Tokyo Japan

 

Kyoto Kinkaku-ji

Osaka Castle

Tokyo Ginza

With over two weeks to get immersed in Japan, we chose to stay in big cities (Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka) and take day trips to smaller cities (Hiroshima, Kobe, Nara).  We also spent 3 nights in Kanazawa to allow for a daytrip to Takayama.  If we did this trip over again, we would have stayed longer in Kyoto (instead of staying 3 nights in Osaka) and done all day trips from there, including just a daytrip to Osaka.  Japan Rail is great, so it’s easy to make the daytrips work. 

Shinkansen

While in Tokyo we chose to stay in Ginza, which has lots of eating and drinking options, and is well served by transit; Tokyo Station (access to Shinkansen bullet train) is just a 20-minute walk.  We stayed at the Aloft Ginza, which is very well located and has nice, modern rooms.  Our first meal was at Kushiyaki Bistro Fukumimi Ginza, just a couple blocks from our hotel.  It was a great izakaya experience, everyone was friendly (English speaking), and would loudly greet each customer.  They specialize in yakitori (skewered meat), and the fried onion was great.  The Star Bar is a dark speakeasy with exceptional drinks and great selections of Japanese whiskeys, run by the President of the Japanese Bartenders Association. 

Imperial Palace keep

Imperial Palace wall

Imperial Palace gate

The entire city of Tokyo was destroyed during the firebombing of 1945, so the city is contemporary with all buildings constructed in the past eighty years (and sadly no remains of the old city).  Our first day of touring started at the Imperial Palace, formally established when the capital moved from Kyoto to Tokyo (formerly Edo) in 1868.  It’s quite impressive and a very tranquil spot in an otherwise busy city.   The palace was originally constructed in the seventeenth century, with high walls surrounded by a moat. The reconstructed three-story castle keep is the most striking building on the grounds. The Palace must be reserved well in advance.  I kept checking the Imperial Palace website [link] for availability.  You can download a tour app for the Tokyo and Kyoto Imperial Palaces, which is only needed for the East Garden since the main Imperial Palace grounds are seen via guided tour. 

Tokyo Station

Tokyo Station is a beautiful reconstruction of the original.  Nearby, in the Marunouchi building is the flagship store of Maruzen books, with English language books on the fourth floor.  Across the Nihonbashi Bridge is the Mitsukoshi Department store (there are two adjoining, so go to the entrance with lions flanking the door).  The basement food hall is just incredible.  Nearby, the Ozu Washi paper museum [link] is small but interesting, showing how mulberry bark is turned into strong, water-resistant paper that was used in printing and even making cloth.  We explored the streets southeast of the Ningyocho Station (east of Nihonbashi neighborhood).  The backstreets are an interesting mix of small shops, izakayas and restaurants. 

Myth of Tomorrow

Hachiko

On day two, we took the Metro to Shiboya Scramble, an iconic image of Tokyo with over two thousand people crossing a five-road intersection with every light cycle.  It’s quite an image, especially from above.  We went to Shiboya Sky, which has a rooftop observation deck overlooking the Scramble.  It provided great views of the city, but wasn’t worth the time or expense.  We had a better (free) view of the Scramble from a pedestrian overpass which is home to the famous “Myth of Tomorrow” painting [link], depicting the moment of the nuclear blast in Hiroshima.  It is said to be evocative of Picasso’s Guernica, and I see the similarity.  It’s definitely wort visiting, and you can observe the chaos in the Scramble below.  Also below is the famous statue of Hachiko, who followed his master to the Shibuya station every morning, and met him in the evening when he got off the train.  Sadly, his master died of a stroke in 1925 at work, and didn’t return.  Hachiko kept up his ritual every day for seven more years, waiting for his master until the last train each day. 

Shibuya Center-gai

We explored the pedestrian streets west of Shibuya Station.  Shibuya Center-gai, just left of the world’s busiest Starbucks – because the second-floor seating area has views of the Scramble, is a crazy jumble of neon signs, giant stores selling cheap crap like the popular Don Quijote, and food stalls.  Penguin Street is a small uphill street that transitions from craziness to cultured in just a couple blocks.  

