Golden Week: Lazy Day
During any trip, no matter how much fun it is, no matter how much there is to see, there comes a day when you simply must have a lazy day. We were entering the later half of Golden Week, and I think we were all in need of some well deserved rest. We hadn't set any solid plans the night before, and I figured someone would wake me up once we decided what we were doing. To my surprise, that never came to pass, and I slept blissfully into the late morning.
When I finally got out of bed and had a late breakfast, it turned out that we really didn’t have anything on the agenda. Everyone else had been feeling the same, and so for today, we would just have a chill day. I spent most of the afternoon hanging out with my nephew, playing some animal crossing, and just enjoying being around family.
The trip had been a great excuse to see my family again, but the busy days don’t always give us much time or energy to spend just being together. It’s a small thing, but just spending time on the couch or hanging around the house along with your family is one of those things that really lets you feel connected. A lot of relationships are just about being together, it doesn’t really matter what you’re doing, and sometimes those quiet moments are the ones that you miss most.
Though we wouldn’t spend the whole day just hanging around the Airbnb, we were still in Japan after all. So, we decided to head to Sunshine City, a huge building complex with a 60 story skyscraper, a mall, an aquarium, an amusement park, and more! I’d been to Sunshine City once with a friend since we were staying in the area, but I’d really only seen the Pokemon Center.
It was around a 20-minute walk, from where we were staying, and I enjoyed the leisurely stroll through the city. It had rained off and on when we went to Kyoto, but aside from that the weather had been nice and warm throughout Golden Week. Spring in Japan was close in terms of temperature to summer back home in Canada, so I was starting to get worried about melting if the weather got too much warmer.
Once we got to Sunshine City, the first thing we saw was the Sesame Street Cafe. I had seen this last time I was here, but really didn’t pay it any mind. With a toddler in tow though, this was a photo opportunity that was far too cute to pass up. I can’t recall watching Sesame Street as a kid, but I’ve always had a fondness for the Cookie Monster. We filled up our camera rolls with pictures of my nephew with the Cookie Monster and Big Bird, it took a while, but it was adorable.
My mom and I also stood in line to get some doughnuts based on the different characters. I got a Cookie Monster-inspired doughnut, it took a while to get through the line, but the doughnut was surprisingly tasty! It’s funny how being with different people really opens you up to new experiences. With my friend I didn’t think much more of this place then “Oh that’s cute”, but with my family I spent probably a half hour here.
Next, we slowly made our way to the Pokemon Center, as I tried to pull up a list of top places to see in this huge mall. When we finally got to the Pokemon Center, it was filled to the brim with people. It was busy last time I was here, but this was more than double the amount of people. I was glad no one else was a big Pokemon fan, because I wasn’t really willing to brave the crowds to fight for a Pikachu plushie.
We started to spread out as we walked around, each checking out different stores that appealed to us. On the list of top places to see, was the One Piece Mugiwara (Straw Hat) store. One Piece is my favorite anime of all time, and frankly it better be after watching over 1,100 episodes and counting. I mostly browsed the aisles, not looking at anything too seriously, but it was just a fun store to be inside.
In a way, coming to Japan feels very validating. While gaming and anime have come a long way in terms of mainstream acceptance from when I was a kid, the things I gravitate towards within those spaces are still a bit more niche. Here in Japan though, those interests are far more common! I’ve seen advertisements in stores like 7-11 for games that I hardly ever heard people talk about back home.
I’ve been careful so far not to fall too deeply into my interests, I’m sure I could easily drop a few hundred dollars in Akihabara or Sunshine City if I wasn’t careful. I might acquire little things here and there, but I’m trying to save some of those big shopping trips until closer to when I’m leaving Japan. I am limited in how much I can bring back afterall, and I’m not sure if a suitcase full of anime merch is what I want to dedicate space to.
As the afternoon wore on, we began to set our sights towards dinner. Now, I feel my recollection of the trip has been pretty solid so far, but what dinner we had which night has started to blend together in my memory. But I think this is the day we went to a big building near a train station and almost lost my brother-in-law.
Someone had found an Okonomiyaki restaurant that was supposed to have gluten free options available. We were in the right area according to google maps, but as I’ve learned the hard way, Google Maps usually fails when it comes to verticality. We split up to look for the restaurant, but when we regrouped we couldn’t find my brother-in-law. We went back and forth on what to do, how we should try and find the restaurant, until I finally just decided to ask.
I had the name of the restaurant on my phone, and tried to ask a nearby clerk where it was. Surprisingly, I got by without google translate, and learned it was on one of the upper floors. Once again, we decided to split up, my sister and I would try and find the restaurant, while my parents stayed with my nephew in case my brother-in-law returned.
The restaurant was on one of the upper floors, so it was a long elevator ride to get up there. Once we finally got there, it didn’t take long for us to find the fabled restaurant, and my long lost brother-in-law! He had been searching floor by floor for the restaurant, though we didn’t have a way to contact him, and I was getting nervous. Now, the only thing left to do was fetch my parents and bring them to the restaurant.
I went down maybe 10 floors on the escalator, since the last few elevators had been full, until I finally reached my parents. Thankfully, taking the elevator back up was far easier. Finally, we were all seated, and ready to eat. Maybe because of the whole ordeal that led up to it, or because this was a new type of Japanese food I hadn’t had yet, but this was maybe the best meal of the whole trip.
Okonomiyaki is probably most similar to a savory pancake. We all sat around a griddle, and ordered our preferred ingredients from the menu. Once our food was ready, they placed it on the griddle, and we cut off pieces to move onto a small plate and eat. The food was delicious, I love pancakes, but usually go for a boatload of syrup or very sweet pancakes. To my delight, I enjoyed a more savory pancake just as much!
It was a stellar meal to end a very relaxing lazy day. We didn’t do much today, but it was still a day I really enjoyed. It let me slow down, enjoy having my family here with me in Japan, and just spend time with them. There was no next destination to rush off to, no worrying about making the next train, just going where we wanted and enjoying being together.
We had already seen so much together, and there were still a few more jam packed days to go. Having a low key day to help digest everything we’ve already seen, and gear up to see even more was just what I needed. If you just tackle as much as you can on a trip, you’ll burn out before you know it. A lazy day during a long trip is every bit as important as getting that perfect picture, or seeing the top tourist destination, especially when you’re traveling with people you love.
