Tokyo, Japan

Our time in Tokyo was by far the most exhausting, yet exhilarating days of our Japan Trip. The three days we spent there flew by, as we were constantly soaking in the city’s vibrant culture and fast-paced life style. Our most vivid memories include trekking our way through the bustling Shibuya crossing and seeing avant-garde and colorful street fashion.

Notable Tips:

• Travefy – Great app for travel planning
  • Organizing our itinerary saved us a lot of time and relieved the stress of deciding what to do next
• Purchase a 72-hr Tokyo subway ticket
  • Unlimited rides on all Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway lines – 1500 yen/adult
  • Available at Haneda and Narita Airports for overseas visitors
• Rent a Pocket Wifi
  • Have wifi access 24/7
  • Get it shipped to the post office at the airport so you can obtain it at your arrival
• For you shoppers, take your passport around with you!
  • Most big department stores are tax-free duty-free
• Bring a coin purse with you
  • You will depend on coins more than bills for the subway and even for meals

Destinations: Shibuya, Shinjuku, Harajuku, Taito, Chuo, Akihabara

Shibuya

• Daytime
  • Spent the morning walking around Yoyogi Park and visiting the Meiji Jingu Shrine
  • Street shopped and ate a one-coin lunch in Center Gai
  • Checked out the Mugiwara One Piece store
  • Experienced ‘one-stop’ shopping at Tokyo Hands
    • This place has every functional item you can think of!
• Nighttime
  • Experienced one of the world’s busiest pedestrian intersections at Shibuya Crossing during rush hour
    • Took photos near the famous Hachiko Statue right next to the crossing
  • Explored Dogenzaka Street and Center Gai once again to experience the youth culture and night life
• Food Recommendations
  • Rotating Sushi – Genki Sushi
    • More than your usual conveyor belt sushi experience
  • A random vending machine restaurant
    • Part of the fun was trying food with no expectations!

Shinjuku

 

• Daytime
  • Learned the history of samurais and played with swords at the Samurai Museum
  • Strolled through the streets of Kabukicho, Shinjuku’s “Red Light District”
• Nighttime
  • Grabbed drinks with friends at a bar in Golden Gai
  • Walked around and admired the atmosphere and lights at Kabukicho
  • Dove into an abyss of sensory overload at Robot Restaurant 
    • A bizzarely entertaining show that’s worth watching once in your lifetime (And we think, once is enough!)
• Food
  • Tsukiji Kiyomura Sushi-Zanmai Higashi Shinjuku
    • Amazing service here – we left more than happily full

Harajuku

• Daytime & Nighttime
  • Explored the teenage culture and boutique shopped at Takeshita Dori
    • Took photos at a Purikura booth
• Food
  • Marion Crepes
  • Harajuku Gyoza-ro
    • We both agree – hands down best gyoza we’ve ever tasted
    • Cheap, too!
  • Pompompurin Cafe  
    • Was too cutesy for us, but Eunice had fun laughing at Jason’s discomfort

Taito – Sensoji Temple

• The Sensoji Temple was crowded with people and souvenir shops
• We enjoyed the energy surrounding the temple as well as the beautiful architecture

Shijo – Tsukiji Fish Market – eat, eat, and EAT

• Spent the morning hiding from the rain under the vendor tents and trying as much seafood as we can fit in our bellies
  • Our favorite was the sashimi rice bowl

Akihabara “Electric Town”

 

• Daytime & Nighttime
  • Every second was amusing in this town filled with gadget goodness, game arcades, and anime billboards
  • Shopped on Chuo Dori 
  • Wondered why we don’t have Yodobashi Camera in the U.S. !
    • 9-story retail outlet of very electronic item you can think of
  • Don Quijote – got lost in the maze of what is another building of everything you can imagine
    • Great place to buy souvenirs tax/duty-free
• Food
  • Yoshinoya – fast food chain located everywhere and very yummy
    • we really wanted to try the Yoshinoya in Japan since we ate so much of it at the UCLA campus during college