The third and final stop on our epic Asian adventure was Tokyo! It turned out to be an awesome three days during which we sampled everything this crazy city had to offer, from Shinto shrines nestled in peaceful woodland parks to over the top videogame amusement parks and Otaku (geek) culture galore.
Akihabara
We arrived at Narita Airport in the evening, and after grappling with a highly confusing (for us) ticket machine and an hour or so on the express train we arrived at our hotel on the edge of the Shinjuku area in the centre of Tokyo. While the room was a little small, it was very comfortable, and we did have the most high tech toilet either of us have ever encountered. Word to the wise though: don’t turn the bidet on if no one’s actually using it, because it will spray water out of the bathroom and all over the floor / bedding.
After that interesting experiment we decided to walk the neighbourhood and check out Golden Gai, a small area of Shinjuku that is packed with tiny bars, each of which can only just fit about 5 people at a time. After wandering around the tight alleyways for a while, we stopped in at a little bar (with shag carpet covering the walls) for a quick drink before calling it a night.
After that interesting experiment we decided to walk the neighbourhood and check out Golden Gai, a small area of Shinjuku that is packed with tiny bars, each of which can only just fit about 5 people at a time. After wandering around the tight alleyways for a while, we stopped in at a little bar (with shag carpet covering the walls) for a quick drink before calling it a night.
Golden Gai
The next day we hit the ground running, starting off our Japan adventure with a visit to Ueno Park and the Tokyo National Museum. Along the way we saw the biggest queue we’d ever seen, snaking endlessly around the park for what seemed to be a special exhibit of paintings by a famous Japanese painter. We decided not to join the line, and headed straight onto the National Museum for a crash course in Japanese art. They have a great series of exhibits that led us through the entire history of Japanese art, and taught us a lot about the history of the place and showed us just how much its culture had been influenced by its neighbours China and Korea. Luke was particularly enthralled by the Samurai swords and armour.
Filled with some new knowledge of the place, we set off back into Ueno Park to look for some food (settling on delicious Yakitori - fried meat on a stick) and hitting up the boat pond for a sick ride in a Swan shaped pedal boat. Fun times.
Filled with some new knowledge of the place, we set off back into Ueno Park to look for some food (settling on delicious Yakitori - fried meat on a stick) and hitting up the boat pond for a sick ride in a Swan shaped pedal boat. Fun times.
Yakitori
Our swan
Our next stop on our first day was the Buddhist Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa. The place was heaving, and with good reason: it is a beautiful temple with some really impressive structures such as the 5 storey pagoda (second tallest in Japan) and the Hozomon gate (complete with the giant straw sandals mounted on it to scare away bad spirits). While there, we decided to get our fortunes. Both good fortunately, though Luke’s warned against marriage and employment…
Senso-ji Temple
We spent the rest of our time in and around Asakusa wandering the bustling streets, stopping for a beer and gyoza at a Japanese pub, checking out a nearby folk arts museum and grabbing an ice cream. Weirdly, there were explicit instructions not to walk and eat ice cream at the same time. We don’t know why.
From Asakusa, we headed on to check out Akihabara. Originally famous for its discount electrical gear, Akihabara has become the geek (or Otaku) centre of Tokyo, and features alleyways full of multistory stores devoted to selling video games, collectible cards, Anime, Manga, robot models and character figurines. There were also lots of young Japanese women out on the street advertising cosplay restaurants, where the wait staff dress up as characters from popular Manga and Anime and treat patrons as their masters or mistresses - definitely something unique to Japan that we didn’t dare to experience first hand. Instead we headed to Sushi-go-round, to have sushi delivered to us on a conveyor belt.
From Asakusa, we headed on to check out Akihabara. Originally famous for its discount electrical gear, Akihabara has become the geek (or Otaku) centre of Tokyo, and features alleyways full of multistory stores devoted to selling video games, collectible cards, Anime, Manga, robot models and character figurines. There were also lots of young Japanese women out on the street advertising cosplay restaurants, where the wait staff dress up as characters from popular Manga and Anime and treat patrons as their masters or mistresses - definitely something unique to Japan that we didn’t dare to experience first hand. Instead we headed to Sushi-go-round, to have sushi delivered to us on a conveyor belt.
Akihabara
Our second day in Tokyo was just as action packed as the first. We started the day at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building, where you can ride up to the 45th for free for amazing panoramic views across the city. We were even joined by a volunteer guide while we were up there, who pointed out a few interesting spots, including the hotel where they filmed Lost In Translation. It was amazing to witness just how massive the city is, extending in every direction as far as they eye could see. We also got a preview of our next destination, Yoyogi park.
Having seen the park from up high, we decided we could make our way towards it on foot. It wasn’t quite as straightforward as expected as we entered a warren of narrow, maze like streets along the way. Luckily, we had rented a pocket wifi router at the airport that gave us invaluable access to Google Maps. Once we reached the park we found a nice open field and sat down to enjoy a picnic comprising 7-Eleven’s finest Japanese cuisine (cold noodle salad and Tonkatsu sandwiches).
Having seen the park from up high, we decided we could make our way towards it on foot. It wasn’t quite as straightforward as expected as we entered a warren of narrow, maze like streets along the way. Luckily, we had rented a pocket wifi router at the airport that gave us invaluable access to Google Maps. Once we reached the park we found a nice open field and sat down to enjoy a picnic comprising 7-Eleven’s finest Japanese cuisine (cold noodle salad and Tonkatsu sandwiches).
