Another bucket list checked

Flying solo to the land of the rising sun🌞🇯🇵 Haneda International Airport, Tokyo

If you follow this blog (if you don't, that's okay! you can scroll down to my last story or just click Next year I will fall in love with myself and the world and life again and voila! Happy reading) you will know that I always write down a wishlist or a bucket list that I want to achieve or to do in the following year. And last month, I just ticked off one of my bucket list by taking myself for a trip, first ever solo trip, to Japan.

This was my first time to Japan, and I was overwhelmed by the city I only could dream of being there since I was kid. Growing up watching anime, drama, movie as well as reading comic, I always thinking that Japan would be filled with cute characters like Crayon Shin-chan, Chibi Maruko-chan, etc. It's all about experience. It feels like a spiritual journey to being able to enjoy ramen, yakisoba, takoyaki, or buying some things from the vending machine or at a convenience store. Things I always want to do.

At first I thought that if this is a trip that doesn't look exciting, it'll be okay, right? I think of it because I was really tired after 9 hours flight and 1 hour transfer time in an airport in Manila, The Philippines. I feel tired already. I'm out of energy. I cant feel my 🍑 and I don't get enough sleep, thanks to baby who cried on the plane :( But it turns out that it was really fun since I arrived in Japan. I don't know the reason but maybe because I'm having less expectations of the country. When you come to a country and the country doesn't really fulfill what you think of the image of the country, you’re gonna get disappointed. That’s the reason I came here without having any or less expectations, and I was like, “Let’s see what happens and how it goes.” That’s why I think I was really happy back then when I travel in Japan, And I really wanna come back.

How anonymous I feel in Japan because there are so many people. I feel a lot smaller because there is just crowd of people all the time. Photo taken by a good friend. At Shibuya Scramble Crossing.

But, for some reason I am worried about solo travel in Japan, mostly because of language and their train and subway systems seem so confusing. Ketika pertama kali datang, gue kaget banget liat peta jalur keretanya. Ribet banget sumpah. I’m scared and I can already spot a lot of dumb mistakes that I make. Perjalanan dari Haneda International Airport ke tempat penginapan gue di daerah Azabu, Minato City itu kira-kira sekitar 45-55 menit berdasarkan Google Maps. Tapi karena gue ga ngerti gue harus naik kereta apa, jalur yang mana, dari mana mulainya, akhirnya butuh 2 jam bagi gue untuk sampai ke penginapan. That was honestly a lot more stressful than I thought. I'm still shocked at how complicated it was. The first and second day was a total disaster for me. There was a time I needed help finding a train station and asked a high school girl, her English was great but she showed me maps on her phone and it was in kanji so…yeah i’m confused, but I didn't show it to her. I do really appreciate her effort to help foreigners (like me). But after 2 or 3 days I because used to it and I kinda understand the pattern and I can go anywhere, I got lost a few times but I just asked for help and got were I needed to be😅. But that’s okay. That’s a good experience, tho! I will admit that the transport in Tokyo will take a little bit of getting used to and I thought navigating in Tokyo is gonna be a nightmare, but it isn’t true. The city is big, but Google Maps works. Besides, everyone, everywhere was very friendly and helpful. In the subway and train stations, there are transport employees at all the gates to help when you are lost or have doubts.

