Japan’s vibrant and new-age cultural hub is also its capital, Tokyo. The massive city is loaded with things to do and ways to stay as busy as its bustling throngs of inhabitants. During our April 2023 trip to Japan, we book-ended our trip with a total of about four and a half days in Tokyo. Not near enough time to see everything Tokyo has to offer, here’s how we started and ended our big Japan trip in Tokyo!
Our trip started with the long flight from Chicago to Tokyo Haneda airport. We flew United Airlines Premium Economy which allowed a little extra room for comfort. The flight landed in Tokyo at just after 9:00 PM, part of our plan to make sure we were well-rested for our first day of exploring Tokyo. The border control lines in Tokyo were unlike any that we’d seen in quite some time, reminding us that the world was getting back to traveling after the COVID-19 pandemic. Japan, in particular, had only been reopened to most tourists for a matter of weeks. After waiting for over two hours, we collected our things and took a taxi to our hotel.
The Kitano Hotel Tokyo
During our first leg of the Tokyo stay, we stayed at The Kitano Hotel. Booking a place to stay in a city as big as Tokyo can be overwhelming, so I always recommend to people to pick a place based on location. But with things to see and do all over Tokyo, even picking an ideal location was difficult. Luckily, the Tokyo subway system is extensive and will have you where you need to be in no time.
The Kitano Hotel is located in the Chiyoda City ward of Tokyo, the political hub of the city that is also littered with businesses and Japanese salarymen. We booked a superior king room, a Western-styled room with plenty of space and a nice bathroom. This was our first encounter with the techy Japanese toilets that we grew to love and seek out. The hotel was minutes away from several different subway stations, giving us multiple routes to choose from when stepping out for the day. Overall a nice place to stay, The Kitano was just that; it did the job but wasn’t too memorable for any particular reason.
Japan Rail Passes and the Tokyo Metro
Since we got in to Japan so late and had a long wait at border control, the first thing on our “to-do” list in Tokyo was to activate our Japan Rail Passes. The JR Pass can be purched in one- two- or three-week versions and allows unlimited travel throughout the country on Japan Rail trains. This includes the famous Shinkansen bullet trains. Not included within the JR Pass, however, are most subway and trams within cities. There are some JR trains that pass through or around major cities that can be helpful, though.
The JR Pass must be purchased before traveling to Japan and then activated once in the country. Only then can rail line tickets can be purchased. Because it is not cheap and recently became even more expensive, do your math before purchasing. If you plan to travel extensively though the country and wish to have the flexibility to easily change or rebook your train tickets, the JR Pass is probably the way to go. But if only hopping on the Shinkansen once or twice during your time in Japan, it is probably much more economical to purchase tickets individually.
The best and easiest place to activate your JR Pass is at the airport, but we used the Tokyo Station booth which took over an hour. Once activated, tickets can be purchased through relatively easy-to-use ticket machines. Finding the correct machines is definitely the most difficult part of the process, though, as each different rail or subway line has a unique machine and they all look very similar.
Now to the topic of the Tokyo Subway. Clean, extensive, and safe, the Tokyo subway system is the best way to explore the city. But, in my experience, it is not at the top of the world’s most easily navigable subway systems. There are two distinct subway systems in Tokyo, the Tokyo Metro and the Toei Subway, with a total of 13 lines. The Tokyo Metro offers more lines and connections, so we purchased unlimited use passes with this subway line, not knowing there were two! While using Google Maps to help us choose the most efficient route, on several occasions we were stopped in our tracks because one of the legs was on the other subway line, the Toei. Watch closely and you’ll arrive from point A to point B, but don’t be surprised if you get stopped at a turnstile or two!
Shibuya City
The first Tokyo ward that we explored was Shibuya. Quintessentially busy and big, Shibuya is how most people picture Tokyo. There are skyscrapers and neon lights everywhere you look, while you’re often shoulder-to-shoulder with other people. After exiting Shibuya station, one of Tokyo’s busiest, we quickly found the Shibuya scramble, the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing. At this intersection, traffic stops in all directions simultaneously to allow up to 3,000 pedestrians to pass with each halt in traffic. There’s no better way to quickly grasp how enormous this city is.
