The entire reason I was in Tokyo with my mom and her partner Mike is because he had been selected to run in the Tokyo marathon. And today was marathon day.

This meant that besides finding a spot on the course to meet Mike and cheer him on, my mom and I would have the morning to ourselves in Ginza.

When we woke up for breakfast, Mike was well on his way to the start line. So my mom and I ate some hotel breakfast and then started our long walk to our first stop — the Pokémon Center in Ginza.

My mom and I both love Pokémon, which is a fact that always shocks my friends.

She is obsessed with Pokémon Go and it’s a fun thing that we can bond over as a family (my sister included).

So we spent quite a lot of time exploring the shop and its huge variety of Pokémon merch. It was pretty fun watching my mom nerd out about having a hard time deciding which stuffed Pokémon to buy. She went with Mewtwo and Mr. Mime, I think.

Then it was time to head back down to street level and find our spot on the track to cheer for Mike. It was wild to watch all of the runners now hours into their marathon, still pushing through. I’m no runner, so it’s always impressive to me that people would put themselves through this.

But we found Mike approaching and gave a big cheer and wave before heading off to our lunch stop: A Happy Pancake.

*Sakura strawberry matcha pancake at A Happy Pancake (March 2025)*

If you’re hoping to eat the iconic fluffy pancakes at Happy Pancake, you’re going to have to go a couple of hours early, scan the QR code and get on the virtual, waiting list. You’ll get contacted when your reservation is ready!

We had put our names on the list before going to stop and see Mike, so we were ready to eat when they told us to head to the restaurant.

These pancakes were everything I dreamed of, honestly. I love a Japanese fluffy pancake, and these ones were incredible. I got a Sakura strawberry matcha pancake with red bean paste on the side. I miss red bean paste.

By this point in the trip, I was also super comfortable speaking what little Japanese I knew to get by. It made me feel better navigating the day-to-day. I was able to ask for the bill and then pay without any trouble.

*Solo walks and Donki exploring (March 2025)*

Looking forward to a little bit of alone time after many days together, I decided to go for a walk on my own. And ended up at my favourite place: Don Quijote.

Don Quijote is a huge bargain shopping centre that has everything. Pokemon fan merch? Treat yo’self. New luggage? Treat yo’self. Beauty supplies? Treat yo’self. Snacks? Treat yo’self. Cheap electronics? …You get the point.

I spent probably an hour getting lost in the two-floor shop and filling my basket with all sorts of kawaii goodies before heading back to the hotel for a pre-dinner rest.

Mike had finished the marathon, so dinner that night was his choice for celebratory dinner: El Chateo for paella! I got a delicious veggie paella (my first paella ever), which filled us all up and got us ready for a good sleep that night.