Tokyo, Japan
akihabara - manga area The west side of Tokyo (Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Harajuku)
is home to the futuristic architecture, enormous shopping malls, cinemas, and
nightlife that Tokyo is famous for. While to the east (Asakusa) lies what used
to be the old Samurai districts with magnificent temples, historic sites, and
cozy residential neighborhoods, some of which have remained almost unchanged for
decades. The JR Yamanote Line, often called “the Tokyo loop line,” is the
central circular train line in Tokyo that connects the city’s most popular
districts like Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza, Tokyo Station, Akihabara, and Ueno.
Quick Tip: I recommend you buy a Japanese payment card, like a Suica Card
[https://nerdnomads.com/go/suica_card]to use on trains and subways in Tokyo and
other big cities in Japan (including Kyoto and Osaka). There is also a Suica app
that you can use to refill the card. The 9 best areas to stay in Tokyo: 1.
Shinjuku, 2. Shibuya, 3. Ginza/ Tokyo Station, 4. Roppongi, 5. Ueno, 6. Asakusa,
7. Akihabara, 8. Odaiba, 9. Tokyo Disney – Click here
[https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1T2e130QaA1uguYbXkG6tERjfBaw&ll=35.66395604735201%2C139.73538670000005&z=12] for
a larger version of the Tokyo area map
https://nerdnomads.com/where-to-stay-in-tokyo
[https://nerdnomads.com/where-to-stay-in-tokyo] THE OLD PUB STREETS GOLDEN GAI &
MEMORY LANE (PISS ALLEY) Well worth a visit is Shinjuku’s old Golden
Gai neighborhood. Golden Gai consists of narrow streets lined with charming tiny
bars and restaurants. Many are so small they can only accommodate a handful of
visitors at a time. samurai museum Shinjuku Gyoen Japanese Garden Visit perhaps
Tokyo’s most beautiful garden and our favorite Shinjuku also has a seedier
side, with Japan’s biggest red-light district, Kabukicho, housing some dodgy
bars. Hotel Gracery is, however, most famous for its Godzilla-themed decor. Its
gigantic rooftop Godzilla head Onsen Ryokan Yuen Shinjuku
[https://nerdnomads.com/go/yuen_shinjuku_tokyo?clickref=where-to-stay-in-tokyo_amcid-YirOb6O77ooPe7BiEVVI3] – Ryokan
We stayed here in December 2019 and absolutely loved it! If you want to try a
Ryokan (Japanese Inn) that is modern, comfortable, and has an Onsen (hot spring
bath), then this is it! This newish Onsen Ryokan Yuen (opened Christmas 2018) is
stunning. The minimalistic modern Japanese design and decor are like those taken
from a design magazine Shibuya is a great area to stay in for tourists and
first-time visitors to Tokyo, with plenty of things to keep you busy. A visit to
Tokyo’s most spectacular shrine, Meiji-Jingu Shrine, and a walk through the
enormous Yoyogi-Koen Park Shibuya, and especially Harajuku, attracts a younger
crowd. This is where the teens of Tokyo gather and hang out with their bright
futuristic clothes and colorful hair. They typically meet up at Hachiko Plaza,
named after the famous Hachiko dog, which Japan loves
[https://nerdnomads.com/hachiko_the_dog], whose statue is right in front of the
Shibuya train station. Shibuya Crossing, Along Centre-Gai, you will find an
absolutely amazing amount of shops, bars, cafes, and restaurants. Harajuku is a
small part of the Shibuya area famous for being the center of Tokyo’s goth/
zombie/ emo-like subculture. Youths from all over Japan come to Harajuku to shop
for clothes and accessories in the dozens of small specialty stores that line
the narrow Takeshita street. Love Hotel Hill (its official name is Dogenzaka).
This area is full of nightclubs and love hotels. Cat Street One of our absolute
favorite streets in Tokyo is Kyu-Shibuya-gawa Yuhodoro, popularly called “Cat
Street.” It connects Shibuya and Shinjuku and has an entirely different and more
relaxed hipster kind of atmosphere than the crowded and busy Harajuku and
Takeshita-dori street. The cozy Cat Street is lined with excellent fashion
shops, second-hand clothes, boutique restaurants, and independent cafes. Try a
burger at The Great Burger [http://www.the-great-burger.com/], our favorite
Tokyo burger joint! See our Tokyo itinerary day 1
[https://nerdnomads.com/what-to-do-in-tokyo] At the Japan Folk Crafts Museum
[http://www.mingeikan.or.jp/english/], mazing Shopping Shibuya has some
fantastic shopping malls like Shibuya Hikarie
[https://www.hikarie.jp/welcometohikarie/], with 16 floors of shops and
restaurants. On the 16th floor is Sky Lobby, which has excellent views over
Shibuya. A fun restaurant here is d47 which serves 47 unique dishes, one from
each prefecture in Japan – a great way to experience Japanese food. The
new Shibuya PARCO mall [https://www.parco.co.jp/en/] is where the hip and trendy
go shopping. It is packed with the latest and hippest clothes and accessories
from the hottest designers, both Japanese and worldwide. As well as a Nintendo
store and a Pokemon Center. Miyashita park
[https://www.miyashita-park.tokyo/] is a newly opened shopping complex with a
fancy Ghibli store called GBL, restaurants, cafes, a hotel, and a KitKat
Chocolatory Just a short walk southeast of the luxury shopping streets of Ginza,
you will reach the Tsukiji area of Tokyo with the world-famous fish market –
Tsukiji Fish Market. YANAKA NEIGHBORHOOD To the north of Ueno park is Yanaka, a
beautiful little area with more than a hundred temples relocated from all around
Tokyo during the urban restructuring. Miraculously, Yanaka survived both the
devastating earthquake of 1923, the firebombing of World War II, and the
modernization process of the postwar years. Yanaka neighborhood is well worth a
visit. Going for a stroll through the streets of Yanaka feels quite magical and
is like stepping back in time ASAKUSA – THE BEST AREA TO STAY IN TOKYO FOR
HISTORIC TEMPLES AND OLD JAPANESE ARCHITECTURE sumo museum The Akihabara
neighborhood, also called Akiba, is the center of the geek culture in Tokyo. It
is a Mekka for manga and anime Sundays are the best time to wander about in
Akihabara as the main street is closed off for traffic Jimbocho Neighborhood
This neighborhood is heaven for us book lovers. Here you will find approximately
160 secondhand bookstores. Roppongi is another excellent area to stay in Tokyo.
