Tokyo: My General Impressions

Me in Odaiba, Tokyo with Rainbow Bridge in the background.

The grand Tokyo Skytree, completed in 2012.

Recently, I took my first solo trip. Location: Tokyo, Japan. Although I spent only six days there, Tokyo has officially become my favorite city in Asia so far.

While planning my trip, many people told me going to Tokyo would be a waste of time as it is very similar to Taipei, where I currently live. Indeed, the Taiwanese do borrow several elements of Japanese pop culture (e.g., the Taiwan Hello Kitty craze), and both are bustling cities with many skyscrapers, restaurants, shopping streets, etc. Nevertheless, for years I have wanted to go to Tokyo and see the city for myself. Admittedly, when I was a kid, I wanted to go to Japan because I was an avid anime fan. Yet my teenage and later adult self who was (and is) highly interested in other aspects of Japanese culture (e.g., the Showa era, especially kayōkyoku; cuisine) wanted to experience Japan firsthand.

As I explored the options of where to go in the city, I became increasingly excited about my 3-hour hop from Taipei to Tokyo. Additionally, the trip was a gift to myself for my 25th birthday. What better way to celebrate turning a quarter century and surviving through my thesis defense and two jobs for the past six months? These days, I love to spend most of my money on experiences - especially travel and food - rather than things, so a trip to Tokyo was a no-brainer.

I decided to stay in an apartment in Kōtō-ku or Kōtō City, a small special ward in eastern Tokyo. My accommodation was small and cheap (less than $50/night) as it was not in the city center. Nonetheless, my apartment was clean and the view from my window of the Sumida River was absolutely priceless! I was barely "at home" during my stay, but when I was I loved to watch people running along the river and the boats passing by. Plus, you can see Tokyo Skytree clearly from Kōtō.

The Sumida River.

Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom)

The Dom in all its Gothic glory.

Everyone knows most major cities have iconic buildings you must visit: Taipei 101 in Taipei; the Empire State Building in New York City; the Eiffel Tower in Paris, etc. For Cologne, it's the Cologne Cathedral, also known as the Dom. 

The Dom towers over downtown. I say "towers" rather reluctantly since you can feel yourself under its shadow as if its something menacing - and it does look menacing because of it's Gothic appearance. Yet, at the same time, the Dom is a church, so perhaps "protective" would be a better way to describe it's presence. Either way, you can't miss it even if you tried. I don't know why you would avoid it. Even if you aren't an architecture buff or of religious persuasion, a short one hour stop at the Dom is worth it. A person can't even make an excuse for not visiting it since it's across the way from the main station.

Cologne: My General Impressions

Right outside Cologne's busiest station.

On the train to Cologne!

A  display about German
World Cup uniforms.

Cologne is now by far one of my favorite cities. The people, the landscape, the sites...everything was awesome, particularly the people and atmosphere. Americans often stereotype Germans as being extremely stern and proper, the sort of people who aren't able to cut loose and have a good time or carry on a lighthearted conversation with a stranger. However, like most stereotypes, I don't believe that is the reality. The Germans I encountered were friendly, accommodating, and clearly loved to have a good time. I would describe the environment in Cologne as tremendously warm.

In my opinion, Germans have a "work hard, play hard" mentality. Everyone appeared to fall into their roles effortlessly by day, yet when evening time came, especially during the weekend, everyone seemed to be out having a good time. 

The Louvre

The main entrance to the Louvre is just under that glass pyramid.

It might sound a little crazy, but my least favorite museum visit was the Louvre. I don't think it has anything to do with the actual museum, the exhibits, the location, or anything. I think it mostly has to do with the timing both because I went at a busy time of day and my trip to France was short (10 days). I think if I had gone later in the afternoon after lunch, there would have been less people in the museum. Also, if I had several days to return to the Louvre,  I would have seen a lot more of the gems the museum has to offer.

A courtyard outside one of the wings of the museum.

Instead, I visited in the morning with a friend when all the tour groups were coming in - well, in general, a lot of people were arriving at that time because, I assume, many tourists start a least one of their days in Paris at the Louvre. Due to the number of people, it was difficult to get a good look at and take pictures of the famous paintings and sculptures. I would definitely recommend spending a complete day or two at the Louvre checking it out. I think this might be a little hard for tourists who come from out of the EU though. If you are an EU citizen 25 or under you can enter any museum within the union for free. If you are that same age but not an EU citizen, you get a discount, but perhaps it might not be big enough to justify paying money to get in the museum multiple days in a row since, unfortunately, there is no multiple day pass to get into the Louvre. In my opinion, it would definitely be worth it. 

When you disregard my mistake in terms of timing when going to the Louvre, it does live up to expectation as it has a seemingly endless catalogue of things to see. The map that you can pick up at the first floor of the museum is offered in several languages and tells you in detail where all the popular paintings and sculptures (Mona Lisa, Seated Scribe, Gabrielle d'Estrees and one of Her Sisters, etc.) are located. There's no need to worry if you're directionally challenged like myself, haha. All the different rooms in the Louvre are named and color coded, and there are several people around which are paid to help you get where you'd like to go.

Tuileries Park & Musée de l'Orangerie

Just inside Tuileries Park.

A manmade lake in the park in front of
the famous Luxor Obelisk with the
Arc of Triumph in the background. 

I chalk it up to my unfamiliarity with Paris, but I didn't know that Musée de l'Orangerie was in a park until I was led there by my friend. I didn't think it would be anything special, but Tuileries Park is gorgeous and worth a stroll or a sit if you're tired.

The day I was there, several people were visiting as it was a beautiful day. In my opinion, parks in Paris often have a "beach" feel as there is usually gravel rather than grass on park grounds. So, I felt everyone at Tuileries Park looked like a bunch of over-dressed beach-goers, especially around the artificial lake since it resembles a swimming pool. Nonetheless, the scenery was great, and I was content to be one of the many enjoying it.

Montmartre & The Eiffel Tower

The magnificent Basilica of the Sacred Heart
(Sacre-Coeur) 

There are so many monuments, museums, restaurants, parks, etc. to visit in Paris that I had a difficult time determining what I wanted to see and what I could stand to pass up. I spent a noticeable amount of time in museums both in Paris and in the other cities I visited on my trip to Europe as many other places only needed a 1-2 hours to enjoy. Two of those places were Montmartre and the Eiffel Tower. Both offer stunning views and several areas to take great pictures, especially on a clear day. Luckily, I was blessed with several sunny, clear days throughout my trip, except on the day before I left!

The famous Eiffel Tower