by Cynthia Cruz
| March, 2, 2024
There is a lot to do in Tokyo. More accurately, there are a lot of touristy things to do in Tokyo. And on this first trip we did mostly touristy stuff. But I can’t wait to come back and do all of the other stuff that there is to do or not do – like simply strolling around all of the side streets in the different neighborhoods and visiting all the places where everyday life is happening. Yeah, that’s my fantasy – come back for months and just live here and explore the mundane. Having said that, I absolutely enjoyed all of the things that we did do.
THE TEMPLESFirst of all, while in Japan, you must visit a temple. The first temple we visited was a small shrine in the middle of a quiet neighborhood in Roppongi Hills that we just happened upon as we explored the area on foot. It was run by a monk who lived there with his family, no tourists, no vendors, just a temple in the midst of a beautiful neighborhood. The monk and his young son welcomed us warmly and let us explore the small room filled with books and musical instruments. If you get an opportunity to visit a smaller temple, do it. You can appreciate the peace and serenity without a ton of people, and it was a truly authentic moment.
Of course, we made it a point to visit some of the must-see temples in Tokyo. On our second day, we took the train to the Shibuya City area and walked to the Meiji Jingu Shrine. The walk along the path shaded by beautiful trees is lovely. The Meiji Jingu Shrine sits in the center of a vast forest of several thousands of trees, creating a lush green oasis in the middle of a bustling city. On-site there is a museum and, adjacent to the shrine, Yoyogi Park with its lovely ponds, fountains, and plum and Sakura trees. Walk the grounds, listen to the birds sing, and enjoy the beauty of nature.
On another day, we visited Sensoji in Asakusa. Once you enter the outer gate, there is a 200-meter walkway lined on both sides with shops selling souvenirs and traditional snacks. There are so many shops along the way that it may take you a while to reach the second gate to the main temple, the shrine, and the stunning 5-story pagoda. This temple is the best for people-watching, and we saw many young ladies dressed as geisha.
The Mori Art Museum
The Mori Art Museum is housed in the Roppongi Towers in the swanky Roppongi Hills neighborhood. The museum features contemporary art in a variety of genres including paintings, photography, sculpture, film, technology, language, science, and more. My favorite exhibits were the Sushi of the Future exhibit and the empty room with a pile of light bulbs in one corner, a single light bulb from above, and a spectacular view of the city through a wall of windows. For the most spectacular views of the Tokyo skyline, visit the Observation Deck on the 52nd floor or the Rooftop Sky Deck.
teamLab Planets TOKYO
One of my favorite things we did was to visit the teamLab Planets TOKYO, an immersive museum experience featuring large scale installations involving water, light, and technology. It’s hard to fully describe the experience – you will be barefoot, walking through water, through flowers, through light – it is amazing. We spent at least 20 minutes just sitting in the Universe of Floating Flowers. The Infinite Crystal Universe consists of millions of LED lights, twinkling, flashing all around you – it’s magical! If you go to Tokyo, this is a must-see. Book your tickets ahead of time – it does sell out.
Let me preface this by saying that I did not enjoy my pet café experience. I learned that I am wholeheartedly against holding animals hostage for the amusement of tourists. We went to a hedgehog café to pet some adorable hedgehogs and guinea pigs. They were cute. But there was also a ferret in residence, and to be honest, the little fellow looked miserable, chained in place by his little ankles. It just wasn’t fun for me after seeing that. Next, the Harry Potter nerd in our party wanted to go to the Owl Café, so we went. I am pretty sure Hedwig would be pissed if he were chained to a branch while ignorant tourists cooed over him. The ladies at the counter said we could pet them if we wanted to, but none of them – zero owls– wanted to be touched. And the reaction was violent and accompanied by deathly serious side-eye. We were lucky we walked out of there with our eyeballs intact. My son, separately, went to an otter café and he had the same bad feeling. Otters should be swimming free. I would say skip this experience altogether and avoid supporting cruelty to animals.
A trip on the bullet train, or Shinkansen is a must, so we decided to take the bullet train out of town to Kyoto which is about 320 miles from Tokyo and a two-and-a-half-hour ride on the Shinkansen. The trip by train is already an adventure, departing from busy Tokyo Station, shopping for tasty treats to eat on the train, and then feasting on the goodies as the view outside zips past you. And then before you know it, you’ve arrived in Kyoto! Our first stop was the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. This is an easy 2-mile stroll beneath towering bamboo boughs. It’s quite lovely, but also, a bit overrated. I’m glad I saw it. I only need to see it once. Once we finished at the Bamboo Grove, we took a cab to Gion, the famous geisha district, and walked through the ancient alley ways where, once upon a time, geisha must have dashed from tea house to tea house. We found a cute ramen shop and enjoyed a delicious meal, then spent the rest of the time shopping for souvenirs. I think I would spend a few days in Kyoto the next time I come back to Japan. There are a lot of things to see and do here, I feel like I rushed through it. Kyoto, I’ll be back!
Shopping in Japan is awesome. We spent most of our time shopping at Don Quijote, the biggest discount store in Japan and the Kit-Kat capital of the world – they have every flavor of Kit-Kat candy bars – peach, melon, cheesecake, chestnut, green apple, and on and on. I’m ashamed to say that I bought almost every flavor and was unable to close my suitcase. I left behind two sweaters to make room for candy bars. Anyway, shopping in Japan is awesome – from clothing, chopsticks, kimmidolls, Japanese blue jeans, Gucci and Louis Vuitton bags – it’s kind of a steal considering the dollar vs. the yen, plus it’s duty-free! Yes, we shopped ‘til we dropped. Our favorite shopping areas were the Harajuku district and Shibuya for shoes, bags, and clothing, and Akihabara for electronic gadgets, pokeman cards and manja and anime action figures. We also found a lot of cute gifts at the gift shops at the museums and temples we visited. Tip: bring an empty suitcase for your purchases!
Needless to say, there’s just so much to see and do in Tokyo and beyond. There just isn’t enough time to do it all in a week. I can’t wait to go back and spend a little more time doing the things I’ve already done, as well as the things I didn’t get a chance to do. I’m already planning my next trip!
