A Guide to Tokyo, Japan
Table of Contents
● Tips
● Where to Stay
● What to Do
● Where to Eat
● Where to Drink
Tips
For an American, Tokyo is so different from anywhere I have ever been. It's technologically advanced, safe, clean, and quiet. There are some customs that are different to what we're used to, and below are some tips to help prepare you:
● Public transportation in Japan, especially the metro, is safe, easy, and cheap. Give yourself a little extra time when you first arrive to get acquainted with the maps and translations.
● On that note, it's not common to talk on the metro, so keep your conversations for when you get off the train, or keep the volume down.
● In a similar vein, keep the volume down in general. I can't count how many times my friends and I thought we were speaking at a regular volume, only to look around and find everyone glaring at us. Be aware of the atmosphere and try not to talk too loudly if that's not the vibe.
● We often saw children taking the metro or walking home from school alone due to the safe nature, don't be alarmed.
● Be prepared to carry your trash with you, there are very few public trash cans. I'd recommend keeping a little plastic bag in your purse for your trash until you get back to your accommodation or find a trash can.
● Don't hand your money directly to the cashier - there's often a tray they'll hand you, you put the money or credit card on the tray, and they'll return it to you in the same fashion.
● The little markets/convenience stores, like Lawsons, are delicious and cheap - take a break from the amazing restaurants to snack on everything here.
● It's not chocolate, it's red bean paste. We made this mistake many many times.
Where to Stay
What to Do
● Visit the Tokyo Skytree on the east side of the city.
It’s the tallest tower in the world, and the second tallest structure in the world. It provides an incredible 360 degree view of Tokyo and gives you a vantage point to see just how huge the city is. It’s about $20 to go to floor 350, which was high enough for us. You can pay an additional $10 to go to floor 450, but we didn’t feel the need.
● Eat all the ramen.
ABC Ramen in Ginza had amazing al dente type noodles, Ginza Kagari in Ginza had super flavorful and creamy chicken broth (and long lines), Afuri has multiple locations and really yummy and citrusy broth, and Ippudo in Ginza has crazy delicious chashu (pork). Basically you can’t have bad ramen in Tokyo…which is why we just kept eating it over and over again.
● Sing your heart out at karaoke.
Japan is famous for developing karaoke, and it’s an absolute must do while visiting. Myself and three friends booked a karaoke room for two hours, it was all you can drink…so you can only imagine how ~wonderful~ we imagined we could sing by the end of hour two. It was one of my favorite memories in Tokyo!
● Explore sensō-Ji in Asakusa.
It’s Tokyo’s oldest temple, and absolutely worth venturing to. Asakusa is an interesting and busy part of the city, so you can make a day trip out of it. The temple is right next to a market that sells souvenirs and typical Japanese snacks.
● Visit the Odaiba Statue of Liberty.
It’s a large replica of our beloved Lady Liberty with a beautiful view of the Rainbow Bridge in the background. It’s located next to Diver City which houses the Hello Kitty cafe and is next to the massive Gundam statue, so it’s worth heading over there.
● Be a pedestrian in the Shibuya Crossing.
This famous street crossing shuffles tons of people on the crosswalks once the walk signs turn green. It’s what I imagined when I thought of Tokyo – very organized chaos. Shibuya is also a really neat part of the city, with fun rooftop bars and busy restaurants.
Where to Eat
● Try authentic soba noodles.
We went to Kanda Matsuya close to Akihabara Electric Town. It was such a cool experience – the sign was in Japanese so we asked some people walking by where it was. Once we opened the sliding doors, we were greeted with a cozy atmosphere and family style tables. We ordered yakitori, tempura, and of course, soba noodles. The soba noodles come on a draining plate, and you eat them by dipping them in your sauce of choice. The tables were packed tight and were filled with local Japanese people. This kind Japanese man next to us bought us sake and beer and conversed with us.
● Eat all the ramen.
ABC Ramen in Ginza had amazing al dente type noodles, Ginza Kagari in Ginza had super flavorful and creamy chicken broth (and long lines), Afuri has multiple locations and really yummy and citrusy broth, and Ippudo in Ginza has crazy delicious chashu (pork). Basically you can’t have bad ramen in Tokyo…which is why we just kept eating it over and over again.
● Wake up early and visit the fish market.
Most of the vendors pack up around 11am…as we’d known since that’s when we got there. That’s definitely one of the things I wish I’d experienced, but it was still neat to walk around the dock where the fish market operates. There’s a ton of fresh sushi restaurants right by the dock for a lunch break as well.
● Try other Japanese cuisine besides ramen and sushi.
This one was hard for us since both were sooooo delicious, but it turned out to be worth it. We were on the hunt for tonkatsu, so we walked over to Butagumi in Minato. Unfortunately we couldn’t get a table, we were famished so we walked into a restaurant down the street. Turns out we had stumbled upon the “Kill Bill” restaurant, Gonpachi. Apparently Quentin Tarantino based the movie off of an experience at the restaurant. We feasted on tons of skewers and rice bowls, appreciated the unique decor, but were confused why it was so busy. Guess we should’ve done our research beforehand to appreciate the restaurant!
Where to Drink
● Meet some locals at Golden Gai in Shinjuku.
The bars in Golden Gai fit about five to ten people only, they’re very small and cozy. Most of the bars we went to allowed smoking, which was a little off putting since the bars are so small. We met locals at each of the bars we went to, and had some wonderful candid conversations about differences in American and Japanese culture. There’s a seating charge of roughly ~¥ 1,000 just to sit at the bar, and the drinks are relatively expensive, but it’s a really neat experience and fun.
● Sip on a coffee at the Hello Kitty Cafe.
One of our group members is a massive Hello Kitty fan, so she suited up in her Hello Kitty leotard, and we ventured over to the cafe. You can take pictures with all sorts of paraphernalia and beverages with the symbol imprinted on it, super cute!
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