If you’re planning on only a weekend in Tokyo, Japan, you’re dumb. Let me just put that out there. 48 hours is not enough to pack in everything you could possibly need to do and see and eat. I am speaking from experience. Leaving Tokyo so soon was a tragedy, and the time there was so short I feel like our time there was nothing more than a culturally rich dream.
Tokyo is a whirlwind of culture, of efficiency, of eclectic characters and funky neighborhoods. It’s an entire world all wrapped into one expansive city. If you’re overwhelmed in New York City, there is a chance that you’ll be EXTREMELY overwhelmed in Tokyo, but embrace it. After a missed flight and a night sleeping on a bench in the Osaka airport, my sister Meredith and I, fatigued but exhilarated, were ready to take on the vibrant Japanese city and see what all the hoopla is about.
Where to Stay
In a capsule. Doesn’t really matter which capsule, but you should really, really stay in a capsule. It is unlike anywhere else you’ve ever stayed before: pods stacked on top of each other, each with its own bed, television, lights, and phone. If you’re going to Japan, you might as well do it right.
Meredith and I stayed at Asakusa Hotel Wasou in the older Asakusa neighborhood, and our traditional capsule hotel was complete with a traditional Japanese bath: a big room with a giant bathtub and shower heads all around the wall. After some frantic Googling, we discovered that, yes, this was the only option for getting clean, and yes, we’d have to strip down and bathe out in the open. Traditionally, you’re supposed to sit down on a stool and rinse your body twice (a step we decided to forego, because the thought of sitting our bare asses down on random stools where many other bare asses have been seemed unsanitary), and then climb into the bath (we also forewent this step, because we are just really, really Western). Very cool experience, though, and a nice change of pace from hostels catering directly to younger foreigners.
Getting Around
If you’re in Tokyo for a short time, you’ll probably be taking public transport, unless you decide to venture out across the entire city on foot (in which case, kudos). The underground train system is confusing at first, and you’ll likely embarrass yourself. There are two different types of trains, the JR (Japanese Railways) and the metro. Though you can connect between the two systems within the same station, you need to buy separate tickets, so remember that before you’re trying to shove a subway ticket into the JR ticket slot while Japanese people look at you as if you’re an idiot.
The more you take the public transportation, the easier it gets. Each station has a map, and buying tickets is relatively easy if you know what station you’re going to. Tickets are between 150 and 300 Yen, which is only a couple dollars per trip. And don’t expect the trains to be this deserted; you will likely be sandwiched between dozens of commuters, who don’t mind or notice that their elbow is in your eye and that their bag is poking you in the hip.
What to Expect
- Tokyo is clean, but there are very few public trash cans.
- There are a lot of Eastern-style toilets, which is basically just a hole in the ground. Be sure to carry extra toilet paper with you.
- There is also usually no soap in the restrooms, so bring hand sanitizer.
- If you get thirsty throughout the day, don’t fret. There are vending machines with water, coffee, and other drinks in abundance, just sitting out on the street.
- Tokyo is mostly a cash market, but there are lots of ATMs all over the city. Just check your nearest 7-Eleven, which will take your foreign ATM card.
- Not a lot of people are going to speak English, but you can communicate at restaurants oftentimes by pointing at the plastic display of the dish you want (because a lot of restaurants have plastic versions of their dishes in the window).
Day 1
Wander Through Meiji Jingu Shrine & Iris Garden
This Shinto Shrine is located in the beautifully green Yoyogi Park. It is the perfect respite from the the hustle and bustle of the most populated city in the world, a tranquil oasis that makes you forget where you are, if only for a minute.
The shrine is dedicated to the spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken. It is one of the most popular shrines in Tokyo, but it is not too crowded, especially if you go in the morning. For an additional 500 Yen, you can enter the Iris Garden to see rows and rows of vibrant purple blooms and bask in the repose.
Eat Noodles like a Local
This was our first meal in Japan and we were in a state of euphoria throughout the entire experience, up until the very last slurp. It perked us right up after our rough night; the broth was deliciously savory, the egg cooked to perfection. Even the free rice from the pot in the corner was somehow even tastier than any white rice we’d had before.
And the thing was, we didn’t even know the name of this place. We didn’t even know the name of the DISH we were eating. We walked into a very small restaurant, covered in nothing but Japanese characters, approached a machine from which you select your meal and print a ticket for the cooks, and then sat at the counter and ate. No one spoke English, we had no idea what we selected, and it was fun, surrounded by locals on their lunch breaks.
Visit the Harajuku District
I actually had no idea what Harajuku would be like, considering the only reference I knew was Gwen Stefani’s “Harajuku Girls,” and it turned out to be nothing like I expected. It’s renowned for its fashion scene, and the main street, Omotesando, often referred to as Tokyo’s Champs-Elysees, is lined with contemporary and traditional upscale boutiques, cafés, and bars.
