Tokyo!
“Don’t just jump on trains all willy-nilly.”
I hope I can do our crazy whirlwind of a tour justice, because I didn’t document everything we did while we were in Japan in January. I’m feeling the regret, and it stings a little. I’m hoping others can find this info useful, because it took us a while to plan everything out. I’m thankful for Katelyn’s planning skills, though, because every day was FULL. I’d also like to thank TokyoCheapo.com for their awesome travel guides and itineraries.
I’m listing things by the days we did them, there’s probably an easier way to tackle this, but this is all I got.
Let’s begin! Hooray lists!
Day 1 – Shibuya/Harajuku:
1. Ichiran Ramen – I put this one first for a reason. What’s a good word that means basically the same thing as love but magnified x 1000? I freaking (insert that word here) Ichiran. Ichiran is a cubicle ramen chain in Japan where you enjoy your ramen as a solo experience. You’re separated from your neighbor so you can focus on the beauty of the bowl in front of you. You start by buying extras at a ticket machine which you’ll eventually hand to the guy on the other side of your cubicle. Custom ramen.
It should be the only ramen.
2. Shibuya crossing – Shibuya crossing is famous for being a ridiculously busy street crossing in the middle of the shopping district. Definitely nice for photographers/people who enjoy crossing streets at weird angles.
3. Hachiko Statue – Legend has it that Hachiko would wait every day in the same spot for his owner to get off the train. Hachiko continued to wait on his owner for 9 years after his owner’s death. You can find the statue by taking the Hachiko-guchi exit in Shibuya station.
Day 2 – Shinjuku/Harajuku/Shibuya/Shimokitazawa:
1. Metropolitan Government Building – I’d definitely recommend making the trip to Shinjuku for the view of the city from the top of the building. You can even see Mt. Fuji! There is also information for how to get free wifi around the city in the gift store/information area on the main floor.
Directions here.
2. Meiji Shrine – We lucked out and visited during Seijin No Hi (Coming of Age Day) on January 8, so there were tons of girls in traditional kimonos. The shrine is gorgeous and offered lots of traditional Japanese architecture. Perfect for photography nerds.
Directions here.
3. Shimokitazawa – We decided to visit because it was called the “hipster” area in Tokyo. Naturally, we went to explore the vintage shops and to try to find shows. Don’t judge.
More info and directions here.
Day 3 – Hakone/Shinjuku/Golden Gai:
1. Hakone – We took a day trip to Hakone to get views of Mt. Fuji and to get some fresh air. The trip didn’t disappoint.
More info and directions here.
2. Robot Restaurant (Shinjuku) – No trip to Tokyo is complete without visiting the Robot Restaurant in Shinjuku. My friends and I probably agree on this one. It’s ridiculous. There are robots, robot girls, flame-throwing moths, and mirror-ball horses. I don’t fully understand it, but it’s everything I hoped it would be. Ridiculous.
More info and directions here.
3. Golden Gai (the home of Deathmatch in Hell) – Golden Gai is an area in Shinjuku that’s bursting with adorable little pubs, most of which are themed, some of which are used for questionable activities. Our favorite, by far, was a pub called Deathmatch in Hell. The whole place (it’s tiny) is overflowing with horror film merchandise and posters. The owner and bartender, who looks like a Japanese version of Wayne from “Waynes World”, was our favorite part of the experience. Super cool guy.
Go visit him and give him a high five.
Day 4 – Asakusa/Sumida:
1. Asakusa – Our hostel was in Asakusa and in walking distance of the Sensoji shrine and subway station. You can shop Nakamise shopping street (on the Sensoji Shrine grounds) or Shin-Nakamise (the covered shopping area in the photos). There are tons of souvenirs and a few antiques/collectibles in the area.
2. Sumida (SUMO!) – Our trip happened to fall during the same time that the Tokyo Grand Sumo Tournament was being held, so we decided we had to go. We headed to Sumida to catch some sweet sweet sumo action and weren’t disappointed. We even scored some dirt cheap vintage kimonos before heading in. The matches last all day, so there’s really no need to rush in first thing to get your seats. Unless, of course, you’re a fan of one of the wrestlers and/or know anything about sumo. None of us knew anything. We left happy anyway.
We got info, directions, and how to buy tickets here.
Day 5 – Akihabara:
1. Akihabara – Awesome area filled with technology (that’s what it’s famous for) and a little bit of the weirder side of anime/manga fandoms. Some of the stores were a bit strange, but I found a Gundam cafe, so all was right with the universe.
How-To:
Travel: We flew from Incheon (Seoul) to Narita (Tokyo) airport with Vanilla air for around 190,000 KRW (abt 170 USD). Pro tip: to buy international plane tickets online you MUST use an internationally accepted credit/bank card (Visa or MasterCard). Unfortunately, your Korean bank card won’t work unless it is also a credit card. My sweet little Busan Bank card doesn’t do the trick, but my debit card from back home (MC) does.
Hostel: We stayed at Khaosan World (Asakusa) in the 8 bed female dorm for 5 nights for a grand total of 1143673.26 JPY (abt. $100 USD). I absolutely loved this hostel. It was clean, had helpful staff, was conveniently located, and had an adorable pub/kitchen area on the first floor.
Check it out on hostelworld (where we booked) here.
Time spent: We were in Tokyo for 5 1/2 days, so we had PLENTY of time to explore and pick things each of us wanted to do. Sumo? Check. Robot show? Check. Kabuki theater? Check. Fun for everyone.
Things that’ll make your trip easier: The first is, obviously, a subway map app. I used the official Tokyo Metro app. You can put in your starting station and destination and the app shows you exactly what transfers to take and estimates your time of arrival. You can download it here for android. The second is the Tokyo City Guide. It tells you places nearby to check out and can come in handy if you have some time to kill. You can download it here for android. Again, check out TokyoCheapo.com for tips and tricks for making your visit affordable AND awesome.