Assuming you happen to be visiting Tokyo this year or next, you most likely have been bombarded with the untamed onslaught of flawless social media content of such places as the clean streets and neon light and matcha soft serve. The fact is that, Tokyo is a huge overwhelming concrete jungle, which will undoubtedly swallow you up in case you appear without preparation. And the best thing, though, is that it is the best city in the world. All you have to do is to have a good plan! The following are some of the ideas.
Transport
The train system in Tokyo really is a glorious chaotic web, it all runs perfectly on time but will immediately confuse you. Forget Apple Maps right now, Google Maps is the only way to navigate the underground labyrinths because it tells you exactly which platform to stand on and which station exit to use. Choosing the wrong exit at Shinjuku station for example is one of those rookie mistake that a lot of people make and adds a twenty minute walk in the rain to your journey. Its not true for everyone of course but most first time visitors completely underestimate how much walking theyll actually do just navigating the transit hubs. You need an IC card to ride the trains. It works for the subways and the buses and you can even use it to buy a canned coffee from the vending machines on the platform. When you arrive, dropping your bags at one of the many Tokyo luggage storage services near the major stations means you can actually go grab a bowl of ramen without dragging a giant rolling suitcase into a restaurant the size of a broom closet. You really don’t want to be that person taking up four seats with oversized bags in a tiny noodle shop!
Places to go
They will all tell you to head to the Shibuya Scramble intersection where you need to go, but do not buy the high priced observation deck tickets (unless you feel like doing so). Instead, you can simply enter into the Shibuya Scramble Square building and travel upwards in the elevator to the thirteenth floor. On the same side of the crossing there is a viewing area with huge windows that look over the same crossing and it is free altogether. You feel sick of neon lights and concrete, have to go to Shimokitazawa. It has an easy-going locality, packed with vintage shopping malls and record stores as well as great small cafes. Take a look at the Mikan Shimokita complex directly below the train tracks. seems like the sort of place local people can go and not merely a tourist trap.
Nightlife
The initial place that is normally crowded with people who have to have a taste of the nightlife legend is Shinjuku Golden Gai. Its crowded streets with winding lanes crowded with hundreds of small bars that can hold at most four or five persons each. To have a little more hospitable experience one can go to Omoide Yokocho instead. Its other narrow street of the air within Shinjuku station yet this one is totally dedicated to smoking yakitori stalls and low-end draft beer. The other very good alternative is simply to locate a random Izakaya in any single neighborhood, pure and simple. They are essentially Japanese gastropubs where you order dozens of small servings of foods, and drink until you choose to get out. Order it just by swiping a tablet on the table and within a minute or so the drinks are at the table. It is the ideal low stress evening out when you are too fatigued to have to cope with language obstacles or complex menus.
Food
Whether you would like to dine in a highly rated sit down restaurant, you have to make upfront reservations. You can not simply walk up to a nice yakitori place at 8 PM on a Friday and be assured of a table. Availability of walks in at good places reduces to zero in the peak dining hours. Even though people complain that the fish auction has been transferred to Toyosu, Tsukiji Outer Market remains the undisputed best place to eat fresh seafood. Arrive early in the morning. Stroll along the small streets and have grilled scallops out of the shell and purchase a stick of sweet rolled omelet. By mid morning it gets extremely crowded and therefore the earlier you are there the less time you will be jostled by hungry strangers.
Other things to consider
Cash is still king in Japan. They are gradually switching to digital payments but you still require real paper money when buying small bars and in rural locations and temples donations. Don’t plan to use your credit card everywhere. And there is a certain etiquette you must pick up. Japanese do not tip. And if you leave coins on the table, the waiter will actually run down the street after you to give your forgotten change. Another thing that you must do is remove your shoes when entering the temples and some traditional restaurants.
Tokyo is glorious and, draining and strangely quiet. It is one of those places that most of us would like to go at least once because it is totally different to anything that we have ever done.
