Japan was never in my bucket list (not at this moment) since it's a family friendly place, won't be tough bringing our kids along next time. Plus, thinking that Tokyo will just be another typical Asian city & itinerary for other cities will probably just be shrine / park hopping, it was definitely not my travel priority. But thanks to Coldplay Head Full of Dreams tour, we made it to Japan, together with our parents and we love it! Here's my 5 days itinerary in Tokyo, both good & disappointing ones:
Day 1 Noon Arrival - Golden Gai (Shinjuku)
Touched down Narita Airport at 3pm, by the time we went through the long immigration queue & took a 1 hour 20 minutes train into the city, it was close to 7pm when we arrived at our airbnb at Nishi Shinjuku (only one station away from Shinjuku). There are few options to get into town from Narita Airport, but I've shortlisted these two:
1. Narita Access Bus - This bus stops at Tokyo & Ginza station and it's only about RM42 per person per trip. You don't have to buy the ticket in advance, just queue at the bus stop and pay straight to the driver. The bus comes from every 2 - 20 minutes & takes about 1 hour 20 minutes to Tokyo Station. You can check out the timetable here. When you arrive at Narita airport, don't be confused by the bus counters at the arrival hall, as these are way more expensive options but it does stops at several major stations / hotels (Airport Limousine Bus - approx RM130 one way per person). If in doubt, just ask the information counter to direct you to the Narita Access bus stop.
2. N'EX Train (Narita Express Train) - This train stops at a few major stations, which is convenient for you to hop on to another metro line to get to your destination. It's cheaper compared to the Airport Limousine Bus ONLY IF you are a foreign traveller AND is buying a return ticket AND will be leaving back to the airport within 14 days - RM168 for a return ticket per person. This takes about 1 hour 20 minutes to Shinjuku station, but the train operates every 30minutes. We chose this option instead of the Narita Access Bus as we were hesitant on transferring metro lines several times from Tokyo Station with our heavy luggages.
But, if you are buying a one way ticket to / from Narita airport, not staying near Tokyo station AND prefers a convenient way to your destination over cost saving, then go for the Airport Limousine Bus. If you are departing from the metro station, you should be able to get them at the station itself. Check where to get your tickets & where to board here.
Follow the metro signs in the airport and look out for the above ticket counter. (Direction: Go down the escalator & you'll see family mart on your right. Walk pass the information counter & u'll see starbucks ahead of you, then turn left & walk straight to this counter). When I arrive, my first instinct was to follow the crowd, which, was the JR Rail Pass line! The Japanese officer who was on duty did not understand my question and asked me to continue standing in that line. Some time wasted here.
Once you are at Shinjuku Station, it's a long walk from the N'EX train platform to the station's exit, so don't forget to tag out with your N'EX ticket. We totally forgotten that we did not tag out, ended up trespassing and got stopped by the station master. After you've tagged out, find a black machine to get the PASMO / SUICA Card, a prepaid card for Tokyo metro lines. It's the same price as buying a ticket, but it makes your travel within Tokyo more convenient. You can only buy them from the black machine (only located at major stations) & a 500yen deposit is required upon purchase but this can be refunded at the end of your trip at the ticket counter. This same card can also be used at selected vending machines & shops.
Can extra cash value in your PASMO / SUICA Card be refunded? Yes, only if your cash value is more than 220yen. I read that there is a refund charge of 220yen or whatever cash value left in your card, whichever is lower. So my as well, just use the remaining cash value to buy stuff from vending machine & convenient store before claiming back your 500yen deposit.
Ok, so back to our itinerary. Since it's already late evening, we've decided to spend the night at Golden Gai, a small area with approximately 200 bars! Each bar is only a few feet big, which can accomodate maximum up to 10-15 guests or lesser.
Had ramen at Nagi. Walked up the 1st floor to ask for seats for 8, the waiter directed me back downstairs to the alley and was shocked to see the crazy long queue in the dark alley right next to the shop. Husband & I were so hungry, walked away for 10-15minutes to get ourself an onigiri from Family Mart, and our parents were only half way in line when we got back. It was definitely a challenge queing up in that super narrow alley of Golden Gai, even standing aside to take a picture of the place was a challenge. Obviously, there was no way that our family of 8 could eat together in that small space, so we ended up going in 2 by 2.
Ramen in broth made with dried baby sardine. It was mind blowingly salty but unique and good. You may add in vinegar to neutralise the taste. But, we concluded that ramen in Japan are generally salty especially if you go for strong broth base. The other fact about some of these ramen places is you'll pay the same price for different sizes - small, medium, big. So if you are big eater, hooray!
