Moonlights #77
This week, I'm doing something different with Moonlights — it's entirely focused on Tokyo! After spending a week in this city, I wanted to dedicate this newsletter to all the new experiences that I've had here.
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Drink 🍷
We had a chance to visit Ahiru Store, a place I'd heard about and was excited to check out. Lucky for us, it was a rainy day and the place wasn't as crowded as it usually is, so we only had to wait a few minutes to get in. Even though there were no seats left, they let us stand at the bar and order our food and drinks. I was blown away by their selection of natural wines — quite a feat for such a small place, which is pretty typical in Tokyo. We ended up ordering flame-roasted corn with hummus and olive oil, and tried a few of their natural wines. The whole experience was really cool and definitely one for the books.
See 🌸
We got a chance to check out the TeamLab Planets exhibition, and let me tell you, it was another incredibly immersive experience. This wasn't my first rodeo with TeamLab's mind-blowing art - I had previously been to their SuperBlue exhibit in Miami, which was also amazing. The exhibition started off with a bit of a twist - we had to take off our shoes and wade through water up a small ramp. As we moved further into the exhibit, the water got deeper, reaching up to our knees as we made our way to the next piece of art. Then we got to experience the garden room, where strings of flowers were lowered to surround us while we sat down on a glass floor.
Coffee ☕️
A few years ago, I discovered Glitch Coffee and signed up for a subscription. The delivery took a few weeks, but those beans were some of the best I've ever had. You can imagine my excitement when I remembered that they were based right here in Tokyo. They had 17 different coffees on display, letting you smell each bottle of beans. I usually ask for their favorite espresso and pour over. Yesterday, the coffee I ordered tasted like chamomile tea, it was light with almost no coffee taste. I’ve never had anything like it.
Food 🍣
Sushi Dai was another famous place we had heard great things about, but we also knew it was notoriously hard to get a seat. When we arrived, a sign confirmed that all tables were taken. However, we decided to hang around for a bit and when someone came out, we asked if there was any chance we could get in. He said it was possible if there was a cancellation. So, we stuck around for about 30-45 minutes, and he eventually came back with some good news — there was a chance for us! We waited a little longer, and finally, he let us in. We opted for the chef’s choice menu, which included nine rounds of sushi, a bowl of miso soup, and green tea.
We also had a meal at the well-known Hayashi, a ramen spot where we ended up waiting in line for over an hour. But, just as expected, the wait was totally worth it. Even though there were only 8 or 10 seats available and the owner was super strict, it was definitely worth it. The entire experience felt really authentic and I couldn’t help but to smile when I first sat down and my knees wouldn’t even fit under the bar 😂
From Me 🎒
Wow, it's only been four days, but Japan has already made such a deep impression on me. The culture here is so thoughtful, so orderly - it's like nothing I've ever experienced. You can feel the respect in the air, and the cleanliness of Tokyo and the cities around it is just mind-blowing given there are over 30 million people here.
The art scene is amazing, and the food and drinks are top shelf. Everyone is so polite, and we’ve felt incredibly safe here. I've also fallen in love with how easy it is to walk or bike around, most roads have larger areas to walk and bike than they have for cars. We’ve seen hundreds of kids under the age of 10 navigate the city on their own, and it all feels so normal.
Most of the restaurants here are these small, cozy spaces that can seat only about 8-10 people - it's so different and charming. The respect for privacy here is something else, and there's this playful, adventurous spirit that's been such a fresh breath of air.
The city feels like it's straight out of a sci-fi movie. I can't think of any other place that has resonated with me as deeply as Japan has. It's been a journey of discovery and inspiration, and we’re going to be here for another two weeks!