Tokyo Guide

Sitting in gloomy Chicago sipping on my matcha latte about to write this post, I glance at Instagram and note that the Kardashians are in Tokyo, yet again. I think to myself ah how nice would it be to go back again, maybe I can squeeze another trip in next year? Ok maybe not quite, but soon enough. Oh Tokyo, where do I begin with Tokyo. In the weeks since being back I have managed to track down Japanese stores and new Japanese restaurants in Chicago (hmm future posts). Heck, I have also managed to find decently priced Japanese Kit Kats online, and maybe I ordered a bag of them already. I guess sometimes a place just captures your heart and when that happens, you just want to feel like you are back there again. Japan and especially Tokyo have clearly done that for me.

While planning Tokyo, I watched a lot of Youtube videos and scoured Pinterest for other Tokyo blog posts. As I mentioned in my first Japan post, I thought I was well prepared for our trip to Tokyo. This was the first vacation that I was super organized, putting an excel list together by neighborhood, listing every attraction, restaurant, store and historical site I wanted to see in Tokyo. Normally I hate travel itineraries as I really just like to explore and immerse myself in the city I travel to. But, the the more I read and watched Youtube videos, the more I realized that Tokyo is huge!  Relying on general Tokyo maps, I realized I had to have a general sense of which day I wanted to go to specific neighborhoods or we would barely see what we wanted to.  Even with all of this preparation we still didn’t cross everything off our list, but we did see a lot. 

I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a sense of where everything is located. Tokyo is divided by wards and each ward holds different neighborhoods. Each neighborhood is really more like a city on its own and in fact the neighborhoods are referred to as cities by locals. On average I found that neighborhoods were about 20-30min from each other by train, so it is a huge time and money saver if you can cluster activities together. Depending on how long you are going for, and the type of traveler you are, you might not have time to go back and forth between different neighborhoods. For us, we found that we could spend a day in each neighborhood and we did leave a day to go back to one or two places we felt we did not have enough time in.

Below are my recommendations of favorite things to do and places to check out by neighborhood (including the map I used to get organized) and I am only including places we actually made it to. We did not get a chance to explore Akihabra and Roppongi (next time Tokyo, next time), but the list I put together for our trip is extensive, so If you want more recommendations (including neighborhoods I did not cover in this post), please feel free to contact me!

 

Ginza

When I started researching what neighborhoods to stay in, most sites I stumbled on recomended staying in Shibuya and Shinjuku. I didn’t see much about Ginza initially, except that it was the most expensive neighborhood. Not cool with this budget savvy girl. As I mentioned in my previous Japan post I ended up finding a really great hotel in Ginza that wasn’t too expensive and I am so glad I did. Ginza is definitely my favorite neighborhood.

It is centrally located and most other neighborhoods are either a 15-30min train ride, or a 20 min walk. It is much calmer than neighborhoods like Shibuya and Shinjuku with lots of great restaurants and shopping. Yes, it can be expensive, but there are also a lot of cheaper places you can eat at. What is really cool about this neighborhood is that there are a lot of flagship stores (food, jewelry, and clothing wise) from all over the world. What this means is that if you are a world brand the Japanese consider worthy of their standards, you will have a location here! Anything from luxury brands like Hermes, Bvulgari, to Banana Republic and French favorite Lauderee. I also found some really great Belgian waffles!

Also, there are several Japanese satellite stores scattered throughout Ginza. These are basically Japanese Regional Stores from areas like Okinawa, Nagano, Hokkaido, etc. carrying specialities from those parts of Japan. You could take a half a day and walk from store to store and feel like you are exploring Japan.

Here are my Ginza highlights:

What to see

Hamarikyu Gardens-We stumbled on these on our last day in Tokyo. It used to be a Tokyo Lords residence, but is now a public park thats serves as a tranquil escape from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. It is a cool mix of landscaped gardens, featuring ponds, a teahouse and a 300 year old tree. All this is surrounded by Tokyo skyscrapers. There is a 300 yen or about $2.80 entrance fee, but it is worth it.

Tsukiji Fish Market-The original market has moved to the outer parts of Tokyo (this was the famous fish market that held tuna auctions),  but this one is still worth a visit. For us, it was about a 10 minute walk from our hotel and a great place to go for sushi. There are several good sushi restaurants here and it has retained its old charm.

