Tokyo Day 3: A Trip To Mt Fuji

Before I write about today, I’d like to give a bit of back story. I hope it’ll be informative, but mostly I just want to show off how clever I think I am. We originally booked a 1-day trip that included Mt. Fuji and Aokigahara Forest, as well as some of the lava caves dotted around the area. We found out later on that this tour would actually involve some real caving and climbing, which wasn’t actually made clear on the tour site. Luckily, Caz had been browsing reviews of the tour and managed to get this information in time for us to cancel and get a full refund.

As we both suffer from fatigue, this sort of tour would have been a Very Bad Idea. We also didn’t want to do anything with such a high liability – what if we were injured? It’s only our third full day in Japan! So anyway, we cancelled. That left today wide open, with only a month and a half to go until we flew out. Naturally, I was in a flap.

We decided to figure it out ourselves. Finding a coach from Tokyo to the Mt. Fuji area was the very easy part. I found one with KosokuBus that would depart from Shibuya at 8:30, and then booked a return coach for 19:00. It was a bit more work to sort out how to get to a good Fuji viewing site and Aokigahara, but using the Saiko Sightseeing Bus service (which had a really handy guide and timetable online) made that far easier. I also did a bit of looking around on Google Maps to find a decent viewing spot of Fuji from across Kawaguchiko Lake.

The original tour we’d booked cost £150 each, and doing it ourselves came to around £50. I’m not Pythagoras or anything but that appears to be a significant discount. Of course, by all means, if you find it easier to book a tour, do so! We just thought it was easier to go it alone, as we wanted to be able to go at our own pace and not be beholden to a group of people.

I was incredibly proud of myself for working out the finer details of today’s plan. In fact, I’m proud of all the work we did building and perfecting the itineraries for these two weeks.

I want to start the post (properly) by saying that the nightshirts our hotel provides are actually insanely comfortable. I had a decent sleep again, and we got up just as the sun began to rise.

We had to get to Shibuya to meet our bus, which meant catching the subway during commuting time. Being a veteran of the London Underground, I’m used to packed tubes, but this was completely different. The train cars were full, and yet everyone still maintained a space between each other. And it was so quiet. Nearly everyone was either reading the newspaper, napping or looking at their phones. The people who were talking did so in low voices – the politeness culture here really does extend everywhere. It was the most stress-free packed train ride I’d ever had.

Because we took the Yamanote Line, we only had to stay on one train, so the journey to Shibuya was easy. We wanted to pop to a konbini and buy something for breakfast on the go, so we set off from the station. I was more than a little surprised when we came face-to-face (quite literally) with a Moai head statue. Apparently the word Moyai is a word in the Niijima Village dialect, meaning ‘to work together’, so it made sense for the statue they donated to Tokyo to be of something with a similar-sounding name.

Seeing the Moyai statue reminded me that we were right around the corner from Hachikō Square, a famous meeting spot. Hachikō was an Akita dog who faithfully waited every day for his dead owner until his own death in 1935. His graves lies in Aoyama Cemetery, but in Shibuya is a memorial statue of him. We decided to go and see him while we were in the area.

Despite the early hour, the square was already crowded with people wanting to see the statue and have their picture taken with it. It took a little while for us to be able to see him clearly and snap a photo, but I was really happy to have seen it. I love dogs, and Hachikō’s story is such a sad, warm reminder of how good and loyal dogs are.

We eventually ambled to 7-11 and found some breakfast. I got little pink sakura pancakes, a red bean daifuku, and some milk. I had been interested in trying the popular red bean paste filling and wasn’t disappointed. It was an unusual flavour to me, but I really enjoyed it. I also love mochi-based snacks, so the daifuku went down a treat.

Finding the bus stop was slightly more complicated than I thought. We had to go to the 5^th floor of Shibuya Mark City, then back outside to a roundabout where the bus waiting room sat. I’m glad I asked the security guard where to go or we might have missed the bus! He was so helpful, actually walking me to where the waiting room was to make sure that I got to the correct place. I thanked him profusely in a mix of English and Japanese, and I think a bit of Swedish too. I collected Caz and we went and sat in the waiting room. It wasn’t massively long before our bus arrived and we were called to board.

The journey took around two and a half hours, and the majority of that was spent getting out of Tokyo. Seriously, the city is massive. It was fun to look out of the window at the skyscrapers devolving into residential buildings and smaller shops. I liked the ride because it allowed us to see more of the city than just the centre. For a lot of the journey, it was just us and a gaggle of Japanese teens who were excited about their trip, talking happily and making fun of each other. They still kept their chatter to a respectable volume and quite often shushed each other if they felt they were getting too loud. It honestly made a huge change from the teens on buses I’ve encountered at home. Of course, Caz and I became over-excited during the ride and started making stupid jokes that were only funny to us and getting into a total state.

Soon enough, the buildings fizzled out completely and we were on a freeway in the middle of fields, rivers and hills. In the distance we could see the misty shapes of the mountains, and it wasn’t long before we got our first glimpse of Mt. Fuji’s summit (causing a lot of excitement and photo-taking from everyone on board). It dipped in and out of sight as we rode through increasingly winding roads. We knew we’d hit the mountains proper when our ears started popping with gusto.

We knew it would be colder up in the mountains, but it was still a little shock to step off of the warm bus and into the mountain air. It was beautifully fresh and the sky was clear and blue. There were patches of snow on the wooden roof of Kawaguchiko Station. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful winter’s day. It wasn’t difficult to find the booth to purchase a 2-day pass for all of the sightseeing buses. At 1500¥ it was the most cost-effective option, even though we were only visiting for the day.

First, we took the red line to Nagasaki Park, as the sightseeing map had told me that that was a good viewing spot for Fuji-san. The sightseeing buses are all retro and so cute – it was crowded but everyone had an air of excitement in their chatter. It was quite interesting to see Other Tourists, as even in some areas of Tokyo it’s pretty unusual. The drive around Lake Kawaguchiko was a pleasant one, and we were next to a window so we could have a good look at everything going by. Even though we were up in the mountains, there were still so many vending machines!

We got off at the park entrance and I was quite pleased that no one else did because there were only a few people milling around at the site. So we got a wonderfully quiet and uninterrupted view of Mt. Fuji. And what a view it was.

Here I am very helpfully pointing out the huge volcano, in case you missed it.

We were so lucky with the weather. Despite it being February, the day was bright and beautiful and we had a crystal-clear view of Fuji. It was breathtaking to see in person. This is always my favourite part about travelling (apart from the food, obv) – the moment when you see a famous place in person. Sure, you’ve seen photos and videos, thousands of them. But honestly, nothing ever prepares you for seeing it for real. And I knew Mt. Fuji was big. It’s a mountain for heaven’s sake. But I was still not ready for the sheer scale of it – it almost didn’t look real, my mind couldn’t comprehend what my eyes were seeing. The first thing I managed to say was: “He’s an absolute UNIT.” which Caz found hilarious.

