When we first arrived in Tokyo, we weren’t sure exactly what to expect. We were excited to see a whole new culture few of us had explored before. We never really truly realized what we would find.
It’s hard to think of a city we’ve been to so far that has been as electric as Tokyo, Japan. Whether it was riding the Shinkansen bullet trains, meeting the creator of Ruby, or hitting up the Tsukiji Fish Market at 4am for tuna sashimi that’s so fresh it’s almost breathing, there was never a dull moment at Hacker Paradise – Tokyo.
Tokyo HQ: CASE Shinjuku
CASE Shinjuku and its incredibly courteous and friendly staff became our new home and family in Japan. This beautiful, clean, modern coworking space was complete with new furniture, great ambient music and fun extendo-outlets that hang down from the ceiling, was the perfect space to work from.
Operation: Food-Indulgence
A sushi train! A sushi train! Our kingdom for another sushi train! From the succulent and delicious katsu-don, to the group-favourite conveyor belt sushi, the food in Japan was world-class. It’s hard to beat beautifully-cheap, fresh sushi come on an express train bound for your table.
Some of us were spirited away
Being dunked into the inkwell of Hayao Miyazaki imagination in the Studio Ghibli museum was awe-inspiring. With his colorful photography-inspired landscapes covering the walls, it was difficult not to get sucked into a world of fantasy, magic, and traditional Japanese culture.
Halloween was a big deal
Halloween was not something we expected in Japan. As it turned out, Halloween was only brought to and commercialized in Japan about 4 years ago. Because of this, it was a huge deal in Tokyo with parties every weekend throughout the whole month of October and topped off with hoards of elaborate costumes flocking to the streets. Our crew followed suit.
Some pretty awesome guest speakers
While we were in Tokyo, we had the pleasure of learning about the startup scene from Disrupting Japan’s Tim Romero, Patrick McKenzie, CEO of Starfighter; and Yukihiro Matsumoto (Matz), creator of Ruby.
Sound like fun? Then check out our upcoming Southeast Asia 2016 trip to Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand. You can find out more on our home page or apply here.
