Highlights

• Imperial Palace and gardens
• Meiji Jingu
• Tokyo Tower
• Tokyo Skytree
• Toyosu Fish Market Auction
• Tsukiji Outer Market and food market
• StreetKart Tokyo
• Tokyo National Museum
• Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
• Ueno Zoo
• Fujisawa Sumo or Grand Sumo tournament
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building observation deck- be sure to check opening days
• Asahi building and Sky Room
• Nakamise Shopping Street
• Sensō-ji
• Sushi making Tokyo
• Baseball teams Yomiuri Giants, Tokyo Yakult Swallows and nearby Yokohama DeNA BayStars
• Tokyo Disney and Disneysea
• Parkrun– there are a few around
• Animal cafes including CapyNeko with capybaras
• Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
• Bond Street street art in Shinagawa
• Great Kanto Earthquake Memorial Museum
• Marunouchi Square and Tokyo Central
• Atago Jinja and Success Steps
• Azabudai Hills architecture
• Hie Shrine
• Mori Art Museum
• Walk around Harajuku
• Shibuya Scramble Crossing
• Hachiko the dog statue
• Shopping in Shinjuku
• Giant 3-D cat screen
• Don Quijote Department Stores

Before you go

• Tokyo is very widespread and commuting times on public transport can be long
• Each neighbourhood has its own character, so just walking around is interesting
• Rush hour lasts for several hours from about 6:00 in the morning until 9:00 and from 17:00 until 20:00
• Public transport has organised queue systems so look at the ground markings or ask someone
• There is a lot of respect for elderly (and those who need seats) so pay attention and give up your seat when needed
• Add Suica card to Apple wallet and load yen onto it for local travel
• Many tickets for the popular attractions can only be obtained via a lottery system or by booking far in advance on the release date. This includes Toyosu fish auction places and Studio Ghibli museum
• Some places only take cash and others take only physical credit cards
• Tipping is not expected
• Walk on the left, but on an escalator stand on left
• In general, people follow rules so don’t jaywalk or cross on red lights
• Eating while walking is considered rude
• There are few rubbish bins outside, so either carry your rubbish until you find one or look in places like rail stations
• More people speak Japanese now than when I visited in the 1990s. However, a translation app can be useful
• Hotel rooms are generally small, so pack lightly
• Dress is on the conservative side, but in the big city it is not very restrictive

Transport

• There are two main international airports, Tokyo Haneda (HND) and Tokyo Narita (NRT). Both are accessible by train, however Haneda is a lot closer to the city
• Use the Suica card for pay as you go travel. You can add this is iPhone apple wallet or via an app
• Tokyo metro pass is useful for unlimited travel on most metro lines for a set time period. However, it doesn’t cover all lines including the Yurikamome line to Toyosu market
• Uber works but Go is more popular

Accommodation

• First, I stayed at the Hotel Keihan Tsukiji Ginza, which is a 4-star hotel. The room was clean but quite small. And the sink was in the main room, which was not great.
• APA Hotel Ginza Shintomicho Ekimae Kita is part of a chain, and was a 3-star hotel. It was clean and the room was small but comfortable. Be aware that there are several hotels with similar names in the area!
• As usual I recommend checking reviews on Google Reviews or using AirBnB

Food

Snacks and Desserts

Tokyo Banana is one of my favourite desserts, and I would describe it as a fancy Twinkie with a banana cream filling. This time, we tried a sakura (cherry blossom) flavour, which was really nice.

Matcha can be found in many places, hot or cold. In Harajuku, I saw a huge queue outside of The Matcha so I decided to try it. I enjoyed their creative matcha coconut float, and it was worth the thirty minute wait.

My sister loves the Daifuku mochi from Ginkado in Asakusa. It is the typical mochi (pounded rice dessert) with a fresh strawberry and anku (azuki red beans) in the middle.

Bánh mì Bà Ba Kichijoji was a good find next to the Capy Neko Cafe. They make different varieties of Bahn Mi, Vietnamese sandwiches. I had the marinated pork and it was tasty and filled with vegetables and pickles.

Gransta food market in the Tokyo Central Station has a huge variety of bento and baked goods. You can go in and out using a Suica card, even if you are not travelling by train.

7-Eleven and Lawson convenience stores have surprisingly good snacks. We loved their do-it-yourself smoothie machine, onigiri (rice balls with fillings), and pastries.

Yoshinoya fast food in Japan has more variety than the same restaurant in the US. I was curious to try it, and their beef curry was tasty and quick. However, the beef was very fatty so the quality is what you’d expect for fast food.

Restaurants

365 Sakaba Izakaya is a lively bar with delicious food including yaki soba, gyoza and betayaki (similar to okonomiyaki).

Ichiran Ramen is an experience where you dine alone in a both focusing only on your ramen. The broth and noodles are excellent and it’s a fun way to enjoy it, but queues can be very long!

Kuuraku Ginza yakitori omakase was an interesting experience, where you receive different chicken skewers from the chef. They were very kind to replace the gizzards and hearts for me so I had duck and chicken thigh instead. All delicious and fun!

After watching the fish auction at Toyosu market, I had sushi for breakfast at Iso Sushi. Fish was very fresh and the chef prepared everything in front of me at the counter.

Nomuno Yakiniku has a great selection of beef for grilling, and excellent side dishes. Additionally, there is an option for all you can drink non-alcoholic or alcoholic. Many people seemed to be doing that!

Sushi Kunimitsu omakase is highly recommended by my family who dined there. Very friendly service and fresh sashimi.

Sristi Indian food was my break from Japanese food. The food was great and reminded me of home (London). Tasty curries and a huge sesame seed naan.

Sukiyabashi Jiro is quite famous for its original founder Chef Jiro. Now his son has taken over and there are a couple of locations. However, reservations are only by phone and hard to get.

My work colleagues took me to lunch at Dynamic Kitchen & Bar Hibiki Futei Akasaka. It’s a small chain and they have excellent bento lunches.

Dante Teppanyaki was recommended by my work colleagues, and it is a grill restaurant know for steak and seafood.

Bars

Asahi building Sky Tower was a fun discovery. The view is great and you can sit and enjoy beer, coffee and/or snacks.

Hitachino Brewing Lab is a craft beer brewery. You can find the beer in some bars and restaurants too.

I visited the Ginza Lion Beer Hall and it is a spacious underground bar with food and drink, with German style decor. We found it was a good place for a break, because it is slightly hidden downstairs and wasn’t too busy.