On the train from the airport, you notice no one has yard space – houses are all clumped together, simple rectangles with pieces added on like Lego, with tiny driveways just large enough for a single car. And there are lots of cars, with big car parks scattered about, though sometimes just for dozens of rows of bikes. We pass a giant building facade painted with the four faces of the Beatles, for no apparent reason.
We stayed at Nui Hostel, which is maybe the coolest hostel ever. The ground floor is a bar frequented by locals, so there’s always interesting people about, and the whole place looks amazing. It’s a bit away from ‘central’ Tokyo, which I guess means Shinjuku and Shibuya, but it was never an issue – if anything it was the better for it.
Asakusa was our closest area, a 10 minute walk up the road, and is a cool place to explore.
From July 5, 2013.