It was awesome and humbling to stand there and look at Mt. Fuji and the surrounding landscape. The sun glittered in the blue water of the lake and we were both very quiet for a while. I felt like I wanted to cry – I’m sure I read that there was a name for feeling emotionally overwhelmed by seeing something of great natural beauty, but I can’t find it. Maybe I dreamed it. Anyway, I felt that. Words alone can’t sum up how lucky I feel to have seen what I saw today.

 

When we got back to Kawaguchiko Station, we decided to sit and have some lunch before we did anything else. I learned that onigiri is packaged in a certain way to keep the seaweed (nori) dry, and you must unwrap it properly to keep it intact. I just went tearing into the thing and ended up with a fragmented rice ball and falling-apart seaweed. Don’t get me wrong, it was still delicious. I tried really hard to open my second onigiri properly and still couldn’t get the hang of it, though this time it was a lot less messy. I will conquer the onigiri wrapping one day!

While we were in the station we had a little look at the gift shop, which was full of Fuji-themed goodies, food and drink, and handmade traditional Japanese items. It was all very pretty, but we decided we’d come back later when it was less busy (spoiler alert: it was never less busy).

We got on the green line bus, which would take us by Lake Saiko and on to the lava caves and Aokigahara Forest. Again, the scenery was just stunning. None of the pictures I took do it justice. There was so much to look at, both natural – Lake Saiko, the rolling hills covered in trees, Fuji peeking in and out of the landscape – and manmade – shrines, cemeteries, traditional old houses. There were also a few abandoned hotels that I would love to explore, but I’m a lot more interested in not being arrested.

We wanted to get off the bus at the Saiko Bat Cave, at the northeast edge of Aokigahara, but the driver informed me that that particular area was currently closed. I never did find out why, but consulted the sightseeing map again and decided to stop at the Fugaku Fuketsu Wind Cave instead. We must have been more elevated here, as there was more snow on the ground and the wind was chillier. There was a car park with a shop/café, and a path leading into Aokigahara Forest.

Along the path into the trees, we saw several large cracks in the earth. We were now on the foothills of Mt. Fuji. There are lots of lava and ice caves dotted around the slopes, but these cracks were actually extinct vents. Fuji itself is technically a dormant volcano, but a lot of vents have died off during its slumber.

The path led to a little hut, where you could pay to get into the wind cave itself. We decided we weren’t really dressed for spelunking in a lava tube, and I also didn’t want to follow the maintained path any more. When I’m walking in forests, I’m a bit of a purist. I like to be scrambling over roots and rocks, and finding isolated places on my own.

The unmaintained path was covered in packed snow, so it was quite slippery. Caz’s trainers didn’t stand a chance (even my boots were struggling a bit), so she told me to go on ahead and have a look. I have a feeling she was happy to stop and see if there were any Pokémon to catch in the forest.

I hiked up the rocky slope in front of me and walked for a couple of minutes. And that’s all it took to feel completely alone. I came to a tiny clearing, stood still and held my breath. It was dead silent – no wind, no animals, and the sound of other tourists over at the wind cave was completely absorbed by the surrounding trees. All around me was snow and rows and rows of tree trunks as far as I could see. It was beautifully serene, and just a little bit eerie.

Standing in there, only hearing my own breath, I understood why the forest is named the ‘sea of trees’. The place engulfs you and surrounds you, but it almost feels comforting, and very safe. I also understood the unofficial nickname (big trigger warning here, guys) – the ‘suicide forest’. For those who unfortunately took their lives in the forest, it must have been a last moment of peace and absolute quiet. As somebody who has struggled with depression for most of my life, I felt real sadness and empathy here for the lives lost, and gladness that these tortured people found a peaceful place to rest.

Coming back down the rocky slope was less fun than climbing up it – I mostly slid down, more than a little worried about breaking my legs. I also felt strange after being in the forest alone. I was very calm and serene, but had a heavy sadness in my chest. It was also weird to leave the silence and gradually begin hearing human voices again. Caz did mention that I looked thoughtful when I got back to where she was perched on a tree stump like a little wood elf.

We visited the shop when we got back out, as it was really quiet compared to the one at the station. I found a nice magnet for Mum and Martin – it’s a bit of a tradition for me to get them one from wherever I travel to. I also got a limited edition Mt. Fuji Coke and a little Fuji ‘fairy’ – a shape made of soil from the mountain with googly eyes on it. We also both got Pokémon themed Fuji pins from a Gachapon machine.

The journey back was charming, especially as the sun was beginning to set and was casting golden light on the lakes and hills.

We were rudely brought back to reality when we arrived at Kawaguchiko Station, which was absolutely packed. There was nowhere to sit and people kept opening doors and leaving them open so the cold air got in. We had planned to grab something quick to eat at the café in the station, but that looked impossible with how busy it was. So we braved the cold again and went over the road toward a big sign that said JAPANESE RESTAURANT. It's called Hirai Kiosk, and sits upstairs from a little souvenir shop. We worried that it would be similarly packed, but it wasn’t. It was quiet and warm, and I knew straight away we’d made a good decision.

A tiny middle-aged lady came and greeted us, all smiles, and sat us at a table. We soon had menus and water glasses, and she started inviting us to look out of the window. I walked over to get a good look (I am very short sighted and it was now almost dark), and it was a treat. The cute old-fashioned building that is Kawaguchiko Station sat across the road and behind it rose Mt. Fuji. I agreed that the view was lovely, and we were invited to sit next to the window so we could see it while we ate. The place’s décor was really cute, all wooden tables and flowers (and for some reason, Christmas decorations). It had a really homey, comfy atmosphere, and we were soon warmed up and feeling relaxed.

An unreal dinner view.

We ordered some food – I had a hot chocolate with a curry udon bowl, Caz had a melon soda with a soba ramen bowl. While we were waiting, two other tiny, adorable ladies appeared in the restaurant to take other people’s orders and greet us all. They all wanted to know where we were from and if we were staying in the Kawaguchiko area. Everyone was so friendly and genuinely interested in speaking to us. There were only two other tables occupied apart from ours, and we were glad to have come in at a more off-peak time.

Our food arrived and cemented the fact that we’d made the best decision by coming over to the restaurant. It was piping hot and smelled beautiful. I was excited because I’d never had a Narutomaki before (you know, those little white fishcakes with the cute pink swirl), and there was one sitting on the top of my dinner along with some spring onions. We were soon digging in to our respective meals and it was exactly what we needed after a long day. Hearty, authentic and packed with flavours. I discovered that udon noodles are quite hard to control with chopsticks as they’re thicker and tend to flick out from between the sticks, spraying you with curry and broth. I still persevered though, and managed to eat the whole lot with just chopsticks (and a slightly splattered hoodie).

