Asia Adventure 2026 — Tokyo: Transit Systems, Neon, and Koi Fish

Hello Everyone!

I finally got some downtime to put together the first video and this blog post! - hope you all are doing well. Enjoy!!!

Tokyo didn’t ease me into Asia. Tokyo grabbed me by the shoulders, handed me a transit card, and said “keep up.” And honestly? I loved every second of it.

Let’s start with the trains — because if you can figure out Tokyo’s rail system, you unlock a new life skill and +10 confidence. The trick? SUICA in Apple Wallet. Absolute game-changer. No fumbling with tickets, no language panic, no queues. You just tap your phone like a local wizard and glide through the gates pretending you absolutely belong there. Highly, highly recommend.

Day one clocked 20,000+ steps, which felt heroic at the time and deeply foolish the next day. I dialed it back after that, but even at a reduced pace I still managed to see so much.

The Imperial Gardens were a calm, beautiful reset — especially the giant koi fish that clearly live better lives than most humans. Shinjuku Station, despite its legendary size and reputation for devouring tourists whole, turned out to be… fine? Once you understand how meticulously labeled everything is, it’s actually kind of a breeze. Intimidating from afar, logical up close. A recurring Tokyo theme.

I hit both Meiji Shrine and Senso-ji (and yes, I had to double-check that spelling too). Both were genuinely stunning — and super mega crowded. Spiritually enriching, socially claustrophobic. Worth it, but brace yourself.

Nighttime Tokyo is a different beast entirely. Neon signs everywhere. Street performers doing their thing. The city hums. It’s vibrant, electric, and feels like you accidentally wandered onto a movie set that forgot to stop filming.

Things the Video Doesn’t Fully Capture

This is (hopefully) going to be a recurring section in these blogs, because video lies sometimes.

Crowds.

The camera makes it look like there’s space around me. There was not. In reality, some of those streets felt like being gently but persistently herded along like a polite human sardine. Tokyo crowds are orderly, respectful… and dense.

Tokyo Disneyland (and my very wrong assumptions).

I fully believed — incorrectly — that anything outside Disneyland California or Disney World would be a knockoff. Nope. Tokyo Disneyland absolutely stands on its own.

Trackless rides were new to me, and wow. You’re not just on a ride — you’re inside the story. Characters sing to you. Scenes unfold around you. You’re no longer watching the movie — you’ve somehow been absorbed into it.

Pooh’s Honey Hunt was my introduction. I thought, “Okay… that was pretty cool.”

Then Beauty and the Beast happened.

Calling it a “ride” feels wrong. It’s an entertainment experience. Immersive, emotional, jaw-dropping. Easily 11/10, and without question the best “ride” I’ve ever been on.

The Ninja Museum — surprise MVP.

I expected a quiet, mildly interesting museum. Instead, it was interactive and genuinely fun. I got to throw a shuriken (plastic… but still counts).

For about $150 I could’ve dressed up as a ninja and had them film me slashing things with a sword on my iPhone. I passed. Not because it isn’t cool — it is — but because I’m self-aware enough to know I do not have ninja energy.

I’m more like the giant samurai with a spiked bat knocking down the main gate. Different vibe. Same chaos.

Bonus learning: ninjas were traditionally farmers and fishermen, and their weapons evolved from everyday tools. Which somehow makes them even cooler.

Tokyo Skytree — do not skip this.

The view is unreal. It really hits you just how massive Tokyo is. It’s not just a city — it’s an organism.

Final Thoughts

Tokyo was an absolute blast. Overstimulating in the best way, surprisingly navigable, endlessly fascinating. If you’re even thinking about visiting one day, I’m happy to share tips, lessons learned, and mistakes made so you don’t have to repeat them.

I’ll drop the video below — and trust me, this is only the beginning.

Asia Adventure 2026 is officially underway.

Mt. Fuji + Kyoto next!

Eric