Tokyo 2018

Introduction

I was looking forward to returning to Tokyo once again, and this time, I got to share the city with Chris. He also made some great suggestions of places to go that I hadn’t seen before.

Akihabara

The nerd capital of Tokyo, and arguably the world, Akiba is an anime, game, and manga paradise. There’s also a small “secret” shrine behind the main street in a tiny alleyway.

There are giant electronics stores to explore as well, and even the PS Vita was still getting a lot of love. You can also shop for more personal items as well at Don Quijote. I was surprised to see how many payment systems are being accepted now as well, considering how common cash still is in Japan.

Arcades are a focal point here as well, and one of the best is Hey, owned by Taito. I played some classic shoot ‘em up games here and it’s well worth a visit.

Fast food is plentiful, from burgers to ramen, and vending machines are even more plentiful than a typical Tokyo neighbourhood.

We also made our way over a nearby bridge to check out the “sketchy vending machines” that we’d heard about online. We bought one of the many boxes available wrapped in a strange typewritten story as a souvenir.

The street scene is lively with colour and lights as various shops vie for the attention of the crowd.

Asakusa

Returning to our ryokan after our first afternoon out, we were asked if we were interested in a walking tour of Asakusa the next day. We figured it would be a great way to learn about the area and agreed.

After taking a bus to a meeting spot, our guides brought us to a building outlining the history of the area that has a great view as well.

We walked around the neighbourhood for a bit, playing “spot the ninja” and much like in Toronto, you can see SkyTree from almost anywhere.

We then went through Kaminarimon Gate on our way to Senso-ji temple. It wasn’t too crowded yet, so that was a plus. We were lucky enough to arrive at the same time as a wedding party as well.

After a quick break, we checked out the five-story pagoda and got our fortune slips before disbanding our group.

Chris and I then took an older subway line to Skytree, taking advantage of the “Fast Skytree Ticket For International Visitors” and skipping the line.

Skytree has two viewing levels and it’s worth the price for both. I was able to get some great shots of the area, as well as find the Ueno neighbourhood we were staying in, as well as a decent shot of Mount Fuji.

There’s also a mall (of course) at the bottom of the tower and they were selling many types of goods and souvenirs, including “Tokyo Skytree Tomato Juice”, which we didn’t really understand.

We went for brunch at Hoshino Coffee and had some excellent souffle pancakes before checking out the most accessible washroom ever and then catching the bus.

Central Tokyo

We only went to Tokyo station on our way to Ginza, but it’s definitely worth exploring the station itself. It has architecture that’s rather unique in Tokyo and there’s a lot of shopping and food to be had within the station itself.

Nearby is the Hibiya area, where you can visit Hibiya park, which we skipped as we were passing through. We did find a small Godzilla statue and it was interesting to see smoking areas being set up outdoors.

Ginza

Tokyo’s high-end shopping mecca, Ginza, is worth a visit even if you aren’t rich.

We went to the Uniqlo flagship location, where you can find extra unique items and even customize some of your clothes.

Then we were off to the Sony Building to meet Aibo the robot dog, and I was very tempted (again) to buy one.

The Sony Building also has a Nissan display on the ground floor, showing off some amazing concept cars.

Our final stop was the Kit Kat Chocolatory, which sells exclusive items not available anywhere else. Note: This location closed since then, and there is only one Chocolatory location open year-round.

Hamamatsucho

I’ll admit to not really exploring this area but we decided to check out the replica Manekin Pis statue on display at one of the subway platforms. They dress it up in various costumes related to various calendar events and seasons.

Imperial Palace East Gardens

A nice way to escape the busy urban landscape, these gardens are a great way to relax for a couple of hours.

It’s well manicured in places, as is to be expected with the occasional building providing cover from the sun, and some refreshment options.

The bamboo groves are impressive and quite varied.

There’s a surprising amount of open space as well.

Indoors, historical photos are on display as well as several bonzai plants.

Even the surrounding walls and gateway are impressive, separating the gardens from the modern world.

Shibuya

We went to Shibuya a couple of times, once for a concert and again for shopping.

The concert was the tenth anniversary show of my favourite Japanese band, AA=. Lead by Takeshi Ueda, you may have heard of his previous outfit, The Mad Capsule Markets, or the music he did for some of the Ridge Racer games.

The show was absolutely incredible and it was good to see Japanese letting loose as well.

I scored some excellent merch and later on bought the blu-ray disc. It was very cool to be able to find us in the crowd and also hear myself cheer after one of my favourite songs.

Our shopping trip consisted of the usual suspects, Uniqlo (pink jeans!) and Mega Don Quijote.

We also did explore Tokyu Hands as well, which was interesting. There was a floor full of “boy’s love” manga and I bought a purple puyo.

There was a store dedicated to anime studio Production I.G. where replica tachikoma are available. Sadly, the giant one wasn’t making appearances that day and there wasn’t anything there I was interested in buying. This would be remedied later on our day trip to Chichibu.

A new shopping mall, Shibuya Parco, was being built while we were there. In some fit of genius, the hoarding was decorated with illustrated panels from the Akira manga. Simply amazing.

Shinjuku

Great for both entertainment and shopping, Shinjuku can’t be missed.

There was a VR installation based on Ghost In The Shell that I wanted to try, so we booked some time at VR Zone Shinjuku. I still can’t believe how immersive it was. You have a mini PC you wear in a backpack and freeroam within a large open area. They measure your height so that they can even map an outfit onto you while you’re in the game. Mindblowing.

We went for lunch at the Hotel Gracery, where the giant Godzilla head is. The food was excellent.

Out on the terrace, Godzilla was about to perform his hourly roar and it did not disappoint.

The rest of the floor is dedicated to the history of Godzilla films (except that crappy US one from 1998).

Our shopping continued at Shinjuku Marui Men, a tradition for me now on every visit. We would return to Shinjuku on another day in the evening to experience the Robot Restaurant. It’s like Medieval Times, except with robots, dinosaurs, anime characters, and lasers.

There’s a nonsensical plot that the action follows, but it doesn’t really matter, it’s just good, wacky fun.

Special tickets get you a selfie. It was a great time but only needs to be seen once.

Takadanobaba

I found out about a retro arcade here from a YouTuber I follow and it did not disappoint.

I got to play a few of my old favourites and try some games that were new to me as well.

Ueno

I love staying in Ueno, and I was really glad to be able to share it with Chris. We stayed at Ryokan Sawanoya, where I did on the last two trips as well.

Ameyayokocho market is a definite highlight, and it’s right near relaxing Ueno Park.

On one of our park visits, there was a festival happening, complete with idol singers.

Being October, hallowe’en decorations were abundant. Much, much more than on my last trip.

Yanaka Ginza was a great place to shop and we found some kimonos for Les.

We found some great treats, of course. Croissant Taiyaki being a highlight. We also found a small shop that sells excellent mochi.

The Shitamachi Museum was another highlight, and our guide gave us a great experience.

There were also some historic items to view and games to try out.

We even got to meet up with some of my co-workers. DF Japan!

Ueno really is such a great place, I can’t hype it up enough!

We had an excellent stay, arigato gozaimashita!

Haneda Airport

On my previous trips to Tokyo, I had always travelled through Narita airport, so Haneda was new to me.

A historically themed area houses some shopping and restaurants.

There’s also some art installations and a plane piloting simulator for kids.

We had a light lunch (last Qoo!) and we were off. A great trip!