The original lady who greeted us asked how it was. I’d prepared for this moment months before, by learning the word oishii, which means ‘delicious’, and also teaching it to Caz. We chirped “Oishii desu!” and she was so pleased and excited about our rudimentary Japanese.

The other lovely thing about Hirai is that we didn’t at all feel rushed once our food was finished. Our bill was placed quietly on the table, facedown, and we were told to go on downstairs when we were ready to pay. And then we were left alone to talk, chill, and take in the view. We let our food settle for a while and enjoyed the comforting vibe of the place.

We only hauled ourselves up when it was getting a bit close to our bus being due. I couldn’t see any of the lovely ladies as we left so I just called, “Arigato gozaimasu!” (thank you very much) and suddenly one of them popped out to return the sentiment and bow deeply. Then we heard the other two ladies call their thanks from inside the kitchen. It was such a nice send-off. If you’re ever in the Kawaguchiko area, do visit their restaurant! It’s everything you’ll need after a cold day in the mountains.

After going down to the shop to pay at the counter (where we were served by the cutest old geezer) and taking a turn around the souvenirs, we returned to Kawaguchiko Station, which was thankfully less busy. I needed to use the loo so I left my stuff with Caz and went off to find one. On the way, I stopped a staff member and asked where the bus to Shinjuku would be picking up. Like everyone else I’ve asked for help so far, he told me but also showed me exactly where the stop was, which I appreciated as we really didn’t want to miss our bus back.

When I’d finished in the loo, I was washing my hands at the sinks when some boy walked aimlessly to the door of the ladies’ toilets. He then flinched massively and shielded his eyes while backing up and leaving very hastily. I laughed aloud and received several startled looks – I’m not sure anyone else saw the boy’s faux pas (or they just didn’t find it as hilarious as I did).

The bus arrived on time, and left on time with no problems. I made sure to have one last look toward Fuji, even though it was dark by then and I couldn’t really see it. The driver caught me moving to an empty seat and lying down, so I sat back in my assigned seat. He said it was ok for me to use the seat and lie down, as long as I had a seatbelt around my waist. I made it work, and was grateful to him for letting me do that. The bus was nice and quiet, and it was very dark outside until we started getting back into the city.

We ended up at Shinjuku, and it’s mad at this time of night. Between the crowds and the cold and the travel fatigue, we really didn’t want to navigate the subway. So we got a cab back to the hotel, which was a good idea in the end as we just wanted to be warm and rest.

I would like to come back to the Mt. Fuji area again the next time I visit Japan, but in a warmer season. I want to go up to the Fuji Subaru Line 5^th Station, which is halfway up the mountain and has an amazing lookout point. I also want to return to Aokigahara when there isn’t snow on the ground and have a proper walk in there – I think the quiet and the woody air would be really nice in large doses.

Now I am back in my comfy nightshirt on the best mattress ever, ready for bed!

Tokyo Day 2: Harajuku

I slept much better last night – I think the travel and the first day got to me all at once and allowed me to collapse for a while. This morning, we got up a lot easier than yesterday and we fortified ourselves with strawberry milk for breakfast because we are the picture of health.

Today we had to get to Okachimachi station, which is only a ten minute walk from our hotel. Again, it was nice to walk in our ‘local’ streets, seeing people going about their daily routines. The weather was shaping up to be bright again, though still cold.

We took the Yamanote Line to get to Harajuku! This was one of the places I was most excited to see in Tokyo, from admiring Fruits magazine as a teen. The subway ride took about half an hour, and was mostly above-ground so I could peer out of the window at the city. The train car itself wasn’t at all busy – we’ve yet to experience a famous Tokyo rush-hour train. We soon realised that every station has a little departure jingle (here’s a compilation of the Yamanote Line melodies). Why is literally everything here so cute?

Walking up to the oft-Instagrammed Takeshita Street gate, we had a little trepidation because it looked so busy. But actually, it was less crowded than I thought it would be. We stood at the gate and looked down the street for a moment to get our bearings. Then we saw the cats.

Perched in the third-floor window of a building near us were several cats, observing the street below with classic cat indifference. We had this particular place, Cat Café MOCHA, on our to do list for the day and were immediately drawn there by the sentry-cats in the window. It’s definitely good advertising for people who don’t know about the café!

As we made a break across the street to get to the building, I did that awkward shuffle-dance with a girl who was chatting on the phone. You know, when you both try to go the same way more than once and it becomes really silly and embarrassing. We both broke up laughing and saying “Sumimasen!” to each other, before bowing and managing to get by. It was a nice, genuine interaction and made me really happy. I can’t reiterate enough just how polite and nice everybody has been so far.

In the café lobby, we were given a locker key to stash our bags and shoes, and a pair of slippers to wear in the café proper. Like most cat cafés, you pay an initial entrance fee (in this case, it also goes towards unlimited free drinks!), and then 200¥ for every ten minutes. You don’t need to clock-watch – the time you enter is noted on the label with your locker keys so it can be totted up at the end.

We were led to a sliding door and asked to enter carefully to make sure no cats got out. We stepped through the door and into a purple corridor filled with books, in cases and stacked on floating shelves. And cats. So many cats. There was a little side room with drinks machines to serve yourself from. The only rule was that you remember to put a lid on your cups so the cats couldn’t spill them, as cats love to do. Suitably enamoured, we said hello to the corridor cats and made our way to the front room where we’d seen the initial sentry-cats.

This room was bright and airy, with a wooden tree sculpture on a platform in the middle. There’s lots of little hides and platforms around for the cats to use, and soft music playing. I also noticed that there were plenty of cat-flaps leading to non-guest areas so the cats have a place to go if they don’t feel like socialising. It was warm and quiet, a perfect atmosphere. I soon found myself with a pair of cat ears on again. It’s becoming a bit of a habit.

The room at the other end of the book corridor was like a fairy tale. A big fake tree with large birdcage sculptures in its branches and a mirror wall made up one side. The other side was plush, red and vampy. I was in heaven. A ginger boi came in and immediately showed off, springing up into the tree and jumping from birdcage to birdcage. It was so fun to watch him and cheer him on. Cats wandered in and out of the room to see what was going on and deigned to let us pet them. There was a ragdoll who just flopped on the floor and let Caz pet him for ages. I felt so at peace in that room. We stayed in there for a long while just chilling and watching the cats. You kind of forget you’re in a busy shopping street because the environment is so quiet and calm.

