How to avoid jet-lag? My first memorable sunrise in Japan!

How excited I was to move to Asia finally. After a previous month-long experience between Thailand🇹🇭 and Singapore🇸🇬 , I know that Asia was my place. I was repeating over and over again to myself: “Luca, you are about to live in Tokyo!”.

The reasons for my excitement were infinite, but the main one was TOKYO. Tokyo as a city, Tokyo as busy living (photo 1), Tokyo, as all the stories I had heard till that moment.

Yes, I am super lucky to have a good friend called Taishi since I was twelve years old, half Italian half Japanese (photo 2). At school, no day was passing without him telling me some stories about the rising sun’s land, and most and foremost, some crazy adventure in Tokyo.

He invited me to Tokyo, and me being a twenty-one years old young man who just began to discover the world said: “absolutely yes!”.

Many years have passed; however, I am still absolutely grateful to my dear Friend Taishi and his father, Masahiko. They hosted me in Tokyo and always made me feel very welcome there (photo 3) One day will be the time to give back what I received…

1. Big city life. TheLB. Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan2013

2. Taishi and I. Biella, Italy🇮🇹2011

3. Taishi, Masahiko and I. TheLB. Roppongi, Tokyo Japan🇯🇵2013

Let me go back to my story. After a very stressful time at Malpensa (Milano’s airport), I left Italy. I managed to fly via Russia🇷🇺 with Aeroflot ✈ and finally arrive the following day in Tokyo – without sleeping. It was afternoon when I met Taishi, who took me to his father’s restaurant. My excitement was above the stars – TOKYOOOOO (photo 4) – while Taishi was working (photo 5), I spent the evening with his father drinking, eating and drinking again. I was not very used to drink at that time, but how can you refuse prime quality sake (Japanese wine rice) and other drinks that I would lie if I tell you that I remember the name?

After work Taishi joined us and the night started, we went clubbing, and I think we ended up home not later than 3 am. Clearly, I went straight to sleep.

4. Super excited. Tokyo, Japan🇯🇵 2013

5. Taishi and I first day in Japan. Omotesando, Tokyo Japan🇯🇵 2013

6. Out of the window. TheLB. Aobadai, Tokyo Japan🇯🇵 2013

I’ve always had three rules to avoid jet-lag (see the full article: Avoid Jet-lag in 3 “simple” steps).

1) Arrive at the destination at an optimal time. My favourite is sometime between 11:00 and 14:00. Check ✅

2) Avoid taking a nap. This is the most important one! Once you check-in, leave your luggage and go around the city do not come back before dinner. Check ✅

3) Go to sleep early in the evening after a nice shower to wake up in the morning nice and rested. Check ??? ❌❌❌ But let me tell you if it affected me or not 😬

Suddenly, I woke up. Wow, I went around the apartment when I saw the sunlight coming through the window. Wow! I remember myself in underwear standing there and thinking “wow, this is my first sunrise in Japan. Here in the land of the rising sun… I will never forget this moment.” (photo 6). After having a moment of gratitude in underwear, I looked at my watch 05:30! “It must be Japan if I feel so good!” I said to myself. I didn’t sleep for basically two straight days, I have been travelling, dancing and drinking and it was enough two hours sleep, and I was feeling supercharged. Was it maybe the Japanese attitude to work hard from the very beginning of the day? Perhaps, in less than one night, I was already becoming a bit Japanese 🧐

7. FamilyMart.Pinterest. Japan🇯🇵

After having a glass of water, I convinced myself that I would go back to sleep to better recover from the night before. It was early after all. On my way back to my room I noticed that my Friend was not there… but I didn’t think much about that.

Guess what I did? I fell asleep! I woke up a couple of hours later; the watch indicated 07:30. Wait for a second, hang on! Why was it so dark???????

That was the time I realised that what I thought I watched was not my very first sunrise in Japan but my second sunset in the land of the rising sun 🙈🙈 that is why my Friend was not there… he was working!

Suddenly I realised I was super hungry! Thankfully Taishi had shown me a Family Mart (convenience store- photo 7) the night before, and that was where I ran to.

Picture me sitting in a convenience store, looking out the window while eating honey chicken rice. In front of me, a beautiful neighbourhood telling myself ” I will never forget my first sunrise in Japan… so memorable!”. I knew that it was another story to tell… a unique way to start my adventure in Japan.

To sum up, messing up with my three golden rules did affect my first week in Japan. I kept on waking up super late and going to sleep very late at night. It was ok for me because I spent a few months there, however, if you are going somewhere far for a holiday not following my 3 “simple” rules may ruin your vacation entirely. To sum up the sum up I am glad it went this way, I couldn’t start my Japanese adventure any better and definitely, I couldn’t tell this story to you…