View of Yoyogi park from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
Picnic in Yoyogi park
After our picnic we set off to find Yoyogi Park’s main attraction: the Shinto Meiji Shrine. Hidden amongst the trees, Meiji shrine is a really magical place that feels so far away from the massive city that surrounds it. We took the time while we were there to just sit and enjoy the atmosphere, and learn a little bit about the Shinto religion (thanks again to our pocket wifi router). We were also lucky enough to be around as a Shinto wedding procession made its way through the main courtyard. Not something you see every day! We also visited the Meiji Jingu Gardens while in Yoyogi park. Designed by Emperor Meiji for Empress Shoken in order to give her fresh energy, the garden has a few notable features such as a tea house, a fishing pond and an iris garden.
Shinto wedding procession in Meiji Shrine
After all of our touristing we needed some fresh energy of our own (Meiji Jingu gardens wasn’t cutting it) so we decided to find a place for either ice cream or beer where we could sit down and recuperate. Luckily, we found a place that served both, so we made a quick stop before continuing on.
On our way back to our hotel we passed through the Harajuku neighbourhood to check out the “Harajuku Style”. It’s a difficult thing to explain, but seems to basically be a local fashion movement centred on being as unique as possible. The area was body on body with tourists and shoppers alike, all checking out the wildly varied apparel on offer. It was quite a relief to get out of there and head back to the hotel for a break, after another quick stop at Tokyu Hands department store.
We also stopped off at the Samurai Museum in Shibuya, which, while small, turned out to be totally worthwhile. As we arrived we were lucky enough to catch a Samurai demonstration, which involved a martial arts demonstration by a Samurai actor. Being so close to a quickly moving sword was a little unnerving. After the demo, we were treated to a guided tour of the museum which taught us a lot about the history of Japan, as well as the Samurai warrior elite that played such an important role throughout the years. Oh, and we also got to dress up.
On our way back to our hotel we passed through the Harajuku neighbourhood to check out the “Harajuku Style”. It’s a difficult thing to explain, but seems to basically be a local fashion movement centred on being as unique as possible. The area was body on body with tourists and shoppers alike, all checking out the wildly varied apparel on offer. It was quite a relief to get out of there and head back to the hotel for a break, after another quick stop at Tokyu Hands department store.
We also stopped off at the Samurai Museum in Shibuya, which, while small, turned out to be totally worthwhile. As we arrived we were lucky enough to catch a Samurai demonstration, which involved a martial arts demonstration by a Samurai actor. Being so close to a quickly moving sword was a little unnerving. After the demo, we were treated to a guided tour of the museum which taught us a lot about the history of Japan, as well as the Samurai warrior elite that played such an important role throughout the years. Oh, and we also got to dress up.
Luke's just happy to be holding a Samurai sword
That evening we decided to check out Shibuya, the nightlife neighbourhood famous for its iconic “scramble crossing” and bronze statue of canine celeb Hachiko. Any chance Elizabeth gets to pet a dog, real or bronze, she’s all over it, especially such a famously loyal dog as Hachiko, who waited at Shibuya station every day at the same time for his owner to return home from work, continuing years after his owner had died. While in Shibuya we also took a stroll down Drunkard’s Alley. Hidden down an alleyway down by the railway tracks, this area was very similar to Golden Gai with lots of tiny bars all packed together.
Elizabeth with Hachiko
Drunkard's Alley
For our third and final day in Tokyo we decided to do something a bit different, though still very Japanese, and made our way to the SEGA Joypolis arcade / amusement park for a day of gaming. The Joypolis is located on Odaiba, an artificial island in Tokyo bay that seems to be a popular spot for leisure activities, since its a bit more spacious than the rest of the city. Odaiba is accessed via a monorail that crossed over the Rainbow Bridge, which means you get some great views of the city on your way over.
The Joypolis itself was a lot of fun. Among the rides were some crazy arcade games which had us strapped into capsules that would rotate 360 degrees on every axis, and full size cars that moved around as Luke drove us around a virtual course. We particularly enjoyed a set of rides that simulated jeep and airplane rides through mysterious ruins and South American jungles, though we did have to take a break afterwards to let our stomachs settle a bit. It’s kind of hard to describe everything that was going on inside the Joypolis, but needless to say it was very entertaining, especially for Luke the gamer.
The Joypolis itself was a lot of fun. Among the rides were some crazy arcade games which had us strapped into capsules that would rotate 360 degrees on every axis, and full size cars that moved around as Luke drove us around a virtual course. We particularly enjoyed a set of rides that simulated jeep and airplane rides through mysterious ruins and South American jungles, though we did have to take a break afterwards to let our stomachs settle a bit. It’s kind of hard to describe everything that was going on inside the Joypolis, but needless to say it was very entertaining, especially for Luke the gamer.
Luke making a beeline for the Star Wars game
What was also quite entertaining about Joypolis were the poorly translated English safety instructions for each ride. We were definitely in the minority amongst hoards of Japanese teenagers, and often found ourselves stuck listening for 5 minutes at a time to ride operators instructing everyone else, at length, on what to do as we tried to decipher the laminated cards that had been given to us. There was even some occasional group chanting in Japanese that we completely missed out on, though not for lack of trying. Made the whole experience that much more special.
To end our final day, we decided to get some fresh air and natural sunlight and made our way down to the beach on Odaiba. The place was bustling with the aftermath of some Dragon Boat racing, and people out enjoying the weather. We took a seat and watched the sunset behind the Tokyo skyline.
To end our final day, we decided to get some fresh air and natural sunlight and made our way down to the beach on Odaiba. The place was bustling with the aftermath of some Dragon Boat racing, and people out enjoying the weather. We took a seat and watched the sunset behind the Tokyo skyline.
To see what else we got up to on our vacation, check out the links below:
And check out the travel video we made of our trip! All previous travel videos can be found in the Travel section of our website.
