The beginning and the end of my trip to Japan was Tokyo. A kind of city that is rare. It’s big and shiny, blinking everywhere, with craziness at every corner, but on the other hand, it’s full of religious shrines and temples and organized like a German bureaucracy.
Already at the airport, I realized I entered a different world. Coming from Santiago de Chile (unorganized and unstructured), I was so happy that at the airport, everyone was standing strictly in line for customs and waiting at a meter distance from the baggage claim for their carefully handled bags. Leaving the customs area, someone from the tourist office approached me to ask if I needed help with the subway or other significant stuff. With some free maps and a train ticket, I left already impressed by the airport.
And that is how it continued over the next few days. I could write pages and pages of things that we should take over in Europe.
Here are some examples:
- Japans understand the concept of people leaving the train first before they enter.
- They never complain about standing in line, even if the “thing” they are waiting for has to close. For example, I was 1 hour 50 minutes (!!!) in line for a rollercoaster at Disney Sea, and just 10 minutes before it was my turn, an announcement came that the rollercoaster was broken and they would close down the attraction. No one, seriously NO ONE, was complaining, expressing anger, or even sighing. Impressive!
- At many train stations in Japan, you can collect a unique stamp for an app or a collection book. It’s a nice challenge encouraging people to use the public transport system.
One thing I will never get in Japan is how they handle garbage. Everyone is taking home their trash; you rarely see public trash bins. So, I was walking around most of the time with an empty Starbucks cup in my backpack.
Tokyo has museums, attractions, amusement parks, and other places to entertain you. I tried a lot, but I will only mention the highlights.
Karaoke
Sure, Karaoke is not only available in Tokyo, but it feels like doing it at the birthplace of Karaoke. Common is to book a small room for your friends and yourself, have a couple of beers, and scream to Backstreet Boys like hell 🙂
Renting the room costs around 30 USD per hour, but it’s worth it – a hangover is guaranteed.
By the way, noodle soup is the perfect food for after a party in the middle of the night! And consider how you come home: the subway does not operate between 1 am and 5 am, and cabs are expensive.
Fish-Art-Musuem
The Art Aquarium Museum in Tokyo is a mesmerizing experience that blends traditional Japanese art with the beauty of thousands of goldfish in breathtakingly illuminated exhibits. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are valid for a specific time slot. You should give it a shot!
Shrines and Temples
I have mixed feelings about the crowded temples and shrines during the New Year. I also visited Kyoto on my trip, which is better for temple visits. But if you are only in Tokyo, you should see one or two temples.
Shibuya Crossing
Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo’s iconic scramble intersection, is a mesmerizing spectacle of humanity in motion, where massive crowds of pedestrians surge in perfectly synchronized waves from all directions with each change of the lights. Over 3000 people cross the streets during rush hour in one greenlight period.
For sure, walk around the city, eat all the fancy things from the street, see the light show at night or the crowded streets at day. Take the subway, have a walk, take the bus. Enter one of the many gaming facilities, either for a shooter, for Mario Kart, or trying to grab a cuddly toy out of a vending machine. Everything is fun, and you will always be energized in Tokyo.
Things which I did but not recommend if you have other things to do:
- Team LAB: not worth the waiting time nor the money. Seeing the experiments is nice, but you can spend your time and money more wisely.
- Disney Land / Disney Sea: From a Japanese perspective, it is cheap. That’s why it’s OVERCROWDED. Waiting 90 minutes for a rollercoaster is normal.
Next Stop Vietnam 🙂
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