Day 1
I was not jetlagged so was able to enjoy myself as soon as I landed. I withdrew about 13k yen at the airport (this ended up being the perfect amount), put 3k of it on a Pasmo card, and headed to my hotel. I settled in for about half an hour before heading to the Hanazone Shrine for the Toro-no-ich Fair. There were so many people and I was worried (the Itaewon Halloween tragedy was not so long ago) but it seemed very orderly — there were even employees who made sure people took turns crossing main arteries throughout the shrine. I enjoyed delicious street foods, and made my prayer at the front. Then I saw a kiosk selling something, and little papers twisted and tied to a railing. I asked a group of girls if they could explain what it was. We used translation apps to communicate; I was to put 50 yen in a box and select a fortune. I had only big bills from my ATM withdrawal, so one of the girls spotted me a coin. I teared up from this kindness; they helped me translate my fortune. This was one of the highlights of my [travels.My](https://travels.My) sweet husband back home suggested an amazing ramen place close to me; it was impossible to find, so I asked a group hanging out there and it turns out that they too were looking for the place. I followed them to Ramen Hayashida, which had a small queue in front. I asked the employee for a recommendation, and then at the vending machine I selected the soy sauce based broth with buckwheat noodles and a Kirin beer. It was the perfect first meal.I wandered around Shinjuku and stumbled across a Don Quijote. The place was massive! I bought a few souvenirs for my children and then headed home.Again, another kind person getting off of work noticed me looking flustered and told me to follow him to a pedestrian overpass. Many trees in this plaza were illuminated, so I stopped to take a few pictures.
Day 2
I took the subway to Tsukiji. Unfortunately the restaurant I wanted to try was closed, but I managed to stuff my face anyway. I had an eel skwer, a seafood croquette, and a bowl of rice topped with different types of fish, roe, and crab. I walked to Kabuki-za Theatre to see if I could get a one-act ticket. Unfortunately, my week there happened to be the downtime between the November and December programs. I did pick up a few souvenirs for my friends at the lovely gift shop, and then walked to Ginza for dessert.I got an anbata-pan and a custard-filled melon pan to go at Ginza Kimuraya (it wasn’t amazing).I have to browse every bookstore I come across, so I went into Ginza Kyobunkwan and bought a coloring book for my kids and a bookmark for a friend. At the Mitsukoshi Food Hall, I bought a tsukimi tsukune (moon-viewing meatball) at Washigoro and a matcha tea latte and ate my various foods on the terrace floor. Then I headed to Asakusa and visited Nakamise Dori, Kaminarimon Gate, and Senso-ji Temple. I bought postcards and a little bag for a friend.I rode the subway to Shibuya and watched the famous scramble crosswalk from the Starbucks. I took a quick picture of the Hachiko dog statue and then wandered around Shibuya. I stumbled upon Shisha House and decided to enjoy some hookah, red wine, and a poke bowl before heading back to the hotel.
Day 3
I got up early and left on the Odakyu Romancecar to Hakone at 7:36am. I arranged to have luggage delivered to my ryokan before I headed to Lake Ashi. I took in the Hakone shrine and Peace Shrine Gate. I hadn’t eaten and I didn’t want to miss the next ferry, so I quickly ate ryujin no tam from Wasanbon (dragon god’s ball) and drank a hot matcha latte at Hyakuyaku. Everything was delicious.I got on the silly pirate ship to the Hakone Ropeway. There was a lot of cloud cover, so I couldn’t glimpse Mt. Fuji or even Owakudani. It was still a wonderful experience.I went to Gora Park and did the tea ceremony at the traditional tea house. I went to Hakone Open Air Museum.I checked into my ryokan and headed right to the onsen. I don’t know if this is typical, but I barely saw any other guests except for in the dining room. It was amazing to feel so isolated in such beautiful nature. I enjoyed some plum wine and cold sake in my room before dinner. I had the traditional kaiseki meal with pheasant add-on. My favorite part was the pheasant egg custard, which resembled creme brulee.I went back to the onsen for another hour before enjoying an in-room shiatsu massage.
Day 4
I woke up early to enjoy the onsen for an hour before breakfast. Then I went back after breakfast. I saw a huge beautiful white bird glide above the river before it rested on a rock for a few minutes. Another unforgettable moment.I packed up, drank hot tea, and enjoyed the balcony mountain view one last time before checking out and heading back to Tokyo.I was too early to check in, so I left my suitcase and headed to Ramen Street inside Tokyo Station for lunch. I went back to the hotel to check in and change into my dress so I wouldn’t have to come back before my fancy dinner reservation.On my walk to dinner, I stopped at Ippodo Tea Shop and purchased the matcha tea starter set and a box of assorted teas. I also browsed the famed stationery store, Kyukyodo. My husband booked me two Michelin restaurants. The first was a bit of a letdown, Ginza Kojyu. My stomach felt strange afterwards, but at least the experience was nice at the time.I walked back home.
Day 5
I walked 20 minutes to the best latte I ever had — at Glitch Coffee. I browsed some used bookshops in Jimbocho before walking to Akihabara. I’m not a fan of anime or manga, but I figured I had to at least see the area. Then I took the subway to Shinuku, where I took in the view at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.I took the subway to Harajuku and walked through Takeshita Street. I bought some cheap jewelry for my kids and a matcha custard-filled churro type pastra at Zaku Zaku. Amazing.I purchased a yukata and belt at a thrift store called Chicago.Meiji-jingu Shrine was closed by this time, so I walked down Omotesando and through some quiet residential neighborhoods to the restaurant where I had a reservation for dinner.The omakase was incredible! I took the subway back to the hotel, and spent a long time trying to cram my suitcase shut!
Day 6
I checked out and had them hold my bags.I walked to Maruzen Maranouchi to pick up the sushi book that the restaurant used to show me different types of fish. Hopefully one day I will go to Hokkaido and make good use of this guide!I walked to Saryo Tsujiri, where I enjoyed the matcha soba and the matcha parfait. It came with a wonderful view.I picked up my bags and headed to the airport, my head and heart bursting with happiness from my incredible week in Japan.
Some parting thoughts:
\- try your hardest to take carryon only! I can’t imagine navigating the subway stairs with checked luggage.
\- I need to buy a heated toilet seat and bidet.
\- Everything is so clean! Street workers would pick up individual leaves off of the street. There’s no gum stuck to sidewalks, no shoes allowed in fitting rooms. Even the subway bathrooms are immaculate.
\- Carry your own hand towel.
\- No jaywalking. There were even crossing guards for many parking garage entrances.
\- Carry a plastic bag for your trash as there are very few public trash receptacles.
\- Wear a mask!!
\- Next time I’d like to visit Osaka, Kyoto, and Hokkaido.
I hope this was enjoyable and/or helpful.
4 comments
Not only street workers clean up, but business owner clean around their business and people clean the street in front of their house too.
Glitch! I’ve had the luck to be dragged around tokyo on coffee tours by my significant other, and Glitch was a major standout .. Bear Pond Cafe in Shimikitizawa came a close second .. sounds like you had a rad trip!
Stairs are pretty annoying for luggage, but I would say most stations have elevators from the train platform to ground level. You can usually find them on the middle of the platform between cars 4-6 or whatever the middle car is. You may need to take a couple elevators like from platform to concourse then concourse to ground. You can also ship your luggage around which is fairly common.
Wonderful trip report! Short and sweet. You mentioned that you were hungry upon arrival to hakone which means you didn’t have a bento on the train. I know you took an early train so now I’m wondering what time shops at the train stations open to start selling ekiben.