Selain transportasi, ada satu hal yang sangat gue khawatirkan bahkan sebelum datang ke negaranya langsung yaitu bahasa. I studied Japanese in high school for 3 years (mandatory), I took Japanese class for 1 semester when I was in my 4th year at university. I also took 2 Japanese classes during the pandemic. But, because I'm not too serious  at the time, I forgot most of the things I learned. Then 4 months before I go there, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to order food, so I took a conversational language class again. So, basically I know more or less about the basic conversation. Tapi begitu gue sampai di Jepang, hal yang gue bayangin beneran beda. I was kinda shocked because people speak Japanese really fast (Ini mungkin sama seperti yang dirasain foreigner yang ada di sini untuk belajar bahasa Indonesia). The first and second day in Tokyo I used full English (as I remember). I don't want to speak Japanese because, believe me, I'm afraid that I'll make a mistake while saying something😐. Then the owner of the place where I was staying in Tokyo said that it would be better if I spoke Japanese while in Japan. It's the time for me to practice, she said. She also said that because I am a foreigner, if I make a mistake while speaking, people will understand. Even the Japanese sometimes make mistakes, too. Thus there's no need to be afraid or worried. After that I started using Japanese, even though I spoke very slowly. But as long as the person understands what I’m saying, that's a good thing, right? After that I used 100% Japanese in Kyoto, because I didn't meet anyone who spoke English (other than tourists) there. However, when I was in Osaka, I spoke a lot of English (maybe 60-70%) because I live in downtown area and there are so many tourist there. Well, I was a little worried at first. However it turned out I had nothing to be worried about. I did not find the language that much of a barrier plus the local people were exceptionally friendly and helpful.

Attending a professional baseball game is one of my dream and it's a fantastic way to experience Japanese sports culture

Selain dua hal di atas, sebagai anak yang selalu merencanakan sesuatu, untuk trip kali ini tentu aja gue mempersiapkannya. Perihal itinerary, mine is kinda different from other. I don't really like crowded places so I wanted to go somewhere not crowded. The popular places are usually popular for a reason, but adding at least one less visited destination that has something that appeals particularly to you, could make your trip really special. And I'm not into bar thing or shopping. Mostly interested in art museums, parks, and sports. Jadi tujuan utama gue beneran ke 3 hal itu, seperti misalnya:

1. Ke 3 museum yaitu The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo National Museum, and The National Art Center Tokyo. Kebetulan ketika gue di Tokyo lagi ada pameran karya-karya yang ada di Museum Louvre di The National Art Center Tokyo. Gue seneng banget bisa liat karya-karyanya. itung-itung pemanasan sebelum ke Museum Louvre langsung di Paris, Amin ya Allah.

2. Gue merasa beruntung banget bisa menyaksikan langsung salah satu pertandingan liga sepakbola Jepang. Gue dapet pertandingan derby Greater Tokyo Area antara FC Tokyo vs Frontale Kawasaki di Japan National Stadium di daerah Shinjuku. Selain itu, gue puas banget bisa nonton pertandingan olahraga yang populer di Jepang yaitu baseball di Tokyo Dome dan pertandingannya juga termasuk big match yaitu antara Yomiuri Giants vs Hirsohima Carp. Salah satu impian gue adalah gue bisa nonton pertandingan olahraga di stadium-stadium besar atau utama di berbagai negara, dan semuanya tercapai.

3. Karena gue anaknya tipe yang santai, gue suka banget pergi ke taman. Gue suka juga lihat bunga-bunga cantik jadi gue banyak mengunjungi taman yang ada di Tokyo, Osaka, dan Kyoto. Baik itu taman yang gede atau cuma taman kecil yang biasa dipake anak-anak buat main yang ada di dekat penginapan gue. Gue seneng bisa menghabiskan waktu di taman (kalo bisa sambil rebahan), terus bisa liat orang-orang, pemandangan, dll. Saat-saat kek gini tuh beneran yang bikin gue bisa mikir positif tentang hal-hal yang mau gue lakuin, mau gue capai, atau sekedar mengingat kenangan-kenangan manis yang pernah terjadi di kehidupan gue. Gue juga jadi semakin bersyukur dan banyak berpikir kalo banyak hal-hal indah yang ada di dunia ini yang diciptakan Tuhan untuk dinikmati dan hal yang perlu kita lakukan yaitu menjaganya.

Go on a trip occasionally while you're studying or working, visit an art museum, and eat a nice, leisurely dinner. That's how you should live. That's all you need!

At The National Art Center Tokyo.

Like I said at the first paragraph, it's been kind of a goal of mine to go to Japan since I was a kid, and I literally can’t believe it was actually happening. And obviously with covid and everything locked down that wasn't really possible, but now that things are finally opening, restrictions were being lifted, I got the amazing opportunity to spend the month in Japan.

