After living in South Korea for two years, I ended my contract and moved out at the end of February 2018. Instead of flying straight back to California, I decided to take a short vacation in Tokyo. The first time I visited Japan, I went to Fukuoka in September 2016. I loved Japan and wanted to return one day. I’m glad I did.
Arrival
The train from the airport took forever and there was no WIFI on board. It took me a long time to find my AirBnB because the directions from my host were vague and confusing. Luckily, a random passerby was willing help me. If it weren’t for him, I would’ve wondered around all night in the bitter cold.
First Full Day
Today I visited Meiji Shrine and Tokyo Tower. The main draw of Meiji Shrine, at least for me, was not the shrine itself, but rather the beautiful sake barrels. If you are planning on going, be prepared to walk a lot. Two things that surprised me about Tokyo Tower was that there was a big Christmas tree in front of it and there was an Episcopal church across the street.
Second Full Day
Today I went to Tokyo Skytree. The observation deck is 350 meters above ground. The view is amazing. You can really see how big Tokyo is. It looks like it goes on forever. Then I visited Senso-ji, Tokyo’s oldest temple.
Final Full Day
I spent most of the day wandering around Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, which was surprisingly beautiful considering it was still winter. I’m sure it’s even more beautiful in the spring. Don’t leave without going in the green house.
Final Thoughts on Tokyo, Japan:
- The metro can be very confusing to navigate at first.
- For such a big international city, I was expecting more locals to know at least some English.
- The ramen here is amazing, but my AirBnB host said that Osaka is the best city in Japan for food.
- The best snack at the convenience stores (in my opinion) is the chocolate pudding.
- Japan’s Netflix has a great selection of movies.
“If I had to only eat in one city for the rest of my life, Tokyo would be it.” — Anthony Bourdain
“The first time I visited Japan, I went to Fukuoka in September 2016. I loved Japan and wanted to return one day. I’m glad I did.”
Ahh, well – Japan does tend to have that effect on people. (^_^)
I visited for the first time in 2009, thinking that I wouldn’t be back until many, many years later when I’ve retired and can explore the country at my leisure. It’s now 2018, I’m still several painful decades away from retirement age, I’ve just done a 16th holiday in Japan a few weeks ago and I’ve got two more trips there booked for the rest of this year alone. Ferociously addictive place, even more so once one has had a taste of the country outside the big cities.
I enjoyed reading your final thoughts, so do forgive me for succumbing to the temptation to remark on some of them, haha.
“The metro can be very confusing to navigate at first.” – Looking at a map of the Tōkyō transportation system (especially one that has not just the private subway lines but also the JR network superimposed), one might be reminded of a plate of yakisoba: a hodgepodge of criss-crossing lines of every length and colour, all tangled in a stir-fried mix of stations and transfer points. But after one gets the hang of things, it’s an awfully convenient and user-friendly means of getting about … indeed I find it somewhat easier to use than Seoul’s (and certainly much more so than that of my home city).
“The ramen here is amazing, but my AirBnB host said that Osaka is the best city in Japan for food.” – Hard to argue with that, mate! I’d hesitate to use the word “best”, but I’ll certainly give it an edge over the capita;.
“The best snack at the convenience stores (in my opinion) is the chocolate pudding.” – And in mine, that soft flat white pastry studded with large chocolate chunks that I regularly buy from the nearest Family Mart or Lawson’s.
“Japan’s Netflix has a great selection of movies.” – Ooh, this one doesn’t compute. I’m too busy pounding the pavements outside to have much time for streaming in my hotel room, haha.
Cheers.
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