My time in Tokyo was limited, I had three days to explore and it was nowhere near enough time, but I had to make the most of it.
Here are some of the things i got up to in Tokyo and suggest if you are visiting.
- Check out Shibuya crossing in the day and night.
Shibuya crossing is one not to miss and I suggest you check it out in the day and night. As It won’t take much of your time you can certainly squeeze it in on your travels around Tokyo. I’ve seen loads of videos of this crossing but there is nothing like experiencing it for yourself. There is a Starbucks coffee shop literally on the crossing where you can enjoy a hot or cold drink and watch people frantically cross the road, It makes Picadilly Circus look pathetic. The day I visited it was raining and it still looked amazing…a sea of umbrellas moving in all directions and the lights from the HUGE TV screens reflecting from the puddles on the floor. You have to go the Shibuya crossing, its something not to miss. I suggest watching the craziness from the 1st floor of the Starbucks located on the junction.
Shibuya crossing
2. Visit Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi park
The Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi Park are located in Shibuya and opposite one another and are free to enter. It’s a great way of take a moment away from the crazy streets of Tokyo and relax, its super peaceful. I didn’t actually take many pictures here as when i entered I felt at peace and relaxed. You may have noticed the wooden plates in the picture below, they are Ema’s and are sold at the shrine for people to write their prayers and wishes on. I decided to purchase one and give it a shot, you never know it might come true.
Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi park
3. Eat local food
Sushi, Katsu curry and prawn tempura in particular are my fav Japanese dishes. I couldn’t visit Japan and not indulge in all the goodness. There are tonnes of great places to eat, hard for me to recommend any as I was only there for 3 days and didn’t get to try a wide variety of places, but the places I did try were great.
I had my first Katsu curry at C & C curry shop. These shops are dotted around all over Tokyo. If you are short on time and want a quick tasty bite to eat you can’t go wrong with this place. The food is tasty and served up really fast.
I wish I remembered the name of the place I went and had my first prawn tempura. It was a small restaurant in Shinjuku and it was packed and most importantly the food was amazing. I will look for the name of the place and add it in as soon as I find it. It’s funny how we ended up there, the full story is over on my Next Stop Tokyo post.
I couldn’t visit Japan and not try out the Sushi. I ended up at Genki Sushi on a recommendation from a friend. I just loved the whole experience of this place. You were seated in front of your own iPad, select your dishes and they arrive on a conveyor belt in front of you. The sushi was great and there was sooooo variety…doubt i’ll be going back to a Yo Sushi in the UK.
One thing I loved about the restaurants in Tokyo was that a large amount of them had the meals in the windows so you could see what you would be ordering. At first I thought they were real, but they weren’t haha. They were made out of plastic but sooooo realistic looking.
4. Get a birds eye view of Tokyo
Visit the Tokyo Government building in Shinjuku and get a bird’s eye view of Tokyo (day and night). It’s free entry and you get some amazing views. I would put aside a good few hours for your visit, especially if you want to check out the sunset and how Tokyo lights up after dark. If you arrive a good hour or hour and half before the sunset it should allow enough time to get in as there can be quite a queue. That way you can watch the sunset over Tokyo.
5. Shop
If you love to shop you will love Tokyo. There are so many great shops and shopping areas. The 5 major shopping areas are Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ginza, Harajuku and Omotesando. My top two areas were Shinjuku and Harajuku. I loved people watching in Harajuku and seeing the crazy outfits people were wearing. There are some great shops. Again, if I had more time and more luggage space I would have shopped a lot more. I did however go a little crazy on beauty products from Japan. I may even do a Tokyo Haul.
