Tokyo

Before you start your trip, are you going to travel to other cities? If you are, consider getting a JR Rail Pass. Make sure you apply online before you get to Japan!

Areas to check out:

Shinjuku

Shinjuku has it all, it is an extremely busy area with entertainment, business, and shopping close to major JR lines, bus stops, shops, a really nice garden, the Shinjuku gyoen. There is an entry fee of 200 yen about $2, and you can get your tickets at the gate!

Shibuya

This is where the famous Shibuya Crossing and the statue of the dog from Hachi: A Dog’s Tale is located. If you haven’t seen that movie yet, watch it. It’ll make you cry but it’s great. There are a lot of shops around here too, it’s a really busy area with a lot of everything!

Harajuku

The area is the fashion central & the Japanese version of “hipster”. You can find cats in space jackets, colorful wigs, and on Sundays many many cosplayers.

MariCar

This is hands down best thing to do in Japan. Do yourself a favor and go to your local AAA and apply for an international driving permit (IDP) for $20 and you get to drive these things. It’s Mario kart in real life on the streets of Japan.

Akihabara

This is the biggest electronics district and where you’ll find most of the maid cafes. If you’re not into that there is also the Gundam café (which I think is not worth the wait) and other anime things.

Ginza

Ginza is the shopping district for higher end stuff. There are department stores every block, and streets with name brands and fancy doors.

Tsukiji

This is where the famous Tsukiji fish market is! If you are planning on going to the tuna action beware that there are only 120 spots a day. The first viewing starts at 530 and most people start to line up around 3 am to secure a spot. Public transportation is also not 24 hours so cab it up with a few friends or spend the night out then head over!  There are also AMAZING sushi places here, the most expensive ones are Sushi Dai and Daiwa Sushi, but there are also other places that are just as good! I had a live shrimp served to me that was still moving after it has been peeled and cut opened and placed on top of rice in front of me.

Ueno

I came here mainly for the cherry blossoms at Ueno Park, and it is absolutely beautiful! If you ever come during cherry blossom season, remember to bring something to sit on and some food & beer for a picnic. There are A LOT of people but you can still find spots if you try.

Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea

Tokyo Disney and Disney Sea are actually not owned by The Walt Disney Company and they’re franchises owned by another Japanese company with licensing rights.  So because of this some things are kind of different, and I’ve only been to Disney Sea but it’s still pretty cool! However, the lines were ridiculous ranging from 150-240 minutes for the popular rides (I went on a weekday but students might have been on break).  If you do end up having extra time and want to check it out, make sure you go early to grab some fast passes!

Things to do that are everywhere: themed cafes & karaoke with costumes

Themed cafe is a thing in Japan and there is a wide variety including but not limited to maids, cats, owls, and kawaii monsters, check them out!

Here are a few that I’ve been to:

& Karaoke that comes with costumes is one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. We were all different people once we had our suit on.

Places for a view:

Skytree: I haven’t been yet, but I heard the line is really long.  You’d have to get in a line to get a time slot unless you purchase a fast track ticket on top of the already somewhat pricey viewing deck ticket.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building: It’s free! Also, on a clear day, you get to see Mt. Fuji.

Roppongi Hills: Probably my favorite one so far, it cost 1800 yen (~$16) or bring your student ID for 1200 yen (~$11).  You get a nice view of the Tokyo tower and make sure you get a window seat a bit earlier if you’re there during sunset!

Tokyo Tower: It’s cool but you don’t get to see the Tokyo Tower.

Food:
There are so many choices when it comes to food in Japan and everything is so good! So I’ll just leave two suggestions of things you should try on top of EVERYTHING else.  The first isUobei Sushi, which takes revolving sushi to a whole ‘nother level with its automated system.  You don’t have to speak to anyone in the restaurant because you can order everything on your screen in English and food will be delivered to you! Also, it’s cheap, about $1 a plate.  The latter is one of the most amazing ice creams I’ve ever had. The ice cream part is so creamy and soft kind of like whip cream texture but it doesn’t have the heavy feeling whip cream gives you after you lick off everything on your Starbucks.  The cone tastes like Milano cookies and it’s just amazing.  They sell it at a lot of ice cream shops/ bakeries etc.

Mt. Fuji

For those of you who actually want to climb the mountain, note that the official climbing season is some time around early July to mid-September, so plan ahead!

Even if you are not planning on actually hiking the mountain but just going to the trails around the base of the mountain, make sure to have a backup plan because the weather is so unpredictable and anything could be closed anytime.

For a closer view of Mt. Fuji, the most popular places are around the Fuji Five Lakes, Hakone, and Kamakura. I’ve only been to one of the Fuji Five Lakes, Lake Kawaguchiko.

 

Lake Kawaguchiko

From Tokyo you can either take the train or bus to Lake Kawaguchiko, by bus it takes about two hours with no traffic.

Kawaguchiko has three main sightseeing bus routes that go around the lake. The most popular one is the red line that goes to about halfway up to the top of the lake.   The station offers a two-day unlimited bus ride pass with a ticket for a 20-minute boat ride around the lake and one gondola pass for a great view of Mt. Fuji.

We also took another bus to a village not too far away called Oshino Hakkai.

 

If you want to know more about any specific place, japan-guide.com has great information!

Coming soon- I’m working very hard on Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Hiroshima and more!