Solo Adventure in Tokyo!

When you are in a new area sometimes it is hard to find things to do when you have not done much research of an area, or when all of your friends are busy. Also, as you get adjusted to a new place it may be hard to motivate yourself to go out and do something. Even in the few weeks I have been here I have encountered these senarios. My best recommendation to set a day to explore an area like Shinjuku, Yotsuya, or even Sophia University, and pick a direction and go! This is the best recommendation I got from one of my past teachers when it comes to exploring a new place. If you set aside a day to do that then you have no excuse not to do it. Also, since through the program you get a commuter pass that covers stations on your route it is free to go there so utilize it!

When you explore an area by yourself you can set your own schedule and you go wherever you want. One day I decided to walk around the area where my host famliy lived. Apart from finding many different chain restaurants like Mos Burger and conbinis (convienence stores) there was nothing really special. However, when it was getting dark and I decided to head back I decided to take some side streets home.

When I was walking down there was a bell ringing off into the distance making this a truely beautiful sight. Although I cannot replicate the sound of the bell on here it made my walk on a very hot day worth it. Sometimes having no destination or route let's you find gems like these. So one of my recommendations even beyond Japan is to spend a day just walking around aimlessly.