Eventually we had to tear ourselves away as we had a lunch booking elsewhere. I was impressed to see that they had a couple of dressing tables with mirrors, complete with hand sanitiser, lint rollers, and anything else you’d need after being in cat heaven. We settled our bill and were warmly sent off on our way. Definitely worth the money!

I took a LOT of photos in the cat café, it was so difficult to narrow them down to these few!

I'd read a lot about the huge rainbow candyfloss you could buy in Harajuku so I was keeping my eyes peeled for that as we started walking down Takeshita Street. I needn't have bothered, though, because there was a girl on the stairs leading up to the Totti Candy Factory waving a huge candyfloss and calling to people in the street to come buy one. We went upstairs and found a queue, which wasn't surprising as it seems to be a popular thing for people to get when in this part of town.

Inside the shop there were little cups with layered rainbow candyfloss in them to buy and consume later, cake pops that looked like different animals, and of course the workstation where they created the massive candyfloss they're famous for. We joined the queue and it moved surprisingly fast - G-Dragon was playing so we had some fun music to bop to while we waited.

Watching the girls make the candyfloss was so dreamy and interesting. They had different coloured sugar crystals that they scooped into the machine, which then spun the sugar into super fine floss. They did this layer by layer until the rainbow was complete. It started looking massive by the third colour, but it just kept growing and the result is a light, bouncy and ridiculously huge candyfloss on a stick. Honestly, it was bigger than our heads! It's not exactly cheap at 950¥, but it's so worth it for the hilarious experience. Caz and I were sensible and decided to share one, as we didn't think we'd manage one each.

As I was attempting to leave the Factory, there was a guy passing by the door. We both stopped in surprise, then we both looked at my huge candyfloss and started laughing before I gestured at him to go ahead in front of me. It was another lovely communal moment, as was standing near other people who had bought a rainbow candyfloss. Literally everyone was just giggling as they ate because the thing was so comically huge and bouncy. We started from the bottom, the purple layer - it was easier to start there and just go through each layer. Unlike British candyfloss, it wasn't overly heavy and sugary. Instead it was really finely spun and melted straight away. Also, every layer was a unique flavour! I think my favourite was the blue one, but they were all lovely and not too overpowering. I would definitely recommend getting a huge rainbow candyfloss simply for the whimsy and ridiculousness.

I laughed my ass off and told Caz to stay still so I could take a photo of her looking like her head was replaced with the candyfloss

Once we were finished eating the huge candyfloss (in Japan, it's rude to walk and eat at the same time so we stopped to devour the rainbow monstrosity), Caz and I wandered down Takeshita Street, taking in the sights. There are so many cute shops and eateries that I could probably spend more than a day there and not get bored. I spent a lot of time wishing I was slim enough to fit into the adorable clothes on offer, but it was really nice to just be part of the crowd wandering around and enjoying the day. There was a shop called CANDY A GO GO! that we made a note to visit after lunch some time because it was brightly coloured and full of pick'n'mix sweets. We meandered all the way to the other Takeshita Street gate, as we were heading on to our lunchtime destination, the Kawaii Monster Café.

The building it's housed in looks very nondescript. A tall tower like most of the buildings are when you exit Takeshita Street and start approaching the massive shopping street that is Omotesando Avenue. Once you get to the third floor and go through the doors, though, you're immediately in a world of pink and neon green. The girl at the reception found our booking and then explained that the 'Kawaii Monster' in question was named Choppy, and we were in fact standing in his mouth. She said once we went through the main doors we would be in his stomach! Again, I would give the advice to suspend disbelief and play along, because it just makes it so much more fun. The girl went to the doors and said, "Are you ready?" We said "Yes?" and she repeated, "Are you ready?" and we confirmed again. Then she threw the doors open, saying "Welcome to the Kawaii Monster Cafe!"

Huge cake. There's a huge cake in the middle of the room, or Choppy's ‘stomach’. It slowly revolved and for a while it was all I could look at. The girl who let us in was laughing at our gobsmacked reaction - it must be a really fun part of the job to see people’s faces when they come in. As we walked towards our booth, more of the decor caught my eye. Huge mushrooms, strawberries, mirrors, lights, and so many colours. It was quite overwhelming but in a really exciting way.

Our booth was purple and green striped, and only had one small entrance so we had a little private space. The table was red and sparkly and we were soon given red and blue sparkly water cups too. The wait staff were in cute striped uniforms, and there were other staff members dressed like ‘monsters’. One looked like an Edwardian candyfloss, another looked like a cyberpunk experiment, and all of them looked amazing. Everybody came by our booth to say hello and chat, it was so immersive and... Well, kawaii.

We’d prepaid for our booking so our lovely waiter explained which items would have a premium charge added on, and showed us a sample menu of the gift shop goods we could get at the end. The menu itself is playful and colourful and I thought we’d have a nightmare trying to decide what to eat. Luckily our dishes jumped right out at us (not literally, though that would have been good). I opted for some rainbow noodles that had 5 dips ‘painted’ onto the plate, which resembled an artists palette. Caz went for the ‘space curry’ - a blue and green Earth made from rice, with pitch black curry all around it and fried tofu stars! We were so excited to see what they looked like and weren’t disappointed.

I felt extra special because the chef himself brought my food to me and explained what all the different sauces were. I channelled surrealism, just grabbing a pair of chopsticks and mixing the whole lot together. It was so delicious and really fun to eat because of the concept and the colours. We sampled each other’s dishes and I can report that the space curry was also very nice. Before our trip we’d been reading reviews of the cafe and someone had said the portions were tiny. Honestly, I don’t know where they ate because we had plenty. I mean, look at the photo above!

For dessert, Caz chose the ‘cat food’, which we christened ‘human kibble’. It was croutons, but slightly sweet and dyed different colours, ice cream, Oreo pieces, cereal and sponge cake, all topped with a little tuft of candyfloss (apparently some ‘fur’ from the pink cat mascot). And it was served in a big cat bowl, which we found endlessly amusing. It was so big that Caz couldn’t finish it, and I could only manage a bit of it after my dessert! I had a slice of the ‘colourful poison cake’, which was a sponge cake with ice cream and sprinkles in the middle, iced with lots of different coloured ‘scales’. Despite being a poison cake, it was really tasty.

When you pre-book your table, you get a 90 minute slot, and we found that was plenty of time to eat our food at leisure, and still have time to relax and talk. While we were eating, we were checked on a reasonable amount by our waiter, and all of the staff were cheerful and friendly. We heard them break out into a birthday song for another booth near us, people were at ease and laughing a lot and it was just a really lovely atmosphere. It’s loud and bright, but not obnoxiously so, and we found ourselves sitting in quiet disbelief on more than one occasion. I think this is where it really hit us that we’re here, in Tokyo.