We continued to explore Shibuya on foot and made our way to Yoyogi Park. We visited Japan in April and were excited to see the world-famous cherry blossoms, known in Japan as Sakura. This particular year, the popular flora bloomed a bit early, so we found most trees throughout our tour of the country reaching the end of their peak bloom. The trees were still beautiful to see as they abandoned their small petals to the gentle winds. Yoyogi Park is a nice place in Shibuya to see the Sakura and enjoy a stroll away from the busy city.
Shinjuku City
After a bite to eat from a group of food trucks in Shibuya, we rode the subway to Shinjuku City. Home to the world’s busiest passenger station, Shinjuku station, this part of Tokyo is equally busy, if not busier! We would return to Shinjuku several times throughout our time in Tokyo, but this particular afternoon, we were interested in taking advantage of the clear, sunny day to visit the observatory at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. The observatory is on the 45th floor and is free of charge, but allow some time to visit because there is usually a long line. The views are great, though. Looking through the thick glass at over 200 meters high, you can see just how massive Tokyo is. And on a very clear day (clearer than ours, apparently), even Mount Fuji can be seen in the distance.
Ready for a diverse Japanese eating experience, we walked to the recently-opened Ryu no Miyako, a restaurant alley-themed concept with 17 individual restaurants to order from. During this stop for a late lunch, the place was almost empty, but during another stop at night later in our trip, the restaurant was packed. Ryu no Miyako is a great place to eat if you’re looking to try new things or are craving various different types of Asian cuisine in a casual setting. I definitely recommend stopping here for a fun meal.
Jet lag was getting the best of us that afternoon, so we relaxed for a few hours before our evening plans. Emily wasn’t feeling super great, so Daniel and I spontaneously booked seats at the Kitano Hotel’s sushi restaurant for an easy dinner. Sushi Oumi is an Edomae-style sushi restaurant that is actually quite respected in Tokyo. You won’t find articles written about it (it is barely even mentioned on the hotel’s website), and if you search the name, you’re likely to come across various other restaurants that share the name “Sushi Oumi”. But Chef Oumi is classically trained, talented, and revered locally as a great sushi chef.
A traditional sushi dinner is a must-do experience in Japan and worth splurging on cost for, in my opinion. No need to be an expert on sushi, as I am not; you’ll still find worth in the experience. There are tons of places in Tokyo (and elsewhere in Japan) to enjoy the long, thoughtful meal prepared right in front of you, but doing some research to find an authentic experience and booking ahead is key. We got incredibly lucky to stumble in to Sushi Oumi.
Sushi Oumi was a 14-seat, one-room restaurant where a ten-course dinner was served along with an optional saki pairing. This was one of my favorite nights in Japan because Chef Oumi was so welcoming and truly wanted us to enjoy the evening. The food was delectable, and the various sakis that we tasted taught me how diverse the drink can be.
Tsukiji Outer Market
The Tsukiji Outer Market was a spot in Tokyo that we highly anticipated visiting, so we went there first thing on our second full day in Tokyo. Originally, the Tsukiji Market was a wholesale fish market that catered to professionals and restauranteurs where large fish auctions took place. There is still a market for this, the Toyosu Market, where tourists can go and observe the large tuna auctions. But Tsukiji Outer Market is the place to go for street eats and Japaneses food market items.
We had SO much fun at the Tsukiji Market. We arrived early, around 9:00 AM, and the market was already bustling. Going to the market with one goal, to eat, we made our way though the crowds, peering in each stall, willing to try just about anything that struck our fancy. Traveling in a group of three was very convenient, as we took turns buying items and letting everyone try. We ate so much food, but some of our favorites were raw tuna belly, yakitori, wagyu beef skewers, salmon rice bowls, and enormous oysters. The crowds were large, and eating on the go is encouraged. But we definitely got shouted at by shipowners on a few occasions for stopping to eat in front of their stall!
