Okay well since @taahira_k and @OmphileRaleie have suggested it, I will use a hashtag for all my Japan tweets. Starting now until next Friday. Be strong or mute me. Cos I’m going wild. #PearlTakesJapan https://twitter.com/Pearloysias/status/1144186875403309056

Gog’ Bad-bad (I can’t read the location, hope it’s the right one) #PearlTakesJapan – at パークホテル東京

So you know that R3,400 taxi ride I took? It was an estimate. In the end it turned out to be “cheaper” cc @marangdream

I basically spent my child’s inheritance on a taxi ride. No one tell my husband. Let’s continue like this episode never happened.

Usually the promoted tweets changing according to location irritate the hell out of me. But I’M IN JAPAN so I love seeing Japanese text on my screen! Can’t read it but who cares?

WHY THIS JAPAN TRIP IS A BIG DEAL TO ME: long story short, I didn’t go to school in 1998 and I watched a lot of TV and read a lot of things. They were an escape from the dire poverty of that year. I was 9/10.

SABC used to play these little 5-minute fillers in between shows, called Japan Video Topics. Everything from oirgami to bonsais to temples. I decided then that I wanted to escape to this magical faraway land called Japan. It was the closest thing I had to a fairytale.

21 years later, here I am. The universe and my ancestors have been so good to me.

The aesthetic – at 銀座のステーキ 本店

It’s past midnight and I’m gonna sleep, but first I have to explain that I am in Japan on a “work” trip. The inverted commas are because it’s ridiculous that I get to experience amazing places and then call it work. There are worse ways to make a living.

But first: Japanese infomercials, part 1 – at ロイヤルパークホテルザ汐留

Japanese infomercials, part 2

2.42am and ya girl can’t sleep, so I recorded a video from my hotel room window (yhu the view !) #PearlTakesJapan

I did another one for IG, but with Frank Ocean as the soundtrack (previous vid was Grimes)

8.50am. Good morning from Tokyo. #PearlTakesJapan

Navigating the train systems in Tokyo was somehow more frightening than arriving with no place to stay.

It’s past midday and all I’ve had to eat are three maple-flavoured mini biscuits. I’m on the verge of tears. I’m on the train from Tokyo to Nagoya, arriving in 80 minutes’ time. I’ll be biting off chunks of my arm till then.

You know how they say you should never meet your heroes? I agree. But you *should* travel to your ultimate destination given the chance. Japan is even better than it was in my dreams. At one point I stood on a street corner in Tokyo and cried a little, because gratitude.

THEY SELL FOOD ON THE TRAIN! I don’t have to starve after all.

I also haven’t had bad coffee or tea since I got here.

I’m excited to even just chew Japanese gum. #PearlTakesJapan

Okay so I’m in Japan to do the Nakasendo Way tour with an operator called Walk Japan. It’s an ancient route of old post towns, and I’ll be walking some of it for the next seven days. #PearlTakesJapan

After boarding a train to Nagoya from Tokyo, I boarded another train, from Nagoya to Edo. This is somewhere along the route. Soundtrack: Moondog, Bird’s Lament. #PearlTakesJapan #WalkJapan

A mess. We were travelling to Ena, not Edo. I’m trying to bring good content with very little time to create it, my bad bo lovey

Nakasendo Way day one: Ena. #PearlTakesJapan

The ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) where we’re staying tonight is 400 years old and has been run by one family. Current innkeeper is 16th generation, her mom and grandmother (14th generation, 96 years old) are also here.