We made a quick visit to the gift shop. I got a Kawaii Monster Cafe sticker and some branded chopsticks with their own little box! I can report that my chopstick skills are coming along in leaps and bounds, though I do sometimes take a while to position my hand correctly. Instead of blaming inexperience, I choose to blame being left-handed.

With our bellies full and spirits high, we stretched our legs and strolled down to Omotesando Avenue to visit Kiddy-Land, a huge toyshop on the shopping street. We only took a turn around the ground floor, as it started getting dangerous for Caz after she bought two otamotones. One looks like a lucky cat, and the other is huge and looks like Kirby. She was aiming to get one this holiday so mission accomplished! I saw a gorgeous hamster character called Sukeroku, and I’ve vowed to buy something with him on before the end of the holiday. I’m obsessed with hamsters and still miss my dear Poe.

A little way down the avenue is a place called OrientalBazaar. It’s in a traditional style building, so you can’t miss it among the skyscrapers and shiny modern stores. And it’s full of antiques. I knew I wouldn’t be able to afford anything in there but wanted to look anyway. It’s a gorgeous shop. They have full samurai armour in there, old kimono and tea sets, ornaments, fans, and a giant wooden Hannya mask. I’ve wanted a Hannya for years but there was no way I was affording that beauty (also how would I get it home??). 

There was a little mock tatami room set up with a big kimono on a frame. The sign invited you to sit on the tatami to see what it felt like so we sat there for a while. It was super relaxing as the shop was quiet and a faint smell of incense hung in the air. I reckon I could’ve gone to sleep on that tatami mat if I was lying down.

I’d read about a ridiculous shop called Condomania, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. Novelty condoms. We decided to go and have a look and a laugh. It’s a tiny little place in a little residential side street and has a yellow anthropomorphic condom standing outside. It was all very funny. Turns out ‘Condomania’ is an original brand in Japan and they had an old vending machine with the original condoms in. In the shop you could find all sorts of characters, flavours, glow in the dark, etc! There was one with a Hannya mask on it - Caz stared at it then pointed and said, “That’s sick!” and it made me laugh for ages. It was a fun little pit stop if you have no maturity or grace.

 

We returned to Takeshita Street because we’d seen a very interesting sign for a Shiba Inu café, and we wanted to visit CANDY A GO GO! too. Deciding to have a sit down and see the dogs first, we went up in the lift and came out next to a micro pig cafe. We must have looked bemused because two girls approached us and said, “Dogs?” then pointed up a further set of stairs. People are so helpful here!

This place worked in a different way to the cat cafe. You got a half hour slot to come in and see the dogs and have a drink, then you had to leave. It was also one tatami room instead of multiple rooms, so it was smaller and felt a bit more crowded. The dogs were absolutely gorgeous though and the staff kept bringing different ones over to people and lying them down to be pet. The dogs were so chilled out and would lie there and stare at you until you fussed them, then they’d go and wander around again. 

There were toys scattered around that you could throw and play tug of war with, but a lot of the fun was just watching all of them interact and go about their doggy business. There were a range of ages, colours and sizes - one was a little white Shiba who kept being naughty and picking fights with the other dogs. He had to be carried away and reoriented so many times, it was hilarious. Definitely a nice place to sit and recharge for a while. It had also started getting really cold outside so it was nice to be in the warm and pet fluffy dogs.

CANDY A GO GO! was just across the street from the Shiba cafe, so we made a brisk trot through the cold to it. It’s a riot of colour and filled with so many sweets. They had tiny colourful konpeito, crunchy stars and ducks, citrus slices, sweets shaped like Lego bricks, and so much more. It was really exciting! We immediately got busy piling pick’n’mix into bags. It got slightly out of hand and cost quite a bit, but we’re on our holidays!

We also stopped at a konbini (this time it was a 7-11) to grab food for our trip to Mt Fuji tomorrow. I got two tuna mayo rice balls (onigiri) and a packet of double cheese crisps to eat, and a bottle of water and a bottle of Pocari Sweat for spare drinks. We took a cab back to the hotel, once again seeing the pretty city twinkling in the dark. I fully admit that we ate pick’n’mix for dinner, and I tried a can of Kirin Strong, a vodka-based canned drink. I had cherry flavour, and Caz had a can of peach-flavoured Horoyoi.

We’re attempting to get an early night tonight as we have to be up at the crack of dawn tomorrow for the trip tomorrow!

Tokyo Day 1: Jetlag in Akihabara

As I expected, I didn’t get a lot of sleep - about four hours. I will say, though, the mattress on my bed is divine. So comfortable! I think I’ll sleep better when my body is less mixed-up.

Today, our first day in Tokyo, we decided to go to Akihabara a) because it’s nerd central and b) because it’s one of the closest locations to our hotel. Despite jetlag and fatigue from all the travelling, we managed to get up and out at a reasonable time. One great thing about Tokyo is, unlike a lot of cities, everything is open super late. Which makes it a lot easier for us to go at a steady pace, preserve our energy, and still manage to do what we want to.

I was up and ready a bit before Caz, so I decided to go out and wander the immediate area near the hotel. I found myself in little residential streets in the sunshine and had a lovely time walking around and just taking in my surroundings. I found a little shrine tucked away and saw people popping in for their morning prayer before work. I saw a little school with tiny kids being dropped off by their parents. I walked through a shopping street that hadn’t woken up yet, and I lost count of all the vending machines scattered around. I walked in a big loop and back to the hotel to meet up with Caz.

We visited our local Family Mart to check out the Japanese convenience stores (konbini) we’ve heard so much about. It was at this point that we felt the first wave of culture shock. It sounds silly but seeing everything in Japanese was what did it. The shop plays a cute jingle when people walk in and out, and we were in transports of delight over that. We looked around and bought some things for the fridge in the hotel room like a big bottle of water and strawberry milk. I also found out that Family Mart do their own-brand version of my favourite Japanese biscuit, SakuSaku Panda! Of course I grabbed a pack. We took all of our purchases home before striking out properly to Akihabara.

At Shin-Okachimachi station, it was a long underground walk to get to the Tsukuba Express, which could get us to Akiba within a few minutes. The extra walking was worth the speedy journey and, before we knew it, we were there. Stepping out of the station into the shadow of huge buildings plastered with advertisements was like a dream, albeit slightly overwhelming.

Our first port of call was to pick up the portable WiFi we’d prepaid for. We went with a company called Sushi Wifi as it was the most reasonably-priced and had generally good reviews. It took some poaching of free WiFi and scrutinising of Google Maps for me to find the shop. It’s a tiny place in an equally tiny side street so I kept getting turned around.

