How To Spend A Quick Trip To Tokyo

If you’ve been around here before, you know that I’m all about being transparent with my readers. With that being said, I have mixed feelings about Tokyo. I’m not sure what I was expecting from the famed Japanese city, but I just thought it was a little bit overrated. (It may have to do with the fact that I was there during a typhoon so I lost an entire day while there).

Still, there were a ton of really great things to do. I ended up only having about a day and a half to explore the city. It was filled with beautiful parks, great foods, and busy streets. If I go back, I’m going to have a local plan out my time in Tokyo (#TravelColorfully readers receive 5% off)!

How To Spend A Quick Trip To Tokyo

Visit One Of The Many Green Spaces

When you hear Tokyo you don’t exactly think parks. You think crazy, crowded city. But, I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful green spaces that we found. Visit Yoyogi Park for some people watching and a bit of Green Tea soft serve ice cream. Then, head over to Meiji Shrine (it’s located a five minute walk from Yoyogi).

The most beautiful park we visited was the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. There is a traditional Japanese Garden, French Garden and English Garden. You could spend hours walking around and I highly suggest you add this to your Tokyo list.

Head To The Tokyo Fish Market For The Freshest Sushi You’ll Ever Eat

So, you can be super ambitious and head to the fish market for the tuna auction around 3AM (it starts around 5 AM, but you need to get there super early as they only let a certain amount of people in each day). And unfortunately unless you’re staying walking distance to the market, you’re going to have a hard time getting there at that time (trains don’t start until 5AM and cabs won’t really be running then – plus they’re super expensive).

The next best thing is to get there around 7/7:30 AM and line up at one of the stalls on the outer rim of the market for the freshest sushi you will ever eat. There are several different restaurants to choose from, and you’ll probably have to wait at least an hour or two to be seated (for the super popular ones you’ll wait even longer). We waited about an hour and forty five minutes and once inside I ordered 9 pieces of Sashimi for about 3200 Yen (32 USD) – it came with a variety of sashimi, miso soup and fresh tea. I will never eat anything that good in my life.

Wander Around The City

There are so many places you can wander around when you visit Tokyo. The most popular neighborhoods to check out would be Shibuya (which is where we stayed), Shinjuku, and Harajuku. You could post up somewhere (The Starbucks offers a really good view) watching people cross the street at the Shibuya Crossing. It’s the busiest crossing in the world. People cross the street from all directions and it’s really a sight to see. Because we were staying right by there, it was literally the first thing I did when I arrived in Tokyo – so cool.

When the sunsets you should head down to Shinjuku for a blade runner vibe. Brightly lit signs line the streets making you wonder how expensive electricity is in Japan. You can find a ton of Karaoke bars in this area. There are also themed dining places like the popular Robot Cafe or Alice In Wonderland Themed Restaurant.

If you’re looking for something a bit more eclectic, you’ll love Harajuku. You’ll walk down the street and see crazy fashion. It was fascinating to see the sub cultures in Tokyo. It seemed as if all of the women and girls were dressed like children. In this area you can able to dive into some of the fashions. You can also buy and eat as many sweets as you can dream of.

And make sure to book yourself a JR Pass so you can explore the rest of Japan!

Disclosure: some of the links in this post are affiliates which earns me a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting #travelcolorfully!

Pin It For Later: