Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo, we love you. Your clean streets, easy public transportation, lengthy history, unwavering respect shown towards everyone and the vast amount 0f English speakers made the trip a breeze. Here is our 60 seconds in Tokyo.
Score Card: 7.5/10
- Transportation: 9/10 (easy to understand and inexpensive public Metra transportation system. But, hours start at 6am and end before midnight)
- Price: 2/10 (a little more on the expensive side, especially for accommodations)
- Safety: 9/10 (no graffiti, no pickpockets, no thief incidents, and overall very low crime)
- Food: 7/10 (great if you love Asian food, very few choices outside that genre)
- Culture: 8/10 (a lot of traditional culture to experience)
- History: 9/10 (a lot of ancient history still remains among an otherwise modern city)
- Excitement: 6/10 (there weren’t many thrill factors to indulge in)
- Awe Inspiring: 5/10 (nothing seemed extra special but everything was beautiful)
- Technology Equipped: 9/10 (4G service nearly everywhere)
- Female Friendly: 9/10 (It’s a safe city for women)
- Solo Travel Recommended: 7/10 (It’s a little harder to make friends during the day but the nightlife scene loves Americans, aside from that it’s an easy and safe trip if you’re going at it alone)
Where to go:
Pro Tips:
- Haneda airport is much closer than Narita, if you can fly into Haneda it will take less time and cost less to get to Tokyo.
- Get a metro pass to make getting around the city a breeze! They are available for purchase at Narita/Haneda/Yonago airports, a few hotels and Bic Camera shops located throughout the city. 3 day unlimited pass cost around $15.
- Very few places take credit cards (way fewer than we thought) so come with Yen or plan on taking some out from the ATM upon arrival at the airport
- Download a Tokyo Metro app for your cellphone, makes getting around the city and finding your way through the stations easy
- Note: although the stations are underground, it can be over 1000 meters between platforms
- Uber is available if you feel so inclined but Uber and Taxi’s are much more expensive than the Metro, however you’ll have to take it if you plan on going anywhere between midnight and 6am as that is when the Metro is closed
- Tipping isn’t a thing, don’t worry about it
- Download the Translate app by Google and you’ll be able to take photos of signs and it will translate them for you, have what you speak translated to Japanese in real time or visa versa for the native Japanese speakers, or type in words/phrases and get them translated into Japanese to help communicate with the locals
- When in doubt, always bow — it’s a sign of respect. The deeper the bow, the more respect you are showing.
Experience Highlights:
Robot Restaurant
Description: An epic light, laser and led experience paired with live music, dancing and story lines/battles. The stage is 3 people deep on each side so everywhere is a good spot to see everything. The $10 bento box is a sushi meal you can pre-purchase that they bring out to you when you’re seated. They also have drinks and other food for purchase BEFORE the show (that you can then take to your seat). If you forego the bento box, get there early as the line gets long for food/drinks and they cut it off 5 min before the show starts — or come already fed. The food isn’t fabulous so go for the sensory immersive experience, not the meal.
Location: Shinjuku neighborhood of Tokyo
Cost: $60+ per person
Length: 1.5 hours
Hours: Various, daily
Website / Tickets: www.shinjuku-robot.com
Notes: We left saying, “What the heck did we just see?”
Mori Museum – Sky Deck
Description: One of the large art museums in Tokyo, they have exhibitions that come through. Regardless, head to the sky deck (238 meters up) for amazing cityscape views.
Location: Roppongi Hills neighborhood of Tokyo
Cost: $18+ per person
Website / Tickets: www.mori.art.museum/eng
Notes: Unlike the Tokyo Skytree and Tokyo Tower, the lines are short and they don’t need advanced reservations, plus you can see both of those from this location!
Meiji Shrine
Description: Beautiful shrine with daily ceremonial experiences flanked by stunning park grounds for walking and exercising.
Location: just outside Hirujuku neighborhood of Tokyo
Cost: free
Website / Tickets: http://www.meijijingu.or.jp/english/
Tsukji Market
Description: The famous Tokyo fish market (will be moving locations summer of 2016). Most of the worlds tuna and a lot of the worlds sushi pass through here. They limit tuna auctions to 120 people per day they are opened, if you plan on attending arrive around 3:30am and get a ticket, then wait until they take the first group at 5am and the second at 5:30am. Sushi Dai is also located in the fish market, if you forego the tuna auction, arrive early and wait for a seat at Sushi Dai. It’s around $40 per person which will get you 9 pieces of sushi (their choice what you are given, not yours). If you arrive later, you may face a 5 hour wait or longer. The fish market and Sushi Dai start closing down around noon daily.
Cost: free to go, $40 for Sushi Dai or the Tuna Auction
Website / Tickets: www.tsukiji–market.or.jp/tukiji_e.htm
Japanese Terms to Know:
You don’t need to know much as everyone we met spoke at least a little English, but being able to say these four terms will show you respect them and go along way.