I couldn’t see anybody so I went in with a tentative “Konnichiwa?” and a man popped out from behind a shelf to greet us. I showed him our confirmation email and he asked for our passports. I had totally forgotten about this requirement and had left our passports in the hotel room safe! I told him as much and began some very British apologising, in both English and Japanese. He got out his flip phone(!!) and had a quick conversation with someone before handing the phone to me. “Moshimoshiiii!” I trilled, and the man on the other end asked me if we had any other ID. We had our British driving licences and he said that would suffice.

So this man, who had never met us, called his boss to see if he could accept another form of ID, and the boss said yes! I couldn’t believe how helpful and accommodating they were. I thanked them both profusely and we received our little pocket WiFi in a mock takeaway bag, which was an incredibly cute idea. The man in the shop gave a deep bow as we left.

Inside the bag was a pouch containing our pocket WiFi device, a powerbank, the various connector cables, and a mailing envelope to send it all back at the end of our holiday. So efficient! It was a breeze to set up the device too – you just switch it on and use the login details on the front to connect your phone. I was so impressed that we got connected while sitting on the kerb outside the shop that I already want to give them a good review! I’ll have to see what the performance is like for the whole trip before I can do that, though.

Akihabara has 4 Sega arcade buildings, and Caz and I went to number 3 to have a go at the claw machines, which was a lot of fun. Caz had a go on the Mario Kart machine, which promptly gave her motion sickness. As she leant on a railing outside to try to settle her stomach, she started shaking her butt and saying, in a really sleazy voice, “I’ll give the passers-by a show.” We fell about laughing because I think we were giddy with exhaustion. 

Feeling a bit peckish, we decided to go to a maid café. That’s kind of the law when you’re in Akihabara, and I’d read about a really cute-sounding one called Akiba Zettai Ryouiki A.D. 2045. It’s a cyberpunk-themed little place where the maids are actually cats in human form. We were greeted enthusiastically and seated, and the welcoming maid (who was absolutely tiny) outlined the general rules of the café and explained the different ordering options - this is if you want a performance from the maids or pictures as well as food and drinks. She kept stopping to say, “Ok? OK! Thank you!” to make sure we were understanding her, it was so cute. Then she asked us to close our eyes and placed cat ears on our heads! Caz’s were white, mine were black, and both were fluffy.

It was quite funny when we were asked in Japanese which language we preferred to be addressed in. I replied with, “Mhm, Eigo o kudasai.” And Caz thought I was just suddenly fluent in Japanese, when really I’d only picked up enough words here and there to understand what I was being asked. We were told that, when we were ready to order, we should call the maids over by saying “Meow meow!” or “Nyan nyan!” I was worried I’d feel silly when I did it, but all of the girls replied in turn and we were immediately served. It was unbelievably cute. I had some awesome blue soda float that looked like a science experiment, and a delicious berry parfait that was also served in a lab beaker. Caz had a ginger beer and the ‘waifu pancakes’. When our items were served the maids would put a ‘spell’ on them to make them delicious. My favourite one was “Moe, moe, KYUN!” and making a heart shape with our hands.

Caz and I were sniggering because there was a young Japanese guy in there, but he was super serious. When he wanted to order he said, “Nyan nyan.” in such a deadpan voice that we fell about laughing. He was amazing. Everyone in the café (and it got busy while we were there) was having so much fun and just enjoying the atmosphere. No one bothered the maids inappropriately, which I was glad about, or I might have had to equip my Feminist Rage.

My biggest piece of advice when visiting a maid café (aside from following the rules the maids outline for you) is to suspend disbelief and join in. Help the maids say their spells to make the food yummy, and don’t be embarrassed about it! It’s so much more fun that way.

We looked at a couple of shops (a Gachapon hall and a cosplay store) before we had to admit defeat. The jetlag was in full force and we felt like we could barely stand up any more. We got a cab back to the hotel to hang out there and take it easy for the evening. We ordered some more traditional food for dinner - Caz had a beef curry and I had a beef rice bowl. The food was tasty and filling and just what we needed, having only eaten dessert today (oops). My chopstick technique is not great, but I’m already starting to get used to it!

After we’d been energised with a bit of dinner, the jetlag sent us a bit haywire. It began when I saw that housekeeping had replaced a towel I’d used, but the one I’d used was still on my bed. This wasn’t a problem, of course, but I made a joke about how I wanted to hide the towels and see if they get replenished again. This somehow turned into us imagining the whole bathroom packed with towels and getting into a laughing fit for, and I’m not kidding, a whole half an hour. It’s not funny. At all. But we were helpless. It took a long time to calm down and when we did, we were more tired than ever. Towels, honestly.

Anyway, I’m hoping I get a better night’s sleep tonight, so I can feel better tomorrow.

Work hard, plague hard

日本へ！

Wow, so here we are.

The travelling itself went without a hitch. We had a smooth drive up to Heathrow with plenty of time before we even had to check in our luggage. I got hauled into the 3D scanner at security, as I often do, while Caz just breezed through. Typical.

We ate dinner in a cute place called The Commission, quite simply because they did nice-sounding cocktails. The food was also good and our waiter, Ivon, was fabulous. Unfortunately, we were so chilled out and pleased by dinner that I mixed up the boarding time for our flight, which resulted in a brisk trot halfway across Terminal 4. Luckily we weren’t the last ones on, but I was still mortified.

Our flight to Paris took off bang on time, and was a really easy journey. The AirFrance staff were absolute darlings, especially one lady who kept coming to speak to us and the couple in front of us (who were also on their way to Japan). Unfortunately Caz and I got the giggles over something silly – the fact that the French Coke cans had ‘goût original’ written on them. Of course Caz decided it was pronounced like GOUT, the disease.

A girl on the flight was toting her Shiba Inu puppy on the journey and everyone was cooing over him. As we disembarked the plane, we gave him lots of pets and felt very blessed.

At Paris, Caz got her comeuppance when she forgot to take her smartwatch off and got drug-swabbed by security. So I was pleased. 

And thus began our ridiculously long leg of the journey. Long-haul flights are a DRAG. Our seats were right at the back, so no one was kicking me the whole time. But the people in front of us decided to have their seats reclined for the whole eleven hours. Which was really quite inconsiderate. We were accommodating and nice when they wanted to recline and get some sleep. But then they sat watching movies with their chairs reclined for the rest of the flight. Thanks.

Apart from that though, the flight was fine except from some pretty intense turbulence over Germany. When we touched down at Haneda airport, there were people asking where everyone had travelled from due to the coronavirus situation. Caz and I said, “Er, France?” and the lady said, “France? PFFF! Go ahead!” in a really breezy way. It was hilarious. Border control was super easy and we got through nice and quickly.

