A more “relaxed” day in the world’s largest city… Tokyo—home to a casual 41 MILLION people. (Because apparently personal space is optional here.) Fun fact: it used to be a humble little fishing village called Edo… and then someone said, “Hey, let’s trade with the world,” and it absolutely exploded into the mega-city we see today.

After yesterday’s Olympic-level sightseeing marathon, we made the bold and courageous decision to… sleep in. Yes, we really leaned into our inner retirees and scheduled a late breakfast. A lazy day was officially declared.

Now, even though we had just mastered the Tokyo train and subway system (and by “mastered,” I mean we only got slightly confused instead of completely lost), we decided to reward ourselves with an Uber across town. Because growth is important—but so is sitting down.

Today’s mission: conquer the trendy chaos of Harajuku and Shibuya, then meet our guide for a fabulous evening food tour.

…or so we thought.

Plot twist: the guide canceled at the last minute. 🥲 No food tour. Dreams shattered. Chopsticks lowered to half-mast.

BUT—don’t worry—we survived this tragedy thanks to a heroic late lunch at TGI Fridays, where we bravely honored American culture by eating a cheeseburger… in Japan. (When in Rome, do as the Americans do, apparently.)

During lunch, I told Connie about my deep, intellectual conversation last weekend with 4-year-old Hendricks. I had shown her on the globe just how far I’d have to travel to get to Japan. She looked at me, very concerned, and said:

“MeMe… I hope you don’t fall out of the boat.”

Honestly? Valid concern. International travel is risky business. 😂

Tomorrow, we trade neon lights for nature as we head to the countryside—off to the mountains near Takayamato soak in hot springs and pretend we’re zen, outdoorsy people. Wish us luck.