Tokyo

Flight from Amsterdam to Tokyo with a stop in Shanghai.

The night before

We landed in Narita International airport on Tuesday, 11th of February and headed straight to our hotel. Even though we were relatively far away, the journey didn't take longer than 90 minutes since the trains travel pretty fast. It was late at night and we were both exhausted from the day, so as soon as we arrived to the Bella via Hotel and took a well deserved bathroom break (the toilets have heated seat, bidet, shower and sometimes even sing), we called it a day and fell asleep within few minutes.

View from one of the buildings

A lot of walking

Our first day was carried without any detailed planning or scheduling. We wanted to explore the city and some of the twelve-storied buildings, the first of which we stumbled upon was Bic Camera, a Japanese electronic store. At the entrance they made a demo on how to use their skillets and pots (they cooked a soup) and few laundry machines were turned on to demonstrate how they work. It was fun to see the different devices they sell, their marketing techniques and the vastness of the store. They had a lot of everything. A lot. Afterwards we walked towards the city center and found a free viewpoint on top of one of the buildings. They also had a Tsutaya bookstore with art gallery so of course we had to go in.

Shibuya Crossing

Towards the evening Erik looked up another viewpoint, this time on a government building, much higher one and a bit busier, so we watched the sunset from the top. It was really compelling seeing Tokyo at night. Even though it's the biggest city in the world and can be very busy, it doesn't feel overwhelming at all. People are generally quite on the streets and very organized - you would very rarely bump into anyone. The sounds from traffic lights, cars or train stations are not intrusive, instead of annoying beeping when the traffic light turns green, you hear a bird song. Everything feels very calm and clean. We walked the city center towards the famous Shibuya Crossing and even though it was visibly busier, it wasn't too crowded now in February.

Dinner

It was around 8:30 p.m. when we decided to find a place for dinner. We were looking for something local and found the perfect place in our neighbourhood Otsuka. A restaurant where only 9 people could fit around the counter, the chef and the lady who washed our dishes where the only people in the kitchen, which was enclosed by the counter we were sitting at. We had noodles and gyoza and they tasted amazing! The whole dinner was very immersive and I would definitely come back again.

Yoyogi Park

Next day and Yoyogi Park

Since last night we went to bed pretty late (around 1:30 a.m.), I slept in while Erik woke up to plan the day and do some remote work. We decided to go check out the more traditional parts of Tokyo which was absolutely worth it! After a 7-Eleven breakfast (the usual Onigiri and some warm tea), we took the JR train to Yoyogi. We walked to the Yoyogi park to see the Meiji Palace, which is dedicated to the spirits of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. We saw more tourists than locals but it wasn't super busy. To walk through the park to the shrine and back took us about one hour. When visiting, it's customary to follow some rituals - bow before entering and leaving the gates, wash your hands and mouth before walking into the shrine, and offer money, bow twice and clap your hands twice inside. There was also a dedicated area to write down wishes and prayers. When leaving the area, I got my Eki stamp at the Harajuku station!

The Imperial Palace

Initially, we didn't plan to go visit the Tokyo Imperial Palace because to reserve a visit is really complicated and it's not very visible from outside of the gardens (to get a permit you need fill in a form online or line up in front of the gates early in the morning and maybe you'll get a spot). But we were relatively close so we decided to go, and I'm glad we did! The route from metro station to the palace was already very scenic and even though it's true that we couldn't enter the gardens and have a good look on the palace and Fujimi Nagura Tower, it was possible to take a peek from a distance. I would recommend going even if you don't have the permit to enter. Besides the Marunouchi station is only a few minute walk from the palace and if you like sightseeing pretty buildings, the station is for sure one of them! Afterwards, we took a stroll to explore the city until we stumbled upon a working cafe (you're allowed to do some work on your computer/phone) and took a little break.

Senso-ji temple

The way from Marunouchi station to our next destination wasn't supposed be longer than 30 min, but on our walk through the city we entered so many stores that it took us almost three hours. Apart from the very popular Don Quijote (a Japanese shop that offers literally everything - recommend for trying out different snacks and sweets, otherwise too crowded, even in February), a surprise find was a Nissan store, where we could see Nissan cars, and also two floors of Sony products for sale and exhibition of photographs. After taking a metro to the Asakusa area I realized that this might be one of my favorite parts of Tokyo. With it's Senso-ji temple, five storied Pagoda, local restaurants and traditional alleys, we felt completely immersed in the Japanese culture. We arrived there around 7 p.m. so all the small shops surrounding the temple were closed, but the experience was still magical. We had traditional Japanese curry and then had to rush home for the toilet :D. Otherwise a great day.

The Making of Harry Potter studio

Slept in on Harry

We took the rest of the trip more chill. We already saw a lot of places in Tokyo and were getting a little bit tired of the walking, we decided to spend some time in cafes and parks to read books, send applications for master's programs and do some work. But our third day in Tokyo still started big. I was gifted an entrance to the Making of Harry Potter studio in Tokyo, so we set an alarm for Wednesday to be there nice and early and make it to our scheduled entrance time. However, as it always happens at the least convenient time, the phone somehow died at night and the alarm didn't go off, so we woke up around 10 a.m. well slept and confused, because our scheduled time was 20 min ago and it takes around 30 to get to the studio. So we sprinted out of the hotel and to the metro station, stressed out that they will not let us in. When we arrived to the studio, I was super hungry and even though I had some food with me, I couldn't eat it inside. After they scanned our ticket, no one said anything about being late and we started the tour. And it was amazing! As a proud Harry Potter fan I felt immersed in the fantasy world and enjoyed every single station. It took us about 3 hours to go through the studio, including having a small lunch.

Mount Takao

Mt. Takao

About an hour away from our hotel outside of Tokyo stands Mount Takao, a perfect destination for a day trip. The journey was supposed to be relatively cheap (1640 yen for 2 people there and back), but firstly I lost my ticket, so we had to get a new one, and we got off at the wrong station (Takao station instead of Takaosanguchi). When we finally got to where we wanted to be, we were pleasantly surprised - it wasn't crowded with tourists at all! The hike felt very authentically natural and views were beautiful.

Shinkansen

To finish off our Tokyo adventures, we got to experience what might have been the greatest joy for Erik in the whole week - a Shinkansen train. Our next destination was Kyoto and it took us around 3 hours to get there from Tokyo. Before boarding we followed the tradition and bought a bento box for lunch. And then we just enjoyed the views, including one of Fuji. Thanks for following this journey and see you in my next post from Kyoto!