We had to get our tickets for the onsen we're going to visit at the airport, and I eventually managed to find where we were supposed to pick them up from. This is less because of the airport, and more due to me being ridiculously tired and slightly overwhelmed because we were finally here in Japan! We also got our Welcome Suica cards, which were a godsend. They allow you to use all buses, streetcars and trains in Tokyo (even right out in the suburbs) and you can also use them in cabs, some vending machines and some shops! They also have a cute cherry blossom design, which makes them a nice souvenir from your trip too. We loaded them up with cash, thanking god that our WeSwap cards were also in perfect working order.

At this point, we were so tired that we opted to get a taxi to our hotel. It was a fairly long drive, but luckily our taxi driver was a madman and raced on the highways to get us there. We couldn’t stop goggling out of the window the whole time, watching the lit-up skyscrapers and neon side streets fly by. I couldn’t wait to start exploring once I’d rested.

The hotel we stayed at was Hotel ICI Ueno Shin-Okachimachi by RELIEF. I know it’s a bit of a mouthful but it’s a cute building that looks a bit like a domino. It’s also well-placed with convenience stores, food places, and a subway station right nearby. And it’s quiet at night – bonus! Checking in was easy and the staff were so friendly and helpful. I tried some of my limited Japanese on them and they were super receptive, which is so encouraging.

Pictured above is part of our room, including my bed, the desk and the window. It was way bigger than I was expecting, having been told that Tokyo rooms are usually very cramped. Caz’s bed is just out of frame here, but they were both what I’d call a ‘mini double’ size. The room was absolutely pristine and so wonderfully quiet. The bathroom was also beautiful – compact and clean, with the cutest bath. It’s small in size but very deep, so I’ll have to soak in there while we’re here.

After flipping through the weird TV channels, we decided to order food (God bless UberEats) as we were about ready to collapse. Shamefully, we ordered McDonald’s but I promise there’s a legit reason! Every country’s McDonald’s has different menu items, and their regular menu always tastes a little different. We were curious to see what it was like.

The guy who delivered our food was the cutest. We came downstairs to meet him, and he was peering through the hotel window. Caz gave him a thumbs-up to let him know it was us and he was beaming and did the biggest bow ever. It was so sweet! I had another chance to try out some Japanese as I handed over the cash and thanked him very much, and he was also happy and receptive at my efforts. If this is any indication of how people are in Tokyo, I’m going to love this city.

Our food was delicious. Japanese McDonald’s is different to home! I found that their fries are a lot less greasy and have more of a crispy texture, and they don’t load up on salt as much. It was really nice to just have something simple and quick to eat.

The view from our window.

Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to try out all the buttons on the toilet and then collapse into bed.

おやすみ！

I'm Going To Japan!

I’ve previously mentioned this, but now I want to write about it properly because it’s today.

My last adventure was to Edinburgh, in March last year. I returned from there with some money left over, and immediately started saving again for my next trip. I prioritised travelling over treats and material goods, because it’s what makes me the most happy. I didn’t do anything for my birthday, or go on any more trips. I cut down on eating out and essentially killed what little social life I had. I saved all of my money.

I hoped to have enough to perhaps go somewhere in Europe in late 2019/early 2020. But instead, by a strange and incredible twist of fate…

I’ve had an interest in Japan since I was a child. It started with Hello Kitty, Pokémon and Dragonball Z. As I got older it advanced to Japanese horror films and video games (especially Fatal Frame, Resident Evil and Silent Hill), as well as an appreciation for Japanese food/snacks, J-fashion and the ‘kawaii’ aesthetic. At this point I also became interested in Japanese culture, particularly old Shinto rituals, tea ceremonies and the Samurai. I even learned Japanese for a year in university (it’s really difficult – kudos to people who stick with it and get really good)!

So it’s no surprise that I’ve always wanted to visit. But it’s always been a sort of pipe-dream, with it being on the other side of the world and all. My oldest friend Caz has the same long interest in Japan, and we’d been idly talking about ‘what if we went to Japan’ since we were about eight years old.

This conversation came up again, as it often did, on July 19 2019. We discussed the things we’d love to see and all the food we’d try, and Caz decided to pull up Expedia. She found a hotel offering a half-price deal. We decided to reserve it for two weeks in February – y’know, just in case. We weren’t required to pay anything for it at that stage, so no harm done if we had to cancel.

Obviously, we thought, the same luck wouldn’t apply for flights. We knew that the price of a round-trip ticket to Tokyo would be somewhere around a grand each. But again, we looked up flights for our two weeks in February… Just in case. Can you imagine our disbelief when we found a deal from AirFrance for half the usual price?

There is absolutely NO way we would have been able to book this trip, were it not for these two deals. Not to get all woo-ey on you, but we just happened to look online when two ideal half price offers just happened to be running. It’s like the universe was telling us that this was it, the chance we’d been hoping for for almost 20 years.

We booked the flights the same day, and the next day the deals were gone.

Since then, it’s been months of planning, pre-booking, and saving every damn penny we can. I spent a lot of time on creating itineraries for the trip. This involved so many lists, a tonne of Google-fu and research, and mapping out how to get from one place to the next. I planned it so that we could alternate the more full-on days with calmer ones in order to keep fatigue at bay as much as possible. This is a long holiday compared to my usual less-than-a-week jaunts, so I have to pace myself. I’ve managed to fit in everything we want to do with time left over, so hopefully we’ll get most of it done.

Back in July, it felt like it would take forever to get to February. Now here we are, on the day we fly out, as prepared as we possibly can be. I’m so happy and can’t believe this is happening, or how lucky I am. Next time I post, I’ll be in Japan!

2020 Goals

Happy New Year!

Is it me or does this New Year feel like an even fresher fresh start? Not only are we turning over the leaf to a new year, but a new decade too. As I do every year, I had a good think about what I'd like to achieve in 2020 and made a little list of goals to work from.

Go abroad

I might as well tick this one off already, as I have my trip to Japan booked. I’m going to keep it though, maybe I’ll get to go abroad more than once. You never know.

Learn to drive

I’ve become increasingly frustrated with not being able to drive and relying on public transport everywhere. So this year I’m finally going to learn to drive. Affording to get and maintain a car is a different story entirely, so for this year I’m only focusing on getting my full licence.

Save money as much as possible

Since pulling off the ridiculous saving for Tokyo, I’ve actually gotten a lot more faith in myself when it comes to going without things short-term to afford a better long-term goal. I want to continue to save as much money as I can for trips, driving lessons/test, and things that I want. I’ll also be saving for even bigger things like moving into my own place and getting a car. Obviously that won’t be achieved in a year, but I hope to at least get started.

Get back into paid work

This is pretty self-explanatory. Too much of my life has been put on hold by having a chronic illness and coming to terms with my new limitations, and I’m super impatient to get back to actually living. By the end of the year, I hope to have a job that I like and am interested in. In the meantime, I will also continue to work on skills, learning, building my CV, etc.

