15:30
Arrive at Narita Terminal 1 at 3:30. Staying up all night Sunday in order to sleep fully in the middle of the light (slept for 9 of the 13 hour flight) helped mitigate any jet lag. After navigating the large airport to find where to pickup the parcel containing a pocket wifi, and exchange my foreign order for a JR unlimited rail pass I make my way to the underground station to catch the Narita Express (N'EX). What was surprising was how quiet the train ride was, for the world's largest city there was suspiciously only one person in the same train car as me upon boarding (and only a dozen or so after stopping at Terminals 2+3. The 1 hour train ride to Tokyo had a view to the rice fields and woodlands around Chiba.
19:00
Took the subway from near Tokyo Train Station and headed to the Kiba Capsule Hotel I am staying at for the first night. Only stay long enough to drop off my bags into a storage area (there is not storage in the capsule itself) before heading taking the subway back to the Roppongi area to meet with two friends from school who are interning at Japanese architecture offices Kengo Kuma + Associates, and Jun'ya Ishigami + Associates in the nearby area for dinner. They each work long hours every day, 6 days a week, and one of which was not able to join in the end. While waiting I wandered up the busy streets as the area is know for nightlife and clubbing as well as a development called Roppongi Hills. Eventually went for okonomiyaki (a kind of savoury Japanese pancake) with Jin, which was fitting as he introduced me to the dish in Toronto in the first place - it also helped that he could communicate with the waiter/cook who spoke no English. The meal was cooked ourselves in a hotplate built into the table and was amazing!
00:30
Took the last subway (which do not run past 01:00 am) back to the hotel. The hotel provides slippers and pajamas for you to wear in a locker room before heading to the third floor where there are washrooms and communal baths, and the male capsule floor on the fourth floor. The capsule itself was surprisingly spacious and is pre-fabricated plastic with a built in TV, alam clock, lighting, and air. You are expected to be silent on the floor as the only thing that separates you from the main passage is a curtain which you pull down and hooks into the base of the capsule at the entry, and as the walls are thin you can hear everyone else - snoring and shuffling about! The hall is also kept quiet dark so unfortunately I have no photos.