The final destination of my Japanese journey was Tokyo. It was a worthy conclusion to the nearly two weeks, as everything one would want to experience about Japan can be found in the capital.
Table of Contents
Sunday
In the afternoon, my Shinkansen from Nagoya arrived at Tokyo Station. The usual metro ticket purchase followed, which wasn’t simple.
In Tokyo, two major companies operate the metro (Toei and Tokyo Metro), and not all tickets are valid for both. From the vending machines, you can only buy 24-hour tickets, but they’re only valid for one company (depending on which company’s vending machine you’re at). The Subway 24, 48, 72-hour metro tickets are valid for both, but these can only be purchased at tourist information desks. Even finding this desk wasn’t easy at Tokyo Station. So it’s worth paying attention to this – it’s not the most tourist-friendly solution. 🙂
Two more things about the metro. One is that here too you have to walk a lot in the underpasses and when transferring. More than in Osaka, for example. The metro has many surface exits, so it’s worth checking on Google Maps in advance which one suits you. The other thing is that if the machine doesn’t accept the metro ticket, the magnetic strip is faulty. In this case, you need to go to the desk at the metro station and they’ll replace it.
My accommodation was near Tokyo Skytree, 5 minutes from the metro. The location of accommodation is important because the city is huge. First, I booked in a suburban area, but when I saw it was about an hour to the city center by metro, I rebooked to a closer one (it was only slightly more expensive). This way, I was in the center in fifteen minutes by metro.
For the late afternoon, I planned one program: Ueno Park and the Tokyo National Museum located there. The museum entrance is 1000 yen, it’s one of the most famous such institutions in Japan. Indeed, its collection is diverse, though honestly, I thought it would be bigger. But it’s definitely worth visiting. The park is one of Tokyo’s largest green spaces, complemented by Shinobazu Pond. I took a pleasant walk here, and dusk fell in the meantime.
On the way back to the accommodation, I walked back through this kind of environment:
Monday
About a 10-minute walk from my accommodation was Tokyo’s oldest temple, Sensō-ji. This is next to Asakusa metro station, so there were many tourists already in the early morning. It’s indeed a beautiful building, and the area leading to it forms a small shopping street.
I traveled by metro toward Tokyo Tower, stopping at the Ginza district along the way, which is one of the city’s most important shopping districts with trendy stores.
I didn’t go up Tokyo Tower (instead going up Tokyo Skytree on Tuesday), but from the Zojo-ji temple in Shiba Park next to it, there was a very beautiful view of the tower. It’s worth coming here, and I even saw a Japanese wedding.
An unexpected shower arrived, even though there was zero percent chance of rain. Weather forecasts should be taken with reservations. I went back to the accommodation to change shoes, then set off again after the rain stopped.
The Shinjuku district is one of the most famous parts of Tokyo. Here, on top of one of the skyscrapers, is the Godzilla head, and the area really comes alive in the evening when everything is bathed in light.
An interesting part of the district is the adjacent Shinjuku Golden-Gai, which has preserved its old character. In the alleyways, you can find diners and small pubs, the complete opposite of the streets a few hundred meters away.
Next came the other iconic district, Shibuya. This is mainly famous for its intersection, which is considered the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing. Well, tourists contribute to this, as huge numbers use it to take pictures in the middle of the zebra crossing. Actually, it really does have a certain atmosphere, I also crossed it several times from every direction. 🙂
After this, I took the metro to the illuminated Tokyo Tower to see the local Eiffel Tower not just in daylight.
The last stop of the day was the Akihabara district. Similar to Shinjuku, this is also fully lit up, full of anime and electronics shops. I’m not a fan of either, but it’s worth a visit.
Tuesday
This day turned out quite short, thanks to Monday’s soaking. I already felt on Monday evening that I’d caught a cold and my throat was a bit scratchy. So I spent the morning at the accommodation in the warm room. Fortunately, the weather wasn’t very good either and not much time was lost.
For the afternoon, I had a ticket to Tokyo Skytree, 15 minutes away. This has the best view of the city. I booked through the trip.com app, you can buy tickets in half-hour slots. The time slots around sunset are sold out days in advance, although according to the on-site notice there were plenty of tickets (maybe the ones given to intermediaries sold out). On-site, you need to scan the QR code received at booking at the vending machine, which gives you a ticket and with that you can go up. You can stay upstairs as long as you like.
As usual, I went up before sunset while still light and it got dark in the meantime. The view is wonderful in every direction! I went around many times, couldn’t stop taking pictures and enjoying the sight. I even managed to catch sunshine through a layer of clouds.
There’s also a glass floor section where we can gaze into the depths. If you’re not afraid, walk on it. 🙂
And to make the minor cold completely disappear, I ate a good hot, hearty ramen. Rich meat soup. 🙂
Wednesday
Fortunately, I woke up without problems and the sun came out.
My first trip was to the Imperial Palace. The building cannot be approached, but the adjacent garden is visitable. It’s an interesting sight how skyscrapers rise around it.
Many don’t know there’s also a free observatory in Tokyo. This was evident from the number of people too, about thirty of us. From the 45th floor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building at the Tochomae metro stop after Shinjuku, there’s also a beautiful view. In fact, Fuji is also clearly visible in clear weather. I managed to photograph the volcanic peak.
I walked to Shinjuku station, where I also looked around the area during the day. I went up to the Godzilla head, but unfortunately the terrace part was just closed, I could only take a photo through the window.
I took the metro to the Meiji Shrine next to Yoyogi Park. I liked this best in Tokyo, probably also because of the large forested area around it. Locals also like to come here, it feels less touristy.
I decided that instead of metro, I would walk to Shibuya through Zelkova Avenue. As I approached the intersection, there were more and more people. During the day too, there are crowds at the pedestrian crossing, many rush to the middle when the light turns green to take a selfie. 🙂
I waited for dark, I didn’t get bored with the place even after an hour. It’s worth coming here at both times of day and enjoying the sight.
Only one thing was missing, a good dinner. Since I’d already eaten enough ramen, I chose a local burger place near my accommodation. I ate a truffle wagyu beef burger. It wasn’t cheap, but in return it was insanely delicious.
Thursday
The plane departed at 12:55 from Narita Airport. I traveled from Oshiage station at Tokyo Skytree with the Keisei Narita Express, it reaches under the terminal in 55 minutes (if I remember correctly, the ticket was 1200 yen, can be bought from a vending machine).
Summary
Well, Tokyo was also quite intense, the city is huge, travel also takes a lot of time. It’s worth preparing well with a schedule, because if we go here and there randomly, time flies quickly. And you have to get used to the metro too. 🙂
For those who really want to immerse themselves here, I would recommend at least five full days. In retrospect, I would also dedicate more days to the city, but this at least means I’ll come back sometime. Because you really have to return to Tokyo!
