Top 10 Tokyo Travel Tips for First Timers

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I recently went to Tokyo about 2 months ago (eep I apologize for the delay!) and let me tell you- it was an amazing experience! I did get sick during the trip (which sucked) but overall, it was a great experience and am already planning my next vacay over there. 😉 It was a totally different world, one where I thought I knew a bit about, as I have lived for more than a year in Singapore and am a very experienced public commuter, but girl, this world is it’s own planet! You can never fully prepare for the sights, sounds and tastes of this beautiful country!

That’s why I decided to share my top 10 tokyo travel tips for first timers on the blog today, just to help out people who are seeking more information and advice on planning their first trip in the land of the rising sun.

But before that, let me show you some pictures on my trip there. It won’t be much I promise! I know it’s going to be super long if I upload all of my pics, so I am just sharing a few of my faves. 😉 If you’d rather just get on with the tips, scroll all the way to the bottom. Enjoy 😉

 

Hubby and I stayed in the Hilton Tokyo Bay so this was the view in our room! The room was soo huge, it could probably pass for a 2-bedroom apartment. 😉  We got an amazing price (considering Tokyo is one of the most expensive places to stay at) but I have to say the downside is there were a few tiny earthquakes that I felt when we stayed in this place! And I am not even kidding! On our first night here, I asked my husband if he felt it, and he shrugged, then we both looked at the toilet and the water was moving! Eeeep! We went downstairs to grab some snacks after and nobody even seemed to mind. I know Japan has active fault lines, and the Thailand tsunami is fresh from my memory, so I was beyond freaked out! And this incident happened a few times when we stayed here. People from Japan, if any of you come across this post, do let a girl know what’s up with this on the comments below.

 

This was the view from below our room. The street was so empty, and super clean. The Japanese are clean freaks of course 😉 This was taken at 10 am. I wish the streets of LA could be like this during that time of day!

 

 

One thing I love about Japan- their obsession with toilets. They have the best toilets in the world! This Toto was the one in our hotel room and I wanted to take him home! It looks very different from other toilets, as it has all these buttons. Hallelujah!! It has a bedet where you can control the amount of pressure it does and the best thing I love– it warms up!! 🙂 Yup no more sitting on a cold toilet during 50-degree weather. We were spoiled with this one for sure! And everywhere you go around the country, toilets are clean, equipped with the same multi-functioning awe-inspiring amazing-ness (except some where the buttons don’t work due to excessive use like in train stations). The ones located in the airport have some beautiful backsplash on them, I wanted to LIVE there. Arghhhh!!!!

 

Totally random: This is a Subway menu in Tokyo. Damnnn!! Look at all the shrimps on the 3rd pic! I wonder if they really give that much to customers! Sadly I wasn’t too keen on trying out Subway where there were so much good food around! Such as…

 

…Ramen!!!!! Omg! I am totally a ramen girl  straight from my heart to my belly and through my soul. It would probably be on last meal wishes if I was to die today. Good bowls of ramen could be found almost everywhere in the streets of Japan, from the cheaper ones on the side streets, to the more expensive fine-dining restaurants. There are several types, be sure to look them up before you head over if you are a true ramen connoisseur so as not to confuse which ones have fish, vegetable, pork or chicken stock in it. I will give credit to restaurants here in the US though, some places are just as good, (here in CA there are so many good ones from LA to OC) so you don’t need to go to Japan just for this. Most places will have vending machine type of things in front so there are pictures of the ramen and you pay before you get seated. Very efficient indeed.

 

Krispy Kreme in Japan has lots of other flavors! So are the Krispy Kreme branches in other countries like the Philippines and Singapore! Why can’t we have these in the US? Krispy Kreme are you hearing me right now? And look at all these cute kawaii faces. Kawaii is a Japanese term for anything cute. It’s embedded in their culture to have cuteness all around. Me likey! Hehe

 

Navigating the train station here could be a novel by itself to explain the extreme complexities of it. Look at all those criss-crossing stations! Got some tips below to prepare you for this battle. Just to point out how confusing they can be- even local Japanese get lost in them. Nooooo!

 

Shopping in Shibuya. Trying to get warm in the 50-degree weather outside! Difference between the cold weather in Japan and in the US to me is that I felt more wind blowing over there, and of course, the walking outside (which was a lot) didn’t help too. You get a whif of the freezing air as you navigate the Subway, side streets and etc, and not all places are heated.

 

Random bathroom selfie. Yes this was in a bathroom! It was in one of the malls, I forget where, all I knew was it was pink and the lighting was perfect. Yep, I wanted to convert this into my own room. 😉

 

Cute girly store Nile Perch in Harajuku.

 

The biggest and busiest pedestrian crossing in the world- Shibuya crossing. People from all directions. It would be a nightmare waiting for all these people to cross if you were a cab driver here. 😉 Rush hour is much worse. This is actually still pretty tame.

Beautiful temple in Harajuku. We didn’t have enough time to go see the Harajuku girls and other street treats, explored this temple instead.

 

Times Square in NYC got nothing on all these billboards on the skyscrapers. And see the night crowd forming here.

 

Only in Japan can you see anime billboards. This was near the Sega in Shinjuku. Cuteness and colors overload!