Imperial Palace and Hibiya Park-The Imperial Palace is  the primary residence of the Emperor of Japan. The grounds are beautiful filled with greenery and surrounded by skyscrapers. I believe you can tour inside, but we did not get a chance to since it was only during certain times. There is a really beautiful park that borders the southern part of the Imperial Palace and there are a couple of restaurants you can eat at inside the park. Great place to relax and its the grounds and part are free.

Godzilla Statue-Statue based off of the movie. Its worth walking by if that is something you are into.

Tokyo Train Station-The main train station in Tokyo and most likely where you will arrive if coming from the airport. Our hotel was about a 5min cab ride from here. The train station itself is worth a visit and it is big! The bullet trains depart from here and the building itself is very modern on one side and the old classical architecture on the other. There are lots of shops and restaurants inside. It is know for it Ramen street which is just a row of Ramen Restaurants.

Kabuki Theater-Famous traditional Japanese theater showcasing typical Japanese dance-drama.  Shows can last 3 hours, but you can buy tickets for acts lasting anywhere from 30min to an hour. Unfortunately, we did not get to see a show, but will next time we go back. This was literally a 2min walk from our hotel.

Chuo-Dori Ave-This is the main shopping street and on the weekends it closes down for pedestrians. Even if you are not into shopping, check out the street for the buildings. Its all lit up in the evenings and looks really cool.

Where to Eat 

Kimuraya-This is the most famous Japanese bakery that is know for Anpan. Anpan is a Japanese sweet bread or sweet roll stuffed with anything from red bean paste (delicious!), chestnut, cherry paste to other seasonal flavors. This place has been around since 1874 and also has a cafe where you can buy other food. They sell other Japanese and French influenced sweets and are also known for their breaded pork and shrimp sandwiches. These are seriously delicious. The sandwiches are pricey at about $10, but worth it. The buns however are a steal ranging from .90 cents to a little over a dollar.

Lauderee– The one in Ginza is the actual cafe from Paris serving up French food and French pastries. If you love French Macaroons, then this is the place. It is inside the Mitsokushi department store.

Ginza Mannekan-This is the place for Belgian Waffles. At $1.25 you get a bite of sweet, but not too sweet heaven. Perfectly chewy and buttery. They come in different flavors, but the classic was the best. Seriously go try it!

Yuracucho-This is a business “district” that runs along and under the JR Yamanote Line and it is the place to for budget eats. It is littered with Izakaya(traditional Japanese bars) and Yakitori restaurants. Very much worth a visit.

Ginza Koriddori-Also known as restaurant alley and is the most popular place for restaurants and places to go drink. It gets busy during the week in the evenings when business people come to eat after work.

Happy Pancake-If you haven’t tried a Japanese pancake, you haven’t lived. Fluffy and almost soufflé like, they are bigger than traditional American pancakes, but so much lighter. This is the place to try them. There is typically a wait, but it goes fairly quick. They are pricer as a plate with bacon, pancakes and eggs will set you back $14, but trust me splurging is worth it.

Sushi Zanmai-There are several locations throughout Tokyo, but we ate at the one in Tsukiji Market. Great place for nigiri and for about 14 pieces and two miso soups we paid about $40 which is a great price if you consider the quality of the nigiri. 

Mitsokushi-In Japan most department stores have food stalls in the basement and this place is the Rolls Royce of them all. There is something for everyone’s budget and includes bento boxes, salads by weight, sandwiches, sushi, and pastries which include French pastries (I think the Japanese really like French pastries lol). The top floor includes a terrace where you can take your food to eat, pick up a drink at a vending machine, and check out a temple dedicated to the founder of the department store.

Bulgari-It is an Italian brand known for its jewelry, but in Tokyo it houses a restaurant and bar. The bar area is the place to go for afternoon tea. This is a splurge, but for about $33 a person, you get tea and a box of savory tea sandwiches and pastries which include the famous Bulgari Jewel chocolate. This was cheaper than an afternoon tea in downtown Chicago and worth the experience.

Gyukatsu Motomura– This place is tiny (sits only 8 people), looks like a hole in the wall, and there is always a line, but let me tell you it is beyond worth it. It’s located near the train station in an area filled with restaurants mainly visited by locals. Ok so what is it? Breaded beef you sear on a cast iron grill yourself. It melts in your mouth and is just amazing. For $14 a person, you get the beef, soup, salad, yams, rice and complementary tea. Just go, you will not be disappointed.

Ippudo Ramen-This was the first place we ate at in Tokyo. Located next to our hotel and the ramen is better than anything I ever ate in Chicago. A bowl of the most expensive ramen is $10.

