I was getting around Hive users that I follow and read on @wittyzell's introduction. So I can't help but gush that she is a fellow Cebuana who is working and living in Japan. Indeed, it made me reminisce about my first solo trip to Japan back in 2015.
Now, I just got an idea for my 2nd blog. Is anyone here who are POTTERHEADS?
Japan was my first solo trip. I got my single-entry visa which was good for 15 days. I spent 12 days and went to see Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, and Yokohama. I had a few misadventures in Japan but let me tell you about one of the most surprising moments in Tokyo.
If you want to know how I got my Japan visa without income tax return, I wrote it on my travel blog.
Well, I spent 5 days in Osaka where I stayed with my cousin and her Japanese family. Her husband paid for my bus ticket to Osaka from Tokyo. But so stupid of me that I missed my overnight bus, I paid for another bus ticket and stayed at McDonald's in Shinjuku before sunrise.
In Osaka, my Japanese family showed me around Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara. All my nieces love to go to Universal Studios Japan in Osaka. One of the attractions at USJ is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I've been a fan of Harry Potter since I was in high school. The Harry Potter scenes were in Scotland so it was a faraway dream as I've never been to the UK. So, Japan was the nearest dream that made my Harry Potter fangirling dreams come true. I really had fun at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Osaka, Japan.
I went back to Tokyo and spent my remaining days there. Met other travelers back in my hostel. Then, a Japanese guy asked me on a date and went to Yokohama. Back at my hostel, other travelers wanted to go for the nightlife so I joined them.
On our way to the club, I saw a familiar face that I'd seen in a movie. That blonde-haired guy was one of the childhood villains of Harry Potter. He was walking toward us and so we were walking toward them. I couldn't help but stopped and said, "Excuse me, hi, are you Draco Malfoy?"
He said, "Yes!"
I asked, "Can I have a selfie with you?"
Gosh, I even forgot his real name was Tom Felton but I was just saying Draco Malfoy all the time. Oh my goodness! I just had a selfie with him using my iPad as he looked so tired. He was with 2 female companions, the other was her assistant. She told me that they just went to a birthday party. I was so lucky that I got the chance to take photos with him. A few minutes later, a group of people was chasing him to take photos. So the assistant was telling them that no more photos were allowed and he was tired.
We continued to the club and partied until 5 AM. As soon as I went back to my hostel, I published this photo with Draco Malfoy right away to BRAG THAT I SAW HIM IN TOKYO, JAPAN!
My friends were like telling me I was so lucky in my solo travels even though there was a misadventure before that. OMG, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! I just met a Harry Potter actor in Tokyo while I was having fun at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Osaka.
I never thought that my first solo trip to Japan was actually a blast. I didn't spend much money, thanks to my sponsors. LOL. But I spent another amount of money when I missed my bus to Osaka and my flight back to Cebu. Oh, crazy me!
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Welcome to iTravelRox! Roxanne Tamayo is a Cebuana who is a traveler. Now a mom of 2 kids and a wife. She is a travel blogger and a digital nomad. As a Virtual Assistant, she does a lot of things like content writing, WordPress web design, WP updates and maintenance, graphic design, and photo editing. She is into wedding photography, as well.
If you like iTravelRox's content, please don't forget to upvote and leave a comment. She will share a lot of stories about solo travels, motherhood, family travel, and working as a VA.