Settling In

Summary

This first chapter runs from October 19 to December 15, 2027, beginning with the journey from Strasbourg to Tokyo and arrival in Japan on October 20. Tokyo will serve as the base for settling into Japanese life, completing arrival formalities, establishing everyday routines, and adapting working arrangements while beginning to explore the city.

By the end of the chapter, the aim is to feel comfortable living and working in Tokyo before beginning the journey north through Ibaraki, Tohoku, and Hokkaido.

Copyright and licence

Copyright © 2026 Akane SHIMOKA. This document is released under the MIT License. See the root LICENCE.

Dates and continuity

Dates use the local calendar at each location: Frankfurt for the October 19 departure and Japan for the October 20 arrival and December 15 onward departure. The October 19–20 inbound journey precedes the Tokyo accommodation period. Flight times, the Dubai connection date and duration, and overnight arrangements remain TBD. The shared boundary with the northern chapter is December 15, 2027; the December 8 alternative is no longer selected.

Expected stay

Tokyo will serve as the base for settling in, adapting working routines, and beginning to explore.

Accommodation

The preferred arrival accommodation is Hotel Paul House near Ueno from Wednesday, October 20 to Saturday, October 23, 2027 (three nights), followed by a sharehouse. Hotel Paul House was previously considered for a summer stay that could not take place.

[!todo] Choose a sharehouse Consider Sakura House and select the property and location, move-in date, and length of stay. The final sharehouse decision is planned for August or September 2027.

Settling in

Time will be allowed for arrival formalities and establishing everyday routines.

[!todo] Identify practical tasks Research the applicable administrative tasks and deadlines, and identify other everyday needs.

Work schedule

Two weeks off are planned, covering the week before departure and the departure week. Starting on October 25, a two-week period of full-time work is planned to compensate for that leave and adapt workflows to the anticipated seven- to eight-hour time difference, which remains a planning estimate pending date-specific verification. Working from cafés around Tokyo will leave room for exploring the city and trying restaurants at lunchtime.

[!todo] Define the work routine Confirm leave and flight dates, working hours, the date-specific time difference, and suitable cafés. Decide whether any study plans belong in this chapter.

Sightseeing

Exploration will focus on getting to know Tokyo, with possible excursions to Yokohama or Chiba over a couple of days. Kamakura and other similar day trips are reserved for the second Tokyo chapter.

[!todo] Plan excursions Identify places and activities of interest in Tokyo, and decide on specific destinations, dates, and any overnight stays for Yokohama or Chiba.

Budget

Accommodation

The initial stay at Hotel Paul House near Ueno is planned for Wednesday, October 20 to Saturday, October 23, 2027 (three nights). The subsequent sharehouse stay targets ¥80,000–¥100,000 per month (€500–€630) for a private room, with no desk requirement; the recap uses the ¥100,000 ceiling as its estimate. Billing, utilities, fees, deposits, and move-out terms remain to be confirmed.

[!todo] Confirm accommodation costs Obtain the hotel price for three nights, and check whether sharehouse utilities and recurring fees fit within the ¥100,000 monthly ceiling. Confirm any partial-month charges, one-time fees, and refundable deposits separately.

Flight to Tokyo

The selected inbound Emirates itinerary, EK044 Frankfurt → Dubai on October 19, 2027, followed by EK318 Dubai → Narita arriving October 20, has a user-reported total fare of €1,171.40 (¥187,424 at €1 = ¥160). The itinerary is not booked; booking is planned in the coming days. This replaces the earlier €1,200 allowance and is separate from recurring monthly allowances. The exact quoted EUR amount is retained as the calculation source. Premium Economy remains the earlier cabin preference; the cabin and inclusions covered by this fare remain to be confirmed.

Daily transport in Tokyo

Use the higher-end allowance of ¥1,200 per day for two return journeys (four single journeys), at ¥300 per single journey. For reference, Tokyo Metro’s regular adult fares range from ¥180 to ¥330 depending on distance, checked on October 19, 2026.

Over a 30-day month, this represents ¥36,000 (€230), counted within the monthly transport allowance rather than added to it.

[!todo] Refine daily transport costs Check fares for likely routes once the sharehouse location is chosen, including any journeys involving other operators, and adjust for the actual number of travel days.

Sightseeing expenses

Sightseeing costs will be itemised here against the activities selected in Sightseeing.

[!todo] Build the sightseeing expense list Once the activity list is established, list each paid visit or excursion with its admission or booking fees, dedicated transport costs, and any overnight accommodation. Identify costs already covered by the monthly allowances to avoid counting them twice, and calculate a sightseeing subtotal.

