Tokyo

General information

Nothing can really prepare you for Tokyo, the most populous metropolitan area in the world with a population in the city of over 14 million and in the metropolitan area of over 37 million. It really is the city that never sleeps, the streets are always packed with people, strange in a city where public transport finishes before midnight. But that is just one of the amazing things about the city.

There are two airports, Narita which used to deal with all international flights and is 66km from the city and Haneda which is on the southern edge of the city and now handles more and more international flights.

Narita has a number of links to the city and much depends where you are staying and when you are arriving. There are two different train lines and also airport limousine buses which we used as we arrived in the evening meaning the traffic was light. This was a very efficient way to travel and saved negotiating station escalators etc.

Haneda has a monorail link from the JR station Hamamatsucho, which is quick and efficient, there is also a train link and again an airport limousine bus service.

Transport in the city is comprehensive with a network of subway lines, rail lines run by Japan Railways, private rail lines and buses. The JR Yamanote line runs for 35km in a circle round the centre of the city and is easy to use and handy for most major sites. Information on travel cards such as Suica can be found in the Japan Blog.

One thing that is difficult is addresses, there are not street names and numbers as such, addresses comprise the prefecture (think county), then municipality (city), then district, followed by city block and building number. Given the added fact that restaurants and bars can be in basements or on upper floors this can make finding a specific place hard unless it is a major site. Get an app for your phone such as CityMaps2Go by Ulmon, load the cities at home, add hotels, restaurants etc. and you can then check them when you are out and about without using data roaming. Invaluable when you are trying to find your hotel on arrival after a long flight.

Tokyo is not a city with one or two iconic buildings which must be seen, more of a collection of different areas all of which have there own distinct characteristics and contain fascinating, temples, shrines and architecture.

Hotels

We chose to stay in Shinjuku, one of the liveliest areas in the city and also home to the busiest railway station in the world, the other popular area is Shibuya, again an amazingly lively area with good transport links. There are of course hotels throughout the vast city so do some homework first as to type of area, distance from sites etc.

Hotel accommodation is not as expensive as many people think if you stick to what are known as Business Hotels, designed for business people staying for a couple of nights so expect small rooms, lack of hanging space but clean with good facilities. We used a number of them including MyStays, APA and Tokyo Inn and thought they were all good value. Check out the usual booking sites such as www.booking.com or www.venere.com to see what is available although some of these chains say the rates are always best through their official web sites.

Restaurants & Bars

If you have read the general section above you will realise that finding places is not as easy as you might expect so many places listed in guide books, sites etc. were sought out and never found. The plus is that you are never far away from somewhere great to eat and food is much cheaper than you might expect as the Japanese seem to eat out all the time. Be aware that many restaurants allow smoking, some may have a smoking and a non-smoking section.

Brave the “Noren” curtains outside the restaurant and take a look and you will be in for some wonderful food. Having said everyday eating is cheap when you go upmarket in Japan then that can be astronomical.

Kaikaya By The Sea, Shibuya-ku, 23-7 Manuyama-cho, is a great seafood place, it is incredible value for money but popular so booking definitely recommended. There is a smoking room and a non smoking room.

Shibuya Bar 209, Shibuya-ku, Dogenzaka 2-28-1, not far from Kaikaya, we popped in for a drink and loved the atmosphere and stayed for food, tapas style dishes from a mix of countries, worth seeking out.

Meisen, Shibuya-ku, 4-8-5 Jingumae, rated as the best place to try tonkatsu, pork cutlet of various types served with several dishes, this is incredibly popular therefore since it is open all day try and go for a late lunch. Really in Harajuku just off Omote-sando Street.

Harajuku Gyoza-ro, Shibuya-ku, 6-4-2 Jingumae, they only do Gyoza, dumplings either steamed or fried but that doesn’t stop the queues whenever you go, the atmosphere is the thing but the dumplings are good and they have some small side dishes. Again in Harajuku, the other side of Omote-sando from Meisen above although from the address you would not know !

Robato No Ro, Shinjuku-ku, 3-5 Kagurazaka, from Iidabashi Station walk up Kagurazak Hill and this is on the left, the lunch time meals on offer were top notch and incredible value. It has a lovely traditional Japanese feel and excellent service but expensive in the evening.

Gonpachi, Minato-ku, 1-13-11 Nishi-Azabu, ten minutes walk from Roppongi Hills Shopping this is famous as being the inspiration/setting for the fight scene in Kill Bill. We went for lunch and enjoyed the food and setting and it was reasonably priced, it gets very mixed reviews. The whole building and the bar area make it worth a try.

