Our arrival to Tokyo was an apprehensive one, after the journey from Vietnam was so stressful, the airports were filled with passengers trying to flee the country and flight after flight cancelled, forcing all the passengers to be exactly where they were afraid to be… around other tourists!

But setting foot in Tokyo was like waking up from a bad dream, it was as if the virus had not touched Tokyo. Perhaps 70% of the people would wear masks and that would be mainly on the subways or in crowded places. But, the biggest relief was the sense of fear had lifted, we no longer felt like a threat to people, we felt welcomed.

Japan has seemingly found the right mix of precaution and what seems perfectly attuned cultural habits, like bowing instead of handshaking, keeping a distance away from people who you talk to, no eating or drinking in public places or transports and an impeccable cleanliness.

The streets where filled, the parks busy and the restaurants booming. This was the lifestyle that slipped away from us so slowly in Vietnam, but baby! WE’RE BACK!

And what a place to be reborn! Tokyo, is like New York in a parallel universe, The skyline, the wealth, the nature, the fashion etc. But, their is so much that is new and surprising, you walk down a street and every phew paces their is something to turn your head and gawk at!

The food…. AHHH the food, simply heaven. For 4 days for lunch I had ramen, not the instant noodle just fill it up with water crap, the mouth watering rich soup with hand made noodles, slow cooked pork, soft boiled eggs and who knows what else! Every place has its own unique taste, its variation or take on the dish. I want to eat them all.

I thought we wouldn’t experience the “culture shock” after spending so much time in various cultures before arriving, but the details and finesses of the Japanese culture are so… unique and individually just Japanese, now after a week I am still left speechless.

You have cafes where woman dressed as maids call you master and serve you drinks, restaurants with robots fighting and surrounded by dancing girls in shiny clothes, multistory mega centers filled with every video game arcade machine imaginable and each one has a cartoon girl with huge tits. Cafes with puppy’s, owls and kittens all their to be cuddled for your amusement. Every toilet has a heated seat and a jet of hot water ready and waiting to break your virginity.

But Tokyo, oh Tokyo, despite all your museums being closed and your theaters barred, you took us in. You made your cherry blossoms bloom early as if just for our arrival. Ultra modern, ultra technological, ultra fashionable, ultra busy, ultra compact.

Ultra is defined as extreme and I feel it the perfect word to sum up Tokyo