Meiji Jingu offerings

Meiji Jingu

Meiji Jingu sake casks

From Shibuya we walked along Koen-dori Parkway, past 1964 Olympic venues (long walk, should have taken an Uber), to the Harajuku neighborhood, where the Meiji Jingu Shrine is located.  The shrine was beautiful and tranquil, set deep in a forest, entered under a massive gate (torii) that separates the physical world from the spiritual world.   People present offerings and ask for blessings by writing their requests on small wooden plaques hung around a tree.   Casks of sake from distillers across Japan are presented as offerings each year.  The rest of Harajuku is an upscale shopping area, except for famous Takeshita Street, which reminds one of the chaos west of Shibuya Station. The famous Omote-sando Avenue is lined with all the word famous luxury brands stores, many in architecturally stunning building, and stretches from Harajuku to the equally expensive Aoyama neighborhood.  Lonely Planet provides a nice Architectural walking tour of this street.  An interesting walk from Omote-sando is Maisen Aoyama, it’s a great place to have lunch, with their specialty of fried pork cutlets. 

Golden Gai

Kabuki-cho Godzilla

Kabuki-cho

Our final stop was Shinjuku, with its famous Kabuki-cho neighborhood.  The former redlight district has been cleaned up a bit, much like Times Square in the 90s.  Omoide-yokocho is known as the food alley, and is lined with tiny restaurants and food stalls near the station.  The Hotel Gracery Shinjukue has a giant Godzilla climbing out of it, worth seeing.  Worth visiting is the Golden-gai area just east of Kabuki-cho.  It’s a small warren of tiny bars, each seating maybe eight patrons.  There must be a hundred bars in an acre of land, quite an experience.  Worth visiting in Shinjuku is the Tokyo Municipal Government building, with stunning views from the 45^th floor free observation deck. 

Nezu Shrine

On day three in Tokyo, we explored the northeast neighborhoods of Ueno and Asakusa.  We started with the Lonely Planet walking tour of Yanaka (LP called it Yanesen), northwest of Ueno Park. This was a great walk, and a calm respite from urban Tokyo.  We began at Nezu Jinju shrine, which is a lovely little park in a suburban neighborhood between Nezu and Sendagi stations.  We then picked up the Lonely Planet Walk at Sudo-koen, a tiny park situated in a residential neighborhood.  Yanaka Gina is a typical market street, with numerous Buddhist and Shinto shrines scattered along the eastern end, at the top of the Yuyuke Dandan (Sunset Stairs) – it’s worthwhile to visit this area just to take this walk.  

Gigaku Mask

National Museum

Approaching Ueno Park, we had coffee at Kayaba Coffee, a cute little shop with great coffee and desserts.  Across the street is a one-hundred-year-old liquor store.  Finally, we reached the Tokyo National Museum.  It is huge so we just chose one building to visit, the Gallery of Horyu-ji Treasures.  Many of the artifacts date from the seventh century, including the famous Buddhist Gigaku ceremonial masks.  There are numerous sites in Ueno Park, most interesting to us was the Kiyomizu Kannon-do Temple and the adjoining five tier pagoda built in 1639.  

Ueno Park pagoda

After leaving the southern entrance of Ueno Park, we visited Jusan-ya, a tiny workshop making boxwood combs; the artisan is carving them right in the store.  The nearby Ameya Tokocho Street Market is traditional but hectic, with stalls squeezed into every nook under the railroad tracks.  A short distance east we had lunch at Okina-an Soba (buckwheat noodles); the atmosphere was authentic, and the pork curry over noodles was outstanding.  

