Japan (Part 5b): Tokyo
Asakusa
The district still has an traditional feel and look and also holds the oldest temple in the city, Senso-ji. On the walk to Senso-ji, one must pass through two gates, first the Kaminarimon and then the Hozomon, which might be more exciting than the temple itself. Adorned with gigantic lanterns, statues, and other cool intricacies, the gates are fantastic to look at and take pictures of, especially at night! But do visit during the day if you want to do some souvenir shopping on the Nakamise shopping street, which goes from the Kaminarimon to the temple, because the shops do close early.
Shinjuku
On the western side of central Tokyo are a couple interesting districts. First is Shinjuku, home to the busiest train station in the world and home to a large Kabukicho, or red light district. This was actually our first stop in Tokyo and the station and surrounding malls and buildings were a little overwhelming, like wow how much can they fit into one place?! We swear there were 4 different malls, one with a ferris wheel on the top floor, flanking the train station. Not much else too memorable except there is an AYCE shabu shabu place called Mo-mo Paradise that not only has an awesome name, but has awesome meat! (AYCE beef tongue anyone?)
Harajuku
Next up to explore are two adjacent districts, Harajuku and Shibuya. Harajuku is known as the center of Japanese teenage culture and fashion and when Gwen Stefani says… this sh*t is bananas, she isn’t too far off. The colorful characters, clothes, and crowded corridors sometimes can get a little bananas, but hey if you enjoy shopping, this is the place to peel away from your non shopaholic friends and go bananas. |
| I was so tempted to buy this cat bomber jacket! |
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| Splitting onto a banana related tangent, if you want a unique souvenir, since everyone and their mom gets Kit-Kats, check out the Tokyo Banana, a weird fuzzy surprise. |
Shibuya
Moving on to Shibuya, we ended up here multiple nights due to the multitude of things to check out, like the busiest street crossing in the world, Shibuya Crossing, and Hachiko the dog statue.
There is more shopping, but meh, why not go to a fun cheap conveyor belt sushi place! We tried Uobei sushi and its pink decor and yummy nigiri did not disappoint.
No other real recommendations here, but this was a fun place to explore.
If you fancy clubbing, Shibuya is a clubbing destination. We danced at Sound Museum Vision for longer than we probably should have, but overall had a great time there! If the clubs seem a little dead early in the night, don’t be alarmed, the people don’t show up til after 1 am, and the headlining DJ didn’t come on til after 2am, which was WAY after our bedtime. But we powered through, thanks to the always reliable jaegerbombs. One regret we had was passing on going to Ageha, supposedly the biggest, baddest club in Tokyo, so don’t be us, have one night to party it up and venture home when the sun is rising, you are on vacation after all!
Tokyo Disneysea
Train ride was just long enough to catch some of the game!
If you love Disney, a visit to the Japan exclusive Tokyo DisneySea is a spectacle to see. If you don’t like Disney or large crowds and long queues, you might want to go elsewhere. DisneySea is easily accessible, about a 40 minute train ride from Tokyo Station, and is sea themed (wow who would’ve thunk) and more geared to adults, with more food options, some of which are very weird, and even alcohol. That doesn’t mean there aren’t crazy kids running around though, so be prepared. We went on a Monday, and the place was packed like a holiday weekend at Disneyland in California. We only went on a few rides that we barely remember (we remember a 2 hour wait, and it was the only day we forgot the external charger… Better like your travel partner) but seeing the attractions lit up at night was worth it. Check out some photos and see for yourself!
Duffy and friends is SUPER popular, so of course we had a headband! We decided to go with his BFF ShellieMay!
The park comes to life at night!
*Right before he spilled the popcorn*
Our last day was spent packing and snacking. We had a final meal at a train station in Tokyo right before heading to the airport!
Yummm soba!
So that concludes the adventures in Tokyo and Japan...
If there’s any advice we can give besides the corny stuff like, ‘don’t stress, try new things, and don’t diss One Piece’ it would be to go to the convenience stores, like Lawson. Why...? We can’t really explain, but if you ever need something, or feeling a weird funky chip or drink craving at night, Lawson is there for you. Also they have GREAT grab and go quick meals for cheap. Last fun fact, Lawson started in Ohio before becoming the Japanese convenience store giant it is today. Anyways, hope you enjoyed traveling with us and hope this inspires you to visit Japan soon! SMASH THAT LIKE AND COMMENT AND SHARE BUTTON!
Also, don't overpack or else you will need to purchase a suitcase from Don Quixote...
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