EN ROUTE TOKYO: Motivations

Aug 16, 2017
2 min read

It's 14 hours away from us being on a plane to Tokyo. We have an itinerary prepared, and I spot a lot of 'Free & Easy' in the timetable. That sounds great, amazing even. The thing is, what will I fill in those time with?

For now I'm laying out my objectives - both school-wise and personal ones. I have a mini-list which I will import here. What I intend to do there:

Take lots of good pictures because my Instagram looks sad 70% of the time (30% is when I actually post something).
Find several topics to write about, to put in my portfolio. If possible, something unprecedented.
Observe the contemporary subcultures, such as lolita (at Harajuku) and otaku (at Akihabara). Co-relates with previous point.
I have my eye on the current edition of Nylon Japan, which the internet is currently buzzing over (mainly because of the cover girls). Japan has a lot of indie and niche magazines which I can hopefully appreciate without actually reading the words since I can't read kanji.
Do a research on the lingerie market there, the products offered, marketing, and all the works. In relevance to my graduate project.

On the more 'personal goals and interests' note:

Vintage shopping and checking the markets for trinkets that won't tear my wallet like a Gucci/Chanel would.
Basically just immerse in the culture and everyday life in the city. That's what I like to do most when I visit places.
I want to visit quaint little bookshops like the ones where Midori lived in at Norwegian Wood. Thanks a lot, Haruki Murakami. Maybe I'll try to find his old jazz bar as well.
I played this game called The World Ends With You, an RPG by Square Enix (same company behind Final Fantasy) where you play as a character who's stuck in an alternate version Shibuya and has this series of missions to complete. Basically I want to trace his steps in the famed district.
Eat those Harajuku-famous crepes. Also, ramen.