After the onsen (traditional hot spring bath), it was dinner in a yukata. Now time for bed. Goodnight bo lovey. I think the jet lag is done, so I hope to get some actual sleep tonight. #PearlTakesJapan

Day two and I am absolutely not exaggerating when I say that today I almost died. We walked 10km from our ryokan in Ena to our ryokan in Ochiai. The distance is fine, I can and often do walk more than that, but the steep hills were STEEP! #PearlTakesJapan

(Okay I didn’t almost die but I was filled with regret). I’m in a tour group of four — the other three are, wait for it, Australians (shock!) in their 60s. And man, they are fit. They are twice my age and also have twice my energy and stamina. And they’re great. #PearlTakesJapan

Now today was a technological mess because I didn’t bring a proper adapter, so all my devices were dead — phone, laptop, camera. So I didn’t get to take pics, although I did use someone else in the group’s phone to take some pics, which I’ll share later.

My hands became completely swollen about 2 hours into the walk (we walked for maybe 6 hours). I looked like a crocodile. #PearlTakesJapan

Seeing such “low key” parts of Japan has been amazing. Just walking through small post towns, and going to supermarkets called Luv It (best!). We hiked parts of the Kiso Valley, which is one of the most picturesque places I have ever seen. #PearlTakesJapan

I googled some pics of the Kiso Valley for you. It’s even better live. Seeing mist rising over the mountains ahead of you, while being surrounded by that distinctive architecture & those gorgeous roof tiles (Google says they’re called kawara) is amazing. #PearlTakesJapan

Tokyo was cool, & I will one day explore it properly, but I’m glad I chose an experience like this: walking part of an ancient trail that’s been walked by workers, royalty & samurai. It’s almost indescribable what it’s like walking on pathways that date back to the 8th century.

Anyway this is my inn room for tonight. We’re in the middle of a forest & I can hear birds chirping & streams of water. The air is crisp & delicious. #PearlTakesJapan

And this is tonight’s yukata (I learned a few weeks ago that this is not a kimono — a lot of kimonos are made of silk and can cost thousands of dollars. Daw. Laz!). So we wear yukatas, which are far cheaper but still mad cute. #PearlTakesJapan

I was nervous about using the shared baths (onsen) but it’s been dope. How they work: rinse yourself with a shower head/ bucket of water, then lather up & get super clean, then rinse again, THEN get in the tub.

The water in the tub is deliciously hot (piping hot water is a yes from me, even though my eczema says no). You don’t drain the water, cos other people gotta use it too. Then you’re done.

The food has been delicious and plentiful, and so much better than the Asian fusion overpriced Sandton stuff. I even enjoyed an avocado! I took this bad picture of the first part of our dinner last night. #PearlTakesJapan

Anyway I’m going to do some yoga to help my sore legs and still slightly swollen hands before dinner at 6. Then I’ll be back with some pics from today. #PearlTakesJapan

Excuse my ashy hands, but yoga had to wait because everyone decided beer was a better idea. #PearlTakesJapan

Tonight’s dinner. #PearlTakesJapan

Close up of the yumsies. #PearlTakesJapan

Star of the meal, ayu, a sweet river fish. #PearlTakesJapan

Even the dishes (the actual crockery) are gorgeous. Presentation! #PearlTakesJapan

Japanese pillows are stuffed with buckwheat & are controversial because westerners like to complain about them. But you know what? I love em. They make my neck happier than any pillow before them, including memory foam. And no, I can’t sleep pillow-less — I’m not a demon, pls.

I’m sleeping like I’m in an advert.

Also, yoga was a disaster. Goodnight from the Shinchaya Ryokan in Ochiai.

Good morning, today we start at our day at a Shinto shrine. #PearlTakesJapan

Now to explore the post town of Magome. #PearlTakesJapan

Magome. So beautiful it doesn’t even need a filter. #PearlTakesJapan

This cup of coffee from Hillbilly Coffee in the touristy Magome cost ¥600 (R78.33). Ouch. #PearlTakesJapan

Leaving Magome. #PearlTakesJapan

Looool I’m gonna die in the woods of Magome and you lot will tweet “where was she going?” #PearlTakesJapan

RING THE BELL HARD AGAINST BEARS imanjin, I see a bear and I ring a bell.