Sensō-ji
Our next stop was Tokyo’s oldest temple, Sensō-ji. One of the busiest religious sites in the world, this Buddhist temple was packed with tourists, as it usually is. After passing under the entrance gate, called the “Thunder Gate”, we walked down a thoroughfare lined with shops selling tourist items and food. Keep walking along; these shops are not selling anything you cannot live without.
Carrying on through the next gate, the “Treasure House Gate”, grants access to the temple grounds. Inside are a beautiful five-story pagoda and the main temple hall. The grounds are lovely with Japanese gardens and ponds. We didn’t miss our chance to ask the oracle a question by shaking a metal tin and retrieving the answer from one of 100 marked drawers on the wall, a neat and noisy tradition.
Tokyo Food Tour
There is no better way to get to know a city than through its food, so we spent the evening on the Allstar Food Tour by Arigato. This food tour walked us through the Ginza district that is famous for its high-end shopping and restaurants. We started at a restaurant built under some of the city’s train tracks where we sampled some fresh sushi and fried prawns and learned a lot about Japanese cuisine. We continued on to several other stops in Ginza that ranged from an old family-owned restaurant to an upscale tea vendor to a fancy mochi shop. In addition to trying new foods with a group of fellow travelers, it was fun to walk through Ginza’s busy city streets at night and admire the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.
After our food tour, we made our way to the Golden Gai district of Shinjuku to meet up with a couple of friends for some drinks. Just after we wrapped up planning our trip to Japan, we learned that a couple of friends from the USA would be traveling there at the same time, and a large portion of our travel was going to overlap. These two are practically experts on Japanese culture, so it was fun to experience with them and learn from them.
Golden Gai is a bar district with over 200 tiny, ramshackle bars smushed into several narrow blocks and alleys in Shinjuku. It is the kind of place where one wouldn’t dare sit at a bar without ordering a drink because seats can be hard to come by. We walked around for a while trying to decide where to start (many bars charge patrons just to walk in and take a seat) before finally picking a place to have a drink. Several from our group took shots of Habushu, a liquor made with the venom of a snake that remains in the jar! I chickened out. Golden Gai was a neat experience, but the prices are driven high by its popularity, so be prepared to spend if you want to experience some of its many bars.
We woke up the next morning and, after a traditional Japanese breakfast at our hotel, embarked on our first high speed Shinkansen train trip through Japan. In true Japanese fashion, everything about the train station and its trains is incredibly clean and orderly. I’ll never forget the custodial workers that rush the train in a mad blitz as it arrived at the station and cleaned with the utmost diligence prior to quickly exiting and allowing passengers to board.
We traveled to Kyoto via Shinkansen as we began our tour around the country. When doing so, the best seats are on the right side of the train, as you’ll pass by Mount Fuji and be able to see it with great clarity and best from this side of the train.
After nine days of touring Japan, we returned to Tokyo for another two days in the capital city.
The Prince Park Tower Tokyo
Upon our return to Tokyo, we chose to stay in a different part of the city and splurge a bit on a hotel with a great view of the city. We stayed at The Prince Park Tower Tokyo, a high-rise hotel near the Tokyo Tower landmark where we booked a panoramic king room with a magnificent view. The hotel was centrally located in Tokyo, but because it sits back and is surrounded by parks, it is a bit of a hike to any of the nearby metro stations. But the room was spacious and the hotel was beautiful. Picking a hotel in Tokyo was such a difficult task, so overall we felt content with this selection and would recommend it.
Street Kart Shibuya
Daniela and I were anticipating our next excursion throughout the entire trip through Japan and couldn’t wait to get a little rush of adrenaline. Street Kart Shibuya gives riders a chance to ride go karts through the streets of Tokyo! That’s right, riding on the street alongside cars, buses, and pedestrians all while dressed in character onesies. This experience was every bit as fun as it sounds, and only the pictures and videos can explain how cool it was.
The best moment of the entire 45-minute ride was when our guide, who was excellent and incredibly professional and safe, accidentally got us stuck in the middle of the Shibuya Scramble by timing the traffic lights incorrectly. So there we sat, in the middle of the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing while people walked around us in every direction in the midst of their busy Tokyo lives. You can see the whole thing unfold in the second video below. I hadn’t laughed that hard in ages.
