Every time I travel I learn a little about myself. On this trip I learned/confirmed that I love nothing more than getting lost in a city, not knowing what I will see around the next corner. And in Japan, I could never have imagined some of the things I might see around the next corner.

Since we were traveling with another couple, my approach was to wake up as the sun came up, between 5-6am, and quickly run out to get lost. I’d start at a convenience store for an egg salad sandwich and a can of warm coffee. Then I’d wander or jump a train. A few hours later, I’d regroup with my wife and friends, have second breakfast, and lead them to some of my discoveries or explore new things together.

My favorite thing about Japan was discovering the every day aspects of Japanese life that were fascinating and beautiful to me. I had a list of areas in the city to focus on, mostly formed using my method of finding the best coffee shops in a city and working out from them. They’re always in the coolest neighborhoods, in my opinion! Of course, we saw some of the must-see temples and shrines but it was the every day life in Japan that truly blew my mind. I’m sure I could have easily spent two weeks in Tokyo alone. For such a gigantic city, it was incredibly peaceful and calm in many ways. Since so many people use the trains, there isn’t bumper to bumper traffic, and traffic noise is minimal. And people respect the city, and keep it so clean.

For more of our restaurant and activity recommendations, we have a longer google doc you can check out here.

Tokyo Highlights:

In the above photo, you see our first view of Tokyo after coming out of the subway and going up to our room. The blinds opened automatically when we entered the room and it was breathtaking! It was the nicest hotel of the trip (and our lives 😂) which we were able to get mostly with Marriot points. I liked the area the hotel was in, Chiyoda City, and would recommend. It was quiet and in the center of the city with easy access to trains.

Shibuya

You have to go to Shibuya Crossing. It’s just the rules. Go see the busiest crosswalk in the world. I recommend you go on a rainy day, if you have one. I thought it was especially cool in the rain! There are also lots of interesting things to see in the surrounding area. We wandered through the alleys to find coffee shops and restaurants, like this gem.

Jazz Kissas

Tokyo Jazz Kissas - there is a cool little subculture in Japan of rabid jazz fans. They go back to the height of jazz in the US. You can visit some of these Jazz Kissas around Tokyo. Kissa is short for kissaten which is a word for cafe or coffee shop. If this sounds interesting to you, definitely check them out!

Here is a website that has documented a lot of them in Tokyo and around Japan, use the menu to see more: Tokyo Jazz Joints

We visited Swing and it was super cool. Word of warning: these are some of the last places that allow cigarettes as of 2023 and was the reason we didn’t stay all day and drink coffee there!

Asakusa

Asakusa is an incredibly popular tourist area but for good reason. I absolutely loved walking around this area. The Sensō-ji temple is the anchor highlight but the surrounding area had street stalls with a variety of food, interesting stores, and restaurants. We ventured out from the main tourist areas and enjoyed coffee and traditional Japanese toast at a lovely little traditional kissa called Coffee Aroma.

There is a fun old amusement park behind Sensō-ji if you’re into that kind of thing. I believe it’s the oldest in Japan, or the oldest roller coaster.

The riverfront is really beautiful, as well. I arrived in Asakusa around 6:30am and wandered the riverfront after exploring Senso-ji. I caught an early group practicing Tai Chi as well as a fun man swinging an imaginary golf club hitting imaginary balls into the river. I played along and complimented his swing :) The crowds seemed to start gathering around 9.

Meiji Jingo Shrine and Garden

The Meiji Jingu Shrine was really a spectacular place. I went on a rainy day and was able to avoid the crowds. It was magical.

Shopping in Ginza and beyond

I don’t normally recommend places to shop but in Japan you just have to go to some department stores and some specialty stores, like an art supply place or a hardware store. Ginza is a really popular shopping district. It’s a bit bonkers but a few stores I recommend:

Itoya art and stationary store - it’s like an 8 story building full of stationary and art supplies. Imagine an entire floor of a store that just sells pens!
Muji - if you know, you know. If not go check it out. Many locations.
Tokyu Hands - this is a hardware store but it sells so much more. There are many locations around Tokyo. We visited the one in Shibuya. It had a whole floor for luggage and bags of every kind. We could’ve spent a day here.
Yamaha store - if you’re into musical instruments, this place is pretty amazing.
Grocery stores - I found it fascinating to walk around in Japanese grocery stores. Your mileage may vary. I just loved seeing all the different facets of this culture. They have fruit arranged and priced by quality!
This is a small list. There are so many incredible department stores and malls around Tokyo and Japan. It’s a strange thing to recommend, but you gotta do it!

Kagurazaka

I’m not sure if the little area of Kagurazaka warrants prioritization depending on how much time you have in Tokyo, but I really enjoyed walking around this quiet neighborhood. I’m sure there are so many lovely neighborhoods like this.

There is a main shopping street with some good restaurants and shops, but I enjoyed getting off the main road and wandering. There was one street that had speakers playing the same music for blocks and blocks. It was somewhat surreal, like everything in Japan, really.

Two of my favorite coffee shops were here:

And this one looked good but I didn’t make it:

Weekenders

Getting Around Tokyo

Cool old train in mint condition, actually in Osaka

USE THE TRAIN!! We went everywhere by train and loved it. You can use Google Maps for directions and it will direct you to the right platform and train. I could spend the rest of my life in a Japanese train station and be happy. Any large train station has like 50 restaurants better than anything in my town in Colorado :)

One regret I had was that I had wanted to take the Yamanote line completely around Tokyo. It’s an above ground line that circles the city and I had read that it’s a great way to see the entire city. Many of the stations are historic and have great access to important parts of Tokyo.

Where to Stay

I would probably avoid Ginza or Shibuya unless you prefer to be in the heart of activity and nightlife, unlike me. We enjoyed staying in Chiyoda City. It was quiet but lively and had easy access to other parts of the city.

The rest of my Japan images are here.