Hello Kitty (Otemachi), Japan (October 23, 2025)
Today was all about the cats of Japan. From Elena’s childhood favorite, Hello Kitty to an awesome cat cafe. And, yes, Elena and I also checked out the Imperial Palace while Violet rested up a bit. But this picture is one of my favorites from today:
Elena regresses to her 5 year old self wanting all things Hello Kitty
And that’s saying something, because there were many, many great pictures of us with cats today. So, if you’re not into animal pictures, then this is probably not your post. But if you love puppies and kittens, then you’re about to get a ton from our day together.
Elena outside of the cat cafe we’re about to go in and enjoy
Once Violet met up with us, we asked the guide what treats the cats loved the most and she suggested a salmon paste. She was so right. The minute we entered, they could smell what we had and ran over. The minute Violet sat down, she was covered with cats pushing their way to the front to be the first to snack.
And, of course, I got a turn to have the cats maul me with me holding the treats and Elena got a picture of this for me.
Fake love! These cats are trained to join whomever holds the food.
The room was relatively small. At first, I was thinking that might be a good thing, but then realized, cats are easily bored and seek stimulation. Having us join them was “new” and “interesting” (especially when we brought food) so they played along. After we fed them, they resumed their routine of jumping on each other and playing with the well designed cat track in the room.
Given the relatively few objects in the room outside of cat scratchers and cat beds, it’s no surprise that the cats found my backpack and Elena’s fascinating. I opened mine up so that they could sneak inside and get into all the interesting smells from all around the world. And, besides cats, this space also had puppies you could adopt and they were incredibly cute. Like this one:
The sign reads, “Please do not pet” but that’s all we wanted to do!!!
It was really hard to obey the sign that instructed us not to pet this adorable puppy. All this puppie wanted was to be pet and all we wanted to do was pet him, but instead we behaved and got our noses as close as we dared to show our intended affection.
After this, we took Violet to another bookstore to see about English versions of Japanese Manga. No luck, but I did find a magazine I didn’t know existed:
Star Wars Insider - a magazine dedicated to insider news on content
It’s not that I expect to know all the magazines that exist. Even today (in the year 2025) there are tens of thousands of print magazines, with more than 21,000 businesses dedicated to the more than $33 billion in print magazine revenue estimated in 2025 (according to multiple sources including IBIS World).
When showing this magazine to Elena, she pointed out that there might be some science fiction books I could get into if I was so inclined to borrow some from the library to see if they are to my liking. Yep, a great reminder that I’m only using a small fraction of our public library and that I need to keep checking in on what they have and what I might like as my tastes and needs change over time.
Elena discovers her childhood dream, Hello Kitty and shares about it
And, it was as we were exiting that Elena found a dedicated Hello Kitty store and we got this great picture. When Elena was about 5 she was head over heels in love with Hello Kitty. She says if she had found this store when she was a kid, she would have left in tears having wanted “one of everything” especially all the pencils, erasers, bags and pencil holders. Just having them was the end game. There was no thought about “what happens after all this stuff is acquired.”
When I pointed this out, she simply pointed out that I grew up too fast and don’t remember what it was like to be a kid. That’s fair. I was always a bit too practical looking at the next money-making opportunity and/or the reason to buy (or “invest”) in something rather than having it just to have it for the fun of it.
Even my first skateboard, I had in my mind that Tony Hawk was becoming famous and that my skateboard might be worth more than what I paid for it some day. That’s also why I was skittish to thrash my skateboard the way my younger brother, Brian, would. I didn’t mind practicing and approaching tricks, but hated anything that might damage or scratch the deck of my board, thinking it would devalue it when I wanted to sell it one day. That’s just how my mind works. I think that’s how I’ve been wired for as long as I can remember.
Elena and I visit the Imperial Palace and got in our steps this morning
And, on a more Japan-centric note, while Violet relaxed in the hotel room, Elena and I ventured to the Imperial Palace to check out the gardens and older structure. I think I mistook it for something else I had visited 30 years ago, but it was fun all the same.
This is our last day in Tokyo. Tomorrow we check out of our hotel and head down to Atami via train. It’s only about an hour away by high speed rail. The thing is, it’s a little unclear if we MUST use a luggage delivery service or if it’s recommended to do so. I’m pretty sure that Violet and I can keep our 44 liter bags with us, and that Elena’s big ass bag is the only one in question. It’s the one we MUST check when flying. Sometimes Violet and I check our bags for convenience, but we’re good to use the overhead bins on flights, so I imagine we can use the overhead racks on the trains too.
Then again, this is our first highspeed rail in Japan, so we’re rolling the proverbial dice here. The information hasn’t been as clear as we would like, so we’re likely going to split the difference and use the luggage delivery for Elena’s bag and keep ours for the train ride. Either way, we’ll learn from this first train ride and apply what we learn to the next two trains we are scheduled to take in Japan.
All this is to say, we’ve loved our time in Tokyo and it’s bitter sweet to head on out to our next stop. The food has been amazing. The culture has been incredible. The people are some of the nicest and friendliest in the world. If Elena and I were better at learning a new language, I’m sure we’d plan on spending significantly more time here. Either way, I’m sure we’ll be back. This has been my second trip to Japan and it certainly won’t be my last.
