Tokyo Drift (and Damp Socks): A Botanist's Unexpected Adventure
okay, so. tokyo. i wasn’t exactly planning on this. i’m elara, by the way, and i usually spend my days elbow-deep in peat moss, cataloging obscure ferns in the Scottish Highlands. but a grant, a very insistent professor, and a frankly alarming amount of paperwork landed me here, ostensibly to study urban flora. honestly, i’m mostly just trying not to get lost.
and the weather? i just checked and it’s… a persistent drizzle. like, the kind that soaks through your boots and makes your socks feel permanently damp. not ideal for fern hunting, let me tell you. i’m currently huddled in a tiny cafe in *Shinjuku, nursing a ridiculously overpriced matcha latte and trying to decipher the local bus system. it’s… a challenge.
I’ve been wandering around Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden - it’s actually pretty amazing, a little pocket of tranquility amidst the chaos. They’ve got everything from traditional Japanese gardens to an English landscape garden. I even spotted a few interesting moss varieties! (priorities, people). I’m trying to find some Usnea, a lichen that grows on trees, but so far, no luck. Apparently, it’s a bit of a treasure hunt.
“Don’t go near the Golden Gai after dark,” a very intense-looking salaryman mumbled to me at the ramen shop. “Too many… interesting characters.”
Speaking of interesting characters, the locals are… something else. Everyone’s so polite, but also intensely focused on their own thing. I overheard someone on the train complaining about the humidity - apparently, it’s affecting the quality of the mochi. Seriously. You can check out some reviews on TripAdvisor if you're planning a visit: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g298182-Activities-Tokyo_Prefecture_Kanto.html.
I’m staying in a tiny apartment in Ikebukuro. It’s… cozy. Let’s go with cozy. If you get bored, Yokohama and Kawasaki are just a short train ride away. I’m thinking of checking out the botanical gardens there tomorrow, if the rain holds off. I found a great little ramen place nearby on Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=ramen&find_loc=Tokyo. Seriously, the ramen is life-changing.
“The vending machines here are insane,” a girl with bright pink hair told me while waiting for the train. “You can get everything from hot coffee to corn soup to… used underwear. I’m not kidding.”
I’m trying to document everything, of course. My notebook is filling up with sketches of strange plants, observations about the urban ecosystem, and increasingly frantic notes about how to navigate the subway. I’m also trying to learn some basic Japanese. “Konnichiwa” and “arigato” are my current go-to phrases. I’m pretty sure I accidentally thanked a vending machine for dispensing a can of green tea earlier.
Someone told me that the best way to experience Tokyo is to just get lost. I think they might be right. I’m embracing the chaos. I’m accepting the damp socks. I’m even starting to appreciate the corn soup from the vending machine. (okay, maybe not the underwear part).
I’m also trying to find some good vintage shops. I’ve heard there are some amazing ones in Shimokitazawa. I’m hoping to find a cool kimono or a quirky pair of shoes. Check out this local forum for some recommendations: https://www.tokyofashion.com/.
“Watch out for the pigeons in Ueno Park,” a drunk salaryman slurred at me. “They’re ruthless.”
Right now, I’m just trying to survive. And maybe, just maybe, find a little bit of Usnea* along the way. I’m also looking for a good coffee shop. I need caffeine. Lots of caffeine. I found a few on Google Maps: https://maps.google.com/maps?q=coffee+shops+tokyo. Wish me luck.
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- https://votoris.com/post/the-tax-system-in-abomeycalavi-a-budget-students-survival-guide
- https://votoris.com/post/tokyos-urban-sprawl-and-my-sleepdeprived-ramblings
- https://votoris.com/post/kazan-in-winter-cold-chaotic-and-kinda-perfect
- https://votoris.com/post/hyderabad-heat-and-stolen-moments-a-photographers-sweaty-odyssey