That afternoon changed how I moved through Tokyo, beginning with vintage shops. Aya, a Soho House Tokyo member, guided us through Harajuku and Omotesando, taking us through archive boutiques and stores I would probably have missed had I followed only my safety list. With someone else setting the pace, I could pay attention to the neighbourhood.
We moved between Casanova Vintage stores in a tuk-tuk with seats made from upcycled Louis Vuitton bags, a detail so fantastic and absurd it could only belong in the fashion world. After the official walk ended, a few of us kept going, ducking into more stores, stopping for coffee and circling back through streets I would have been nervous to navigate alone that morning.
A few days in Tokyo did not cure me of being an anxious traveller, and frankly, I would distrust any city that claimed it could. I still checked routes, saved pins and counted time backwards from my airport pickup–nothing like doing light mathematics under emotional duress.
For me, the right place to stay gives you a gentler first draft of it, and for an anxious traveller, sometimes that is enough.
Also read:
A girls’ trip to the Maldives taught me the most important lesson about friendship
The best thing to bring back from your travels? A hobby
I had my very first safari experience in Madhya Pradesh. Here are 6 things I learnt