Goodbye Tokyo, Hello Freelance

It’s only been a few days since I got back from Tokyo. It’s good to be back but I already miss it. It was snowing in Tokyo the morning of my departure. As I was straightening up the Airbnb, and taking the last garbage bag outside, big fluffy snowflakes were floating down into the compact little neighborhood. It was charming, and a record apparently. Last time it snowed in Tokyo like this was a century ago, I later found out.

The last half of November I worked on my portfolio. I was going to stay in Tokyo through December but decided to come home a month early and start working again. Two weeks is not a lot of time to overhaul a portfolio as it turns out. I found myself working 20 hours a day to make the deadline I set. I wanted to be sure to have a fully loaded portfolio, ready to show recruiters as soon as I got back into SF.

November was a good month to be in Japan. The weather was crisp and sunny most of the time, with a few picturesque Japanese rainy days here and there. The neighborhood had become familiar by now, thanks to my daily walks to the grocery store, and getting on the wrong train a couple times.

On my way back from the gym one night I got on a semi-express train bound for Hachioji. I had done this before and made it to my station, so I didn’t think twice. Apparently semi-express trains vary their stops per time slot. I was going home at a different time that day. The train passed my home station Sakurajosui, and I got off 4 stations later at Chitose-karasuyama. I thought I’d hop on a train in the other direction but decided it would be fun to walk home instead, it would be a nice 40 minute walk and it was a beautiful fall night.

The street the station exited onto was colorfully lit by restaurants, storefronts, bright signs, and paper lanterns. It curled around like a nautilus shell, pulling me along with my curiosity. I took note of a specialty grocery store that looked nicer than the grocery store I had been going to. I passed a number of bakeries with golden nuggets of powdered sugar frosted morsels sparkling at the seams with various fillings. And ramen shops with deep blue entry curtains painted with bold white calligraphy.

As the businesses gradually blended into residences, the street began to wind along a park full of trees on one side, and giant green looming spherical water tanks on the other. Beyond the park, I crossed over an intersection on a bright blue pedestrian overpass, and walked past an 8 story tall white energy tower with red flashing lights at the top.

That weekend I decided to go to the Tokyo Sea Life Park Aquarium at Kasai Rinkai Park. It was an hour and fifteen minute train ride to a sunny industrial coastline blanketed in trees.

I could see the park from the station, a grassy clearing along the water with a giant ferris wheel and a scattering of glass architecture. Walking down the long staircase from the train station, was a fountain plaza leading into a wide stone tiled promenade that cut through the park up a gradual hill toward a rectangular glass pavilion. I could see the ferris wheel clearly now. I’m remembering that it was at least 7 stories tall. I walked up the promenade toward the pavilion and I could still see the ferris wheel peeking above the trees.

The pavilion itself was a beautiful modern architectural structure. A tall glass exterior enclosed a sleek white interior of stairs and ramps. The view from inside overlooked the ocean and you could see the whole park as well.

Beyond the pavilion, the hill sloped down to the water. People were scattered on towels. The tiled promenade gave way to a smaller paved walkway that veered left and curved towards a marsh. I decided to follow it.

Over the shrubs, away from the sea, I could see the big glass dome of the aquarium. I continued walking until the trees became thicker. The path began to zig-zag and was now walled on either side by old stone walls, like a fort. Around the first bend, I noticed a portion of the wall against the corner facing out into the marshlands, made of wood with narrow windows for watching waterfowl. Every other bend had these viewing structures. I took a moment to rest and watch some children playing in the marshes, catching tadpoles.

The path eventually led back to the tiled promenade and I made my way to the aquarium. There was a little tiled path off the main promenade to the left and I could see big metal words on a hedge rimmed wall that said ‘Tokyo Sea Life Park”. I followed the wall a ways towards a rectangular concrete ticket entrance. I bought my ticket at a kiosk, 700 yen for an adult (that’s only 7 dollars USD, I didn’t think it would be that reasonable), and made my way up some stairs beyond the ticket entrance. The stairs leveled out into a gradual slope leading across a stone bridge over architectural waterfalls, and straight towards the glass dome I saw earlier.

Across the bridge was a small flight of stairs leading up to a wide plaza surrounding the dome. The lip of the plaza was a ring shaped pool that overflowed down the exterior into the other waterfalls. Looking out to the sea, the pool seemed to blend into the ocean. I proceeded toward the dome and saw that the entrance to the aquarium was actually down an escalator to the right, leading down into the stone floor of the plaza.

The entrance was black as I descended the escalator, I could hear a soundtrack of the ocean bubbling. It was exciting, and a bit menacing. The first chamber of the aquarium was dark except for the aqua blue windows of the first exhibits. I approached a large tank ahead of the escalator. Medium sized sharks and little rays stirred around in laps in an artificial current. Behind me, I saw stairs leading down in front of a huge tank that went from ceiling to floor about 15 feet. This tank was quieter with a few looming sunfish.

I followed signs into the next chamber. It was a dimly lit gallery of smaller tanks with tropical fish, corals and sea anemones.

At the end of the gallery was a staircase up into another dark chamber. At the top of the stairs I was surrounded by schools of soaring tuna. They arched across the windows of the deep tank like an armada of mirrors. I watched them for a long time through the silhouette of the bustling crowd.

The next chamber was another meandering gallery of smaller tanks that led outside to a penguin exhibit and a tide pool full of starfish and other sea life for kids to touch. I proceeded past the families back into the aquarium. The last chamber was sunlit and contained tanks of shallow water fish, and kelp forests. I took a moment to enjoy a large tank with a swaying kelp forest, home to a school of large black fish punctuated by a few red fish of the same species.

Beyond the tanks, in the same sunlit chamber was a cafeteria. I decided to get some tuna katsu with curry and a slice of chocolate cake before heading home.

For the rest of the month, I worked on my portfolio, and explored the neighborhood a bit. One Saturday I decided to visit the park next to the water tanks I had walked past that night when I took the wrong train. By now the leaves were changing, and I had a nice time taking photos.

I found another grocery store closer to my apartment on the way home, as well as another ATM that could accept my card. Exploring the streets, I came across a beautiful temple as well.

I took a few more photos here and there as the month was coming to a close. I booked my tickets home and an Airbnb in SF. My portfolio was done and I was ready to get back to freelancing.  Goodbye Japan, I love you. I’ll be back again soon.