To be frank, I'm worried about being alone but also excited. I’ve always preferred my alone time. I’m glad to spend the day writing or wandering on my own, so long as I know I’ll meet a friend on the evening✌😎. That's the reason why I decided to get a solo trip this time. I love the freedom of going where I want, doing what I want and not having to worry if anyone else is enjoying the trip. Traveling solo has made me braver in daily life, for which I am grateful and it ultimately gave me more confidence in myself as a traveler, helping me feel simultaneously more self-sufficient and open to relying on the kindness of strangers. Whether solo travel suits you is a different question, maybe for some people nothing is fun without sharing it and for them, the compromises are worth making to have someone with them.

But traveling alone ended up being one of the most fulfilling, empowering experiences I’ve had this year. Alone in a country and in a language I had absolutely no bearings in, I started to reconnect with myself. The endless sprawl of Tokyo meant I could never "see it all," so I quickly gave up on the instinct to pack things in and instead let myself be carried along by the current, taking long, meditative walks through the neighborhoods. For me this more than balances the occasional loneliness or self-consciousness. Moments of loneliness were overshadowed by unexpected sparks of connection, like swapping travel stories at the hostel with the other solo traveler or at Japanese bar or the other place with old friends I met during the trip.

The parks that I visited was seriously breathtaking, I can’t get over how beautiful it is! Every park here is stunning. I just want to spend a whole day there. At Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.

It's a beautiful day to be alive🌹🌺🌼🐶. At Shiba Park.

At Nara Park

Well, it's been very hectic going to a new country and experiencing all these things for the first time, and it's been a while since I traveled out of Indonesia. I’ve been living alone for 8 years now but I never got to experience traveling alone so this is so scary for me. This is my first time and it's quite daunting for me to be in a foreign place where I can't really understand the language. This is such a huge responsibility and definitely out of my comfort zone. But I may seem like I am responsible but there are parts of myself that I hate. I'm clumsy sometimes,  I tend to be forgetful of my things. I am a girl and of course I have to be extra considerate about my safety. Luckily, I have a sense of safety in Japan during the trip. In my country I’m always watching my back and turning around and  feel like very unsafe. Then since coming here, every time I go to a cafe I just leave my tote bag or stuff on the table when I order something and there's no one who will take it. That is something that I can't do that in my country because people will just steal it immediately.

Banyak banget pengalaman menarik dan menyenangkan yang gue alami selama gue stay di sana. Namun, ada pula hal-hal yang agak disayangkan atau keluh kesah yang gue rasakan seperti misalnya:

- Feeling a little lonely and thinking too much! Well that hasn’t bothered me much: I’ve always preferred my alone time. Actually I’m glad to spend the day writing or wandering on my own. So when I decided on half month alone in Japan, I worried about the open-endedness of all that 'me' time. What if I don’t like myself as much as I like my friends? What if I’m a less savy traveler when I don’t have someone to explore with? And worst of all, what if I get overwhelmed by all the restaurants I’ve starred on Google Maps and don’t have someone to help decide where I should eat? The responsibility of being entirely in charge of my own itinerary seemed daunting.

- Ga ada temen ngobrol pake bahasa Indonesia kalo lg cape banget ngomong bhs Inggris atau Jepang. Like for all the moments I wished I had someone to talk to and process the experience with.

- Semua hal harus dilakuin dan diputusin sama diri sendiri, which is a challenging for me karena biasanya gue kebanyakan minta opini dari orang-orang terdekat kalo mau ambil keputusan. Making a decision is a part of our daily life. Some decisions are so simple, short-term decisions, while others are time consuming and sometimes high risk.

