I went to the Eras Tour in Japan

 

      Taylor Swift in  Eras Tour Tokyo, Japan (February 7, 2024)

It is the first day of September 2024 and this will be my first journal entry this year. I have been so busy with living my life :D

The first thing I wanted to share, is that in February, I finally visited my dream destination, Japan! 🏯

The younger me wrote in her journal ages ago that visiting Japan is on her bucket list. And she finally made it. Guess what? I did not only come to Japan to cross the famous Shibuya Crossing and take a photo with the Hachiko Statue, I went there to watch the one-in-a-lifetime and the best concert in the world, the Eras Tour, of no other than my favorite artist in the universe, Taylor Swift.

At this point, I think it is safe to say that I am indeed a lucky girl. To get tickets to the concert was almost impossible.  It was as impossible as TS to bring her concert to the Philippines because it was set that she would only perform in Singapore and Japan. It was so hard to get tickets because you compete with all the Swifties from around the world, who are willing to spend their life savings to see her. I honestly cried for not succeeding in the Singapore ticket selling because I originally planned to watch the concert in SG. Thankfully, Japan had the second round of the ticket lottery and I won! That was so cool and unbelievable! I could not sleep out of excitement when I first found out!

Japan is so beautiful! It lives up to the hype! The Japanese people are polite, customer service, and detail-oriented. After visiting it, I can only think of the word “convenience” whenever I think of Japan. Everything was convenient, from the transportation system, restaurants, tourist attractions, and even the concert proper itself was systematic, with no hassle. You will get a VIP treatment from the Japanese. And the food is so good! Even the food at the convenience store will nourish your soul. I ate lots of ramen because it was cold during our visit. Also ate sushi, mochi, onigiri, takoyaki, gyoza, and bread stuffed with real strawberries.  I love their food.

Another highlight of my trip to Japan was visiting The Making of Harry Potter in Tokyo. I lost my mind as a Harry Potter fan. I was so happy being there. The Harry Potter studio setup is perfect and some are interactive. It felt like I was in Hogwarts! I drank butter beer of course! I even bring a robe and my wand from the Philippines for the best experience. It snowed during that day and it was my first ever snow. I loved it! Another dream come true for me. We also went to the Disney Sea and it was awesome too! We rode the extreme ride “Journey to the Center of the Earth” and it made me lose consciousness for about 3 seconds 😅

We stayed in an Airbnb, a traditional Japanese house owned by an old Japanese woman who was kind and polite. The room dividers and windows are like what you see in movies, wooden-made with paper screens, it was surreal. We slept Japanese style, in a futon with tatami mats under it. It smells lovely like the smell of a forest after a rain. Japanese toilets are amazing too. Yes, I am going to talk about the toilets here! Haha. The toilet seat is heated, and a straw will come out from somewhere there when you need to wash your butt, plus you can push the music button for privacy while doing your thing. Isn’t it great?

The weather during that time was too cold for me as it was my first time experiencing negative weather temperatures because the Philippines was always warm. I have layered five pieces of clothing already but it was still cold I could feel it in my bones especially when walking outside at night. Thanks to the seat heaters in trains. The heat tech innerwear from Uniqlo and the heat packs also saved my life.

I was surprised when the property owner asked us to not throw the dirty toilet paper in the garbage bin and instead flush it down the toilet because in the Philippines we are not allowed to do that, as it may clog the toilet and could cause a flood when it rains. I realized that our drainage system is inefficient and theirs was so effective that they could flush toilet paper down the drain.

I have so many good things to say about Japan but it will be too long to write.

Let me share my experience with the Eras Tour. I have been to Taylor’s concert twice. The first time was at the Araneta Coliseum in 2011 and the Red Tour at the MOA Arena in 2014. The general admission during her first concert in the PH was only 500.00 pesos and the venue was too small. Now, Taylor has become the world’s most successful artist playing to an average of 72,000 audiences every night, in different cities around the world. Her concert ticket prices are no joke but people like me are willing to spend to experience her because she is a great artist, her work, music, and performance must be watched live. It is life-changing especially for a certified Swiftie like me. We can agree that other singers have a more powerful voice than TS. They can be a better singer than her. But, her writing skills are insane. She is a poet. Her mind is unfathomable. That’s what made me love her. She is a creative storyteller.  You can relate to all her songs in any phase of your life. Need I say more? Haha

Yes, I cried during both of her concerts here in the Philippines specifically during her opening songs. Here in Eras Tour? Of course, I cried too! 😂 during her first appearance singing “Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince" and when she sang “Long Live”.  It hits differently when you hear and see her live. She looks like a Barbie. The energy of the crowd, plus their looks mimicking different TS eras and the bracelet-exchanging experience was amazing. Indeed, I had the time of my life. This experience will be engraved forever in my heart. 💓

Thank you, Lord! I cannot thank you enough for blessing me with this wonderful life!

It is not only Japan I have visited this year, but I have also been to South Korea 😊 I will share the details in my next entries. Bye for now. X