Wagyu beef-I can’t for the life of me remember the name of the place we ate at, but it was right in the basement of a building right down the street from our hotel. A plate of Wagyu beef was $30 and enough for two people to share. You grill it yourself and it just melts in your mouth. We ate there twice!

Tir  Na Nog-If you are looking for a cool place to get cocktails this place is awesome. It’s a fairy themed basement bar with really cool cocktails. They have a cotton candy machine they use for cocktails! The nicest bartenders too. A bit pricey and there is a cover charge (this is common for bars, but remember in Japan there is no tipping). Worth it if you don’t mind splurging.

Where to Shop

Ginza Six– This is more of a high end department store but the rooftop has really great views of Ginza.

Tokyu Plaza Ginza-I didn’t really shop here, but the basement has great food and the top floor also has a really nice viewing deck.

Uniqlo-The flagship Japanese clothing brand store is located Ginza. It is crazy busy and packed, but does have really great prices.

Shishedo-If you are into the brand then the main store is in Ginza. I checked it out and bought a moisturizer. The store itself is overrated but if its something you are into, check it out.

Drug/Beauty Stores-I don’t really know the names of the stores, but you will find them all over Tokyo. There was a really great one right next to the hotel and was a great place to stop in an pick up known Japanese skincare and makeup brands as well as Kit Kats. The cool thing is they do offer duty free on purchases of 5,000 yen or about $46.

Muji-I found this place on my last day and it is awesome. Muji is a Japanese retail company which sells a wide variety of household and consumer goods at great prices. The first floor has teas, food and Japanese snacks you can bring home. They also carry clothes and I bought a really great pair of organic cotton pajamas here for $30.

Itoya-If you are into stationery, this is the store for you. It has 7 floors filled with beautiful paper, planners and fancy pens.

Japanese Satellite Stores-Most are located in Yuracucho across from the train tracks. I bought great sea salt cookies from Okinawa in one of them. Great place to pick up local goods and there are other cool stores around this area as well.

Asakusa and Ueno

Asakusa  has somewhat of an older Tokyo vibe with traditional craft shops and street-food stalls along Nakamise Street near the ancient Senso-ji temple. The Sumida River runs through the neighborhood where you can take boat tours. Throughout the neighborhood there are lots of backstreets lined with casual Izakaya bars. The Ueno neighborhood is a short 10min metro ride from Asakusa and can be combined for a day of sightseeing. Ueno is a working class neighborhood with lots of affordable places to eat and shop and Ueno park is located here.

Senso-ji Temple-Located in Asakusa and is the most popular Buddhist temple in Tokyo. It is a must but be prepared for it to be crowded. You can get a fortune at the temple for 100 Yen (less than a dollar) and if its a bad fortune you hang it up on a tree to leave bad luck behind. I got lucky and got a really good fortune. Entrance to all temples in Japan is free.

Nakamise- This is the oldest shopping street leading up to the Senso-ji Temple and its filled with souvenir, snack and sweet stands. Great way to get a feel for old Tokyo. It will be packed! Outside of this main street and the temple there are lots of nice little shops you can buy typical Japanese gifts at.

Suzukien- If you love green tea and especially green tea ice cream this is the place. They have different levels of green tea ice cream (based on how potent you want the flavor to be) as well as red bean and other flavors. Line will be out the door, but it is supposedly the best place in Tokyo.

Go Carts-One of the funnest things we did in Tokyo was go carting in character outfits (they use to allow Mario, but Nintendo has banned it) through the streets of Tokyo. You can pick a short or long course (short is 1hr, long 2hrs) and the neighborhood you want to tour. We picked Asakusa as we found a great deal (link below post) and that was the neighborhood that was available when booking. Tours book up fast, so plan in advance. I have heard rumors that locals are trying to ban it as it disrupts local traffic, but if you get a chance to go, do it!

Sumida River-There is a promenade that runs along the river with great city views and if you are interested, a good place to take a boat cruise.

Tokyo Skytree-I believe this the tallest building in Japan and has shopping and a cool observation area for great sights of Tokyo. We drove by it on our go-carting tour. We did not get a chance to go inside as we ran out of time, but will when we are back in Tokyo.