Go to the gym 3 times a week

Now that I’ve found my rhythm with going to the gym, I want to continue going very regularly. It’s hard for me in regards to my energy levels, but I can’t deny that I’m so much stronger now and exercising is a real help for my mental health. I want to get even fitter and stronger this year.

Read at least 15 books

I always like to set a reading goal because I often go a long while without reading, for no reason. It’s important to remember that sitting down with a book in the peace and quiet is super beneficial.

Continue habit/symptom tracking

This has been on my goals list for a good few years now, and I’m keeping it there as tracking these things are really useful for monitoring my condition and seeing how I’m doing in a more objective, visual way.

Do Yearly Purge

Another goal that appears every year, and another that is good for my soul. There’s something about a big spring clean and getting rid of things that you never look at or use. I recommend that everyone tries to do this annually – it definitely declutters your mind as well as your home.

Eat more healthily/cut down junk food

For the past couple of years, I’ve been actively trying to be healthier and feel better by staying hydrated, getting regular exercise, practicing mindfulness and keeping up with managing symptoms. My one downfall is food. Don’t get me wrong – I eat better than I ever have in my life. I used to actively fear vegetables, and was a really picky eater. I’ve definitely broadened my palette and become much braver with trying new things. I just really like junk food, and I know I probably have too much of it. This year I’m going to really try to tackle unhealthy food cravings.

Get a tattoo

I am determined to tick this one off, as it’s been on my list for so long and I’m kind of sick of the sight of it. I have plenty of ideas for tattoos and several artist recommendations from my friends, so I think 2020 is the year I’ll take the plunge.

Blog more

I love blogging. But I’m terrible at it. I even blogged about how I suck at blogging. I have constant writer’s block, and often feel like no one would be interested in what I’m writing. I need to get back to blogging for myself, and create a habit of writing all the time again. Let’s hope that I can get my shit together this year.

***
I thought a lot about these goals, as I want to keep them reasonable with consideration to my health. I like to think that these can be achieved, or at least worked on, in the space of a year.

What are your goals for 2020?

2019 Goals Recap

I feel like I was only saying this five minutes ago, but another year has come to a close. Linear time continues to amaze and terrify me. This year hasn’t been massively eventful for me, and has mostly been spent learning how to manage my life with a chronic illness. I’ve simply been too tired and miserable to have a meaningful time. I hope to change that in 2020.

Before New Year (and the start of a new decade!) is upon us, I wanted to go back to my goals for 2019 and review whether I’ve completed them or not.

✘ Get back into work

Unfortunately not. It wasn’t feasible for me at the beginning of the year, and also wouldn’t have been fair on potential employers when I was unreliable and unwell. As the year progressed though, I started thinking about it more. I do currently have a couple of open applications, so fingers crossed that I can get back into work in the new year.

✘ Get a tattoo

I probably could have ticked this off in 2019, but I’ve been squirrelling away as much money as I can possibly spare for another, way more exciting, reason. I’ll go over this a little bit later in the post.

✔ Go to the gym 3 times a week

The beginning of the year wasn’t so good for me and the gym. But, in December, I have established more of a routine. Barring being too unwell, I now go to the gym on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This was helped immensely by my Mum joining my gym and becoming my buddy. It makes it so much easier to commit to exercise when you have someone to encourage and chivvy you along.

✔ Save money as much as possible

I outdid myself with saving money this year. I made a lot of sacrifices and went without a lot of things I would have liked. This resulted in being able to afford something HUGE for next year – a trip to Tokyo with my oldest bff! I can’t even begin to describe how excited I am. In all fairness, I wouldn’t be going at all if we hadn’t managed to get both the flights and the hotel for half price. It was like fate talking to us through Expedia, and we seized it.

✘ Blog more

I blogged about my trip to Edinburgh, and that’s about it. It also took me three months to actually complete those three posts, which is shocking. I’ve been doing some drafting this year, to hopefully create a kind of ‘backlog’ of posts. I hope this will make me a bit more productive. I miss blogging regularly, and having perpetual writer’s block is depressing.

✔ Continue volunteering

Another year at English Heritage – I love my colleagues and the office I work in, and I’ll be sad to leave when I finally get back into paid employment. For the meantime, it’s been excellent experience and a real learning curve. I hope that the connections I’ve made there will last for a long time, and I think everything I’ve learned will greatly benefit me in my future career. I will continue to volunteer for as long as I have the time.

✔ Read at least 15 books

Predictably, I smashed this goal. It was in doubt for a little while though – I went through a few months of just not having any energy for reading. It was really out of character. I ‘only’ read 16 books this year and here they are, with handy links if you want to have a peek:

• Books 5-9 of the Surviving the Evacuation series (Reunion, Harvest, Home, Anglesey and Ireland) by Frank Tayell
• Th1rt3en by Steve Cavanagh
• The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker
• Only Dull People are Brilliant at Breakfast by Oscar Wilde
• The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
• The Chalk Man by CJ Tudor
• Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
• Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman
• Don’t Wake Up by Liz Lawler
• Humans, Bow Down by James Patterson & Emily Raymond
• Killing Critics by Carol O’Connell
• Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham

✔ Do my Yearly Purge and Laptop Tidy

I completed my Yearly Purge in record time. Because I’ve been doing it for years now, I find that I have less and less to get rid of. Only the things I really want to keep stay and every year I try to minimise a bit more. The laptop tidy took longer, as it usually does, and my files are already a total mess again. Keeping my files and online stuff organised is an endless task, it seems.

✘ Go on more trips

I somehow managed to go on less trips this year. This is mostly due to illness and the fact that I’ve been saving, like, all of my money.

✔ Go abroad

Like last year, this was technically completed as Scotland is a different country. As I said before though, going to another country in Britain and saying I went abroad feels a bit like cheating. But I’m still counting it!

✔ Continue to track habits etc

This has become a habit in itself! Sometimes it can be a pain to draw up the charts that I use, especially when I’m feeling fatigued and listless, but I do like seeing how well (or badly) I’m doing from month to month.

✘ Finish travel scrapbook

I’m officially taking this off any future goal lists. Not because I actually got my shit together and finished it, but because I feel too much pressure to do it and end up just avoiding it. I’m sure that doesn’t make any sense, but that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. Hopefully one day I can feel inspired again and get it up to date.

***
I didn’t get as much done as I really wanted to in 2019, but I need to accept that I’ve been unwell and that that has really limited what I can get done. I’m feeling cautiously positive about the coming year, which I don’t set too much stock by as that’s how I always feel. Even so, I really, really hope that 2020 will be the year I get back to some semblance of normal and get my life moving forward again.

I hope everyone has a very happy new year! What are the goals you’ve set for yourself?