Departure toward Ibaraki

The revised route starts with Ibaraki rather than a direct Tokyo → Sendai journey. The selected departure date is December 15, 2027; route, mode, fare, and luggage costs remain TBD. This chapter owns that outbound transfer; the northern chapter excludes the same cost.

The earlier direct Tokyo → Sendai allowance of ¥12,000 (€80) is retained only as historical context. It was based on JR East’s fare-revision example, listing ¥11,630 for a normal-season Hayabusa journey. It is not a priced substitute for the new route and is excluded from the current subtotal.

Budget recap

The selected chapter dates are October 19–December 15, 2027. Recurring allowances below currently cover the 56 days in Japan from October 20, with arrival included and onward departure excluded. The three-night October 20–23 hotel stay is followed by 53 sharehouse nights. Expenses specific to the October 19 outbound travel day remain TBD and are not included in these recurring allowances. The calculations use a 30-day month and assume proportional sharehouse billing; they are allowances, not quotes. Calculations retain unrounded values, with approximate JPY displays rounded to the nearest yen and estimated EUR displays to two or three significant digits at €1 = ¥160. The exact flight fare is preserved separately as quoted input.

This subtotal is not a complete chapter total. Hotel, sightseeing, the outbound transfer to Ibaraki, uncovered airport transfers, additional outbound travel-day expenses or insurance coverage, fees, contingency, deposits, and emergency-reserve allocation remain TBD. The previous ¥32,000 hotel allowance was unverified and used four nights; the three-night hotel remains unpriced. The former two-departure-date comparison is superseded by the selected December 15 departure.

[!note] Business expenses Café work expenditures remain outside this budget as separately budgeted business expenses.

[!todo] Finalize the complete chapter budget Obtain the three-night hotel price and sharehouse quote, including billing and move-out terms. Price the outbound route on December 15, sightseeing, uncovered airport transfers, and any additional outbound travel-day expenses or insurance coverage. Confirm the final flight price when booked. Planned expenditure total, contingency, refundable deposits, cash needed, expected income, and emergency-reserve allocation remain TBD.

Transportation

Arrival

Selected Emirates itinerary; not booked:

Departure and arrival times, the Dubai connection, baggage allowance, and fare conditions remain TBD. Premium Economy is the earlier cabin preference; the cabin included in the quoted fare remains to be confirmed. The total itinerary fare is recorded in Flight to Tokyo.

[!todo] Plan the arrival journey Book the selected itinerary in the coming days (intention recorded October 25, 2026; exact booking date TBD). Confirm flight times, the connection, cabin, baggage, fare conditions, and final price, then retain booking evidence.

Local movement

Tentative: small commute in Tokyo to see various locations.

[!todo] Plan local transport Identify routes or passes, dates, costs, certainty and evidence, and luggage and timing constraints.

Departure and connection

This chapter owns the outbound transfer from Tokyo to the first Ibaraki stop in the northern journey. The selected departure date is December 15, 2027; route, mode, price, luggage, and overnight arrangements remain TBD.

[!todo] Plan the onward journey Confirm the origin, destination, next chapter, date or window, time zones, mode, cost and currency, booking status and evidence, and luggage and timing constraints. Allocate overnight accommodation and shared-booking costs if applicable.

Preparation and open decisions

[!todo] Finalize accommodation Confirm the three-night hotel stay and Saturday sharehouse move-in. Consider Sakura House and make the final sharehouse decision in August or September 2027, subject to arrival dates and availability. Retain a private room, no desk requirement, and the ¥100,000/month ceiling; check utilities, fees, and any remaining requirements.

[!todo] Research administrative requirements Identify applicable arrival procedures and deadlines based on personal circumstances.

[!todo] Confirm leave and flight dates Finalize the two weeks off and subsequent two-week workflow-adjustment period around the selected Frankfurt departure on October 19, 2027 and Narita arrival on October 20, 2027. Book EK044 followed by EK318 in the coming days; the quoted €1,171.40 fare is not yet booked. Confirm the leave dates and align them with the flight itinerary and work commitments.

[!todo] Establish the work routine Define working hours, identify suitable cafés, and verify the time difference for the relevant dates against workflow needs and the work location's time zone.

[!todo] Decide on excursions Consider Yokohama or Chiba and whether overnight stays are needed, depending on the settling-in and work schedule. These remain ideas.

[!todo] Review the chapter Check dates, housing nights, budget arithmetic, transfer allocation, and consistency with the travel-plan recap.

[!todo] Set remaining deadlines Assign dates to the actions above; only the sharehouse decision window is currently set.

Sources and assumptions

Revisions