Hello,
I always enjoy reading trip reports in this subreddit, so I want to share some highlights from my solo trip back in January.
I shared the planned itinerary here: [https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/s/24MhUZwIPS](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/s/24MhUZwIPS)
Fanfest euphoria: Held in Tokyo Dome, the Final Fantasy XIV fanfest gathered thousands of player from all over Japan (and abroad). It felt unreal to be in the same room with our cherised producer & director Yoshi-P, the voice actors, and the whole team including master Soken, and we were hyping l the upcoming expansion together. The atmosphere was so great！ Due to the lottery system I only got a limited access to the event so I couldn’t enjoy all available features, but just being there was already fun. Still got to grab some merchandises also. A bit sad though since my guild mates couldn’t come to the event while most people were attending with their own friends.. :”(
For those who want to attend an event in Tokyo Dome, there are some hotels near the area but the price is quite high especially if you book it closer to the date. I chose to stay in Akihabara, only a few station away from Tokyo Dome so it didn’t take long to reach, and the station entrance is very close to the venue. It was also fun to see so many people in the train wearing fanfest merch.
Edit: I also want to highlight the amazing concerts held at the venue. Keiko’s piano performance was mesmerizing while the Primal’s concert was so energetic and fun!
Cancelled Kanazawa Trip: I’ve made the itinerary before the earthquake in Ishikawa, but after the disaster occured my friend there assured me that her place was still fine for a visit, so I didn’t have to change my plan. I bought the Hokuriko Arch Pass when I arrived in Tokyo, eventhough the chasier kept asking me if I knew the latest situation. Well lo and behold just the day before my trip to Kanazawa, my friend regretfully told me she and her daughter got Covid…. I didn’t feel like going all the way to Kanazawa if I can’t meet my friend, so decided to book a 1-day trip around Kawaguchiko instead. It was a great decision because the weather was clear and I got to see Fuji San clearly!
Where to stay: Convenience over cost saving So initially I was planning to stay in a hotel for 3 nights only – the rest will be in my friends place. When I arrived in Tokyo, I realized that moving around with big luggages by myself would take too much time and effort. The hotel I stayed was super close to station (Remm Akihabara) and the price is quite reasonable…. So I decided to keep staying there until the end of my trip. No regret! The room is small but enough to open a luggage, and it has a nice massage chair..! Really useful after daily walks… Its close proximity to the station became very useful as I can make a quick transit to drop my stuff before going to another place.
Transport: JR Pass + Pasmo Passport Although my Kanazawa trip was cancelled I couldn’t refund my Hokuriko Pass because I already used it when I arrived. So this was a lost of over 20k yen, but it can’t be helped… I tried to use the pass as much as I can when traveling using JR trains. But occasionally I needed to take metro which is not covered by the pass so I had to buy Pasmo Passport too.
Catching up with friends while enjoying the local foods Prior to the trip I contacted some of my friends who stay there and ask if they are interested to meet up sometimes. I ended up having 3 dinner meets up with different circles of friends through out the trip. It was really great to catch up and they also recommend really nice place to eat. I felt less lonely because of the meets up 🙂
Here is the detailed actual itinerary:
Day 1 (Saturday):
* Arrive in Narita in the morning
* Take the train (NEX + JR) to Akihabara, dropping off luggage at the hotel
* Noon: Explore Akihabara: Get lunch, Animate, Taito station, also buy discounted warm clothes in GU (I don’t have warm clothes so figure would be more efficient and cheaper fo buy there). Oh and found out there is a small Square Enix Cafe really close to my hotel. They were having a Dragon Quest themed cafe and also got to buy some official merchandise there.
* Afternoon: Went to Tokyo Sky Tree, got a limited Natsume Yuujincho sweater at Earth Music and Evology, strolling around the river and had a tea and wagashi there.
* Evening: Dinner with friends at an Izakaya in Ginza
Day 2 & 3:
* Full-day event at Tokyo Dome. Wrote the impression above.
* Visited the Koishikawa Kourakuen garden during a down time on Sunday. It was interesting to feel the contrast of loud, crowded Tokyo Dome with the serene and calm atmosphere of the garden. It was nice although it was a bit cold.
* The food stalls inside venue area had long queues so I ended up buying food from stores in Tokyo Dome city. They are still delicious!
Day 4:
* Found a One-Day tour to Kawaguchiko from Klook at reasonable price. More pricey than going through normal train, but being solo, I prefer this way. Had to come to Shinagawa to get in the bus. The tour guide was informative and we got really nice travel buddies from other countries. The weather was clear so we got to see Mt. Fuji from all the places we visit. Felt blessed.
* We returned to Shinjuku at around 5 PM in the afternoon. Decided to take a walk around the area including the Kabukicho… and I ended up having a cup of coffee at Artnia Cafe before going back to the hotel.
Day 5:
* Morning: Took the free guided tour at the Imperial Palace. Didn’t manage to book online so I had to come early to get the walk-in ticket (300 tickets available/tour). Make sure to bring a pen (or borrow someone’s pen) to fill in the queue form. The guide was interesting and the scenery is good, though I am sure it’s more beautiful during spring where the trees and flowers are blooming. When I was there it was kinda bare. Hence I skipped the free access to the palace garden.
* Afternoon: Explored Ueno area: Ueno Park, Tokyo national museum. Was very excited to recognize some manga and anime references at the museum (Bishamonten statue, that ancient clay statue in Doraemon movie, etc).
* Shopping for souvenirs at Ameyokocho.
* Evening: Dinner with some friends in Tsukishima area, the home of Monjayaki. When in Tokyo it’s really worth it to try Monja!! The appearance may look questionable but the taste is sooo good!! We also went to Jonathan’s afterward to continue catch up.
Day 6:
* Morning: Walked around Yoyogi Park and Meiji Shrine. It was way colder than the previous days (turned out Tokyo was snowing just a few says after my visit hmm), continued to Omotesando and Shibuya. Took the obligatory pic with Hachiko and got the 10 yen cake from Donki (was good).
* Noon: Mori Tower in Roppongi. The staff told me that the observation deck was used for an exhibition so the sceneries are disrupted… But I still went in anyway because it’s a Tokyo Revengers exhibition which I am kinda familiar. Still got to see tokyo tower from the deck albeit from weird angle, but the exhibition was interesting so it was worth it.
* Afternoon: Emergency (?) return to Ameyokocho to get additional souvenir for my family, and then went to Eorzea Cafe in Akhibara. I really went all out as FF fan 😆
* Evening: Had dinner with friend at Yamachan and continue catching up. Went to Akibabara Donki to get last minutes additional souvenirs too ?they are open 24 hour open so such a saver).
Day 7 – Return flight to my home country.
Overall it was a very memorable trip despite some adjustment here and there. Wish I have stayed longer but hopefully there will be next time. For next trip for sure I want to visit Osaka, Kyoto, and the other areas.
by Ultima_Boba