Explore Cat Street
If you turn off the main street in Harajuku, you’ll find Cat Street, a much quieter backstreet, with trendy shops that are tailored to a younger, more hipster crowd. Even if you haven’t factored shopping into your budget, it is still fun to window shop and grab a snack.
Grab a Cone at Eddy’s
Off of Cat Street, down a dingy, unassuming alley, we ran across Eddy’s Ice Cream, a discovery that enlivened us significantly, as we were sweating in the sweltering Tokyo summer heat. Kawaii, which is that cutesy Japanese style you can probably picture right now (think Hello Kitty), is PROMINENT in this ice cream shop, from its shockingly bright walls to the glowing neon flamingo on the counter to the pink telephones on the wall. And don’t even get me started on the ice cream.
I went the tame route, with a candy coated waffle cone and pink swirly soft serve, but there are tons of toppings that you can choose, from cotton candy to fruity cereal to heart, lip, and bow-shaped cookies. This place is kawaii EPITOMIZED, and it really makes you feel like you’ve immersed yourself into Japanese culture.
Cross the Busiest Intersection in the World
It is probably a cliché, the Times Square of Tokyo (and no one from New York will ever recommend you to visit Times Square). But I don’t care. Shibuya Crossing is world-famous, and it is the busiest intersection in the entire world. During peak times, up to 3,000 people will cross the street at one time, a crowd size that is hard to even fathom. That’s larger than the entire population of my COLLEGE. Good lord. This people-watching paradise is hard to miss, and it is within walking distance from the Harajuku district.
Head to Roppongi
Roppongi is a lively entertainment district with a popular nightclub scene. Meredith and I headed there after marveling in awe at Shibuya, and immediately found ourselves drawn into a puppy shop with the most impossibly minuscule puppies imaginable. I’m not one to support breeding, because it is often harmful to the dogs (and I am the proud mother of the most perfect rescue chihuahua in the universe), but HECK, it is hard for anyone to resist those cute little babies. If I didn’t have to deal with US customs (and the fact that they had price tags of $3,000), I probably would have adopted them all.
Roppongi is the perfect neighborhood to grab some drinks and explore Tokyo’s nightlife, but first, food. Because no one wants a hangover, and because eating is the best part of visiting Japan.
Feast on Sushi and Sake at Sushi Zanmai
We were skeptical at first, because Sushi Zanmai is a chain restaurant, with several locations scattered throughout the city. If you’re in America, it is uncool to be caught dead at any popular chain restaurant, which is why you see Applebee’s closing all over the country. Applebee’s doesn’t deserve it. But no one wants to eat at chain restaurants.
Disregard the fact that Sushi Zanmai is a chain for a second. It has sushi rolls for a couple dollars each. Sashimi for a dollar. An entire meal, including two rolls of sushi, several pieces of sashimi, and a pot of sake, for $10. And the sushi is amazing. The tastiest sushi I’ve ever had. In fact, I had never tried sashimi before I went to Japan, mostly because the fishy taste gives me the willies. But that distinctive flavor was absent from this sashimi, as the food was made with high quality, fresh fish. The texture is a different story, and I did gag a little bit on the squid, but overall, this meal was one of the highlights of our stay.
Day 2
Lace up your shoes and unbutton your pants, because you are going to be eating well today!
Try Takoyaki at Gindaco Takoyaki
This was an accidental find, but we were so glad to start our day out right with some piping hot takoyaki, fried balls of dough stuffed with diced octopus, tempura, pickled ginger, and green onion. We got ours with pieces of egg on top and downed the entire plate in what seemed like one inhalation, even as it burned our mouths with its savory goodness.
Eat Your Heart Out at the Toyosu Fish Market
Here it is. THE MAIN FEASTING EVENT.
First, I would like to take a moment of silence for the Tsukiji Fish Market, where Meredith and I spent our morning and which had been in operation since 1935. It was considered the largest fish and seafood market in the entire world, and one of the largest wholesale markets. The smells, the sounds, the tastes, everything was so lively and unlike anywhere I’d ever been, and the market was an iconic Tokyo destination.
However, it closed in October 2018, marking the end of an era. But don’t worry. On October 11th, it opened its doors again in a new location, now in Eastern Tokyo and under the name Toyosu Fish Market. The move has been in the works for decades, and it finally happened mere months after we were there. From what I’ve heard, the market hasn’t lost the magic that drew people to it in the first place, and now it is twice as big as before.
Tsukiji Fish Market was actually the birthplace of Sushi Zanmai, but that’s not all it had to offer. It was pouring down rain when we went, which is usually enough to put me in a mood, but we were grabbing so much cheap, scrumptious street food that we barely noticed.
