Japan 🇯🇵 - Tokyo

Tips 👏

• If you plan to visit the Golden Gai area in Shinjuku, booking a guided tour is a great idea to navigate the tiny bars and local etiquette.
• If you can check out a Love hotel for a few hours, super unique, clean and fun!
• Wear comfortable shoes for walking districts like Akihabara and Ginza, expect high step count.
• For the best views of Tokyo Tower without the crowds, skip the tower itself and head to a nearby lounge with a view.

Accommodation 🏠

We stayed at the Hotel Grand Bach Tokyo Ginza. It is super modern, spacious, and right in the center of Ginza. It was on the expensive side, but we wanted to treat ourselves at the end of the trip, and the convenience was worth it.

Getting there 🚲

We arrived by train from Nagano, and left by taxi to Haneda airport. Everything is super well connected as you can expect!

Food & Drink 🍜

• Sushiro: A classic conveyor belt sushi spot. It was fun, affordable, and actually quite good quality. Always fun to see a beer coming up on a treadmill.
• Teppansho Meguro: We had Omurice (omelette rice) here, cooked right in front of us with a burger patty.
• Sweet Check: Another Omurice spot close to Shinjuku that hit the spot for lunch.
• Trattoria Liana: We got curious and tried a Japanese take on pizza. Surprisingly or not, it turned out to be exactly the same as Italian pizza!
• Sky Lounge Stellar Garden: We came here for an expensive drink, but the amazing view of the Tokyo Tower made it completely worthwhile.
• Monja Shichigosan: Awesome okonomyiaki and teppan-yaki, must try!

Duration ⏱

We spent four days exploring the city, which felt like enough time to hit the major districts and soak up the nightlife. But to be frank we were quite tired at this time, so we probably didn't made the most of it.

Shibuya & Meguro 🏃

We started our first full day a bit late due to a hangover from drinks with local friends the night before in Shimbashi. Once we rallied, we headed to Teppansho Meguro for a showy lunch before making our way to Shibuya. We spent the afternoon strolling and shopping, eventually finding a spot in an elevated tube station to watch the famous Shibuya Crossing scramble.

Asakusa & The Bay 🚤

Next day was for exploring the older side of Tokyo. We walked around Asakusa, specifically targeting Kappabashi, the famous "kitchen town" where you can buy plastic food models and high-quality Japanese knives, while eating delicious Okonomyiaki at Monja Shichigosan.

In the afternoon, we decided to check out a "Love Hotel" called Sara. These are short-stay hotels that are incredibly popular in Japan. It was a fascinating cultural detour and experience. We got a big and super clean room for a couple of hours to chill, with tons of funny facilities.

Later, we took a boat cruise from Hinode Pier at 7 PM (pre-booked with Water Taxi Tokyo), which gave us a different perspective of the city skyline at night. Thirty minute loop private cruise, where the captain showed us the best picture spots and viewpoints, while telling us in advance to bring some booze on the boat. Perfect way to end the day!

We then grabbed some forgettable food at a nearby izakaya, and went to Sky Lounge Stellar Garden for a drink with an amazing view on the Tokyo Tower. Pricey again but amazing experience!

Akihabara & Ginza 🕹️

We dedicated the next day to shopping in Ginza, which is known for its high-end boutiques and department stores. After a month in Japan, we had to make sure we brought a gift for everyone! While it was nice to do, it was unfortunately very hectic and packed with the same shop you find in all the world big cities, so if you're tight on time skip it!

Then for a complete change of pace, we headed to Akihabara, the center of otaku culture. We visited a Maid Cafe, which is exactly as weird and unique as you expect, and browsed through endless shops selling games, manga, and other collectibles. Overall felt a bit rundown and not as cool-retro as expected, but still worth visiting!

Shinjuku 🍹

On our final full day, we explored the Shimbashi area by foot hoping to see some 'tired' business men, before heading to Shinjuku. The highlight was a guided tour of Golden Gai that we did after some last minute shopping. This area is packed with over 200 tiny bars and small izakayas squeezed into narrow alleys. Having a guide helped us get into the right spots (not always open to foreigners) while learning tons on Tokyo nightlife. We really really recommend, and if you're interested to book it check out Japan Local Experience and ask for Yoshi, was a bit pricey but with food and all you can drink! We then wrapped up the night tipsy, and made a last stop at the 'Macho Macho' bar, which is as weird as its name!

Hope this was helpful, you can ask us any questions on Instagram.