 

Beautiful Fendi building in Ginza. Lots of high-end retail shops are here, but sadly I was so sick when we got here, I wasn’t able to enjoy it much. 🙁

 

This was in an alleyway in Shinjuku. It was a dark area lined with multiple Izakayas (after-work pub/drinking and eating type of place). My husband and I didn’t eat in any of them though, we were in a hurry to head to our hotel as it was late and our commute takes awhile.

 

All smiles but freezing inside! 🙁 We went in March and it was freezing! I’m glad I brought my warmest clothing with me!

And for my Top 10 Tokyo Travel Tips for First Timers, read on:

 

1) Get Google Maps.

It will literally save your life! Most phones and devices have it installed, so you should use this app to max during your Japan trip. I never knew this, and my husband thought me how to do it, but if you are commuting via train (I’m not sure about bus) in Tokyo, this is amazing! In the directions, you can choose the walking man icon instead of the car, input your train station destination and where you are coming from (ex. another train station) and voila! instant updates on where to go and the train schedules. It was a bit nerve-wracking for us at first, but you can go anywhere in Japan just with this one app. For realz. 😉 As long as you have…

2) Good Wifi connection and cellphone battery.

Most places have great public wifi access in Tokyo so this shouldn’t be a problem. My carrier has international roaming included in my plan so it was good enough. Pocket wifi devices  for rent could also be used (a bit pricey) you can pay for it before you leave from the US and they can mail it to you or you can pick it up in the airport (LA or Tokyo). Just google pocket wifi Japan and some options should come up.  It was truly essential in navigating most places, and I was glad I prepared ahead and bought a portable cellphone charger, so it kept my device working at all times. If you don’t have one, no worries you can always get one cheap anywhere from the airport or most convenience stores.

3) Comfy shoes are a must

There is soo much walking, my feet hurt in my most comfy sneakers and boots. Forget heels and wear comfy footwear. That includes lots of socks. Your feet will need a lot of cushion. You can even see locals with their tattered shoes on the trains from all of that walking. I feel bad for those shoes!

4) Get a train station map

In the airport, there are lots of train maps for tourists. Grab one and always keep it handy on your purse. You can obviously google it, but as you see on one of my pictures above, the train stations are plenty, massive and complicated to say the least. Xooming on a pic from google is a little bit tricky, it’s best to have a printed version on hand. And, not all stations have the entire Tokyo railway systems, so if you get lost, (or your phone dies) you have a backup map handy.

5) Get a SUICA card

Again, here’s another Tokyo train station hack. A SUICA card is basically their prepaid train station card which you can load credits into, check your balance, etc. It saves you the time from getting just a one way ticket per trip. Fyi, look for a black ticket dispensing machine in train stations, and that’s where you get it. Not all train stations have it, if you don’t see it, approach a person behind the counter to avail of one. And this may lead to number 6…

6) Language may be a barrier

Japan is not an english speaking country, I mean majority of the locals here do not speak English. At least American English. In most stores, people do speak some English, and will understand you, but you may not understand them. They are very polite and respectful though so no worries. We never used a translator app or anything, but just know that in grocery stores, most labels are in Japanese/character letters so you may not know what it is. Take a pic of it with your phone and sometimes google translate is correct. Just not always! 😉

7) Bring cold weather gear

Even if its summer (or hotter) in most parts of the world, it may still be cool in Japan. Check weather forecasts before going and make sure to come prepared with cold weather attire. Layering clothes are great to bring too. And don’t forget cool weather accessories like gloves, beanie and a scarf.

8) Bring your healthy foods

Produce like fresh vegetables and fruits are hard to find in Japan. Most grocery stores have packaged, processed foods, and finding leafy greens is freakin’ hard! There are hardly any organic grocery stores (I think I may have seen one and it was out of way) I believe they do have markets but they may not be near where you are staying. So my advice is to bring your healthy snacks, supplements, drinks etc as you may have a hard time finding them there. I got really sick with the cold weather there so taking your vitamins and minerals is a must.

9) Plan where you want to spend the most time in

Japan is a big place, and it is super congested! It puts LA and SF congestion (in terms of people) to shame. You can it see it in the amount of people on the streets and the overpopulated housing in the urban areas. That being said, you may want to do your research in which places you want to visit and concentrate there. If not, you will find yourself hopping from one train to the next, for hours, thus wasting precious time on your trip. (Ex. Hokkaido and Kyoto are so much further from Tokyo so plan those on a separate trip). And this is probably the worse thing I can tell you: THERE IS NO UBER OR ANY CAR-SHARING SERVICE IN JAPAN. (They only have a cab-hailing app and it operates on only a specific area in Tokyo. They have Uber Eats but I believe it was a disaster, not sure if they still have it) Yup I know we’re pretty spoiled here. And also, if you want to get a cab read on my last tip…

10) Be prepared to spend

It costs an arm and a leg. That’s why most locals take the buses and trains both of which are sanitary and safe. And run at a set schedule everyday. Depending on where you are coming from, average cab rates are from $60-$200 USD one way (from the airport), depending on traffic too. Food is costly as well, and of course hotels and places to stay. Tokyo is one of the most expensive places to travel so make sure to budget accordingly.

 

So with all things said, I believe going to Tokyo is one of the best trips I have made. It is a totally different world out there, but it is trully one where I can’t wait to explore once again. Plus I discovered my current obsession with Matcha here 😉 Do you plan to go to Tokyo? Have you been to Japan? Let me know on the comments below. 😉

 

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