Kanpai
Full circle… we arrived back in Tokyo a few days ago from Nara. This trip has been one for the books, or the blog, I guess. Upon arriving in Tokyo station via a series of trains, we stopped in Ramen Street (a street with a series of ramen shops in Tokyo station), before heading to our hotel.
We stayed in Shinjuku, in a Godzilla themed hotel. Shinjuku is more in the west side of Tokyo while at the start of our trip we stayed on the east side. For our first night in Shinjuku we decided to go on an organized pub crawl. Much tamer than the ones in Europe, and no karaoke either! In any case, we were introduced to some pretty cool parts of the Shinjuku district, the highlight being Goldengai. Goldengai is a series of alleys filled with over 200 hole-in-the-wall bars (fitting for our trip), some with unique themes. One in particular, Death Match in Hell, serves everything for 666 yen, and is one of the most popular. One common theme was to yell ‘Kanpai!’ (bar wide) whenever we got a drink. Given we have aged (and maybe grown up a little) since our last pub crawl, we called it a night.
The next day we started with a walk through Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Lots of green space here considering how huge the city is. Memories of Central Park, anyone?
After the park we Luup’d down do Shibuya Scramble Crossing, the worlds largest crosswalk, seeing at peak times over 3,000 people cross at once. A river of people. The whole area is surrounded by huge advertisements and skyscrapers. As someone who’s not a fan of massive crowds, this was still pretty neat to see.
We Luup’d back to Shinjuku and prepared for our nice sushi dinner (booked months in advance). This place, such as many others, was in a tiny space, with only a few seats. The whole sushi experience was about 90 minutes of individually prepared sashimi and nigiri. After this we proceeded to Goldengai for a few drinks.
The next, and final day in Japan, we headed to Hakone for a day trip to see Mt. Fuji. This was a long journey filled with trains, busses, boats, gondolas and cable cars. We started by arriving in Hakone central station to catch a bus up a series of switch backs to the Lake Ashi, where we stopped to eat some eel for lunch. From here we caught a boat across the lake to Togendai station, followed by two gondolas up Kamiyama Mountain. We got some amazing views of Fuji before heading back done via cable car. After a series of trains, we arrived back in Shinjuku, ready for our last dinner.
On our pub crawl, a couple days prior, we were introduced to a place that has 2 hours of all-you-can-drink (for 1,300 yen). This was very conveniently right across from our Godzilla hotel. In any case, we committed to the 2 hours and made sure to get some eats along the way. Jordan, who is vegan back home, enjoyed some horse sashimi (as did I)…. probably the furthest from vegan you can get.
To summarize our trip to Japan would be difficult. I remember sitting on the street in Dublin, only a couple weeks into my trip in Europe (a near 14 years ago). A woman sat down beside me, reflecting on her now-ending adventures in Europe. During our conversation I asked her what her favourite moment was… she couldn’t tell me. All she could say was: “I experienced a lifetime of memories in only a few months time.”
My life to-date has been a result from choices made and the adventures I’ve taken (in good company). My trip to Europe being the event that changed my life, and something I reflect on often and make constant comparisons. The way I see the world now, has vastly changed in my adult life.
As I exit this long awaited trip to Japan, which only spanned 2 weeks, it feels like I have built up yet another series of memories I will never forget and will continue to recall.
Samuel Johnson once said:
“The use of travelling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.”
This isn’t the end though. There is still more to see.
Until next time. Kanpai! (cheers)
Next stop: …
40 Responses to “Kanpai”
Jess on 05 May 2025 at 11:02 #
Wow!! What an ending!! Loved this so much.
Jeremy on 05 May 2025 at 11:14 #
Sean, I found your blog about a week ago while looking for travel tips for Japan. I was absolutely captivated by your posts and went back to your first post from years ago and read forward. I couldn’t stop reading. Your tour through Europe and how you met your wife is inspiring. How you ended this today is nothing short of phenomenal. I hope our paths cross one day. Look forward to reading about your next trip.
John on 05 May 2025 at 20:34 #
What a beautiful story
Julian on 06 May 2025 at 03:08 #
Great shot of Mt Fuji. Whole trip looks amazing.
FW on 06 May 2025 at 05:14 #
Great looking trip!
Moemoe on 07 May 2025 at 06:45 #
Cool video! Enjoyed reading your blog.
Pin on 07 May 2025 at 23:39 #
Nice pic of fuji
AngG on 09 May 2025 at 14:23 #
Where’s the next stop?!
Rumer23 on 13 May 2025 at 10:30 #
This is f*cking amazing!
Xavier on 15 May 2025 at 15:30 #
What a cool ending
DavidZet on 16 May 2025 at 09:47 #
I really enjoyed reading your blog
Angie on 17 May 2025 at 04:55 #
Love the quote and video. Sounds like some great memories were made.
Miguel Wat on 18 May 2025 at 19:16 #
Cool vid
Michael on 19 May 2025 at 06:33 #
Great photos and video!
Vyz on 20 May 2025 at 10:23 #
nice shots
Philip on 23 May 2025 at 16:22 #
Sundance called. They want to make a movie about this. Lol
Subscribed. I look forward to your next adventures.
Genesis48 on 23 May 2025 at 18:54 #
Such a cool story
Edith44 on 23 May 2025 at 19:23 #
What a trip
Ellis on 24 May 2025 at 08:21 #
I’m impressed by your travels
Axel on 24 May 2025 at 11:23 #
Incredible!!!!
ForrestGox on 24 May 2025 at 12:28 #
These pictures are something else, friend
Cheyenne43 on 24 May 2025 at 17:38 #
Looks like a good trip to Fuji! Thanks for the info
Coraline on 25 May 2025 at 09:44 #
Soooo amaaazzzzinnng
Bryan on 25 May 2025 at 13:30 #
This is retro and amazing
Rich on 25 May 2025 at 16:22 #
Good on ya mate. This looks like it was one heck of a tour.
Kal on 25 May 2025 at 22:40 #
Touching video
Dominic on 26 May 2025 at 02:12 #
Looks like you were moving around a lot
How did you do all this in such a short time?
Phil on 26 May 2025 at 07:52 #
Read the whole lot. What a great life you live.
Robert on 26 May 2025 at 13:27 #
an ending that’s just the beginning
pretty cool
Delia on 26 May 2025 at 19:46 #
great insights on getting around point Fuji. thank you very much
Nikita on 01 Jun 2025 at 13:47 #
Cheers!!
Lanny on 03 Jun 2025 at 06:17 #
Thanks for the article
Vlad on 04 Jun 2025 at 13:42 #
A hidden gem on the internet. Beautiful pictures and words.
Starman on 04 Jun 2025 at 14:52 #
Great shots
Freddiedaf on 09 Jun 2025 at 04:16 #
Thats well said… good stuff.
kaz on 09 Jun 2025 at 06:21 #
KANPAI!
Z on 10 Jun 2025 at 05:58 #
I really enjoyed this.
Thank you for sharing.
KennethCom on 18 Jun 2025 at 06:59 #
well this is amazing
Bert on 20 Jun 2025 at 08:58 #
ya reckon this was a good trip?
looking very cool.
well done.
Amy on 22 Jun 2025 at 01:59 #
Loved reading your blog! Thanks for sharing!!!!!!