Wine-ya Wine Bar, Gordian Wine Shop, Shinjuku, 7-20-16 Nishishinjuku, this was a real find, a wine bar specialising in Australian wines at reasonable prices, serving food and with lovely service. It is five minutes from Shinjuku station, walk along the main road towards Seibu Shinjuku station, at the major junction take a left along Ome-kaido road, take the fourth on the right (the first being a lane behind the building site on the corner) and it is on the left. Always busy with after work locals, well worth seeking out.

Shinjuky-My-Bar, Shinjuku, is as above on the main road from Shinjuku station to Seibu Shinjuku station, at the major junction it is just behind the building site on the left. Lovely friendly staff, it has an excellent happy hour.

Ikuta Stand Bar, Shinjuku, 1-11-12 Nishi-shinjuku, west exit of Shinjuku station, and just along the street from the huge Yodobashi camera shop this is a great European style bar with very friendly staff, cheap beer and also does food. This was a real find and is highly recommended.

Golden Gai, is a warren of small bars in seven lanes just to east of Shinjuku station and close to the night life/red light district of Kabuchiko. There are dozens of bars, all tiny with on average a maximum of ten or so customers, many do not welcome visitors. It is quite clear which are welcoming as there will be a notice on the door detailing the entrance fee, per head, and the drinks cost. It is something you have to do but can be expensive if you visit several bars, Albatross G is one of the best known, full every time we looked, Na-Na has a Spanish flamenco theme and the night we went some locals played & sang some excellent flamenco.

Drink

Where to start, beer is relatively expensive due to the fact that the tax on beer is among the highest in the world at around 45% but is still very popular and there are well known brands such as Kirin, Sapporo and Asahi and increasingly many craft beers. Wine is becoming more popular and is cheap in supermarkets but quite expensive in most restaurants. Sake is of course the best known drink and ranges from very dry to very sweet, try and arrange a tasting to get an idea of what you enjoy. Also becoming popular is sparkling sake which is very easy to drink and relatively low alcohol. The most popular drinks in the evenings in bars are highballs, usually Suntory whisky with lots of soda and ice in a glass tankard, even nicer with a slice of lemon. Also popular are highballs made with Shochu, Japanese spirit, which is less strong than whisky, again with soda & ice but often flavourings such as plum, citrus or ginger, these are refreshing and cheap.

Culture

There are so many places to see that combining a visit to an interesting area with a temple or shrine, shopping, local delicacies gives you a real feel of the city. Below are places we chose to visit among the hundreds on offer.

Meiji-jingu, the grandest Shinto shrine is set in wonderful forested grounds, at the moment there is some refurbishment of parts of the building but a great place to visit when combined with the Harajuku area.  This area is known for its colourful street fashion and the luxury brand filled street of Omote-sando with some brilliant contemporary architecture.

For views of the city and if you are lucky Mount Fuji, we were not, there is the Tokyo SkyTree but if you are near Shinjuku try the Metropolitan Government Building, both towers have observation decks.

Yanaka is a glimpse of old Tokyo and is packed with vintage wooden structures and temples and is popular with artists and many live and work in the area. The main street Yanaka Ginza has a village like feel and is full of interesting shops.

Tsukiji Market is Tokyo’s famous fish market due to move to a new site in November 2016 but rumour is that this has been delayed. The general public can only access after 10.00am not 9.00 am as most books say unless they have tickets for the tuna auction at 5.00am. I was somewhat disappointed as by the time the public enters the sales have been done and most of the fish is boxed up and ready for shipping out. This does not stop hundreds of people turning up every day and queuing for some of the better known sushi places as you enter the market. The main road and streets behind it contain some great food places, one on the main street is a stand up place with amazing pork noodle bowls.

Senso-ji, the city’s oldest temple offers a glimpse of by-gone Japan and is wonderful to see, it is also surrounded by shops offering all sorts of souvenirs. The surrounding area Asakusa is a web of alleys containing artisan shops and restaurants.

Kagurazaka is the old geisha area and is full of winding cobblestone streets and some very good eating places. Nearby is the controversial memorial shrine to Japan’s war dead and some interesting museums.

Shimo Katazawa is a short train ride from Shinjuku and is a very young area with a maze of very narrow streets containing lots of shops selling vintage clothing and some interesting bars and restaurants.

Kappabashi Street, Kitchen Street, is between Ueno and Asakusa and is packed with shops selling cooking utensils, dishes and also the wax models of food so loved by Japanese restaurants.

Seven day forecast for Tokyo

Tokyo
JP
8.52 m/s 20 %
sky is clear
6.2°C
8.73 m/s 21 %
sky is clear
6.5°C
6.93 m/s 29 %
sky is clear
7.6°C
4.25 m/s 39 %
light rain
7.4°C
4.31 m/s 36 %
sky is clear
8.2°C

Last Visited 2016 & Last Updated 2016