What to do in Tokyo Japan?

 

Japan - Tokyo

 

This time we only went to Tokyo (for 8-9 days) and we each brought about $300 USD / 40,200 JPY (YEN) and spent the rest on credit cards. Some of the local restaurants (outside of tourist attractions) are CASH ONLY so make sure to bring some cash with you. We spent about $40 USD / 5000 JPY on transportation (trains and buses).

 

Tap water can be drank in Japan, but to be safe, just boil it and let it cool down before you drink it.

 

Bottles of tea and ready-to-eat foods are very cheap at the supermarket. We didn’t eat at the restaurants every meal because that would be too expensive. We went to buy those food and tea at the supermarket instead. They’re pretty delicious!

 

 

 

Transportation:

We purchased the Pasmo card at Haneda Airport as soon as we landed. I was told that the Pasmo card can also be used all around Japan outside of Tokyo (i.e. Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka, etc.) This card can also be used at most vending machines and convenience stores. A 500 YEN refundable deposit is required for the card. It can be returned at the airport- the window (yellow circle on picture below) right next to the purchasing machine.

 

       

*At Haneda Airport (Arrival), the Pasmo card can be purchased at these machines (in red circles). ‘Language’ can be changed to English.

 

How to charge the Pasmo card? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o67y7uUhIM0&ab_channel=JapanExperience

 

Locate one of these pink machines to charge at the train station. 

 

 

The card can also be charged at a 7-11 convenience store. https://www.sevenbank.co.jp/english/personal/atm/electronicmoney/ic.html?fbclid=IwAR05aOGElPCtZC6g5IEO_XFfpuTAilLeFtMck4vHf4S0X-tiAY61hLrGeXY

 

 

Where we went:

 

Team Labs (Go! Fun experience!)

Tickets can be purchased here: https://teamlabplanets.dmm.com/en

 

*Remember not to wear a skirt there because there’s a section where the floor has mirrors all around, and remember to wear something that could be folded up because your feet will get wet! Lockers will be provided for all your belongings including your shoes.

**There’s a vegan ramen (Vegan Ramen UZU Tokyo) right outside of the museum if you decide to eat there. However, that’s the only place where you can find food in that area. Otherwise, just eat before you go because there’s nothing much around the museum.

 

Odaiba (お台場):

Team Labs is very close to Odaiba, so go before or after your Team Labs experience.

Do you know about Gundam? A robot anime series that’s been going on for a long time. Odaiba extends a 60-ft mechanical figure to the very idea of space conservation. This robot statue moves twice an hour and undergoes a transformation 4x a day.

 

Ginza:

It’s like a Rodeo Drive in in Tokyo, but bigger!

·       Located a few stations north of Odaiba, Ginza is famous for its upscale retail stores and overpriced coffee. Chuo Dori running right down the center of Ginza is closed to vehicles during the weekends, so pedestrians can more easily cross from one luxury brand to the next.

·       While it’s close to Ginza, we ate at a really delicious sushi restaurant:

o   Tsukiji Tama Sushi: 〒104-0045 Tokyo, Chuo City, Tsukiji, 2 Chome−15−19 B１～２F ミレニアム築地

o   Sushi there was really fresh when we went! They did not have English menu but the receptionist and the waiters there kinda spoke English and we just pointed what we wanted on the menu LOL. GO! Don’t let language barrier stop you from eating something delicious!

 

 

Shibuya (渋谷):

Lots and lots of shopping complexes, boutique stores, and cafés line the streets around the station that it can make even the most experienced shoppers dizzy.

·       Shibuya scramble crossing (world’s busiest pedestrian crossing)

·       Super popular Hachiko statue

·       Central Street – A narrow street at the heart of Shibuya lined with boutiques, arcades, and people. These arcades are fun to tour, but if the goal is to win prizes, look elsewhere!

·       Shibuya Sky – *We did not go there this time, but we saw lots of internet posts about it. The views look amazing up there so maybe it’s worth a visit!

·       Meiji Jingu (a Shinto shrine) – Very popular shrine, all tourists and locals go there so it’s a must go, lol.

o   How to bow at a Japanese shrine (according to my Japanese friend):

§  1. Bow; 2. Toss a coin into the big box; 3. Bow TWICE; 4. Clap TWICE; 5. Hold your hands together and make a wish; 6. Bow ONCE.

·       Place to eat at Shibuya:

o    Ushihachi (King of Yakiniku): 2-3-1 Dogenzaka Shibuya Ekimae Bldg. 4F, Shibuya 150-0043 Tokyo Prefecture

It’s located at the cross street right above the huge L’Occitane store. Their beef was so good that we went there 3x throughout our trip! They also provide English menu.

 

Shinjuku: Nightlife! Bars! Clubs! Karaoke! And hotels? Who would rent a room for just 30 mins… oh. Let’s stay out of Kabukicho. Kabukicho is the biggest red light district in Japan where yakuza (gangster) presence is very strong.

·       Omoide Yokocho – An area of tiny restaurants where local street foods are served. Ramen stores are characterized by an “eat-and-go” mentality, while yakitori places have a slightly slower tempo.

·        Isetan (伊勢丹) –One of the many department stores in the area, Isetan is probably the oldest and most well-established. It features the traditional department store layout, with a food supermarket in the basement, restaurants on the top floors, and 1001 ways to blow your budget in between.

·       Camera（カメラ） – Yodobashi (ヨドバシ) and Bic (ビク) Camera are Japan’s electronic superstores.

 

Harajuku:

·       This is where famous Takeshita Street is located. Back in 2015, a lot of people dressed in Lolita/anime clothing or cosplay. But we rarely saw any of them this time we went.

·       Walking distance to Shibuya.

