Adventures & Insights 3/24/24

Last Updated on April 14, 2024 by Eric Cantu

Sunday, March 24, 2024

Tokyo, Japan. September 2016. My very first solo travel was a week of insanity and appreciation. I had just gotten out of a long relationship, and you know how right after a break up you feel like you want to get busy doing something? That’s exactly where I was, and traveling to Tokyo was my perfect getaway.

I fell in love with Tokyo after watching the movie “Lost in Translation” with Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray. If you haven’t seen it, right now say “Hey Siri! I want to rent Lost in Translation!” and thank me later.

It’s this PERFECT movie, quiet and introspective at times, hilarious and insane in others, unveiling this unique Tokyo vibe that hit me like a ton of bricks, “I’ve GOT to get there one day…”

And suddenly, after finding a cheap flight package on a whim, there I was.

I had never done this before. I had a massive backpack on my back, I knew zero people, obviously didn’t know the language, and I was in a packed Tokyo subway with people moving in all different directions at once with no idea how to get to my hotel.

It’s weird, but in that moment, especially when you’re by yourself, the stress actually goes away. You just think, “Ok, let me figure this out.” And you do.

No one knows you, and none of these people will ever see you again. All the pressure is off.

Two days later I was navigating this same Tokyo subway like a pro. And that’s the beauty that happens any time you travel solo: you’re forced into learning your way.

And it surprisingly happens without the pressure you’d think it would. Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s still PLENTY of times where you’re completely, 100% lost. After a couple days in Tokyo I may have figured out the subway but I did manage to get completely left behind on my third day at the very start of my first full-day excursion.

Picked up at 8 am and 2 hours later by 10 am I was left behind. No joke..

I watched my tour bus slowly drive away from me. I was literally ONE MINUTE late getting back to it after our first stop. (Note to self, Japanese tours are VERY punctual). I stood there for a minute or two feeling kinda helpless in the Tokyo Tower parking lot to be honest.

I had no idea where the tour was headed next. This was going to be my whole day. It’s 10 am and I’m already stranded. How could I possibly catch back up with them?

But yet again, you figure it out.
I walked back into Tokyo Tower, and said in very slow deliberate English, “Myyyy touurrrr bussss justttt leeefffft withoutttt meeee”. (Why do we talk like that to people who don’t understand our language?)

I swear right as I said that a lady behind the counter literally sprinted out the door. Where she went, I have no idea. She may still be running. But somehow, I remembered the name of the tour guide and I had a piece of paper in my hands that said Sun Tours.

That was somehow enough to GET THE TOUR GUIDE ON THE PHONE IN LIKE 5 MINUTES. How they did this, barely speaking English, I’ll never know.

They rushed me to a taxi, and in 10 minutes I was caught up with the tour again. I couldn’t believe it. Little did I know these kinds of mini-adventures would happen with just about every single solo trip I took in the years to come.

(Literally a few days later I overslept and missed my bullet train to Kyoto and somehow made it there without any tour group all by myself in a whole other mini adventure.)

I loved every second of this trip. So much so I went back a couple years later and ended up going on a date with the singer from the Robot Restaurant who didn’t speak a word of English. But that story’s for another adventure.

This first trip to Japan I had the best food ever, saw the most unbelievable sights, walked all over the city amidst a sea of people seemingly coming from everywhere and in all directions, rode a bullet train and spent a day in Kyoto, and realized that traveling the world is what I wanted to do for the foreseeable future.

And now here I am, 24 countries later.

Check out some of my favorite Tokyo pics!

And in the absolute, most insanely poetic way to end this trip, as I’m looking for somewhere to spend my last night, I’m Googling places near my hotel, and I see:

“New York Bar, Park Hyatt Hotel Tokyo, AS SEEN IN LOST IN TRANSLATION.”

This is the jazz bar from the movie that made me fall in love with Tokyo, where Bill Murray’s character and Scarlett Johansson’s character meet! I COULD SPEND MY LAST NIGHT CHILLING IN THIS SAME JAZZ BAR!

And I did.
It was perfect.

I’m telling you.
Travel to Tokyo SOLO.
I get it. It sounds like a massive first step.
But if you can survive Tokyo for a week all alone you can survive ANYWHERE!

And right when you thought this post couldn’t close out any better, I ask you to go grab some popcorn and get in a comfy seat. This is my ultimate Tokyo first solo adventure video. It’s a must see if you’ve never been, and I hope you fall in love with Japan like I did.

See you next Sunday!

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