Tokyo Drift (and Damp Socks): A Botanist's Unexpected Adventure
okay, so. tokyo. i didn’t plan to be here. my research grant for the cloud forests of ecuador fell through (apparently, ‘studying the mating rituals of bioluminescent fungi’ isn’t as high a priority as they thought), and i was staring down the barrel of a very bleak winter. then my aunt, bless her chaotic soul, gifted me a one-way ticket. ‘go see something different,’ she said. ‘find a new moss.’
and different it is. i’m currently huddled in a tiny, slightly damp apartment in *Shinjuku, trying to dry my socks. the weather? it’s… a persistent drizzle, clinging to everything like a lovesick ghost. i just checked and it’s hovering around twelve degrees celsius, with a ‘feels like’ of eleven. humidity’s punching in at ninety-one percent. you know, the kind of weather that makes your camera lens fog up and your enthusiasm slowly seep away.
I’ve been mostly wandering, you know? Just… observing. The plant life here is fascinating, even if it’s not exactly what I expected. Less lush rainforest, more… tenacious urban greenery. Vines creeping up buildings, tiny pockets of moss thriving in the cracks of the pavement. I spent a good hour yesterday just staring at a single, determined dandelion pushing its way through a concrete slab. resilience, right? That’s what i’m calling it.
I stumbled upon this amazing little ramen shop near my apartment - Ramen Nagi Shinjuku Golden Gai. Seriously, go. Someone told me that the chef, a tiny, intense man with a handlebar mustache, only uses water sourced from Mount Fuji. I don’t know if that’s true, but the broth was incredible. I also overheard a couple arguing about whether the best gyoza are pan-fried or steamed. It was a whole thing.
Speaking of locals, if you get bored, Yokohama and Kawasaki are just a short train ride away. I’m thinking of checking them out tomorrow, maybe see if they have any interesting lichen varieties. I’m also trying to find a decent botanical garden. Apparently, Koishikawa Korakuen Garden is supposed to be pretty spectacular, though I’ve heard it gets crowded. Check it out on TripAdvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g305413-d188433-Reviews-Koishikawa_Korakuen_Garden-Tokyo_Tokyo_Prefecture_Kanto.html
I’ve been trying to document everything, of course. My notebook is overflowing with sketches of weeds and observations about the way the light hits the skyscrapers. I even found a tiny patch of what I think might be Bryum argenteum growing on a subway platform. I’m sending samples back to the lab, just in case.
One thing I’ve learned so far? Tokyo is… intense. It’s a sensory overload. But it’s also strangely beautiful. And the people are… well, they’re mostly very polite, even when you’re fumbling with your Japanese phrasebook and accidentally bumping into them. I found a great little vintage shop in Harajuku - https://www.yelp.com/biz/vintage-paradise-harajuku - if you’re into that sort of thing. I picked up a ridiculously oversized kimono for like, ten bucks.
I’m also trying to navigate the public transport system. It’s… a challenge. I got completely lost yesterday and ended up in some random residential neighborhood. A very kind elderly woman helped me find my way back to the station*, even though we couldn’t understand a word each other said. It was a moment of pure, silent connection.
Someone else, a very drunk salaryman, told me that the best way to experience Tokyo is to just “get lost and eat everything.” I’m taking that as gospel. I’m also checking out some local forums for hidden gems: https://www.reddit.com/r/tokyo/.
Honestly, I have no idea what I’m doing here. But I’m learning. And I’m finding moss. That’s gotta count for something, right?