Firstly, to introduce myself I’m Andy;
a kiwi who was last year living in a Eifukucho house.Which was a quiet, peaceful area enjoyed mostly for the quality pizza and the closeness to both Shibuya and Shimokitazawa.
After a very indifferent snow season in Hokkaido working as a snowboard guide, I have moved back to Ogikubo.There’s a lot more to explore in this area once everything opens back up again!Thankfully, to satisfy my coffee addiction, cafes are still open and in Coffee Amp made an incredible find.
I’m missing the onsen – if you look hard enough there are some around but usually ridiculously expensive so I’m on the outlook for a cheaper sento with a sauna.Part of the reason, didn’t catch a cold last winter (it was also milder) was the number of saunas I had which is great for the immune system.
Also recommend a better diet at this time especially. Smoothies are ideal. Aojiru is great!I try to include the following; fish oil, ginseng, ginger, garlic, green tea, kiwis, spinach, red peppers, beetroot, broccoli, almonds, honey, Greek yogurt, Yakult.The more water and less alcohol the better.
I was considering moving away from Tokyo but once the worst of the corona virus is behind us no doubt it will be the first place to bounce back.Unfortunately, my work as a guide on Mt Fuji looks very much in doubt at this point so will have to look for alternative options.The reasons for choosing Comeonup was the ease with communication and sticking with an agency I trust.For Tokyo the value is very good, the rooms are spacious and kitchens are decent(this one actually has a proper oven!).
Also location is a winner; in a good area within close vicinity to Shinjuku(just 10mins by train).I visited another place with a room the size of a shoe box right next to the train tracks which was awful.
The impacts of the pandemic will be far reaching, especially with the tragedy of the Olympics. With 90% of air travel coming to an abrupt halt there must be nervous people wondering if next year is too soon. At least the quality of life in Japan has been somewhat maintained.
Unlike other countries there aren’t fines and arrests for leaving the house and exercising. In fact, so many runners are out and it’s been one of the best times of the year to run with the cherry blossoms in full bloom and ghost-like tourist attractions!
It seems Japanese are having a lot more family time and hopefully not working as hard as usual! I’ve been to some favorite craft beer and sake bars, very quiet and social distancing is easy. Also, having to wait for a table or service is not an issue! It seems here part of the reason the number of cases hasn’t blown out is due to the high level of cleanliness, less handshaking and high mask use.
Online-nomi has been popular. Sometimes it can be as hard to talk as a rowdy izakaya! But what I like best is the cheap and short taxi ride home at the end! It’s a great time to procrastinate but better to use wisely such as watching a Ted talk. Tokyo is lacking for outdoor exercise areas, there are few places where you can do chin-ups.
Thus the need for a home gym; in my room there is a Swiss exercise ball, plus a yoga mat and I have a goal to do 100 consecutive push-ups. I’m currently only at 20 but it’s a start!
I’ve caught up on so many movies; “ A clockwork Orange” and “What we do in the Shadows” being two of the better ones. There’s numerous Meditation and Sleeping App’s(I’m proud to say I spend zero minutes snoring!)Quality of sleep improves immensely with no alarm!
Comedy is welcome at this time of uncertainty, so I’ve been listening to the Ron Burgundy podcast.People who are “sport watching couch potatoes” are hurting now and I watched a series about the All Blacks called “All or nothing”Now “The Last Dance” is on about Michael Jordan.
If I experience moments of being lazy, I take inspiration from Michael Jordan said nobody would train as hard as him! And recall how the Japanese rugby team trained harder than test matches and had supreme fitness to make up for their lack of size. The Japanese work ethic can not be faulted no more so than Yuki Kawauchi who won the Boston marathon as a salaryman! It’s a good time to enjoy the down time but also to prepare for the future when life will be hectic again.
Jobs may be harder to come by so online courses are a good use of time too. When Nelson Mandela was asked about his time in prison he said the whole time he was preparing. It must have been horrible but he said he still enjoyed the daily tasks.
It’s also a great time to budget(not out of choice!); some days I try to spend less than 1000yen. With Abe’s handout, I should be able to survive 100 more days!
