Tokyo

Capital of Japan. Harry’s day out here mixed classic Tokyo novelties: themed animal cafés (owl, dog, rabbit/mouse), pet shops where locals window-shop puppies “like therapy”, a wagyu sushi restaurant in Shinjuku with curtained private booths, street batting cages, and the train system connecting it all.

What Harry did

Harry spent the day on a date booked through Japan’s rent-a-girlfriend service. The owl and dog cafés were fully booked, so they played with rabbits and mice at an animal café instead, took the train to Shinjuku, browsed a pet shop, ate wagyu sushi — his first time, and some of the best sushi he’s had — shared dinner with a second rental girlfriend who joined, and finished at the batting cages, where he got a solid hit despite never having played baseball.

Practical facts

• Animal café entry: about $20 (from video – unverified); drinks not included.
• Batting cages: 500 yen a go (from video – unverified).
• The full rented date, meals and activities included, came to about $400.
• Popular animal cafés fill up — the owl and dog cafés were both fully booked on a weekday.
• Trains are far cheaper than taxis and easy enough to wing.

From the 14-day trip

A second, longer visit with Walid, and the Tokyo half of it is mostly novelties done properly.

Matcha ice cream

Sold on its reputation for the sheer quantity of matcha powder heaped on top, which makes people choke. Harry knew this, told Walid it was ordinary ice cream, and instructed him to take the biggest bite he could from the top. It worked.

The otter and hedgehog cafe

A pet cafe where you drink coffee and handle the animals. Harry’s verdict on the otters is that they look angry and that the experience is Planet of the Apes with otters. He also concedes on camera that the only hedgehog he had previously encountered in England, he ran over.

Wagyu, cooked by you

A Korean-style barbecue where the meat arrives raw and you grill it at the table.

• The chef cuts the meat and makes the side dishes; the cooking is yours. Harry burns his and Walid incinerates an entire portion.
• Wagyu is expensive because of how the cattle are raised — different feed and, he is told, markedly better treatment.
• His verdict: the best meat he had ever eaten and the most he had ever eaten in one sitting.

The bug vending machine

Japan has over five million vending machines, which Harry attributes to an office culture where stepping out briefly is the only break you get. This one sells insects — bamboo worms, diving beetles, crickets, scorpion.

• About $3 for a box of crickets, bought as a present for Walid, who eats them.

The capsule hotel

• Around $60 a night, which he points out is not especially cheap.
• Men only in this one, with roughly a hundred capsules.
• Earplugs and an eye mask are free, along with a list of other items.
• Inside: a fan, an alarm, a pull-out TV, headphones, a mirror, a hanger, power sockets, and a blind you pull down for privacy.
• House rules: no smoking, no talking, no alarms at certain hours.
• The free lounge is the surprise — a work area with fast wi-fi, a silent room, ironing, massage chairs, and free tea, coffee, soft drinks, alcohol and rice.

Shibuya Crossing

Unofficially the busiest crossing in the world, and Harry notes the oddity of a pedestrian crossing becoming a tourist attraction. He counts four separate waves of people crossing at rush hour and thinks it gets busier.

Odds and ends

• A Harry Potter-themed train station, complete with the music and a red carpet, found by accident.
• A large snake loose in a public park, which the police attend and which Japanese passers-by treat as mildly interesting. A second one turns up.
• A side street he describes as the most beautiful he has seen, with the comparison that the equivalent alley in London or LA would be dangerous.
• A pay-per-use work pod inside a train station — about $2.75, with a desk, TV, ring light, fan and air conditioning. You can work or nap in it. Harry briefly could not work out how to get out.

Harry’s tips

• Book popular animal cafés ahead instead of walking in.
• Try wagyu sushi at least once — the curtained-booth restaurants feel private and romantic rather than antisocial.
• Take the train over taxis to keep a Tokyo day affordable.
• Take a small bite of the matcha ice cream. The choking is the joke and it is on you.
• A capsule hotel is worth one night for the lounge alone, which is more generous than the room.
• Translate the menu before you order, not after. Harry ordered at random and realised afterwards his phone could have read the whole thing.
• Expect everything to take longer than it should. Buying a train ticket defeated both of them repeatedly.

Source

• I Rented a Japanese Girlfriend in Tokyo 🇯🇵 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjsAG4cBTuU
• 14 Days in Japan 🇯🇵 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwQ323luUKo