My fiance and I will be traveling to Japan this month and as many videos and suggestions I have watched and read, I feel like I’m still missing opportunities on things to do. We do have some things already booked.
I was curious:
What are your favorite things to do there? What are must things to do? Best places to go eat and sightseeing? Best card shops? Best museums? We will be traveling all over.
I’m just really trying to grab perspectives of those that have gone many times. We are literally down for anything and every thing.
Awesome! Great place to start and there’s always something to do.
Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ueno, Ikebukuro and Akihabara are the big “must see” locations. They are exactly what you want to see to get the “big city” vibe of Tokyo. Just be aware they are extremely popular and you may encounter more tourists than locals (which can be a detractor for some). Yokohama is also worth visiting as it’s incredibly modern and pleasant (albeit crowded too).
Meiji Jingu near Yoyogi Park is nice if you want to see a large temple without travelling too far outside of the city center. Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Skytree are also large landmarks with great views that many people visit on their first outing.
For gardens, I would recommend Koshikawa Korakuen near Tokyo Dome. It’s really beautiful, well-kept and peaceful. Didn’t find the crowds were too bad either. Hamarikyu Gardens was another one I really enjoyed, and it’s close by to Tokyo Tower if you’re visiting that. Shinjuku Gyoen is a much larger scale park/garden that is worth seeing but it can get really crowded during off days and peak hours. Finally, you’ll want to check out the Imperial Palace near Tokyo Station and its gardens.
I personally really enjoyed Odaiba area a lot too. Good mix of shops, scenic spots for couples and quiet spaces (if you know where to look). Tokyo Big Sight is also a famous locale (convention center for Comiket and many other large doujin events).
If you want a nice day trip, absolutely take a train ride down to Enoshima Island to see the Sea Candle. Recommend going near sunset or at night as most of the island becomes illuminated at night. You also get to ride a fun monorail on the way!
Those are all the suggestions I have off the top of my head. Have some more in-depth ones if you’re curious but these should cover most of the big sites people like to visit in Tokyo.
Kichijoji - for cool kitsch shops, the local park has a pond covered in sakura this time of year. You can rent a row boat for $5 and row your fiance around the pond, it makes for a romantic lunch date.
Mitaka - has the ghibli museum, need to reserve tickets a month in advance
Takao-san - local mountains west of Tokyo for some hiking about an hour away from city center
Nakano Broadway - for the collector in you. I don’t buy much from Mandarake but it’s pretty cool to peruse all of their collectibles. Their spread is massive
Here’s my favourite ramen shop
It’s a creamy chicken soup with tomato and meatballs
Just so more people can weigh in on options. How long is your stay? It takes a few days to go from Nagasaki to the top of Hokkaido for example if you were making a planned trip. If your staying around central areas like Tokyo though I HIGHLY recommend going a little south to Dotonbori in Osaka, and spending a day or two shopping there. It has everything, and is a great place for tourists. Keep in mind that the Pokemon Center in Tokyo may still be shut down as well because of that incident if you have that planned for Ikebukuro.
I have never been to Japan but I’ve always wanted to visit the Tsukiji fish market. Sadly, the historic inner market with its tuna auctions is no more (auctions moved to Toyosu which one can visit that as well) but the outer market is still there.
Pretty much quoting myself from an earlier thread here.
Just a little addition to this: there are multiple Pokémon Centers in Tokyo itself and its surroundings and as far as I know only the one in Ikebukuro is currently closed due to the tragic and heartbreaking incident.
So if you want to visit a Pokémon Center there are still various options.
