Yesterday: Less "epic adventure," more parental duty — Tokyo edition

We moved hotels to the Hilton Tokyo and moved Holden out of his dorm.

The day started strong. I navigated the Tokyo rail system to Shinjuku like a seasoned commuter, delivering us to our new hotel without a single wrong turn. Then I got cocky. The trip to Holden’s dorm… let’s just say Tokyo’s train map starts to look like a Rorschach test after the third transfer. We eventually prevailed thanks to a well-timed telephone assist from Holden, who — if nothing else came out of his internship — has clearly mastered the Tokyo subway system.

Holden was officially checked out, his belongings crammed into bags, and we made the return trip — this time with him leading the way — back to the Hilton without incident. En route, we passed our first homeless encampment. It was a sobering reminder that even in a city famous for neon orderliness, there are harder edges.

And… that was the day. No palaces. No beer festivals. No sweeping city views. Just the universal parental ritual of moving a kid out of student housing — only here, the ritual comes with a language barrier, a dozen train lines, and the lingering fear you might accidentally end up in Osaka.

For dinner, we set out into downtown Shinjuku with the vague, time-honored goal of “finding somewhere we can all agree on.” Travelers have been ending up in brewpubs since, well, since there was beer. Ancient merchants probably staggered off caravans, glanced around the marketplace, and decided the most sensible option was wherever there was a tankard and a seat. Our reasoning was no different. Unable to read most of the menus in the windows, we went with the international language of hops and malt.

I had their sausage and onions, but the stars of the meal were two excellent IPAs. First was the Etapsy Aliens — an unfiltered hazy IPA with a 6.0% ABV and 25 IBUs. Next was the brewpub's own Indo No Aooni, a 7.0% ABV IPA with 62 IBUs. Holden stuck with something non-hoppy, and Jen went with a glass of wine.

We ended the night in the Hilton’s executive lounge — wine for Jen, Japanese whiskey for me. Verdict on the whiskey: let’s just say it’s an acquired taste… and I haven’t acquired it yet.