I ventured to Tokyo—and chaos followed in the form of an e-ticket.
Thanks to the mysterious workings of WESTER’s reservation system, I was handed not a ticket, but *The Future™*: an e-ticket. This digital beast links your travel to your IC card—think Suica or its smartphone variant. No paper. No printouts. Just a tap at the gate and you’re off to the races… or so they claimed.
Except—plot twist!—my grand Tokyo entrance came to a screeching halt. The Shinkansen gate didn’t recognize my valiant tap. A glitch in the matrix, perhaps? Cue several heart-pounding misfires at station gates across the city. Even the station staff at Ebisu couldn’t fully exorcise the demon from my phone. (Bizarrely, flipping my phone upside down sometimes worked—witchcraft?)
Only on my return did a kindly station wizard finally *fix* it. My trust in e-tickets? Severely shaken. And the worst part? You can’t even check your status in the Suica app. The horror…
But never fear! In spite of that digital nightmare, the trip itself? A resounding success. Here’s the tale of Tokyo, as lived and barely survived.
First stop: The Westin Tokyo, Ebisu. When I tried booking a hotel three weeks in advance, Tokyo said, “Not today!” Everything was full or outrageously expensive. Enter: my secret weapon—Sōdo-kun and his almighty Bonvoy card. Thanks to him, I got a spot at the classy Westin.
We roamed the scenic Ebisu Garden Place…
…and stumbled into Blue Seal Café—a decision we would not regret.
Delicious, yes. Wallet-friendly? Absolutely not.
Next stop: Nakameguro. There’s something undeniably charming about those atmospheric spaces under the train tracks.
We landed at Mitsuyado Seimen. Outdoor seating. Open air. Vibes? Immaculate. Almost felt like a scene from Europe.
Ramen for Light-kun, who’d missed lunch. Plus: gyoza, green onion chashu. Feast-mode activated.
…Rehearsal intermission…
And then—YAKITON. Enter: Makochan.
Open-air terrace. Heated tables. Cozy *dotera* robes. I’m telling you—someone bring this setup to Fukui!
After all that? We performed at Nakameguro TRY. Yes, that was this trip in a nutshell—ramen, rehearsals, and revelations.
…then karaoke. Then soba. A complete cultural arc.
On the way home, I switched trains at Awara Onsen. Only two people made the transfer—including me. If more folks don’t start using this stop, the line might disappear… *use it or lose it, people!*
—THE END—
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” —Helen Keller
コメント