I finally made it to Tokyo. Here’s what I got into and how you can make it over there and get the most out of your next trip. Seems like everyone is going so you might as well get there too! Let’s go!
Useful Links
- Visit Japan Web Immigration Website
- Narita Express Train Information
- Suica Card Information
- Teamlab Borderless
- Shinjuku Bar Crawl
- Tsukiji Fish Market: Street Food & Culture Walking Tour
Arriving in Tokyo
You finally decided to visit Tokyo. Congrats, but now you have to decide which airport to pick. I arrived at Narita but there’s also Haneda. Haneda is closer to the city but I have no experience there so I’ll leave it at that. Narita is the one that’s farther away from the city, about 35 miles from downtown Tokyo, but you still have lots of options to get to where you need to go.
Immigrations and Customs
The first stop upon arrival is getting through Japanese immigration and customs. We used the Visit Japan Web website to do everything. We followed the prompts, added my wife, and answered the questions. One big thing was I filled out each person’s information to get an individual QR code. There was a question about completing the questionnaire for the entire family but I did each person regardless of the family question. Having two separate QR codes to go through customs actually made it easier than the family QR code. You have the option to do the paper questionnaire upon arrival but I’d advise against it since the QR is preferred.
Finally, screenshot the QR code when it’s completed and text it to each person so they have it on their phone. It was that easy and made it a breeze once we got the a station. You will have to use the QR code for the immigration portion and the customs portion so don’t delete it!
Getting to Tokyo
There are two main train options to get to Tokyo. The Narita Express (NEX), which we used, and another train called The Skyliner. I used the NEX so I’ll talk about that! I’d recommend you try to target a hotel around one of the stations the NEX stops at to keep it simple. We stayed near Shinjuku Station which is a stop and it made it super easy to go from Narita to our hotel. You can see the lines and stations the NEX stops.
Finally, you can pre-order your tickets on the website but we decided to wait in case of any airline delays, and got a ticket at the Narita train station kiosk. Remember, with this train you will need to get the basic fare and the express fare since it’s a reservation train. Just pick the more expensive option unless you want to use the Suica card for the basic fare.
Lodging in Tokyo
We stayed in Shinjuku. We got lucky since the Shinjuku station was near the hotel and the Narita express. The Washington Hotel worked out great! It has a Family Mart on the main floor. The subway was connected to the underground mall which connected to the hotel. It was easy to get to all the places we wanted.
The rooms were small and very much “Japan sized”. There was a breakfast for an additional charge. It all worked out well and the stay was exactly what we needed! Highly recommended!
Attractions
There’s so much to do in Tokyo, and that’s an understatement! Here’s a few of the things we did but you can do almost anything in this town so good luck discovering what works for you!
Teamlab Borderless
Teamlab Borderless was such a highlight of our Tokyo trip I can’t recommend it enough! There are two sites in Tokyo. The other location is Teamlab Planets. We got a reservation and I’d recommend you get your tickets beforehand because it was very busy.
The lab or museum or visual art instillation was exactly that. A giant building with projectors everywhere, sound systems, art, lighting, and everything visually in between that you are totally immersed in a video as you go all around this lab. It was such an exciting time and I would go back in a heartbeat!
Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market
The Tsukiji Fish Market was a foodie highlight. It used to be the main wholesale trading market for the tuna fisherman but today it is mainly a food market that’s more about eating and having a fun time than trading giant tuna fish. We went through the market with a Get Your Guide tour and that was a great addition for the market. We talked with a few people, had someone guiding us to a few of the stalls, and trying some unique food! Don’t go here if you’re expecting fish trading but swing by if you want to try some tasty food and unique plates!
Shinjuku Bar Crawl
We did a Shinjuku Bar Crawl via Get Your Guide and unfortunately this was a low light of the trip. It wasn’t a bad time by any means but rather it just was a little lackluster. The crawl was a little overcrowded, the locations didn’t seem prepared for the larger group. It ended around 22:00 which isn’t much of a bar crawl in my opinion. It was more of an experience and meet-and-greet than a rackous pub crawl that ends at a big bar or night club. I’m sure there are other bar crawls that seem more like a wild night but this one wasn’t that.
Tokyo Food
There were two big highlights of our Tokyo food outings! The Harajuku Gyozarou spot was such a fun spot! It’s a small bar and a few benches found on the tiny streets of Harajuku. It was really fun having a few beers and gyozas in such an intimate spot. I love that type of place!
The second spot was a ramen spot in Roppongi. The Roppongi Menya Musashi Kosho Ramen Bar was so down to earth! This joint had about 15 seats, an ordering kiosk, and a loud and happy crew saying hi to everyone coming in while orders are being called out. The portions were large, the beer was tall, and it was a nice spot to swing by after seeing Teamlab and have a good ramen!
Conclusion
Tokyo was great! You could spend 10 days there and not see everything. There’s so much to do! This was how we did it and you should totally find areas that you like! Good luck and let me know what you find!
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