To say it was overwhelming planning my very
first trip to Japan is an understatement. This island nation is really not that big
area wise but there is so much to experience. I had to come to terms with the fact that
I wouldn't see everything in 3 weeks. From Tokyo to Hiroshima to historical post towns, I still saw so much on my trip and
can't wait to come back for more. I started my trip in Japan in
Tokyo, the capital of Japan and the largest city in the world by population.
From Narita Airport I took the Narita Express train to Tokyo station which took about an hour.
Because I had a large suitcase with me I decided to wait until after rush hour to get on the Metro.
I inadvertently ended up witnessing a ceremony of sorts for what seems to be
a newly appointed official. For my first stay in Tokyo, I chose to
be in the Akasaka area, which is less touristy but still very convenient.
I would definitely stay here again. A 7-Eleven was integrated right into my hotel
so you can bet that that was my very first stop. Ramen, if you don't already know, is a Japanese
noodle dish that has become a cultural icon in the country and famous around the world.
It's served in a delicious broth, often with pork slices and dried seaweed. I also had to pop into Don Quijote to take a look as I was planning to do some
shopping later before I left Japan. It's a discount store chain
selling basically everything from groceries to makeup to electronics.
I spent way too long just browsing in there. I started off the next
morning by heading to Shibuya. Standing at the famous Shibuya scramble Crossing
it really hit me that I was finally here in Tokyo. This crossing is the world's
busiest pedestrian crossing. Every 2 minutes all traffic is stopped so
that pedestrians can cross in all directions. For lunch I went to Gyukatsu Motomura.
Something I had to learn early on was that for popular restaurants here you have
to be strategic when you go, if you don't want to spend your whole day waiting.
Luckily the wait wasn't too bad when I got here but it means I wouldn't really
learn my lesson until later that day. This place specializes in beef cutlet
that you cook yourself over a hot stone, and I have to say the beef really
was incredibly tender and delicious. After strolling through Takesita Street in
Harajuku, I went to visit the Meiji shrine. Set in a peaceful forested
area within the busy city, it's a Shinto shrine dedicated to
Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. Right next to Meiji Shrine is Yoyogi
Park, one of the largest parks in Tokyo. Here I admired how large the crows of
Tokyo were compared to those in Vancouver. I thought they were ravens at first. For dinner I headed to Udon Shin.
At first glance the line didn't look too bad but it turns out
you have to get a ticket first, and it said it was a 2-hour wait but you
could leave and come back when called. So I decided to go for a walk
around the Shinjuku area. What I didn't realize when I finally got
called to return to the restaurant was that you still have to line up outside
which ended up being another hour. The next day I headed to the district of Asakusa. Known for retaining more of Tokyo's
historic atmosphere, it is home to Sensoji, a Buddhist temple built in the 7th century.
On the way to the temple you walk through a shopping street called Nakamise, where
you can find vendors and local snacks. In the temple you can draw
your fortune called omikuji. After the temple I picked up some
Karaage, or Japanese fried chicken, from a street stall nearby called Asakusa Chicken. From there I walk to Ueno Park,
another large public park in Tokyo. Here you can find the Tokyo National Museum
which houses a large collection of Japanese art. I decided to spend the next day
working in the hotel since it was raining butI did go out for my meals.
At lunch I went to Savoy Tomato and Cheese, a neapolitan pizza place recommended by a friend.
This time I made sure to get there before opening and so I got seated right away when they opened. And at dinner I just went to a sushi restaurant near my hotel because the hotel
gave a 10% discount for it. I feel like the food standards in Japan are so
high that you probably can't go to wrong anywhere. The sun came back out Monday morning and I got
up a bit earlier to go to Tsukiji Outer Market. I got there just before 8 and
it was already pretty busy. The wholesale market, which was famous
for tuna auctions, was closed in 2018, so only the outer market remains here,
where you can buy fresh seafood and produce. It's also a good place to get a fresh seafood
rice bowl, known as kaisendon, for breakfast. From here it's walking distance to the
Ginza district, an upscale shopping area. Ginza 6 is a luxury shopping complex located here. While I wasn't here to shop they did
have a cool bookstore on their top floor. Most importantly, I was told that
the rooftop garden is quite nice. Ginza 6 also features a number of restaurants
so I had my lunch here at Ginza Sanada 6. This restaurant specializes in cold soba,
buckwheat noodles served with dipping sauce. It's a great dish to have on hot summer days. Japan is known to have a lot of animal cafes so I ended up visiting an owl cafe. The reservation is for an hour but for the first 15 minutes, the owls get a break, so
you can just sit and enjoy the included drink. They teach you how to pet the different
owls and you get to feed them some mice. While the owls were really adorable, I do
want to point out that the space did seem a bit cramped especially considering how many
people are also in there during one time slot. Japan has a lot of these fast food
chains where you can get set meals for really affordable prices.
Matsuya is one of them. It specializes in Gyudon or beef bowls,
but I came here for some breakfast. This doesn't look all that pretty, but hey, it was only around 5 to 6 Canadian
dollars, so I'm not complaining. On this day I visited TeamLab Planets, an
immersive collection of art installations. I didn't know too much about it
coming into this other than having seen a few photos so I was pleasantly
surprised by just how immersive it was. Near TeamLab Planets is Odaiba, a shopping and
entertainment district on an artificial island. The train that goes there is overground,
providing a really nice view of the city. Odaiba itself feels quite modern and surprisingly
quiet compared to everywhere else I'd been in Tokyo. It did also feel just slightly kitschy,
what with the Statue of Liberty replica, but it wasn't to the detriment
of the pleasant waterfront area. At this point I left Tokyo to explore some other
places, which will be in the next few videos. So fast forward in another 2 weeks, I came back
to Tokyo and spent my last few days in the Shibuya area at a hotel that provided free ramen,
and I managed to tick off a few more things. I ended up booking a traditional tea
ceremony with a kimono rental because by the time I realized I wanted to do
it in Kyoto, they were all booked up. No filming was allowed during the tea ceremony but
I was allowed to take the kimono out afterwards. I was surprised by just how
warm wearing a kimono is. Shibuya Sky is an open air
observation deck that gives you a really good panoramic view of the city.
Sunset is the best time as you get to see the city transition from day to night,
but you will have to book ahead. And I was even here for Halloween. Although the authorities are really cracking down on Halloween in Shibuya now, which is understandable, there were still lots of people out and about in costumes so that was still really really fun to see. Stay tuned to find out where I went
during my 2 weeks outside of Tokyo.
