WHO'S BACK

I really did use to live in Japan back in 2011 and after a long awaited re-visit I once again visited in 2023 with then girlfriend and close friends. But for summer 2025, the plan was to go back, but this time bringing a group of friends that haven't been there with me yet and one girl that hadn't been to Japan whatsoever so my mission was to really try and show them my side of Tokyo.

And I knew that knowing the language helps so much so in being a tour guide to people who haven't seen Tokyo other than the most shallow version of it and I really did have lots of fun doing it!

Record heat

That godawful humidity was brutal. Being a bit overweight at the time (read as A LOT) it was more physically exhausting than the times before and my mood really did sour at times, but the heat didn't ruin everything during the trip we still had a blast most of the time but sadly random allergic reactions and sickness kept us at home way too much to be quite honest.

Split the G and exchange Instagram accounts

The absolute highlight was getting everyone together at a bar to meet my friends since back when I used to live there, Yosuke and Amada. Seeing my younger friend who didn't speak a lick of Japanese try to communicate with Amada about workout ethic was quite the sight and well worth it.

• Yosuke came in from Gunma but had to keep an eye on the clock. The trains out that way stop running early, so he had to dip out to catch the last connection home but not before he tried "splitting the g" for the first time and actually succeeded!
• Amada traveled all the way from Kumamoto in the south. Since heading back the same night wasn't an option, he booked a hotel in Tokyo so we could actually make a night of it which included karaoke at the shittiest karaoke place known to man so if you are ever in Ikebukuro craving karaoke don't go to the maneki-neko in the weird builing on the main street.