Tokyo

A trip across the world.

An olive green velvet couch. It was beautiful, comfortable, and an amazing place to take naps.

I saw her fall in love with it when she came to pick up my orange bookshelf, I saw the light in her eyes. Sit on it, I said. Try it out. She liked it, and her boyfriend smiled. Melina was her name. She said she loved what I did with the place. Me too.

“Just give me a few more weeks with it, I want it up until I leave for Japan.”

My flight to Tokyo was on September 26th, 2025, but I sold my couch to Melina ten days earlier on September 16th. I was letting go of my things; I was letting go of the life I knew.

Looking back, and at that time, I knew it was absolutely insane to go to Japan for two whole weeks as I prepared to move across the country. The timing was chaotic as many said to me. September 26-October 10 in Japan and then exactly three weeks later, I took a red eye on October 31st to JFK. But what could I do? Not go to Japan? Move my move date?

No, I had commitments to honor. I told Rochelle I was going to Japan with her way before I decided to uproot my life again. I knew I wanted to be home to vote for Zohran Mamdani in the mayoral election in November. Yes these choices complicated my life, but I wanted to show up for the things that mattered: friendships, home, civic duties.

The Tokyo flight was my deadline. The task was simple: sell most of my furniture before the flight, so I wasn’t stressed during my final weeks in California. I watched Melina and her boyfriend drive off with their new couch and I smiled. Everyone was starting over in different ways.

–

Olivia Dean just dropped a new album and I’m swaying to it in the International Terminal at SFO. I think about how the next time I depart this airport it will be on a one way ticket, but first I had to get on the plane to Haneda Airport. The flight is smooth, it’s the best I’ve ever flown. Every meal is delicious, I don’t lament about the time in the air, and I even sleep a few hours. The airport is a bright shade of white, so I spot Rochelle quickly and we hug.

Tokyo starts off fast, literally. Our first night we go Mario race kart driving in the busiest parts of the city. I’m a little nervous at first, but then remember I have a secret adrenaline rush and the speed of the race karts thrill me. It’s a great way to see Tokyo at night and to know immediately that this is a city! New York seems like the runt of the litter compared to here, the train systems are extensive, on time, and Shibuya has so many people that Rochelle and I get overstimulated in a mega Don Quixote store. We head back to the hotel and are beat, we shopped so much. I knock off about half of my list. You know I made a list of everything I wanted to buy for my loved ones and myself. I’m Type A, remember?

We get through a lot, but we also change the plan pretty often without much fanfare. The time difference is killing both of us in different ways, but it’s cool to be in the future for a bit. My first matcha in the city is bad, which tells me things can only get better. Jaz and I FaceTime and she wishes I was doing this trip after she moves here, but I tell her not to worry, I’ll be back. We do all the touristy things, we take pictures, we shop, we eat, and we go to 7-11. I decide I like Family Mart more because they have matcha Kit Kats.

Out of the fourteen days we spent in Japan, my two favorite days were, almost coincidentally, ones when we stepped away from the city’s busyness and into nature. The first came during our stay in Tokyo, when we took a day trip to Kamakura. A coastal city an hour away with beaches, statues, and gardens so beautiful I thought there was no way humans created this. Rochelle is also from New York City, so I was glad to experience a new place with someone who understood my reference points. As we ate mackerel in a quiet restaurant by the water, we spoke about our dreams and desires. We explored our thoughts about marriage and as we began to walk near the beach, I asked her why she traveled.

Our conversation was soft and quiet, but laced with the jagged edges of waves we could hear crashing on the shore. We walked the length of the city, although it resembled more of a town, and I took some of the most beautiful pictures here. Kamakura is known for its Buddhist temples, particularly one called the Big Buddha. When we reached it, Rochelle and I stopped talking and said,

“Woahhh.”

After some more temples and a wonderful cone of creamy vanilla ice cream, we ended at a matcha place I had to visit. It’s almost unfair my favorite matcha of the trip was on day four, but I know this is not a real issue. The next day we failed terribly at catching our bus to see Mt. Fuji because the Shinjuku train station bested us; New Yorkers don’t know everything apparently. After we stood in defeat at the station, in the rain I might add, Rochelle told me there was a breakfast place her friend said we had to visit. Off to Ginza we went, the “5th ave” of Tokyo. Breakfast was great, I found a matcha spot, and poked fun at our fail earlier in the morning. We found some New Yorkers and Rochelle said she loved having friendly friends.

One day Rochelle and I had separate adventures: she went to Disney World and I went to Kappabashi-dori, the kitchen district of Tokyo. Who knew I’d find peace in pots, pans, knives, ceramic bowls, and mugs. I told myself to only get the souvenirs I came for and to remember that I couldn’t accumulate large items. My impending move made me listen, but I did get a few things that weren’t on my list.

On our last day in Tokyo, I said good morning in Japanese to a group of little children in yellow vests. They responded:

“Ohayo gozaimasu!”

I squealed, I love babies! Rochelle laughed and we lugged our suitcases up and down stairs. We sat in a park for a long time and debriefed. We agreed that maybe we didn’t need as many days in this city, but we had a good time. Our bullet train was leaving soon and I was excited to see what awaited us on the other side of the country.