Day 2 Tsukiji Fish Market - Ginza - Chidorigafuchi Park - Roppongi Hills Tokyo View Observation Deck
We did not wake up at 4am for the fish auction, but instead we had a good time filling our tummy with food at Tsukiji Fish Market. Walk into any random shop and most likely you'll get good sashimi. If you are a fan of raw oyster, don't miss out the wholesome bowl of uni ikura don (sea urchin & salmon roe with rice) - about RM130 per bowl. Listed two popular restaurants at the market to try these awesome don - Sushikini or Aozora Sandaime.
And some other random food at the market...
Head over to Ginza (somewhat similar to Oxford Street of London) for shopping or window shopping for those who cannot afford, i.e. me & family. Lol. But came back to find out the biggest Uniqlo store was at Ginza. Oh well.
Since there was nothing much for us in Ginza (before we found out that the biggest Uniqlo was there), we moved on to Chidorigafuchi Park to steal the last few moments of cherry blossoms.
Sunset & night view at Roppongi Hills. Selected this place as it has a nice view of Tokyo Tower, but it's about RM75 to see the view of Tokyo from the observation deck & another RM20 to the sky deck for.. er.... a better "glass-free" view of Tokyo? Not worth it! I expected a panaromic view at the observation deck, but there were so many walls that there was no such thing as a 360° view of the city. It was raining, so sky deck was close. There was a Marvel exhibition when we were there, but I doubt the exhibition has led to the wall barriers in the observation deck. Sadly, it was cloudy due to the rain, which made our RM75 per person totally not worth it. Just head over to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building or Bunkyo Civic Center for a free view of the city. But, do google up their closing dates before heading over.
There are quite a number of restaurants at Roppongi Hills, so dine there before you head home. We had steak (teppanyaki style) at Ikinari and it was good after all the seafood we had earlier at the market. You get to choose to stand or sit to enjoy your steak, which is normal in Tokyo. There was this other Yakitori place that caught our attention - Jomon Roppongi, but the reservation was only free after 9pm! The place looks like a traditional japanese bar, with wooden interior, cosy with only about 10 - 15 seats available. Looks superb for a yakitori meal.
Day 3 Day Tour to Mt Fuji - Tsukemen for Dinner @ Fuunji
View was breathtaking, but the tour was disappointing. To cut the story short, we only made it to Mt Fuji's 1st station & did not even make it to Hakone for Owakudani & Lake Ashi because our tour guide made us believe it was close, when our relatives who went on another tour bus made it to these places & 4th station. All we had was the same view of Mt Fuji throughout and past time eating green tea ice cream by Lake Kawaguchi lololol.
Took the Shinkasen (bullet train) from Shinagawa back to Tokyo. A 1 hour 30 minutes car ride shortened to 30 minutes train.
Had Tsukemen at Fuunji (Yoyogi area) for dinner, a must-try recommendation by a friend. Don't be fooled by the short queue, but look across the street and you'll find that the queue starts from there. Look beyond the Japanese door curtain and you'll see where the queue starts from.
The broth is salty, somewhat similar to the ones at Nagi, the only difference is that the salty broth at Fuunji is for dipping, hence a Tsukemen dish. Once done, add hot water into the broth to turn it into a drinkable soup. So so good! Husband tried the ramen dish and it was good too! But for ramen, you may have it at Ichiran. By then, we were kind of sick of ramen, so no Ichiran for us.
P/S: This picture of Tsukemen does no justice to how it actually taste!
Day 4 Asakusa - Soba for lunch - recharge for Coldplay - Tokyo Dome for COLDPLAY Head Full of Dreams Tour!
The famous Sensoji Temple is at Askusa. But we went there to get some touristy stuff at Nakamise street, by far the best place to get Japan souvenirs & snacks. The street is right infront of Sensoji Temple, you will definitely not miss its vibrant colours. You may also rent a Kimono here. I concluded that it's one of the more colourful side of Japan since it was crowded with tourists as other more urban part of Japan is crowded with Japanese in their black, blue, white, brown work wear.
