip (Day 1): The Unbearable Lights

I arrived in Tokyo a little after midnight on Monday. I was supposed to arrive by 6:00 pm the day before. After being stuck at Haneda Airport for about 5 hours (public transit stops by midnight), I was finally on way to my hotel.

And then... my backpack strap broke!

Jet lagged and sleep deprived is not how you would want to explore a new city, let alone learn how the subway system works. As I mentioned in my previous post, I got a subway card and loaded it with 10,000 yen ($100) - which at the time I thought was too much.

Getting an IC card (subway card) is fairly simple. The kiosk has an English option and easy to follow instructions. The card requires a 500 yen deposit, which you will get back (along with the remaining balance in it) when you return the card.

If you've watched enough Japan travel videos on YouTube, you'll know there are 2 cards you could get: a Pasmo card or a Suica card. What's the difference? Nothing really.

I checked-in my hotel room. Took a quick disco nap before taking a 20-minute subway ride to Koto City to see the teamLab Borderless digital art exhibit.

Going into a digital art and light exhibit that is also interactive, while still jet-lagged and sleep-deprived was not the best idea. I could have gone a different day had I not pre-booked my ticket, thinking that it would be similar to the Ghibli museum where only a limited number of tickets are sold each month and is sold-out after an hour.

The whole experience was overwhelming and a bit like tripping on hallucinogens. I didn't get to explore everything in the exhibit as I was already having a panic attack trying to find the exit after only 2 hours of being there.

I wish that I could have enjoyed it more, but I had a lot of things on my mind on top of being really tired. I needed to buy a new suitcase, activate my JR pass and reserve my seat on the Shinkansen for Kyoto - where I have a hotel reservation for the next day.