Earlier this month I boarded a plane with my dad, uncle, and aunt to fly 15 hours from Toronto, Canada to Toyko, Japan! It was the first time I’ve crossed the ocean to the other side of the planet (big things happening in the world of Jessica Moy)!

Asia has always been my top travel destination, especially after taking an Introductory to Global Asia course in university. It opened my mind to the cultural diversity of the continent and their unique influences on the world. I told myself one day, I will travel to this wondrous place of historical significance and because, you know, I wouldn’t hate an endless supply of Hello Kitty paraphernalia and xiao long boa.

First destination on my Asia trip = Tokyo!

The morning after we arrived in Tokyo we made our way to the Sensoji Temple, a Buddist temple in Tokyo known to be the oldest, built in 645 C.E., and one of the most colourful. It was quite wonderful and home to every tourist who owns a selfie stick.

Later in the afternoon we made our way to the Tokyo Imperial Palace, built in 1888 and the residence of Japan’s imperial family. I’ve been told that the Emperor will sometimes stand on the bridge and wave to his people. Konnichiwa!

Seeing the city from the observation room of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building was breathtaking. The landscape sort of resembles NYC with the park in the middle of the city. Tokyo, ya lookin’ gooooood, and you have the cleanest streets I’ve ever seen. Seriously, I don’t think I saw one piece of garbage on the ground, anywhere.

You can’t go to Japan without experiencing their exquisite cuisine. Exquisite meaning ramen, one of my favourite dishes EVER. No one in the restaurant spoke English so I pointed to a picture (bless photos on menus in foreign counties). Also, it is legal to smoke in most restaurants in Japan. The meal was delicious, the smoke was not.

There’s A LOT more we did in Tokyo such as indulging in Japanese baked goods, high-end shopping, and explored the red light district. I even found a menu of men and how much (Borat style) for an hour or night.. ifyouknowwhatImean. Needless to say, things got weird. It’s all in my travel vlog below. 😉