Roppongi is the cosmopolitan part of Tokyo, famous for its entertainment,
fantastic restaurants, and bustling nightlife. It also contains several art
museums, galleries, shopping centers, and theaters. bay TeamLab Planets The
extremely popular and cool digital art museum/ interactive exhibitions Planets
by teamLab is a must-visit! We love it! restaurants
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snow https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g1120620-d555060-Reviews-Nozawa_Onsen-Nozawaonsen_mura_Shimotakai_gun_Nagano_Prefecture_Koshinetsu_Chubu.html
[https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g1120620-d555060-Reviews-Nozawa_Onsen-Nozawaonsen_mura_Shimotakai_gun_Nagano_Prefecture_Koshinetsu_Chubu.html]
You should definitely spend some time in Nihonbashi instead of Roppongi and
Ginza. Especially if you are looking for hole-in-the-wall. Nihonbashi is much
more charming. Lots of nice restaurants in the small streets around Ningyocho
St/Suitengumae St. You will find Michelin Rest. and more down-to-earth.
Tokyo, Japan
Koyasan Koyasan is a small mountain town at the foot of Mount Koya, famous for
its many beautiful Buddhist monasteries/ temples tucked away in the forest
landscape. We stayed at one of these temples (several of them have rooms for
rent), and it was a fantastic experience! We stayed in a traditional
Ryokan-style room, the food was amazing, and the monks (all men) spoke some
English so we could communicate with them. They also invited us to join their
morning prayer ceremony (we were given a note where they had translated their
prayers into English), which was so atmospheric and a unique experience. Sadly
we have not written about our visit to Koyasan yet. We went to Koyasan from
Osaka by train (about a 2.5-hour train trip). We stayed at Koyasan Shukubo
Fudoin [https://nerdnomads.com/go/koyasan-shukubo-fudoin-temple-stay] – Himeji
Himeji has one of Japan’s most beautiful castles – Himeji Castle. It is perfect
as a day trip from Kyoto (44 min train trip) or Osaka (45 min train trip). You
can read about our visit to Himeji here [https://nerdnomads.com/himeji-castle].
– Osaka One of Japan’s biggest cities, with fabulous food and the stunning Osaka
Castle (a must-visit!). You can read our Osaka Itinerary here
[https://nerdnomads.com/osaka-itinerary]. – Fuji Five Lakes After Hakone, we
went to Fuji Five Lakes (there are direct buses between these two places), and
we actually liked Fuji Five Lakes better than Hakone. So if you have the time, I
recommend doing both Hakone and Fuji Five Lakes (we stayed one night at each
place). And if you happen to be in Japan during one of the Sumo tournaments, I
recommend that you see some of the matches. It is great fun! On our last visit
to Japan (2019), there was a Sumo tournament in Fukuoka. You can read about our
visit to Fukuoka here [https://nerdnomads.com/fukuoka-itinerary]. We combined
Fukuoka with a visit to Nagasaki, which has so much more to offer than just its
tragic history of the atomic bomb. We were actually quite surprised at how nice
Nagasaki was, there was much more to see and do there than in Hiroshima
actually. Nagasaki is a bit out of the way compared to the rest of the
“highlights” in this itinerary, however. It takes about 7 hours by train to get
to Nagasaki from Tokyo. Day 1: Arrive in Tokyo – 5 nights in Tokyo Day 2: Tokyo
Day 3: Tokyo Day 4: Day trip to Hakone Day 5: Tokyo Day 6: Tokyo – Kanazawa (a
3-hour train trip) – 2 nights in Kanazawa Day 7: Kanazawa Day 8: Kanazawa
– Kyoto (a 2,5-hour train trip) – 3 nights in Kyoto Day 9: Kyoto Day 10: Kyoto
Day 11: Kyoto – Hiroshima (a 1 h 40 min train trip) – 2 nights in Hiroshima/
Miyajima Day 12: Hiroshima/ Miyajima Day 13: Hiroshima – Tokyo (a 4-hour train
trip) – 2 nights in Tokyo Day 14: Tokyo Day 15: Fly Tokyo – San Fransisco
http://shinshoji.com/english/doujou/ [http://shinshoji.com/english/doujou/] zen
monastery stay