The first thing we got was a tamagoyaki stick, which put us out only 100 Yen, or about 90 US cents. If you’ve never had a Japanese omelette before, they are served cold and with sugar, which sounds questionable, but is actually an incredible combination.
As we walked a little further down, we noticed an older gentleman selling steaming pork dumplings for 150 Yen, so we forked over a few more coins and ate the dumpling awkwardly standing at a random table on the side of the market. Even on a rainy day, the market was chaos, and you have to eat wherever you can.
We finally stopped into a little sushi restaurant, where we ordered some more sushi, including octopus sashimi and shrimp roe (which, for us, was atypically daring), and gorged on sushi brunch, complete with green tea and miso soup. Sushi brunch is one of the most popular things to do at this market, since the fish is freshly caught and the prices are unbelievable (for our entire brunch, we only paid about $5 each!).
Wander Through the Imperial Palace
The Tokyo Imperial Palace, as its name suggests, is the primary residence of Japan’s emperor. There are tours available, but only for a limited number of people, and only some parts of the grounds are open to the public, so do your research before going.
Visit the Tokyo National Museum
The Tokyo National Museum is the oldest Japanese national museum and the largest art museum in Japan, so if you’re going to do just one museum, this should be the one. Meredith and I spent several hours wandering its exhibits, which ranged from art galleries to archeological artifacts to displays of Samurai armor. It is a great chance to learn about the history and culture of Japan, and for only 620 Yen!
Visit Sensō-ji Temple
If you’re interested in visiting Tokyo’s oldest temple and seeing an example of an ancient Japanese Buddhist temple, Sensō-ji is your guy. It was founded in 645 AD, and is famous for adopting advanced technological techniques to maintain the traditional architecture, like using titanium for the roof. Adjacent to the temple is Shinto Shrine, a five story pagoda, and the entire complex makes up the most widely visited spiritual site in the world, with over 30 million annual visitors.
Buy Souvenirs in Asakusa
Right by the temple is a massive market overflowing with souvenir stalls. There are some funky kawaii gifts for loved ones or for yourself, and you might find yourself spending a small fortune on weird things like a toilet keychain with a tiny pile of gold poop inside.
Grab a Bento Box
Several of the subway stations have small food stalls inside, which is where we picked up a bento box. Meredith and I knew bento was something we would want to seek out during our time in Tokyo, because we are both into cute things in small compartments. Ours had rice, pork dumplings, and vegetables, and it was the perfect on-the-go snack for our busy day.
Head to Ginza
Ginza is the higher end, ritzier version of the Harajuku district, with tall skyscrapers and tons of really upscale stores and restaurants.
Explore G6 and Shop til You Drop
For a proper experience in Ginza, we decided to explore Ginza Six, or G6, a 13-story shopping complex made up of 241 shops with some bougey international brands, including Dior and Versace. It is your ultimate fancy shopping experience, if you want to go home and tell people that you shopped in Tokyo (which will probably impress your friends).
We wandered around the G6, admiring the sleek design of the center and casually window shopping, then swiftly left and popped into H&M, where we bought several things that would certainly not fit into our backpacks. We still tell people that we went shopping in Tokyo; the fact that it was H&M is hardly consequential.
Dine at the Famous Ichiran Ramen
Ginza is also home to some exciting nightlife, but you’ll probably want some more food in your belly after all your shopping. I had visited the Ichiran located in Brooklyn, New York, but wanted to try the experience in the birthplace of ramen. I’ve always been a fan of instant ramen, having grown up eating it and continuing to buy packs well into my adulthood, but Japanese ramen is a whole new playing field. Meredith and I were nearly in tears over this place. I don’t think we spoke a word to each other the entire time we were dining.
Turns out, making perfect ramen is an art. You have to simmer the broth with pork bones for hours, skim it carefully, and cook the noodles for a very specific amount of time to allow them to absorb the proper amount of flavor. Ichiran’s spicy red sauce is aged for days. They say that only four people know the recipe of their dashi, which gives the ramen its rich seasoning. The process is delicate and scrupulous, and the people working at Ichiran have perfected it. And here I was just throwing noodles into boiling water for 3 minutes.
You get to decide on all the details of your soup, from the richness to the spiciness to the firmness of the noodles. You sit at a little cubby and the chef opens a small screen in front of you, placing your ramen on the table without you ever having to communicate with him. The restaurant focuses, not on atmosphere, not on the social nature of dining, but on making sure all your attention is on the experience of tasting and enjoying your flawless bowl of ramen. It was an otherworldly experience. Expect a line in the evenings, because this place is incredibly popular among both the locals and visitors.
Tokyo is one of the most special, most fascinating places I’ve ever been. It is so fast-paced, so much so that everything is designed to make the mundane aspects of the lives of its residents as effortless as possible. The food is some of the best I’ve ever tasted, the city’s energy is unparalleled. Two days was nowhere near enough, but somehow, our time there was still perfect.