A taxi to save us because a storm is about to hit and our guide, Yuta, has decided that it’s too risky for us to continue our hike in this weather. Apparently the storms get quite severe. #PearlTakesJapan

Lol South Africa in a Japanese town. Even though Japanese tea (variation seen in second frame) is elite content. #PearlTakesJapan

Okuya is 600yo house that’s now a museum. It was the waki-honjin (inn for govt officials) of the town Tsumago. It was rebuilt during the Meiji period (late 1800s) and is in pristine condition. It belonged to a feudal lord and had a samurai gate (pictured) #PearlTakesJapan

The post town of Tsumago. #PearlTakesJapan

We’ll walk through Tsumago again tomorrow morning, so I’ll have better footage. #PearlTakesJapan

Even the signage is beautiful #PearlTakesJapan

Here’s the thing about the food — it doesn’t look filling but it is! Small portions, but endless portions! Plentiful. I was BURSTING after this meal. Here’s a short vid of Yuta explaining what we’re eating. #PearlTakesJapan

Yesterday @Tokelo_Matlou asked me about the people. I had planned on waiting till the end of the trip (Friday) to share thoughts & experiences. But so far they’ve been friendly, polite, they keep to themselves, they’re respectful & helpful. Amazing hosts. #PearlTakesJapan

I’ve obviously been spending most of my time in small towns, so it’s unsurprising that a lot of people don’t speak English. But what’s interesting is that even in Tokyo there weren’t that many people who understood English.

But what’s also been surprising is that even in Tokyo people were pleasant. One man almost bought me a train ticket cos my card wouldn’t work in the machine (very sweet!), while another saw me stood on a street corner looking at a paper & asked if I needed help with directions.

If you’re black & have travelled, you know that you gotta always — not expect bad or strange experiences — but be prepared for them. But I have yet to be treated or looked at like a zoo animal or curiosity, even in tiny towns where they’ve probably never seen black folk before.

Can’t speak for others but that’s been my experience thus far.

Okay! So far I’ve used provate onsen, but am about to use a public one and I am scared shitless!!! Gotta be naked in public #PearlTakesJapan

Okay ya girl is back, and cos she’s tattooed (I did read up on this beforehand) she couldn’t use the public onsen. So I had a private one. I know that generally speaking tattoos are still taboo in Japan. And I mean, LOOK AT THIS ONSEN! #PearlTakesJapan

Throw forward: our final stop, in a few days’ time, is Matsumoto — art gawd Yayoi Kusama’s hometown. She has a permanent exhibit there at the Matsumoto City Museum of Art and they even sell Yayoi Kusama goodies. I am turning inside out from excitement. #PearlTakesJapan

Japanese whisky gets loads of attention, but their beer is also really good. I’m not even a proper beer drinker — I only voluntarily drink Corona (& very occasionally, Sol).

I’m feeling so sluggish today and we’re about to do a 15km walk . Today’s the longest walk day and it would be fine if the inclines weren’t so brutal and so many. Does anyone want to transpose into my body today? #PearlTakesJapan

And we’re off #PearlTakesJapan

This is someone’s backyard in Nagiso. The life. #PearlTakesJapan

We’re in a proper small town now. Surrounded by forest. The air is crisp. The only sound louder than the cars is the sound of the rushing Kiso River. #PearlTakesJapan

Earlier in the forest, Yuta explained the concepts of “power spots”: basically places from which you can absorb power because of their historical significance. This rock is a “power spot” because a big name samurai is said to have once sat on it. #PearlTakesJapan

The spirit of Rihanna accompanies us even into Japanese forests. We’re so blessed to have her. #PearlTakesJapan

Momosuke bridge in Nagiso (and blue sky!) #PearlTakesJapan

Walking back across the bridge after our yummy bento box picnic lunch. We have a train to catch! We’re almost halfway through today’s walk. I started the day with a Coca-Cola and that was a very good decision cos energy. #PearlTakesJapan

Oh, the toilets! They’re so much fun. I actually look forward to using them because of all the things you can do to your parts. You know, extra clean. #PearlTakesJapan

Some toilets have more options/ buttons. The one I shared is from my hotel in Tokyo and it was actually super minimal. These toilets are amazing. I want one!