Ameyoko- Located in the Ueno neighborhood, “Ame” stands for “America” because a lot of American products used to be available there when the street was the site of a black market in the years following WWII. Today, various products such as clothes, bags, cosmetics, fresh fish, dried food and spices are sold in Ameyoko. There are also lots of restaurants where you can get yakitori, red bean fish (fish shaped pastry with red bean paste) and sashimi bowls for $8. Its a great place for cheap eats and shopping. I bought matcha green tea and a matcha bowl set here and also noticed that a lot of the beauty products and kit-kits (notice the obsession yet?) were better priced than some of the discount stores.

Ueno Park-Its a large public garden that holds a temple and shrines, several national museums and the Ueno Zoo. You could spend several hours here.

Shibuya and Harajuku

Shibuya is one of Tokyo’s most colorful and busy districts, packed with shopping, dining, nightclubs and lots and lots of crowds. I found Shibuya to be extremely overwhelming and I don’t think I could ever have it be my base in Tokyo, but there are some places and stores worth checking out. Shibuya is the center for youth fashion and culture, and its streets are the birthplace to many of Japan’s fashion and entertainment trends. Harajuku is between Shinjuku and Shibuya (about a 17min walk from Shibuya or a 3min metro ride) and is mostly known for the extreme Japanese teenage culture filled with giant cotton candy, colorful fashion, cat/hedgehog cafes, crepe stands and many other fast food stands (hello potato on a stick!). It also does offer some great places for adults and historical sites.

Hachiko Dog Statue-Located in front of Shibuya Station, the statue commemorates Tokyo’s most famous dog, Hachiko, who would wait for his owner to come home from work at Shibuya station every day even after his owner passed away. The statue is a common meeting point and it is always busy around it.

Shibuya Crossing-Located in front of the Hachiko exit from the metro, this is Tokyo’s busiest intersection. The intersection is heavily decorated by neon ads and giant video screens and gets flooded by pedestrians each time the crossing light turns green. If you can handle the commotion and crowds, you have to come here to take a picture!

Donki-Short for Don Quijote, this is the place for discounted souvenirs, kit-kats, beauty products, green tea, electronics and the list goes on. It is open 24/7, has 7 floors and is 3 times bigger than all of the other Donki stores. If there is only one store you can make it to, then this is it. It offers duty free and you seriously can get all of your shopping done here. Do not come tired ( I made that mistake) as it is very busy and overwhelming with all of its selection.

Takeshita Street-This is the focal point of Harajuku and it’s teenage culture. It starts at Harajuku station (really cool old looking station) and runs about a quarter of a mile lined with teenage fashion stores, cafes, photo booth venues and fast food outlets. It is very narrow and does get very crowded especially on the weekends.

Daiso-This is Japan’s equivalent of the Dollar Store, but way better. Everything is about 100 Yen (which is actually less than a dollar) to about 300 Yen with way better quality. You can pick up green tea, sweets, housewares, and other snacks here. I bought super cute tea mugs made in Japan for 300 Yen a piece here. Worth a stop.

Marion Crepes-If you like crepes this is the place. It is found along Takeshita Street and is the most famous. If I am being honest, they were not my favorite and are far from the crepes you would get in France, but it was one of those must dos.

Totti Candy Factory-Also found on Takeshita Street and is the place to get rainbow cotton candy the size of your head. Just google it and you will know what I mean.

Photo Booth Venues-Most of these are located in basements of buildings and you will see signs for them. We walked into one of the basements and it was lined with all sorts of different themed photo booths. We did feel out of place as it was mostly teenage girls and let me tell you, they take them seriously. I am talking outfit changes, professionally done hair and makeup.

Reissue Coffee-If you venture off of Takeshita Street, you will run into a bunch of calmer little streets filled with boutiques, cafes and restaurants. One of the coolest places we found was Reissue Coffee. This is where to go if you want a cup of 3D Art in your coffee or hot chocolate. There can be a wait and it is pricey. I believe we paid about $10 for a cup each, but the artist does hand draw the art on your foam, so for me it was worth the experience. You can choose what design you want from a book or I believe you can bring a picture with for them to recreate.

Tokyu Plaza-Shopping plaza on the way from Takeshita and at the start of Omotesando, it has a really cool entrance with mirrors overlooking the escalators. There is a really tranquil rooftop terrace on the 6th floor.

Omotesando-A short walk from Takeshita Street and you will end up on Omotesando street which is Tokyo’s Champs-Elysees. It is less than a mile and lined with trees, cafes, restaurants and designer stores. It is geared more towards the wealthy.