Senso-ji Temple

Senso-ji complex

Senso-ji gate

Heading east into Asakusa, we walked along Kappabashi Hon-dori, and the cross street Kappabashi Dogugai, which are lined with kitchenware stores of every variety, some specializing in the famous Japanese kitchen knives (we visited Tsubaya Knives and Kama-Asa).  The main attraction in Asakusa is the Senso-Ji Temple complex, which is absolutely amazing.  The temple has a concrete floor which (unlike most temples) allows visitors to enter, so it was great to see the interior space.  Many local women were wearing elaborate kimonos, which added to the atmosphere.  The pagoda and the great torii gate are incredible as well.  

Kyu Yasuda Garden

Leading south from Senso-ji is the Nakamise shopping street, lined with arcades selling baked goods, meat, and cheap trinkets.   Across the river is the Japanese Sword Museum, which is highly rated but closed for renovations when we visited.  However, next door is the Kyu-Yasuda Gardens, which were among the most beautiful we’ve seen in Tokyo; it’s well worth the trip to Asakusa to see this garden. 

For those visiting from Philadelphia, it is a pilgrimage to visit Kosuke Chujo’s famous “Philly” cheesesteak shop in Nihombashi.  It is filled with Philly sports memorabilia, and the Eagles are always on the TV.  His cheesesteaks have received rave reviews from the Philadelphia Inquirer food critic (details HERE).  Sadly, we visited on Saturday, our second-to-last night in Tokyo, only to find them closed (they are only open 6-9pm Monday-Friday).  

On our final day, we visited the Akihabara neighborhood, famous for tech stores and anime.  Chuo-dori Street is lined with multi-story tech stores (LOAX, Sofmap, Mandarake), and the ground floors are filled with shops selling anime, manga and cosplay - I don’t really know what these are, but they are quintessentially Japanese!  On the sidewalk, young girls in maid outfits lure customers into “maid cafes”.  It was an interesting sight. 

Hama-rikyu teahouse

Hama-rikyu Garden

Hama-rikyu house

Ryukyu Spicy Marg
Habu Snake Liqueur

Next, we visited the Tsukiji Outer Market, which is a fish market lined with shops and restaurants selling fresh seafood.  We enjoyed a lunch of fresh sushi and tempura.  Nearby are the Hamarikyu Gardens in Shiodome.  The gardens surround a lake, with a teahouse overlooking the park and skyscrapers in the distance.  It’s really a tranquil spot.  There are examples of traditional Japanese houses that are quite interesting.  We wrapped up the day with a bar crawl: drinks at the Old Imperial Bar in the Imperial Hotel, cocktails at the 24^th floor Peter the Bar in the Peninsula Hotel overlooking the Imperial Palace (where you can get a Ryukyu Spicy Marg made with Habu Snake Liqueur – the snake is in the bottle), and a traditional beer garden at the Ginza Lion Beer Hall.  Dinner at Sake no Ana back in Ginza, where they offer sake from every corner of Japan (you will need Google translate with your camera to read the sake menu).   

Japan really appreciates convenience stores, they are everywhere.  Family Mart, 7-11 and Lawsons are ubiquitous.  The pre-packaged egg salad sandwich is somewhat of a delicacy there, and I have to admit it’s quite good (as is the tuna salad).  Although 7-11’s version is prized, we thought Lawson’s might be better.  Lawson’s egg, cheese and ham was really good. 

Travel tips for Tokyo:

Tokyo has had several catastrophes that impacted the physical city: the great fire of 1657, the earthquake of 1923, and the American firebombing of 1945 that completely destroyed the city.  For these reasons, Tokyo has very few historical buildings, other than those that were meticulously rebuilt.  Unlike major cities like Beijing, Mexico City and New York, you won’t find quant neighborhoods that are centuries-old. 

Arrival at Tokyo Haneda is relatively easy, but the tour books I referenced did not explain the immigration and customs documentation.  There is a Japan Arrival app [link] that you can use to preregister, so all you need to show Immigration is the QR code.  We didn’t have that, so we had to complete paper forms and go through a longer line.  Same at Customs after you retrieve your luggage – we didn’t have the app so we completed a paper declaration form and went through the lines marked “Paper”. 

