The other day, my wife attended a full-day kyudo event, so I had the day to myself. I could either stay home and do nothing or go outside and be a little more productive. I had to admit, the former option was very tempting, but I had a dentist appointment at 2 PM, so I decided to compromise—I’d spend the morning at home, then head out for my appointment and stay outside for the rest of the day. Since I had things I wanted to do anyway, I figured I’d do them today.

I had breakfast and coffee at home, then spent the morning in the living room watching mostly useless YouTube videos. I don’t spend much time on social media, but I definitely spend a lot of time on YouTube. I usually don’t watch on my phone but through our living room TV via Apple TV. I can easily spend hours watching tennis, cats, dogs, news, and the occasional ancient aliens video. Before I knew it, it was time for my dental appointment, so I decided to grab lunch afterward.

For lunch, I went to Yoshinoya at Yurakucho Station, the one just under the rails. It’s one of the bigger Yoshinoya locations, and I always imagined it as the go-to spot for shoppers in Yurakucho and Ginza who needed a cheap meal after spending all their money at fancy stores. Since it was a weekend, most of the customers were young people, couples, and what seemed to be tourists from Korea, China, or Southeast Asia. Even the staff were mostly non-Japanese.

After lunch, I headed to BicCamera on the other side of the station. I used to frequent this place when I was younger and lived in Shinkawa, Chuo-ku. Next to Yodobashi Camera, I’d say it’s one of the biggest electronics stores in Tokyo, though it feels a bit more upscale since it caters to the Ginza crowd rather than Akihabara’s. BicCamera is also more compact, and its layout feels more organic.

I’ve been considering upgrading our 7-year-old living room TV, so I checked out the TV section to see what’s on the market. We currently have a 43-inch Sony LCD TV, and if we were to replace it, we’d want something similar in size but with newer technology and support for NHK’s BS4K, which our current TV lacks. Most of the high-end models were either OLED or Mini-LED, but only a few were available in 43 inches. I was also surprised to see more non-Japanese brands like LG, Hisense, TCL, and even Regza (originally Japanese but now owned by Hisense). Samsung, which is hugely popular outside Japan, was nowhere to be seen.

I must have been staring at the TVs for so long that a staff member approached me to ask if I needed help. I asked him why so few brands were offering the latest technology in 43 inches, then thanked him and moved on to explore the other floors. So much had changed since I used to come here a decade or two ago. There were more tourists, and even among the staff, there were noticeably more non-Japanese employees. After browsing all the floors, I headed back to Yurakucho Station to move on to my next stop.

I took the Keihin-Tohoku Line to Takanawa Gateway to grab coffee at the Starbucks in the station. I also wanted to see what was happening there, especially since I had read that part of Takanawa Gateway City is set to open next month on March 27, 2025. For now, the station was still relatively quiet. Maybe it was the time of day, but most of the people I saw were construction workers on their way home.

When I arrived, I spotted Starbucks on the upper floor but couldn’t find the escalator to get there. I eventually realized I had to exit the station first. Once outside, I made my way up and passed by the area set to open next month. It looked nearly ready—most of the lights were already on, and many plants had been put in place.

Starbucks was fully operational, no different from any of the other newer locations in Tokyo. It was almost full, but I managed to find a seat, left my jacket there, and lined up to order my coffee. I started reading my book to pass the time while waiting for my wife to finish her kyudo event.

Eventually, I got her message. I headed back into the station and made my way to meet her for dinner, marking the end of my me-time—at least for now. It was a simple day, but sometimes, those are the best.