The Street Kart experience was very safe and one that I would recommend to anyone! The karts are simple to drive, and the guides really give a great tutorial on how to maneuver them. Plus they are constantly snapping photos at almost every stop. With hand signals and clear communication, they did a great job ensuring that all we had to do was have fun and drive!
One of Emily’s “must-dos” in Japan was to visit a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, so we went to UOBEI. What a fun meal! Diners sit down at individual stations where they order sushi piece by piece on the touchscreen. Then, within minutes, the sushi arrives via the conveyer belt and stops within easy reach. While not the most gourmet sushi experience, the advantage to this “fast food sushi” is the ability to try many different pieces and eat as much or as little as you’d like.
We had some time to kill in the evening and decided to have a few drinks at the Stellar Garden Sky Lounge at our hotel, the Prince Park Tower. On the 33rd floor of the tower, the cocktail bar takes reservations because it offers an awesome view of the Tokyo Tower and part of the Tokyo skyline. We were able to walk right in, though, because it was early enough.
After staring at the Tokyo Tower while enjoying some cocktails, we booked spontaneous tickets to visit and ascend its viewing platforms. These timed tickets should be pre-purchased to avoid long waits, and plenty of time should be devoted to the visit. Before reaching the crowded main viewing tower and enjoying the truly spectacular views, visitors must wait in several lines and take several elevator rides which can be irritating and downright boring. However the sheer vastness of a city this size can only be measured from above, and there may be no better view of it in all of Tokyo.
Japanese Home Cooking Class
When the culinary experience is a huge reason for planning your vacation, taking a piece of it home with us sounded like a no-brainer. We booked an in-home cooking class for the first time after reading a lot about how great and authentic they can be, and I could not have been more pleased with the class. Our host, Akiko, was the sweetest woman who welcomed us into her home, shared stories about her life and living in Tokyo, and, of course, helped us cook a wonderful lunch. We enjoyed making okonomiyaki and three appetizers with our new friend, but we enjoyed sitting down to eat with one another even more. This cooking class was such a fun experience, and I’d recommend it to anyone, regardless of culinary skill or interest!
Ichiran Ramen
Despite being utterly not hungry after such a great lunch, we still had one place left to check off of our eating list. Ichiran Ramen is known worldwide for specializing in some of the best, quick tonkotsu ramen. This restaurant (at any of its locations) will have a line out the door at all times during its opening hours because it is THAT good. Patrons are seated at individual stalls according to an antique-appearing light system. The menu is simple, serving only varieties of tonkotsu ramen. The ramen is delivered through a sliding door by cooks on the other side of the wall. The whole dining concept is centered around eating the ramen and quickly vacating your seat so that the next customer can do the same. And the food was excellent, the best ramen we had during our time in Japan.
teamLab Planets Tokyo
We were sad to see our final day in Tokyo come but excited with how we would be spending it. teamLab Planets Tokyo is an immersive art museum where visitors can experience art and nature simultaneously. The museum is immensely popular with influencers looking to snag the neatest photos and for good reason! Whether walking through the infinite crystal universe, wading in the virtual koi pond, or crawling through the floating flower garden, the photo ops are limitless, but the experience is neat too! There are several rooms that require barefoot entry in order to walk through water and over some uneven surfaces, so come prepared for that. And tickets sell out almost every day, so they should be booked in advance.
After teamLabs, we killed the last little bit of time by returning to the Tsukiji Outer Market for a lunch of street food. We loved this place so much almost two weeks earlier that we needed to try a few more things before leaving Japan.
Japan was, in all ways, inviting and hospitable to us throughout our two week journey. I’ll remember it as being impressively clean and carrying the utmost order within its daily life. From simple to gourmet, the food was spectacular and enough of a reason to visit the country. But offering so much more than just good food, Japan takes visitors back thousands of years into the past and simultaneously propels them leaps into future. Keep reading through the additional posts to discover the full breadth of how we spend two weeks in Japan!
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