Day 4 – Tokyo

Frankly speaking, I completely forgot what we did on day 4 and day 5. We were exhausted, waking up late, and all I wanted was to stay in bed as long as possible, especially knowing that reality was waiting for me—waking up at 6 a.m. to work. I just wanted to savor every moment of sleep.

But if there’s one thing I remember clearly, it’s the food we had on day 4. Both lunch and dinner were so incredible that they’ve become my strongest memory of the trip. It’s the food that makes me want to return to Japan. Throughout the whole trip, we never had a bad meal. At worst, the meals were acceptable, but most of them were unforgettable.

That morning, we wandered around this place I can’t remember the name of (and I’m too lazy to ask Rod), but it felt like a bigger, more crowded version of Pub Street. It wasn’t very busy in the morning, just a bunch of tourists like us, browsing for souvenirs and food.

We found a shop that sold pretty much everything, and I picked up some stuff for friends back home. I also bought this cute little toy. I had no idea who the character was, but it looked adorable, so why not?

The heat was brutal, just like when we arrived on day one, so we grabbed cold drinks to cool down. A sweet strawberry mix with beer—surprisingly good.

For lunch, we stumbled upon this small corner restaurant. We sat in front of an old chef who, by the looks of it, had been perfecting his craft for over ten years. As we watched him cook, I had a deep conversation with Rod about the future. I asked him questions I couldn’t answer myself, mostly about what I should do next, the uncertainty of life after graduation, and the pressure of seeing others in the corporate world while I’m still figuring things out.

We wanted to get into this restaurant, sadly, we do cash only.

Travel, for me, has always been more than just visiting new places. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s true. It gives me time to slow down, to see the world from different perspectives, and, more importantly, it gives me quality time to sit and talk with Rod. We don’t get to do that often because work keeps us busy. Sure, we talk during motorbike rides to places, but there’s something different about sitting down and having a real conversation. Those moments are memories I never take for granted.

Alright, this was it. The best way to end the night.

The only thing I clearly remember from our dinner conversation was something about confidence.

Rod either asked me, or maybe I asked him—how do you feel confident? I can’t quite recall the exact moment.

But the conversation went something like this:

Rod: If you had the chance to go to Paris alone, would you go?

Me: Without hesitation Yes.

Rod: Why?

Me: Because of my solo trip to New York. That experience boosted my confidence. If I could make it in New York, I believe I could make it anywhere—just like Alicia Keys sings, “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.” I took that to heart. I really bought into it.

Then, I flipped the question on him.

Me: If you were to start RLC all over again, do you think it would be as successful?

Rod: Without skipping a beat Yes, and it would probably be even better.

Me: Why?

Rod: It’s the experience. The mistakes, failures, and lessons learned along the way—they build confidence. Knowing what you’ve been through and what you’ve learned gives you the belief that you can do it again, and even better.

(P.S. That’s not exactly what Rod said— I am sure he said it better, but this is what I observed or at least what I could recall xd.)