Asakusa is known for soba but looking at google map, there's a whole lot of authentic restaurants around this area! Wished we had more time to come back for food! Check this blog out for the list of soba to try at Asakusa. We ended up dining in a restaurant which was not listed in that blog, haha. But looking at the good reviews by locals, we've decided to give it a try - 丹想庵 Tansouan. By far the best soba & dipping sauce EVER! Okla, to be fair, this was the first soba I had, so I could not do a comparison with other popular places. But in comparison with those we have in Malaysia, this was the bomb! The tempura soba set lunch was about RM65, while the fish & vegetables soba set lunch was about RM42.
We didn't have time for Ueno Park, but you should consider dropping by after Asakusa for its flea market!
Accompanied my mum and mum in law to a convenient shop to do marketing - literally bought rice, sauces and whole lot of Japanese goodness before freshening myself up for Coldplay.
Wahlao, so good leh!
Day 5 Shibuya - Omotesando - Harujuku - Akihabara - Sashimi Dinner @ Sakaezushi Shinjuku
Today's itinerary is to take pictures for a "been there done that" touristy stuff.
Journeyed on to take some mandatory shots with Hachiko at Shibuya & a 30minutes shopping at Tokyu Departmental Store. There are way more affordable stuff here. If you are a fan of earrings, there is a shop selling super pretty earrings right outside the departmental store on the 2nd floor (or was it 3rd), abit pricey but it's something that you can't get back in Lovisa Malaysia (but if there is any place in Malaysia selling such pretty earrings, please let me know!)
And the famous Shibuya crossing, rumoured to be the busiest intersection in the world. But it wasn't so busy when I was there la, maybe not peak enough since it was a weekday.
So if you are a fan of some classic Japanese characters - Doraemon, Hello Kitty, Rilakkuma & other characters from around the world , please visit Kiddy Land at Omotesando! 5 storeys of fun for kids and adults! Came here on the orders of a friend who wanted some Doraemon characters, but we ended up buying some other Japan limited edition merchandise.
Did a fair bit of shopping at Omotesando, which reminds me very much of Paris Champs Elysees.
And to the famous Harujuku @ Takeshita Street! Came here again for a mandatory shot of the crowded street. But, it wasn't that bad on a weekday. Come here on a weekend and you'll be in a sardine pack. You'll also find people in the strangest costume walking around, pretty sure there are shops renting these costumes. Don't forget to drop by the drugstore for Japan cosmetics, i.e. Canmake, maquillage by Shiseido. But please find out the price first before going over, as some items may be cheaper back home during sales.
Before leaving this place, don't forget to visit Meiji Shrine too! It's the top touristy place in Tokyo that I did not have time to cover! Legendary.
Oddly, I had to squeeze in Akihabara, which was pretty out of the way. There's an electric town here, many arcades, huge SEGA building, anime inspired cafe (i.e. Gundam Cafe), strange & kawaii things, i.e. Maid Cafe. Husband was hoping to get himself a PS4, but since it was more expensive there, he ended up buying a Panasonic Nanoe hairdryer. Super expensive, but it's not sold in Malaysia (we think... after searching it up online) & it's cheaper in Japan compared to the rest of the world. Super random of my husband, but love him for it. Our hair better look so expensive for this hairdryer to be worth it LOL! You can actually get this at Bicqlo (Japan retail giant) but i think it was about RM100 more expensive there.
If you have no time, not a fan of arcades, animes & games and have no intention of buying this hairdryer, you may skip this place. Or else, you may drop by from Akasuka as it's only about 11 minutes away using Ginza line.
We ended the night by dining at this awesome sashimi place in Shinjuku - 栄寿司 Sakaezushi. So so fresh & good! No pictures cause we couldn't wait to dive into our sashimi. A local sitting on our left told us that he had been coming here once a week for the past 10 years, while the angmoh on our right told us that he had been coming here for the past 20 years. WOW!
Day 6 (Final few hours before departure) BICQLO & Kinokuniya @ Shinjuku Station
Spent our final few hours at the 8 storey kinokuniya bookshop, but there was only one floor selling foreign language books (which so happen is the same floor as the porn section lol). And also the super awesome Bicqlo which sells almost everything! (Bicqlo is a collaboration between Uniqlo & Japanese leading home appliances retailer BIC CAMERA) Our dad in law dragged hubby & I to the top floor because he said hubby will go crazy there. And yes, we were mind blown! Have never seen sooooo many headphones & in-ears in our life, from cheapo ones to super expensive ones! I literally lost my husband at this floor. Mum gotten herself a travel-size hair straightener here.
And here's a picture of our favourite drink from the vending machine, which, we have just spotted this in Malaysia's Family Mart.
My longest post by far, thank you for your patience. The End :)