Sign in with Facebook"It May Have Been Long Overdue..." Tokyo by Rabbityama
Tokyo Travel Guide: 3,930 reviews and 9,308 photos
After coming to Japan twice and never spending time in Tokyo (beyond my "One Day" below which I kept for nostalgia), my third time in Japan finally brought me to visit the city for more than just an overnight layover.
To be honest, I was content not going to Tokyo and if circumstances hadn't made me go, I may still not have gone. It wasn't because of nerves or anything, but I much prefer cultural sites over cities and although there were some places in Tokyo I was interested in, it was never enough to make me actually go.
Anyways, since I had to go, I started by deciding I wanted to go to Kamakura (haha, still not Tokyo) and then started looking up what I could do in Tokyo. Probably strange for most people, the first site I chose was the Yayoi-Yumeji Museum, because I like Yumeji Takehisa, and then I made a reservation for the Imperial Palace, since I've been to three out of the four Imperial buildings in Kyoto. From there I slowly made tentative lists, grouped sites by location, etc. and was able to see and do a lot in the 5 days I had in Tokyo.
Similar to Kyoto, planning a Tokyo trip can be overwhelming because there are many places (especially museums in Tokyo) to go, but most sites are near or within an easy walking distance of stations on the Yamanote Line (Tokyo's equivalent to Osaka's Loop Line) and the free "Yes Tokyo!" guides that you can find all over the city made it even easier, since each spread page had a map and was pretty much focused around the Yamanote Stations.
I can definitely say that Tokyo has a lot to offer, even for people like me who don't like to waste precious travel time shopping (Tokyo is a shoppers paradise. You could shop for weeks without visiting any attractions if you wanted. haha).
Oddly it's difficult to say Tokyo has a "must-see" site, because many of the popular things in Tokyo are just districts but I guess some places that come close to me are the Shibuya Crossing, Sensoji Temple (in Asakusa), and the Imperial Palace. Tokyo Tower is kind of a tourist trap but it's Tokyo's icon, so some may call it a must-see. Not having very many "must-see" sites is actually a good thing in my opinion because it means you can plan a trip around whatever you want to see rather than doing what everyone else does (although there are plenty of guides out there for those who don't like to do a lot of planning themselves.).
What I would suggest to people though, is not to devote all of your time to Tokyo. Yes, Tokyo has a lot and can be fun, but there is SO MUCH more to Japan than Tokyo. The rest of the country is so different, so beautiful, and less crowded!
Too many travelers just go to Tokyo or visit only Tokyo and Kyoto but if you are thinking about a trip to Japan, don't be afraid to get out of Kanto and Kansai! My personal favorite region is the Chugoku region and Shikoku is great too, although so few foreign tourists venture there. Kyushu and Tohoku also have many sites worth visiting. Limited time and money of course are unavoidable factors in determining where to go but if you can manage, some of the best places are beyond the major tourist cities!
I was only in Tokyo for one day before I traveled on to Okayama-ken. After I went to the hotel, I walked around just to see what there was to see.
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Tokyo Skytree was opened on May 22, 2012. It's known as the largest freestanding tower in the world at 634 meters tall.... more travel advice
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The Edo-Tokyo Museum was built to educate people about Tokyo's history and its transformation from the old world of Edo... more travel advice
Sky Tree Shopping
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Tokyo Solamachi is a shopping complex built below Sky Tree. Inside there are a lot of specialty shops, particularly... more travel advice
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The garden was constructed in 1654 by Matsudaira Tsunashige, a brother of the shogun of the time, and when his son later... more travel advice
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Comments (5)
Thanks for sharing the info and photos of Zoshigaya cemetary. I will be visiting the cemetary this summer along with Gokokuji Temple and Sunshine Aquarium which will be covered in my Toshima page.
Interesting tip there re the illumination. You are right about crowd behaviour here at times. People pushing and shoving and so on.
We noticed no Bins and no seats to sit on, something we needed after walking a long way on a very hot and humid day.
good observation about the lack of trashcans. probably as a security/safety against bomb threats too. thanks for sharing. :)
Only in Tokyo for one day? You MUST go back!! It's the funkiest city on the planet! Go back and check out what Harajuku is all about! ;-))