30 seconds to soothe you. Happy Monday, everybody. #PearlTakesJapan

This one’s even better.

This is what death looks like

Phone died while we were deep in the forest. We then climbed the Westcliff stairs x 100 so we could see this beauty #PearlTakesJapan

Before that my train ticket fell into the river, so Yuta heroically walked in to fish it out because pollution is bad. #PearlTakesJapan

Please don’t ask me where I was because I don’t know today. This is me crossing the bridge, before things got REAL. This is the greatest experience of my life. #PearlTakesJapan – at ほてい家

4.43pm. 15km covered. Through forests and winding roads. We missed our train. So we’re enjoying some DIVINE cheesecake at Donguri Coffee Shop in the village of Okuwa. This is my selfie in the streets of Okuwa. #PearlTakesJapan

The owner of the cafe (Donguri) is a sweet old lady who has a book where she writes down which countries customers come from. #PearlTakesJapan

And she even gave us a plate of senbei (Japanese crackers) for free. Not only did they taste good, they LOOK great too! #PearlTakesJapan

Aw you guys, she just walked up to our table, her phone in hand, spoke into the phone then the app on the other end said: “It’s a long journey. Take care.” I’m not crying! #PearlTakesJapan

Heh, turns out our forest walk was actually more like 18km. I’m alive, so . Anyway, tonight we’re staying in the very Alpine Kiso-Fukushima, a bustling and gorgeous resort town. Our inn is dope and tonight’s yukata is my favourite thus far. #PearlTakesJapan

Good morning from Kiso-Fukushima, which is a popular ski resort town. But it’s summer now. Anyway apparently today’s walk is the most difficult, so these might be my final tweets. RIP me. #PearlTakesJapan

We walked through the forest this morning. #PearlTakesJapan

Then we stopped at this cute little cafe, Poppo-ya, in a village. Run by a retired couple who moved from Tokyo. They make Italian food! And it’s DIVINE. The miso pizza is soft and delicious and I could eat it all day. #PearlTakesJapan

Check the view at Poppo-ya. Imagine waking up to this every day! In winter this is a popular ski spot. If those clouds cleared, we would be able to see Mount Ontake. #PearlTakesJapan

Mr Ando, owner of Poppo-ya cafe; played some music for us. This instrument he’s playing is called the shamisen and can be made from stretched cat, dog or snake skin. #PearlTakesJapan

Mr Ando doesn’t just own the cafe, he cooks everything.

Kiso horses! They’re stocky little horses and are one of the 8 breeds indigenous to (in?) Japan. #PearlTakesJapan

There are only 150 Kiso horses left in Japan. #PearlTakesJapan

This is corn-flavoured ice-cream and it’s surprisingly delicious! #PearlTakesJapan

After summiting a 1320m mountain, I’m alive. Onsen time!

Tonight’s inn: gorgeous. View from my room: wowzer. Food: MasterChef-level. Yukata: a 10. #PearlTakesJapan

This yukata jacket was in the inn closet and I just — can you tell how much I love it? Goodnight! #PearlTakesJapan

Second-last walk day. We’re only doing 7.4km, but my legs aren’t feeling too good after yesterday’s steep inclines. We’re driving to our starting point & I think I’m getting motion sickness cos I haven’t been in a car longer than 5 mins since being in the countryside.

