**The applicability to anime**

Before I left, someone told me that visiting Japan helped them understand anime better. I was a bit confused at the time, but I understand that statement now. It didn’t unlock anything socio-culturally that elevated my comprehension of anime, rather I feel like I gained a sense of familiarity with certain things. Details about backgrounds and settings in particular from anime suddenly are immediately recognizable, whereas before they simply were part of the scenery and had no meaning. Buildings, street scenes, types of shops, and so forth, fit this category.

**Travel impressions and suggestions**

Don’t travel in summer, if you do, make sure you have breathable clothes, but you’ll still sweat a bunch, so be somewhere you can do laundry and feel comfortable showering everyday.

Japanese is optional, at least in Tokyo. This is even though I think the internet overstates how many people can speak English, though I didn’t really test anyone. I regret not having a human connection/conversation in Japanese with anyone there, but would be at a bit of a loss as to how I could meet someone open to that anyways. But this will stay on my mind in future trips.

In regards to hotels, it seems $100 USD a night gets you pretty far, you can probably go for $150 and get something really nice. The complimentary breakfast I had was excellent, with a variety of options including fish.

My hotel was many train stops away from Tokyo, in Kamata and I liked this a lot. Presumably, things were a bit cheaper, but also it was nice that it was a bit quieter outside my hotel and in my surroundings. Even many stops away, it’s still bustling, especially near the train station. There’s an Animate, the main manga store chain, within walking distance for example.

Convenience stores are novel, and I tried lots of stuff, mostly desserts of various kinds. Most of it I regret though, it’s just, novel, and that’s about it. Overall, food is good, even when it’s affordable, so there isn’t much reason to eat from a convenience store except to try melon pan.

**Specific locations**

Went to Ueno Park which has excellent museums, probably a highlight. And saw some sites from Mitsuboshi Colors.

Akibahara is okay. Honestly, I feel like ultimately it’s a bit redundant. One or two anime stores will have basically the same coverage. There are a number of other foreigners here, it’s kinda weird. It was neat to see, and browse, but it’s not going to be a draw for me in the future, especially when every major Japanese city has an Animate already.

**Thoughts on society**

I don’t think I mind the automatic politeness as other people might. The canned phrases that store employees use, and that customers can use too. Or rather, I like having polite phrases that I can use, though I wouldn’t mind if employees weren’t compelled to preemptively welcome you to their store. Also, politeness phrasing makes it a bit harder to understand employee answers sometimes though, but that’s mostly the weakness of my Japanese.

Anime doesn’t really portray economic challenges all that often, and I didn’t see many apparent signs of economic struggle, but certainly the situation is not as cherry and optimistic as it can be portrayed. I dunno what the conclusion is here, just a reminder it can be tough in the world.

**Personal reflections on travel**

Tokyo is a pretty ambitious place. Probably the New York City of Japan, right? I suppose I should have realized it and that it doesn’t connect super well with my outlook, which is less ambitious. There’s a lot of high-market shopping, which I used to be into, but now it doesn’t do so much for me.

Still, I do think I want to make going to Japan a yearly thing. However, next time, I would like to go to probably Kyoto, where there are more historical sites, and plan to not only travel within the country a bit and see more natural sites, but also relaxing activities, such as a stay at a traditional Japanese inn with an onsen. I still think I got some good experience having been the first time though, and I can stress out less about little stuff going in the future.

The trip has encouraged me to live a bit better and be more willing to spend money on things that will improve my life. Being diligent on cleaning, throwing out old clothes, and tidying up in general. As well as investing in better travel gear for future trips. It’s a bit hard to explain but I suppose this is an intangible benefit of having gone, being taken away from your normal life so you can examine it from a distance.