 

Asakusa (浅草):

Home to Tokyo’s oldest temple Senso-ji (浅草寺). 

·       Senso-ji: Different from a Shrine, this is a Japanese Temple. Another must go just to check it out since everyone goes here whenever they go to Tokyo!

o   How to bow at a Japanese temple (Please remember NO CLAPPING at temples!)

§  1. Bow; 2. Toss a coin into the big box; 3. Hold your hands together and make a wish; 6. Bow.

 

 

·       Asakusa is also very famous for Tempura! However, we did not try the tempura this time, we went to Yonekyuuhonten (米久本店) for the sukiyaki instead! It was great, the food was very yummy but the only down side is that it’s CASH ONLY!

o   Yonekyuu Honten (米久本店): 2 Chome-17-10 Asakusa, 台東区 Taito City, Tokyo 111-0032, Japan

§  It’s a few minutes’ walk from the Senso-ji.

 

·       Someone recommended Daikokuya (大黒家天麩羅) as the place with the best taste for the price. If budget is no concern, Nakasei (中清) might have the most authentic tempura don in the world! We did not try them and so we don’t know the addresses…

 

Akihabara:

Home to many maid cafes, Tokyo’s portal to the 2-D world. You can also find anything anime here.

 

Tokyo Station: https://g.co/kgs/mHKa4A

·       This is not only a station, but also a large underground mall for souvenirs!

·       The way they offer tax-free here is to pay everything up front at the shops, and then go to a tax-free counter somewhere in the underground mall to get the tax refunded.  

·       This is where we bought the Ghibli puzzles, but since it wasn’t much, I didn’t bother getting in line to get a tax refund.

 

Onsen: ジブリがいっぱい どんぐり共和国 東京駅店 03-5222-7871

https://g.co/kgs/mHKa4A

·       Public onsen, go whenever you’d like.

·       I didn’t get to go but Tim went and he really liked it!

·       This place also has this fish pedicure thing.

·       They also sell food inside this onsen place, kind of like small restaurants.

 

Don quijote (huge shop, tax free):

·       This is where we bought a lot of junk food at! Lol.

·       Tax-free if buying over 5,000 or 5,500 Yen.

·       This shop shows up at a lot of places, but we went to the one at Asakusa.

 

Matsumoto Kiyoshi:

·       Tax-free if buying over 5,000 or 5,500 Yen.

·       Huge drugstore where I bought a whole bunch of skincare/makeup/cosmetics products.

·       It’s a chain store so it can be found everywhere.

 

Welcia:

·       Tax-free if buying over 5,000 or 5,500 Yen.

·       Another huge drugstore where I bought a whole bunch of skincare/makeup/cosmetics products.

·       It’s a chain store so it can be found everywhere.

 

Places to eat that are recommended by my Japanese friend:

·       This is a good chain yakiniku store and many stores are located in Tokyo 焼肉トラジ 池袋東口店 03-5979-5529 https://maps.app.goo.gl/MgC8Z6XktEA4fyvS6?g_st=il

·       This is a great yakitori place but expensive. Maybe good for lunch. Weekend is crowded so recommend to go weekdays 伊勢廣 京橋本店 03-3281-5864 https://maps.app.goo.gl/ph18gfNcxK9MpCXXA?g_st=il

·       This one is a really popular unagi (eel) place 炭焼 うな富士 東京ミッドタウン八重洲店 03-3274-4788 https://maps.app.goo.gl/ymmr2xStB4U4LPYU9?g_st=il

·       Sushi.京辰 大井町店 03-5709-7333

https://maps.app.goo.gl/iqFgJCxhdG9hTuRM8?g_st=il

·       Chain ramen restaurants that locals like:

o   Tenkaippin

o   Kagetuarashi

 

Places I went in 2015 but did not get to go in 2023:

·       Ikebukuro

·       Ueno park

·       Tokyo Sky Tree (fee to go up)

·       Edo Tokyo museum

·       Nezu (nezu shrine)

·       Kagurazaka (nice street views)

·       Tsukiji (fish market for fresh sushi, opens 6am-10am when all the fish are sold out)

·       Hamamatsucho (went in 2015, but not this time, can’t remember what this was. Skip if you’d like).

·       Hanno, Saitama (onsen, very far, went in 2015 but not this time)

·       Okutama (rafting)

·       Setagaya-daita (Totoro cafe, went in 2015. Not sure if they still open now).

 

Japan – Kyoto

We did not go to Kyoto this time in 2023, but I solo traveled to Kyoto back in 2015 and these are the places that I went:

·       Fushimi Inari Shrine – This one is the one with a lot of red torii gates located right outside JR Inari Station. I remember hiking all the way up to the top with a monk. Everyone else only hiked to the middle and called it a day since it was a sprinkling that day… So proud of myself! Lol.

·       Kiyomizu-dera – This one is that one very photogenic brown temple. It was very crowded when I went back in 2015.

·       Sannen-zaka and Ninen-zaka – Must go! It’s an ancient alley/street with small Japanese shops!

·       Kinkakuji Temple (aka Rokuon-ji) – The Golden Pavilion – This is one of the most popular buildings in Kyoto due to its golden/yellow outlook. It’s very bright when the sun comes out!

·       Tenryuji Temple – This temple is huge. It’s located a little bit outside the main parts of Kyoto and is one of the most visited UNESCO world heritages in Kyoto (according to Google).

·       Togetsukyo Bridge – A very popular bridge. I remember wandering down the streets after visiting all the shrines and temples and somehow ended up at the bridge.

·       Arashiyama Bamboo Grove – That one very photogenic bamboo forest. Go here for lots of fresh air!

·       Okochi Sanso Villa – A beautiful garden and home of an old Japanese actor born in the late 1800s… I walked past it while walking to the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove.