A photo diary of sorts.

I went to Tokyo for the first time to support the Valentino Pre-Fall 2019 show. Since this was categorized under “work”, I tried to make the most of every minute I had, exploring and document every corner of the city in just forty-eight hours.

Upon landing in Tokyo, the first thing you notice is how peaceful the city is. I’ve never been to a bustling city where the noise pollution seemed eerily quiet like this before. I guess when you’re used to the pace and noise of New York, peace and quiet in itself is a shock to the system.

From the moment I touched down, you know what I had to do. Eat. I was exhausted off my flight but food is always higher on my priority list, and it was dinner. First stop, Shibuya.

For the next 36-plus hours, I did as much as possible - eating my way through the food labyrinth underneath Tokyo Station, shopped for stationary, stickers and other one-of-a-kind items, enjoyed a night of sake and through the night in Shibuya. I even had time to take a train out to Gotoku-ji Temple to see the hundreds of Maneki Neko statues, and woke up at 5am to visit Tsukiji Market in hopes to find fresh sushi - yes, sushi at 6am.

Somehow after the back-to-back agenda, I felt entirely at peace, completely fulfilled and a belief that this magic only exists in Tokyo.

So here’s my short list of the places I ate, visited, and shopped in 48 hours - Tokyo edition.

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Eat.

Rokurinsha.

Tokyo Station.

Tsukiji Market.

Yakitori Alley.

Shop.

Loft. Stock up on the cutest stationary and stickers.

Tsutaya Books Daikanyama. Enjoy a latte, a view and a book from this store over looking Shibuya crossing.

Don Quijote. A Japanese superstore and one-stop shop for the most random things.

Visit.

Gotoku-ji Temple.

Shibuya crossing.

Tokyo Tower.

Sensō-ji.