In the cosy, seaside village of Yokohama, you’ll find the fabled Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum. Although it’s dubbed a “museum”, the experience you’ll have is more in line with a trip to Epcot. The museum is almost like visiting a food-themed amusement park which sends you back in time in tastes and visuals.
About an hour from Tokyo lies the seaside town of Yokohama. It is the second largest city in Japan with a population of 3.7 million. Despite being such a big city it still keeps the small town feel that it once had when it was first established. Yokohama makes for an easy day-trip from Tokyo. It’s a scenic escape with a myriad of peaceful gardens and exciting activities.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to do a bunch of psychedelic drugs in the year 2200? Well, wonder no more because the Robot Restaurant here in Tokyo is here to show you! The “restaurant” isn’t really a restaurant at all. What it is, is a futuristic, energetic, vibrant, exciting, surprising and overall insane display modern, Japanese cabaret.
If you’re looking for the busiest, liveliest, brightest, craziest area to stay while visiting Tokyo, there is no other option for you other than Shinjuku. Shinjuku is home to the world’s biggest railways station, where more than two million passengers flow through their hallways each day. Just a taste of the immensity of this mini-city.
Visiting Tokyo in the wintertime is one of Japan’s best-kept secrets. So many people avoid travelling in the winter due to the cold but if you layer on those coats and scarves, you’ll be treated to a Japan which is sometimes only seen by locals and those few tourists who make the effort to brave the elements. Winters in Tokyo are meant for soaking in hot springs, visiting Mount Fuji on a clear day and best of all, eating delicious winter food! Dining in Tokyo can be had for as little as under $20 or as much as over $100. I’ve been sure to include various price points in this list so whether you’re looking for a cheap lunch or a luxurious dinner there is something for everyone!
During the cherry blossom season, when many people make the pilgrimage to Tokyo to witness this natural phenomenon, festival food stalls crowd the pathways around the temple. Off-season, there are only a few, run down stalls on site, selling traditional Japanese street food to locals and tourists alike.
Sushi-Nova is a restaurant where diners can enjoy sushi delivered right to their seat via a high-speed conveyor. For travellers, you’ll be pleased to hear that all their tables of four provide outlets to charge your devices and they even have free wifi! (which yes is a big deal in Japan)
I think in retrospect we should have spent more time researching. But I will say, that this cafe, unlike many many other, ensures that the light inside is very dark, as the animal are nocturnal and sleep during the day. This cafe also didn’t allow you to pet all the owls, and some were only for observation.
Today, the gardens are the only accessible part of the Imperial Palace available every day. The Palace is still the primary residence of the Emperor. Their current home is a more modern building as it was finished in 1993 and located in the Fukiage Gardens. Much like Buckingham Palace, it is not accessible to the public except for private guided tours.
After walking around the Imperial Palace Gardens all morning, we were due for a bit of rest before facing the rest of the day. Half way towards our next destination we decided to take a rest in the next large park we came across. This turned out to be Hibiya Park.
Standing at the base of the stone staircase, looking up at the Atago Shrine, can be an intimidating sight. Atago hill is over 26 meters above sea level and atop this giant stone staircase is one of Tokyo’s hidden gems: the Atago Shrine.
There are hundreds of Shrines to see in Tokyo, and deciding which ones to see can be tough. I often feel like I’m missing out if I don’t make it to every big item on the “must-see” list. The Meiji Shrine was one of those locations you see on every list, and I thought I’d be remiss not to see it.
While wandering through the streets of Shinjuku at night, you are remiss not to take a walk down a dark and mysterious, hodgepodge row of bars called the “Golden Gai”.
Before we left for Japan, we decided that we wanted to have at least one big, blow-out meal. A dinner that would be as much of an experience as it was a culinary delicacy There are so many bucket-list sushi shops in Tokyo but based on looking thru a myriad of reviews, prices, location and availability, we decided on “Sushi Yasuda”.
Tokyo Tower is one of those attractions that feels like something you have to see while you’re in Tokyo. Kind of like the CN Tower in Toronto. But if anyone ever asked me if they should go up the CN Tower, I would roundly object and tell them a myriad of other things they could do instead. Despite being in all the guidebooks about Tokyo, after spending a week in this city and looking back, I think that the tower is something you could probably do with skipping. That being said, we did enjoy ourselves, and when a city this big feels overwhelming, it’s an easy option to choose which gives you a unique way of looking seeing the entire city all at once.
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