Japan 2026

FINDING JAPAN A First Journey Through Tokyo and Beyond The major sights were memorable: Mount Fuji, Sensō-ji, Tokyo Skytree, Meiji Jingu, Shibuya, Koishikawa Korakuen and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. But many of the memories I expect to keep longest are much smaller. Cycling around Lake Kawaguchi for hours while Fuji hid behind the clouds, and then watching the mountain slowly reveal itself. Trying a Japanese public bath for the first time and discovering I had worried about nothing. Seeing Fuji again, unexpectedly, from the Asahi Sky Room at sunset. Eating nine plates of conveyor-belt sushi for ¥1,300. Finding a tea shop in Kagurazaka. Stumbling across wonderful Kansai-style eel. Having an entirely unnecessary second lunch at a sushi counter. Waiting for a dryer in an unbearably hot laundry room while talking with other travellers. There were acts of kindness that required almost no language: an older Japanese couple quietly shifting their umbrella so a stranger could stay dry, restaurant staff patiently helping when I didn't understand, station staff pointing me in the right direction, and countless small interactions that made travelling alone feel easy. Food became its own journey. Sushi counters, Tsukiji tuna, tamagoyaki, soba, tempura, eel, conveyor-belt sushi, duck ramen, coffee shops, beer with a view — and, inevitably, 7-Eleven fried chicken. Some meals were planned. Some were found by accident. A surprising number became highlights. The itinerary was invaluable, but the trip was often at its best when I abandoned it. I learned that I like getting up early, walking instead of taking the quickest route, wandering down side streets and allowing a neighbourhood to determine the day. Even my photographs reflect that. I tend to wait until people move away or change my angle until the crowd disappears. The Tokyo in my photographs isn't necessarily the whole Tokyo. It's my Tokyo. Tokyo is one of the largest cities in the world. I rode packed trains, crossed Shibuya with hundreds of other people and walked through neighbourhoods that seemed to continue forever. Yet the city rarely felt aggressive. The phrase I kept returning to was simple: Tokyo isn't in your face. I remain conscious that eleven days in Japan do not qualify me to explain Japanese culture. These are only the observations of one visitor on one first journey. But perhaps that is enough. I didn't come home understanding Japan. I came away wanting to understand more. On the first night, walking from my hotel to Sensō-ji felt like an adventure. By the final day, crossing Tokyo and travelling out to Narita felt natural. Somewhere between those two moments were hundreds of kilometres of trains and walking, thousands of photographs, a bicycle beneath Mount Fuji, three Tokyo hotels, summer heat, torrential rain, wonderful meals and an extraordinary number of small discoveries. I called this journal Finding Japan. In the end, I don't think I found Japan in any definitive sense. What I found was a way of travelling through it that felt completely right for me: choose a neighbourhood, take a train, start walking, and see what happens. And I know I want to come back. #Narita #Sensō-ji #Otsuki #Kawaguchiko #Asakusa #Tokyo #Tsukiji #Ginza #Tokyo Station #publicbath #TokyoStation #Marunouchi #Yurikamome #Conveyor-belt-sushi #Ryōgoku #Skytree #APA Hotels #Gentamaru #Shibuya #Torii in the forest #Meiji Jingu #Harajuku #Takeshita #Hachiko #Shibuya-Scramble-Crossing #Kagurazaka #Koishikawa #Korakuen #Meicha #Rakuzan #Unagi #Mansuke #Akagi #Shrine #Shinobazu #Ueno #Kappabashi #TokyoStation #Imperial Palace #Nezu #Monjayaki #KITTE #Marunouchi Monjayaki #Kamakura #Hase #Enoshima Great #Buddha #Engaku-ji, #Kencho-ji #Koganei #Tokyo #National #Museum #Okachimachi #Tsukiji-Outer-Market #Kuramae #Sensō-ji