Travel notes from Tokyo

2025 was a special one for me, having celebrated ten years of working as a full-time creative person (lol, I don’t really know how else to call my job). It was definitely a hard one, too—going through all the hurdles of German bureaucracy all at the same time (renewing my permit, finding an apartment, moving to my own place), not to mention having to figure out new life changes all in the same time period. Once everything started to quiet down in the life admin department, I wanted to celebrate this milestone.

I told myself early this year that the desire to travel to Tokyo has been adamant in my brain (you know that monkey constantly clapping in your brain? yes, that one), probably because I’ve been a regular visitor since my early twenties. Every time I worked on a book deadline back then, I was somehow roaming around the streets of Japan’s capital city. In the spirit of “why not”, I found myself booking an autumn trip to one of my favorite cities.

Coincidentally, this was my tenth trip to Tokyo (in my tenth year working freelance)—and I love a good wordplay! So here are some things that were on my mind and what I took away from my week-long trip to Tokyo last November.

one

I planned this trip strategically (aka fly from Berlin to Manila, squeeze the Tokyo trip in, then a few more days in Manila, then back to Berlin) while mom organized our Sunday family agenda—brunch at the Wees (my sister’s new family), Shrek the Musical in the afternoon (which was at Newport Performing Arts Theater, five minutes away from the airport), dinner, then I had requested to be dropped off around 9pm so I could check-in my flight.

At the departure hall in Manila, I was asked by an employee if I was Japanese. “Do you have your residence card for Japan?” he asked, and I said, “no, I’m a tourist. But I have my German residence permit though?” And that’s how I finally find out travel tax is waived1 if you’re a Filipino residing in another country.

two

The moment I arrived at Narita T12 on a sunny Monday morning, my Japan brain cells started resurfacing and activating. It was like a muscle that hadn’t been used in a while; in slumber.

Suddenly I knew where to go, what to do, which side of the escalator to take. Of course I went straight to TRAVELER’s FACTORY, because some things never change.

three

This tenth visit feels like a full circle moment of sorts. All the new neighborhoods and places were recommended by old friends, and I pieced all of them together to organize this trip for myself (a very introvert-friendly one3, if you ask me).

I frequented eastern parts of Tokyo more, such as Kiyosumi4 (where I stayed this time) and Jimbocho, and realized I didn’t need to head to Shibuya or Shinjuku to get my “Tokyo fix” or whatever that meant. Actually, everything I needed (for shopping) was at Ginza, and what made it easy for me was focusing on key things I really wanted to do (because truly, you cannot do it all on 5 days unless you sacrifice sleep, which I didn’t want to).

four

How am I forgetting that I am not a child anymore?

I indulged in food I missed all these years—Cremia, Matsuya’s tofu stew (specifically, they do it so well), Tenya’s tempura soba, and of course, coffee, just to name a few. And yet, my acid reflux5 started creeping up after a good six months of feeling relatively fine with my diet in Berlin. This frustrated me; but also provided a wake up call to be more intentional with my food and eat on time (something I am truly bad at when it comes to traveling).

five

No one prepares you for the amount of things you will see. Every nook and cranny in a store I walked in, there was something calling my attention. Eventually, I tricked myself into thinking I was walking into a museum and I could look at everything before deciding if I really needed it (this, of course, was an exemption once I entered coffee and tea shops where I scored multiple coffee and tea bags to take home with me).

I’m not one to shop; I get coined as the denabler of my friend group. Maybe I’m practical, but maybe it’s just the mental strain of having too much stuff that stresses me out (I once took home 3 balikbayan boxes from a 4-month living stint in New York, and that really changed the way I view material things).

Anyway, that being said, the only thing I walked away from Donki was a bag of (hot and fresh) roasted sweet potato that I happily devoured on the spot, bath salts, and a Shupatto bag in mustard (by far one of my favorite purchases from the trip). I’d like to think the combination of a 9am visit with staff still stocking the shelves made me less overstimulated and more calm.

six

I did not anticipate the amount of people who had the same plans as I did, taking a day trip from Tokyo to Nikko on a random Wednesday. After all, it was peak foliage season.

My morning was spent stuck in Kita-Senju station waiting for my 11am train, with zero sleep (from acid reflux) and wanting to revert my plans. But when I say I want to do something, I simply cannot get it out of my head and have to do it. I wished I researched better, or planned more strategically—but I forgave myself for once, because these things happen and it’s okay.

In the end, four hours in Nikko didn’t take me everywhere, but I got to be in nature and away from city life for half of my day, plus it warranted me a lucky seat inside a strawberry train (the cutest) and a Shinkansen-like experience going to and fro. No regrets.

seven

What do you mean it only takes 150 yen to quiet down my thoughts?

On Thursday, before doing my stationery store rounds, I spent a quiet morning downing a pack of soy milk (I love the Kikkoman ones) and walking to Kiyosumi Gardens. I’ve only been once, with a friend, and since then, have thought fondly of it as somewhere I’d like to visit.

Walking along the stretch of rocks and bridges gave me a sense of peace, and it reminded me of the film Perfect Days, which I got to watch earlier this year. This is the part of Japan I love the most, and the ones that live the most rent-free in my head.

eight

I enjoyed how much I blended in Tokyo, especially when I’m wearing my contact lenses, eyeliner, and mask up when commuting. What kind of Asian could she be? Nobody’s gonna know…

Except I was overheard once while talking to the cashier at TRAVELER’s FACTORY in Nakameguro, and totally forgot I was also recognizable through my voice (oops!). Someone kindly approached me for a photo and once I headed out the store, someone blurted out “Abbey!” and my introvert instincts were kicking in…except it was my friends, Liz and Tim, who happened to have the same plans as me that afternoon. Great minds think alike!

nine

I don’t think it ever occured to me how monumental this trip would be, coming from my first ever visit in 2008 (I hated it so much because our flight was delayed by a day, and the whole trip just became sour in my memories).

From a young and curious artist who bought her Hobonichi Techo for the first time in 2016 to someone who ran a stationery shop in her twenties, who now works with Japanese brands, my relationship with stationery has evolved and continuously transformed how I’ve viewed it, where it’s going, and how I can continue to be part of this industry.

Wait, I am part of this industry. How surreal it is to type that out!

On another note, I do want to say that there really is something so special about seeing things in person—whether it’s a fountain pen, or a specific washi tape variant, or the entire Hobonichi 2026 lineup. It’s just different. Most of the time, I was just touching everything and examining paper types, material, etc.—this is exactly why this is my job, lol.

Not to leak any top secret stuff, but I am working on a special collaboration with a Japanese brand we all know and love…more on that next year!

ten

The trip started with seeing so many friends in one day—because we were all in the same city, at the same time (truly, one of life’s miracles). I was so ecstatic finding out Koko was going to be in Tokyo on one overlap day (her birthday, no less). My best memory of Tokyo was our trip in 2017 as we hit all the cafes, stationery shops, and museums we could fit in ten days. We all had a lovely shabu-shabu dinner on Monday, and on Thursday I met up with Liz and Tim for an afternoon perusing around the stationery section at Loft.

But the last part of the trip ended with me, alone, looking inwards—asking myself not only how this trip has been, but how I’ve truly changed for the better this past year. More confidence, less worry (still have, but again—less!). More determination, less belittling myself. More reflecting, less judging (it’s giving growth).

And no one talks about this, but for me, the best part of solo traveling is realizing how well you know yourself and how this truly shapes the trip and the memories that surround that experience.

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I have so much more to share from this trip, including a list of stationery and fountain pen stores that I will publish soon. Thanks for being here!