- Ohayou gozaimasu (Oh-hi-o go-zai-mas) means ‘good morning’
- Konichiwa (ko-knee-chee-wah) means ‘good afternoon’
- Arigatou (are-e-got-o) means ‘thank you very much’
- Sayonara (sigh-oh-nar-ah) means ‘good bye’
Costs: $883 per person for 5 days/4 nights including hotel/flight
$800 – 2 RT Flights from SFO @ $400 each
$100 – Granbell Hotel (1 night)
$100 – Intercontinental Hotel (bummed the room off a friend that was traveling, had the hotel provide a cot in the room at a surcharge)
$30 – 3-day unlimited metra passes @15 each x 2 people
$140 – Birdland restaurant prefix dinner @ 70 each x 2 people
$120 – Robot Restaurant @ 60 each x 2 people
$40 – Oedo Onsen Hot Springs / Bath House @ 20 each x 2 people
$55 – T2 Shibuya (cover for the club ($25 for women, $30 for men))
$35 – Souvenir sushi plates, Saki bowls and chop sticks for 2
$46 – Mori Museum + sky deck admission @ 23 each x 2 people
$300 – various restaurants, fish market tastings, cabs and snacks
Itinerary
- Wednesday
- Flight out of SFO headed to Haneda
- Thursday
- 10pm: arrive in Haneda
- 10:15pm: take out Yen from ATM, buy a 3 day metra pass then take the rail to the metra
- 11pm: arrive at Oedo Onsen for Hot Springs / Hot Baths
- 1am: Grab a cab and head to the Hilton Tokyo Odaiba Hotel
- Friday
- 6am: wake up to see the sunrise from the hotel, eat breakfast snacks we bought, then go back to bed
- 11am: take a cab and switch to ANA InterContinental Hotel
- 12pm: take the Metra to Shinjuku, grab lunch at a ramen shop, check out the gambling/gaming areas, walk through the streets and check things out
- 4pm: walk through Shibuya Crossing during the day
- 5:30pm: back at hotel and squeeze in a nap
- 7pm: head to the Robot Restaurant
- 10pm: head back to the hotel and crash, jet lag caught up with us
- Saturday
- 6am: head to the Tsukiji fish market, eat sushi / try different tunas / shop for souveners
- 9am: head to the Mori Museum for the Takashi Murakami exhibit and the views from the skydeck
- noon: head to Savoy for the best pizza of our lives (*they only have bar seating and 2 types of pizza to choose from, but get it to go and eat on the ledge outside)
- 1pm: walk through the Meiji shrine and park
- 2pm: walk through the shops looking for going out clothes for the night
- 4pm: head back to the hotel to shower and change for the night
- 7pm Birdland restaurant reservation
- 8:30pm walk through Subuya Crossing, grab a coffee at the Starbucks and people watch
- 10:30pm: Head to a nearby alley and take the elevator to a lounge where there are apps and drinks
- 11:30pm head to T2
- 2:30am head to a ramen shop for a late night snack
- 3am: head back to the hotel
- Sunday
- 9am Head to Hirujuku
- 10am Have brunch at a ramen shop
- 10:30am Browse through the shops for souveners
- 3pm Check into the Granbell hotel
- 3:30pm it was raining so we decide to watch a movie then take a nap, still tired from the day before
- 10pm walk through the neighborhood checking out the local shops, decide on a sushi restaurant for a late dinner
- Monday
- 8am: go out for a 3 mile run in the rain, checking out Shibuya
- 11am: check out of the hotel and put our stuff in a locker
- 11:15am: eat lunch at Slappy Jacks — needed some non-noodle food
- noon: Park Tower to listen to a orchestra concert being performed for the public
- 1pm: Head to the Park Hyatt Hotel’s Peak Lounge for amazing views of the city. (Lost in Translation was filmed there and you can see Mt. Fuji on a clear day — it’s free)
- 2pm: Grab our luggage from the lockers and take the Metro to the Skyliner to get to Narita airport (1.5 hour commute)
- 3:30pm: arrive at airport
- 6pm: fly from Narita airport to SFO
Unique Takeaways:
- Smoking isn’t allowed outside unless you are in a designated smoking area, but smoke is allowed in certain venues (like clubs)
- The city gives people useless-jobs to ensure nearly everyone is employed, this helps keep the city clean/safe and the homeless population to a minimum
- Women are usually dressed up, most wear skirts and heels
- People wear masks over their face not only to make sure they don’t get sick but to make sure they don’t give their germs to other people and to keep warm
- Lockers are located everywhere so if you’re between hotels, put your stuff in one and come back when you need it. Really convenient, safe and easy to use!
- Pointing with your toes/feet is disrespectful
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