- Ga bisa foto-foto. Dua hari pertama tuh gue kek sedih & menyayangkan ga bisa foto, apalagi kalo ada di tempat bagus nan indah gitu. Tapi setelah itu kek “yaudahlah ga ada diri ini di foto jg gapapa, I’ll just enjoy these views for myself and keep it on my head instead". Sebenernya bisa aja kalo minta tolong orang lain buat fotoin kita, tapi kek agak sulit gitu dan ga bisa minta banyak untuk fotoin karena orang lain pasti punya urusan masing-masing. Untuk urusan foto bisa aja diakalin bawa tripod sendiri, tp karena gue anaknya ga prepare dan males juga jadi kek yaudaaahhhlah hehehe.

- Dari segi biaya, mungkin kalo ada teman bisa jadi lebih hemat karena bisa dibagi biayanya. Tapi mostly untuk penginapan dan makanan kali yaaa. One of the worst parts of traveling alone is not having someone to share food with. I love eating by myself, but as just one person, I can’t try as many dishes as I would with a companion.

Todai-ji Temple, Nara

Walaupun ada hal yang sangat gue sayangkan, tapi gue tetap orangnya looking on the bright side. Because there are so many good things happened there. The thing that I really love is the weather. The air feels really fresh there. I don’t know it’s probably just me being over excited and romanticizing it, but the air feels very fresh. Walaupun kalo siang berasa panas banget, tapi ketika sore udaranya berangsur-angsur dingin. And I loveeeeee the people. Both Japanese and the foreigners. Everyone is just so kind there. If I don't know something and ask for example a direction of a place, even though they don’t even know english, they still help you. Like I couldn’t find the right train and platform, and I asked a guy, he didn’t understand English but he followed us all the way to the station that was like a long walk. In general they are really nice like almost too polite, like you drop something and they are the one who say sorry.

There are so many things I learned while I'm in Japan. I think about this while I'm walking or just sitting around in a park that I visited.

- I am capable as long as I put my mind and heart into it. One of biggest goals is to travel more in 2023 and I thought that it would be really hard and not everybody has an opportunity to travel (not just when it comes to money but also time).

- I want to invest more on experiences than just material things.

- Don't be afraid to take calculated risks and make mistakes. Trust your feeling and don't panic when you skip station.

- Double or triple check everything, like contents of your bags or luggage, passport, wallet, handphone, map route, etc.

- Lost money can be found, but lost time is gone forever. So, just have fun while you can!

- Kindness, good manners, and behavior are as important as good education.

- Our willingness to keep learning and changing ourselves is a superpower.

Japan has honestly been very cool! I would say the main thing that shocked me that was very different from any city I've ever been to is just how quiet it is! Especially in Tokyo for being such a massive sprawling city. It is so quiet. You don't hear anyone on the streets, you don't hear any cars, you don't hear any honking as well as the fact that everything is so clean. I’m not good with people, and there’s nothing super special about me. So I never imagined that my life could ever lead to something like this. It would be nice to here again.

The weather was good, so I came to take a picture. I don’t really into photography, I just want to preserve things that are pretty. At Tokyo Station.

I think I'm enjoying Japan. I really am! So many things happened and it was kinda overwhelming. In a good way! It treated me really well. It really exudes an energy like no other. I feel so happy. This trip made me understand more about myself. If I get a chance to travel again, I won't go to many places. I'll focus on eating good food. And rest a lot. I think it's best to go on a trip like that. I'm learning more about traveling. I minimized the things I'm carrying. I hate crowded places, so I wanted to go somewhere not crowded. I haven't traveled as often but I realize my travel style at last. I just promised to give myself more holiday while I can.

Well, another bucket list checked, and I feel blessed for that. Actually my bucket list is made up of many kinds of things - wishes, hopes, dreams and crazy notions that will probably impossible or never come true yet I always pretend to myself they will. But I kept it on my list, and I kept dreaming and refused to remove it. And you know what? just by the virtue of keeping it in mind, and being open to possibilities that God - or life, or whatever you choose to call it - threw at me, a way to make it happen appeared. Can't wait to ticked the other list. I hope you guys can also make one of your list from your bucket list (or more) come true, as soon as possible. And I do really hope you decide to go to Japan after all and experience it at least once :)

XO

Deb:)