Lina Forrestal

I’ve never been less embarrassed to love the things I love.

It was my dream to come to Japan ever since I was little! I was obsessed with Pokemon, anime, and video games. Tokyo’s nerd heaven did not disappoint! I’m 30 years old and I still play video games, love Pokemon, Star Wars, anime, and all things chibi . Sometimes I feel like I have more in common with 12 year old boys than women my age. But in Tokyo, there are old men in business suits playing Pokemon Go, and arcades are packed as if they’re bars. Tokyo is pretty cool in my book.

Thoughts: Bangkok vs Tokyo

Arriving in Tokyo was like night and day compared to Bangkok. Bangkok is steaming hot, colorful, bumper-to-bumper traffic, street food, motor bike taxis, full of street dogs lining the streets. Tokyo is cold, organized, clean, with tiny cars and old school taxi cabs. There doesn’t seem to be much traffic because most people take the robust metro system. I loved how walkable Tokyo was. I swear, I’d be 10 lbs thinner if I lived there. In cooler temperatures, it’s just easy to cover a lot more ground than in Bangkok! Comparing the two cities is like comparing apples to oranges: you just can’t do it. Tokyo has a “classy on the street freak in the sheets” vibe while Bangkok just can’t be tamed. If I had to choose, I would still live in Bangkok. Bangkok, I love your wild.

We Stayed In Tokyo Just $100 A Night!

We stayed at a boutique hotel called The Barn Tokyo in the Taito neighborhood of Tokyo. It was tiny, as most hotels in Tokyo are, but it was cozy and lovely. They focused on the little details that really made our stay great: leaving little chocolates on our pillows, folding our clothes, free Wifi, and Netflix on the TV! The hotel is a quick 5 minute walk to the metro. Although it’s a little far from popular neighborhoods Shinjuku and Harajuku, it’s just one stop away from nerd heaven, Akihabara. Shhhh. If you need me, that’s where I”ll be.

If you decide to book at The Barn Tokyo, I recommend booking directly through their website for the best rates! Book here: https://www.thebarntokyo.com/. For 3 nights, we paid 42,000 YEN – which is a little over $100 USD per night! We met the owners and they were really great, sweet people!

We tried the fluffy Japanese “Perfect” Omelette

We walked to Suke6 Diner from our hotel. John’s from New Jersey and the thought of a diner for breakfast sounded really appealing to him. However, we’re in Tokyo, and this ain’t your typical diner. It felt more like a hipster foodie brunch spot you’d find in Brooklyn. Their selection of vegetarian friendly food was excellent! We tried Japanese style omelettes, which had a delicious texture. The outside was a little tough to reveal a light and fluffy inside. We got it with cheese inside, and it was the perfect complement to the divine texture of this omelette. I need to perfect this omelette technique at home!

PS. This isn’t what we had, but watch this guy make a mean Japanese Omelette:

Most Instagrammable Pancakes Ever: Japanese Soufflé Pancakes

My friend Steph sent me a picture on Instagram of soufflé pancakes and I was instantly intrigued. These pancakes defy the law of pancake physics as they sit tall on top of each other in a perfect circle. Obviously, we had to try them.

There are a few places that you can try Soufflé Pancakes in Tokyo, @iamafoodblog compiled a helpful list here. We ended up going somewhere not on the list called Hoshino Coffee. BUT HOW DID IT TASTE?! The pancakes from Hoshino Coffee had a cake-like texture and was a little too sweet for my personal preference. I like my pancakes the tiniest bit savory – either by loads of salted butter or by some salt in the batter. They were very Instagrammable though! That’s what matters, right? I hope the souffle pancake trend makes it to Bangkok!

Our minds were expanded at Tokyo’s Digital Art Museum

It was pitch black walking through the hallways. There is no museum map, you’re encouraged to wander and explore. You’re greeted with abstract sights and sounds before you make it to the actual exhibit, which makes this one of the cooler museums I’ve been to. What makes this museum different and great is that you can engage with the art! There were large rooms where projections covered the floors and when you walked through the projections would react to you. I personally loved how music accompanied each exhibit. I think if more artists expanded beyond just sight or just sound in their art, it would make their art more memorable.