Cat Street-Running for a half a mile perpendicular to Omotesando, it is much calmer than Takeshita and offers a lot of cool trendy boutiques and cafes as well as pop up shops/cafes. When were there, the feature was the Tiffany’s pop up shop.

Oriental Bazaar-Located on Omotesando and the place to go for shopping if you are looking for typically Japanese products. Prices are not too bad and the building from the outside is typically Japanese.

Meji Shrine-If you walk along Omotesando towards Harajuku Station, you will hit the Meji Shrine. The majority of the shrine grounds are composed of a beautiful dense forest that can be explored on walking paths. Do not miss this.

Yoyogi Park-One of Tokyo’s largest and most pleasant city parks, it features wide lawns, ponds and forested areas. Great place to escape the city.

Yebisu and Shinjuku

Yebisu is a trendy area known for Yebisu Garden Place, a stylish complex for high-end shopping and dining. Shinjuku on the other hand is known for its red light district, Skyscraper District, nightlife district and memory lane or more commonly known as Piss Alley (you read that right). It is also home the world’s busiest train station. The two neighborhoods are about 30min from each other by train and I combined them because we only checked out the Yebisu Beer Museum and the Garden Place in Yebisu, so we were able to do both.

Yebisu Beer Museum-Located inside the Yebisu Garden place and is worth checking out if you like beer, especially Japanese beer. Entrance and tours are free giving you an overview of the Japanese beer history. You can come here just for a beer tasting which will set you back about $8 for 3 tastings of beer and a small appetizer.

Golden Gai-Located in Shinjuku, it is a small nightlife district packed with small bars and eateries. Most places are very small, seating only 6-8 customers. Don’t be surprised to see signs on some bars stating “members only” which means only Japanese are allowed. This is mainly due to rude tourists not respecting local traditions. However there are several bars that allow foreigners. Many do have a cover charge of about $10, but remember in Japan tipping is not accepted so it evens out.

Memory Lane-Also known as “Piss Alley”, it is a small network of alleyways along the tracks of Shinjuku Station. The narrow lanes are filled with dozens of tiny eateries serving ramen, soba, sushi and yakitori. Lots of cheap eat options.

Skyscraper District-Home to many of Tokyo’s tallest buildings (with typical Japanese billboards), including  the twin towers of the Metropolitan Government Office whose observation decks are open to the public for free.

Numazuko Shinjuku-If you are in the Shinjuku neighborhood, this is a really great rotary sushi place. Very good quality fish and affordable. Dinner comes with complementary green tea.

Odaiba

Accessed via the Rainbow Bridge or the futuristic Yurikamome train, Odaiba is a high-tech entertainment hub on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay. It can be reach from the Tokyo train station in 30min and holds a Gundam statue, shopping centers, science museum, Onsen (hot springs) and a host of other things. Below are the two places we checked out. When you get off the train you can take some cool water-view pictures.

Borderless Museum-If there is one place you go to on Odaiba, it should be this museaum. It is unlike anything I have ever seen. It is a digital art museum with art that moves and interacts with you. The most famous display is the floating lamps. It’s hard to put it into words and pictures don’t do it justice. Just check it out for yourself! Book tickets online and expect to wait in line to get in, yes even with tickets. Price are a little steep at about $30 a person, but it is really worth it.

Venus Fort– We stopped in to grab a snack here, so I can’t comment on the shopping, but it is designed after Venice, Italy. Its very grandiose and worth a look.

Narita

I had to mention the airport in case you are not someone who likes to give yourself time to look around duty free. It is a must in Tokyo. The duty free is overwhelming with tons of options for picking up boxes of beautifully packaged cookies, chocolates and last minute gifts. Give your self plenty of time as the lines get long and there are crowds of people. We had a really great Udon lunch and Ippudo Ramen has a location here but the line was so long it looked like an hour wait. They give out samples for all of the top sellers in Duty Free and trust me there are so many goodies you will not know what to bring home. We brought several boxes of sweets back. Narita airport is about 50min by express train to/from the Tokyo Train Station and is the airport you will most likely fly in and out of. I recommend taking the express train a it is the quickest and most economical way of getting into the city center and back. If you book the roundtrip tickets it comes out to be about $38 which is about 30% cheaper than booking them separate. The return can be open ended, you just have to confirm the return time 24hrs before at a JR ticket office.

Helpful Links

For discounted go-carting-klook.com

Teamlab Borderless

Express train from Narita to Tokyo-Nex