Nothing! Not a momentary glimpse like a couple of months ago. And not even the sloping foothills like last summer…

——————————————————————————————————————–

The latter happened during our trip of May 2019. We were on our way to Kyoto from Tokyo. As already established, I had everything planned to the dot. We were supposed to see Mt. Fuji on the right side of the train at around noon. Except, I had no idea how much of an overly attached, toxic lover the clouds were to Fuji.

This desperate attempt from the train was a follow up to our first failed attempt on the previous day. We were visiting Hakone, a resort town on the foothills of Mt. Fuji. It was a three-pronged journey which began with a fast train ride from Tokyo on a train called the “Romance Car”, which yet again was not very romantic for me. This was followed by a slower toy train that circuited around the lush green hills. The climax was a cable car ride all the way up a hill & then down to the Lake Ashi. As we climbed higher, things got quieter with our popping ears. The suspense was building up. The little hill on our west gradually moved aside, as if to present his majesty, Fuji-san. Except, the king was a no show. Only a curtain of clouds. Anyway, we enjoyed a rather nice cruise across the lake on a pirate-ship, sipped some tea in the town & headed back. Our return journey was not in the romance car. Nope, it was far from mushy-gushy, and it entailed some raw lethal speed. We were about to embark on our first Shinkansen ride & I couldn’t be more excited. Just like movie halls, if you arrive early at a Shinkansen station, you are likely to get some trailers. We did get one. A Shinkansen skipped this station by blasting past us within milliseconds and literally blew everyone away. And then the real show began when our train gently rolled into the platform like a glazing white metal python crawling by with a high voltage buzz. Once inside, the train quickly caught speed and it was smooth, which made it perfect for a much-needed power nap. That exhaustion was a result of two full days of exploring the nooks and crannies of Tokyo. 

It was an ominous start to those 48 hours in Tokyo though.

We woke up on our first morning in the land of the rising sun and the sun was MIA. It was a gloomy and rainy morning. Two months of planning for this moment and it looked like we had to abort Day 1. But my family buoyed me up and we ventured out despite the drizzle. Japan had borrowable umbrella stands everywhere and we made full use of it as we strolled across the Shinjuku gardens. After our first taste of Japanese cuisine and optimally sweet pastries, we headed to the famous six-way zebra crossing at Shibuya, which features in every video portraying the population density of Tokyo. Seeing our determination, the clouds gave up and the remainder of the day would be more comfortable. We walked around the financial district – where the skies were covered by the earthquake resistant glass skyscrapers and the walkways by a sea of black suit-n-tie clad office workers. We wrapped up the eventful day at the neon-lit, shimmering, shopping streets of Shinjuku.

Our second day in the city was warm and humid in contrast. We sweated our way through the heart of Tokyo, starting with the Imperial palace. Next was the Akihabara area which was home to all the electronics, video games and anime culture that Japan was known for. We visited the 6-storied Yodobashi store which had every imaginable toy and utility electronic goods. There was a full section dedicated to miniature trains. And these were accurate replicas of modern Japanese trains, not the cheap plastic steam engines used in American Sitcoms to mock train lovers. The child in me had taken over my senses. I couldn’t resist buying a model shinkansen set. After this high, we took the local train to the relatively newer Odaiba area. Our evening was literally “lit” as we visited the Instagram-worthy TeamLab Borderless modern art gallery followed by the Illuminated Rainbow bridge. We then returned to Shinjuku in pursuit of dinner. My eyes caught a round neon signboard that read – Ichiran Ramen. This was the one – the viral introvert’s restaurant. I jumped on to the long line which was supposed to be normal. Luckily the turnover was quick. Once inside, we were welcomed in with shouts of “Irrashaimase” from invisible voices. We placed our orders through a machine upfront and went into our individual mini booths. The server opened the shutter on the front side and a pair of hands pushed in a nice big bowl. A voice, which I assume belonged to the human associated with those hands, enthusiastically said, “Arigato Gozaimaaaasu” and pulled down the shutter to give us privacy. I loved it! Although my parents and uncle may have preferred a little more human interaction.

Our first such human-free encounter, a couple of nights ago, did not go as smoothly though. We had just set foot in this futuristic nation, after landing at Tokyo Narita Airport. We collected our Japan Rail passes and headed towards the train station, only to be stopped by automated turnstiles. The issue – our passes were paper sheets meant to be verified by a human – and there were no officials around. It was late in the evening. We were jetlagged and had to catch the last train into the city. My dad used all his Physics knowledge to contort himself to a new degree of freedom and crossed over. We all followed suite. And then out of nowhere a security guard popped up. He sounded angry. At that point, we really wished there existed a common global language. He mumbled away in Japanese, and we presented some very valid points in English, neither of which were mutually registered. He eventually understood our situation and let us into the platform with a big smile. And there stood the Narita Express in all its glory, gleaming in her white and red livery, ready to take us one step closer to that much awaited 6-day adventure.

——————————————————————————————————————–

Ironically, the same train would be my last ride in Japan.

Back to 2020 and no Tokyo for me this time. The completely empty Narita Express rapidly crossed through the COVID ravaged capital. The forest of towering skyscrapers soon turned into small suburban houses and subsequently into farmlands as we approached Narita International airport– one of the busiest in the world. The elevator from the station to the airport lobby had indeed transposed me in the z-direction, as per design; but it had somehow also teleported me into a post-apocalyptic world.  There was not a single person in sight. It was silent… eerily silent! The lights were on, and the screens were active. There was no destruction, no creepers, nor any wild animals. As I walked on, I was relieved to see five agents on the Delta counter, all of whom lined up to assist me. Security check was also a breeze. I mean, the world was already ravaged by invisible micro-terrorists that those X-ray machines could not detect, so what else was left?

It was a relief to see a few more souls near the gate area. Then I remembered not to get too close. I found an isolated area with a nice view. Sadly, there were barely any planes to spot. I saw my Delta A350 land and pull into the gate. The boarding queue formed soon. There were hardly 50 people, and they represented the spectrum of COVID paranoia. Here I was, a mask-less buffoon and across me stood a teenager wrapped in plastic from top to bottom. It got me worried. But Delta’s cabin like business-class seats helped distract me. The aircraft doors soon closed, and we were ready to depart. As we completed backing out from the gate, all the ground staff lined up, bowed down and waved at the plane. “Wow, was this to cheer on the brave COVID-time flyers? Japan, you continue to amaze me”, my overwhelmed inner voice mumbled. Turns out, it was because this was the last scheduled Delta flight from Narita airport. The airline was switching operations to Haneda. Still, it felt like a befitting way to bid farewell to this mysteriously fascinating land.

The stressful times may have outnumbered the fun ones during this 2020 stay. But the weighted average of all the unique Japanese experiences, sure made it feel like the good times had won by a huge margin. The highlight for me had to be the cheerful, humble, and hardworking people. The verbal language may have been a barrier, but they had a far more powerful language of politeness, which the rest of the world could learn more of. They also reaffirmed my faith in the philosophy of keeping your head down, shutting your mouth and putting in some honest hard work.  

At the end of the day, I couldn’t be more gracious for not just one, but two trips to Japan, especially considering the inevitable pause that lay ahead for Pravel.

Arigato Gozaimasu, Nippon!