Sep 1, 2025
We started the day with breakfast in our room (instead of running to Don Quijote or 7/11), which was really nice. It only took us 3 days to learn.
Then we set off for teamLab Planets Tokyo… which, geographically speaking, might as well have been on another planet. It took A LOT of train transfers to get there.
teamLab Planets is this fully immersive digital art museum where you don’t just look at exhibits—you walk through them, interact with them, and occasionally question your own balance and sense of reality. It’s designed to engage all your senses, which it definitely did.
There were four main sections: water, forest, garden, and outdoor installations.
The water exhibit required us to take off our shoes and wade through water as digital koi fish swam around our legs and transformed into flowers when we touched them.
We wandered through mirrored rooms filled with endless lights, a space with massive floating balls that shifted colors, and one particularly aggressive room that made it feel like the entire world was spinning. I laid on the floor with my eyes closed for that one.
There were also these hanging swing ropes we had to climb through to get from one side to the other—definitely the least graceful of all the exhibits.
At the coloring station Evan designed a bird that got scanned and projected onto the wall. As it flew around I noticed that he wrote the words, "marry me" on it. It was our little secret and I loved it so much.
After we finished we headed to an indoor food hall for lunch where we sat at a sushi counter. I tried sea urchin (uni) for the first time and really enjoyed it.
We followed that with a walk through an indoor fish market, which was mostly closed (rookie mistake: apparently you have to go early in the morning), but we did manage to find coffee and tea, so not a total loss. Plus: more AC.
Then it was time for our afternoon activity: go-karting through Shibuya Crossing—aka the busiest intersection in the world.
Yes, real go-karts. Yes, in actual Tokyo traffic. Yes, it was as chaotic as it sounds.
It was supposed to be a character-themed ride, but it was so hot that Evan and I opted out of wearing the costumes (after briefly putting them on for a photo and immediately regretting it. They were sweaty AND smelly).
There were a bunch of us in one long line of karts, led by a single guide who insisted he could manage the whole group. Foreshadowing-- he could not.
Before we started, he warned us:
- Do not run red lights (the police will pull you over)
- If you get separated, the group will pull over and wait
So naturally, five minutes in, I ran a red light.
Not because I wanted to but because I was terrified of getting separated.
Evan, who was behind me, did stop at the light like a law-abiding citizen.
I looked ahead. The group kept driving. And driving. And driving.
I started yelling. Full panic mode. I pulled up next to the guy in front of me and yelled that Evan was missing, and then he started yelling, and slowly—very slowly—the message made its way up to our guide.
He finally pulled the group over.
But Evan didn’t show up.
At this point, I was convinced I’d lost him in Tokyo traffic forever.
The guide turned around to go find him and right after he left, Evan pulled up.
I have never felt more relieved.
Then we just sat there. Waiting. For the guide. Who had gone looking for Evan. Who was now already back.
Eventually the guide returned, we got moving again, and Evan very calmly informed me that I was significantly more shaken than he was.
To add to my distress, Evan AND I got separated two more times.
Luckily, those reunions were quicker, but at that point I was white-knuckling the steering wheel like there was no tomorrow. When we finally stopped (for good!), I realized I had been pressing my leg so hard against the side of the kart that I had a bruise forming.
Needless to say, I was thrilled to be back on my own two feet.
We WALKED (necessary!) to Udon Shin for dinner, and this place absolutely delivered. It’s a tiny spot known for handmade udon noodles, and you can literally watch the chef pulling and preparing them right in front of you at the counter.
We waited in line outside, ordered ahead, and once we got inside the food came out quickly. We both got cold udon dishes (perfect for the heat), and they were hands-down some of the best noodles we had the entire trip!
After dinner, we headed to Bar B&F, where the bartenders create custom cocktails based on your preferred spirit and “vibe.” You basically describe what you’re in the mood for—light, citrusy, spicy, whatever—and they take it from there.
I ended up with a Japanese basil margarita, and Evan got a gin fizz made with grape gin from Bolivia. Both were very tasty!
Our bartender had just been in New Orleans for a spirits conference, so we chatted with him for a while about the differences between the states and Japan.
On the way home, we made a stop at 7/11 to grab breakfast for the next morning (because we’ve learned), and then called it a night.
All in all: a day of immersive art, controlled chaos coupled with near-separation anxiety, and truly elite noodles.
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