At least this is the view from the bus window. How gorgeous? Japan has stolen my heart! Let’s hope I don’t throw up on these windows. #PearlTakesJapan

And so today’s trek begins. There are bears in these mountains lol #PearlTakesJapan

Hiking in the forest, but make it fashion. #PearlTakesJapan

After 5,4km of uphill climbing... can you see the regret on my face? #PearlTakesJapan

Three hours of climbing later, and this is what it was for. Worth it? You bet. Nomugi-toge, Nagano, Japan. #PearlTakesJapan

Now THESE are hiking boots as fashion! Our lead guide today came through in the Italian leather! #PearlTakesJapan

So I’m currently staying in a mountainside village that has 200 homes (I think that’s what our guide says) and they have an alarm that goes off for the entire community at 6am (or is it 6.30am?) and at 5pm. And it’s soothing, gentle music. It’s so sweet! #PearlTakesJapan

Final walk day and man, my confidence is low. Low low low! Starting off with a walk through Yabuhara before heading into the forest or on to the mountain. #PearlTakesJapan

And a Shinto temple visit #PearlTakesJapan

Hiking to the Toriitoge Pass. #PearlTakesJapan

That town down there is where we started our morning. #PearlTakesJapan – at カワベ

After hiking up winding paths in the forest — some steeper than others — you arrive at the Ontakejinja Shrine and it’s just breathtaking. #PearlTakesJapan

Walk done. We made it to the gorgeous post town of Narai. Definitely my favourite of the post towns we’ve seen! #PearlTakesJapan

This morning before the hike ya girl’s confidence was a solid -7. Now it’s at a respectable 3. #PearlTakesJapan

Japan is beautiful. My heart is full. I’m leaving tomorrow and I’m about to burst into tears at the thought of it.

We already had lunch but overeaters will what? That’s right, kids — overeat! #PearlTakesJapan

These boots have been through it, bazalwane. #PearlTakesJapan

Also, the style in Japan . Even in the tiniest towns, from toddlers to nonagenarians. I just really enjoy the way people dress — so effortless. It doesn’t need to be Harajuku district style to be cool. I’ve seen great items of clothing, be they coats, shoes or blouses.

And we’ve arrived at our final destination! Matsumoto. And although I’ve only walked it for 10 minutes, I’m sure it has dethroned Amsterdam as my favourite international city thus far. #PearlTakesJapan

This is Yayoi Kusama’s hometown, and in case you’re a visitor who doesn’t know, the city will make sure you know #PearlTakesJapan

Tried to roam Matsumoto in the dark because some cities really come alive in the nighttime. And. Everything is closed. Sad trombone. Goodnight. #PearlTakesJapan

Good morning! We’re at Matsumoto Castle, which is 400+ years old. #PearlTakesJapan

Because of its dark colour, its nickname is “The Crow Castle”. I’m. In. Love. #PearlTakesJapan

Guuuuuys

Made it to the Matsumoto City Museum of Art! Look at all this Yayoi! No pics allowed inside (which is an AMAZING exhibition, by the way). #PearlTakesJapan

Explored Matsumoto before hitting the train station, beginning a three-hour journey to the airport. Matsumoto is great for shopping, and it’s artsy and hip. I love it. #PearlTakesJapan

Scenes from the train. Got 2h40m left on this one. Then another hour on the one to the airport. #PearlTakesJapan

Seen from the train: these are the type of mountains we were hiking on. I intentionally signed up for a walking tour but I assumed it would be flat, maybe we’d encounter a small hill or two. Kanti! Glad I did it tho. No “regerts”. #PearlTakesJapan

Airport bound. Sad face. #PearlTakesJapan

Leaving Tokyo. #PearlTakesJapan – at タワーレコード渋谷店

I don’t know who or how, but someone captured this 100% not fake picture of me as I looked out the train window, on my way to board a plane leaving Japan. #PearlTakesJapan

Anyway ya girl is out of hiking boots for the first time in seven days. So yay that. Air Max hello. #PearlTakesJapan

Airports. Gross.

Japan has been amazing to me. I suit Japan and Japan suits me. Thanks for following and commenting and not blocking me. And that’s a wrap! #PearlTakesJapan

Thanks for following #PearlTakesJapan! This pic was taken yesterday in my hotel room because the Matsumoto sunset reminded me that I’m cute. Bye bo lovey!