Once in the Arrivals Hall, it’s a bit overwhelming for someone coming off a long flight.  The line to get tickets to the Monorail was really long, so we opted for the Keikyu Line to get to our hotel in Ginza.  You can review instructions for travel from both airports [link], and training for using the ticket machine at [link].  First step is select “English” on the ticket machine!  The rest is easy. 

The Metro System is amazing and easy to use.  It goes everywhere, costs very little, and it’s never more than a few minutes between trains.  The only catch is that there are several private subway lines, and individual tickets are not honored across lines.  An example is the Asakusa line from Haneda airport, you must specify the line when purchasing tickets.  If a private line and the Tokyo Metro operate at the same station, be careful to purchase the right ticket.  Search by destination station to be prompted with the appropriate fare.  Google Maps works great in Japan, including describing the specific exit number to use in order to arrive at your final destination.  Consider using the IC debit card for travel (see details here)

Japan practicalities

Sign not translated,
what does it mean?

All public signs have English translations.  Many restaurants have English menus or at least pictures to select from.  Google Translate camera option is amazing, translating Japanese Kanji characters easily.  

Cash is needed in Japan.  While most establishments and taxis take credit cards (including AMEX), some don't.  Regional trains, busses, temples and shrines often only take cash. 

Businessmen in suits
pulling weeds

Japan is a formal and polite society – visitors should emulate that. A slight bow and a simple “Arigatou gozaimasu” goes a long way!  I wore dress slacks and oxford shirts and blended in – no shorts and t-shirts please.  See this LINK for an overview of general etiquette.  Read about the shoe culture before arriving (details HERE).  In most temples and some restaurants, you must take off your shoes and leave them in designated spaces (some temples give you a bag to carry them).  Make sure to wear shoes that are easy to take off/put on, and pack only your best socks!  In many places, there will be a wooden platform where shoes are not allowed, marking the transition from outside to inside.  Do NOT step on this platform with your shoes, or put your shoes on this platform!  Restrooms often have special slippers that you don to do your business.  

Toilet gymnastics
strictly prohibited

Speaking of restrooms, clean and free public restrooms are everywhere.  Don’t get me started on the overly-engineered techno gadget toilets!  Napkins and hand towels are rare in Japan.  Consider packing a handkerchief or paper towel, especially to dry your hands after washing.  

Japan Rail has an extensive network, so it’s easy to get almost anywhere in Japan.  The Shinkansen (bullet train) is great but expensive and a bit confusing.  Using the ticket machines (select English), you must book BOTH a base fare and an express surcharge (including to reserve a seat or upgrade).  When prompted to purchase Base, Surcharge or Surcharge + Base, select the latter.  After selecting seats and paying, you will be issued 2 separate tickets, one for base fare and one for your express (although sometimes they are combined); BOTH must be fed into the turnstile upon entry, and they can be inserted together. 

The base fare allows riding in any unreserved car, but the express ticket is specific to a given train, car number and seat.  Note that the car number is clearly marked on the train platform, so you know exactly where to stand.  We took advantage of this when all Shinkansen were delayed during our return from Hiroshima to Kyoto.  We just used the base fare to get on the next train headed to Kyoto, found the unreserved cars clearly marked at the boarding gates, and stood for the 90-minute trip.   Standing at 200 mph is a Newtonian Physics experiment IRL.  We got a refund for our unused Express fare. 

For regional rail, consider getting the IC card [link], which is refillable with credit card, while many regional rail ticket machines accept only cash or these debit cards (not credit cards).  JR (including Shinkansen) ticket machines do accept credit cards. 

Credit cards are very widely accepted in Japan (even American Express).  The only cash we needed was for small purchases below the credit card threshold (including shrines and temples) and for the food stalls at markets.  Some smaller restaurants only accept cash.  We spent only about $20 (3,000 Yen) per day in cash.  Tipping is not expected.

[See the following post for Kyoto and Central Japan]