Our first impression of Tokyo was something along the lines of…wow, everything is so tiny and tidy it feels like we’re on a movie set. We quickly fell in love with this buzzing city and all of its wonderful quirks. Weeks could easily be spent here while continuously uncovering something new, but we’ll consider ourselves lucky enough to have had one.
While a city with 37 million people could easily feel overwhelming, the unspoken orderliness and quiet volume helped it not be. We soon learned to enjoy the silent rides on Tokyo’s many types of public transportation just as much as the efficiency of ticket systems and tablets for ordering at restaurants. Zero car horns were heard during our week here. A complete opposite to our not-too-long-ago time spent in Huaraz in Peru, where this seemed to occur seemingly every few seconds.
Highlights from a few areas we had the chance to visit:
Akhihabara
This “electric town” couldn’t have more of a fitting name. This area is what we visualized when we previously thought of Tokyo — a city landscape of electronic billboards, streets lined with anime speciality stores, and bustling arcades. We spent hours wandering in and out of stores here admiring the collectibles and trying every beauty, sports recovery, and gaming sample tech we could get our hands on. At the arcades we tried some pretty awesome games we had never seen before, watched what seemed to be gaming prodigies, and returned to an oldie but a goodie — Dance Dance Revolution.
Shibuya & Shinjuku
It seems a trip to Tokyo isn’t complete without navigating the mighty Shibuya Crossing. You can’t help but laugh while getting sucked into the massive crowd of people crossing the streets going every which way. This area is jam packed with people yet so quiet considering. Both of these areas are buzzing with nightlife and glowing with vibrant screens and signs. While in Shinjuku you can even catch a glimpse of Godzilla and the red light district.
We escaped the abundance of lights and people to venture through the gardens around the Meiji Shrine. You can’t help but feel appreciative of and connected to nature while walking through this beautifully wooded area. While meandering through Yoyogi park, we thought we may have time traveled to the 1950s when we stumbled upon multiple groups of Rockabilly dancers. We sure got a kick out of watching their choreographed performances in their leather jackets, skin tight jeans, and perfectly voluminous hair.
City Center
A visit to the gardens of the Imperial Palace was a must. The love and appreciation for nature can be felt in all the gardens and parks around Tokyo, and here is no exception. Beyond the gardens, the huge moat and many guard houses were an impressive sight to see. The emperor certainly had what was needed to be well protected (from people—not so much the many fires).
A little southeast of the center exists the Arashio-beya Sumo Stable. We were fortunate enough to observe a morning practice for free here. This consisted of watching some practice matches, gaining a glimpse into their strength training, and even getting a photo op. Talk about a memorable morning.
Ebisu
This whole area is named after the Yebisu Brewery. Inside the brewery was gorgeous with gold details, the museum was well worth the trip. Here we learned that during WWII all breweries had to forgo their individual names and all be lumped together. Yebisu eventually got its own identity back and this surrounding area was built up into a stylish shopping and dining spot. While this area has become pretty extravagant (and pricey) for our taste, we did absolutely love the view of Tokyo from the 39th floor.
Bay Area
The train ride to the Bay Area was quite stunning and we treated ourselves to the view out the front window of the first car. This area is home to the slightly silly stops of the animatronic gundam and a mini stature of liberty (we never did learn why this is here). Our one disappointment of Tokyo was the National Museum of Emerging Science and Information. While we got to play with some cute robots, the exhibits were a tad less interactive and more information heavy than we were hoping for. I guess for $4 a person, we really can’t complain.
Noba
We love ourselves a how it’s made tour, so naturally we found ourselves taking a day trip to the Kikkoman Soy Sauce Plant. Never have we ever felt like bigger celebrities than walking down the long entrance hallway of the plant being warmly greeted with bows by five of the kindest employees. We learned about the steps of making soy sauce and got to catch a glimpse of the fermentation and pressing processes here.
Our tour ended with us each receiving a bottle of unpasteurized soy sauce—certainly can’t find that in the US. We couldn’t help ourselves but to try soy sauce ice cream. It was most unique. Although we ended up really enjoying it, we’d be lying if we said it wasn’t hovering right on the edge of being off-putting.
Eats & Drinks
- Set Meals – We’ve officially traded our beloved menu del dia for set menus. Some delicious set lunches and dinners that let us indulge in many bowls of miso soups, white rice, curries, and sukiyaki.
- Sushi – Raw fish is one of the main things Kim craves on a regular basis making Japan a little slice of heaven. Conveyor belt sushi restaurants soon became our new favorite pastime. Summoning one whizzing plate after the other via a swipe of our table’s allocated tablet made for a fun change-up on the ordering experience.
- Ramen – Despite learning after a quick google that ramen first originated in China, we collectively voted Japan as having this dish down. We loved warming up with a big, perfectly doctored up bowl on these chilly autumn days.
- Snacks/Desserts – the main courses we indulged in were delicious, but we always managed to find room in our full bellies to try new snacks and treats. Kim found her new favorite ice cream—waffle shaped wafer filled with ice cream and chocolate. Rice crackers of every flavor, dried fish, and mochi were among some of the favorites.
If it hasn’t become clear yet, we really loved Tokyo and all it had to offer. Next stop: Kyoto.