Hi everyone!
I’m going to Tokyo for two days in February as an added stop to Korea (the first day I fly in at 3 pm, so I’m not counting this, but could possibly do something in the evening).
I’m trying to decide what to do/what’s worth it to get the most out of the two days. I’m travelling solo and haven’t ever been to that part of the world, so I’m a little nervous, I guess. My biggest thing I’m nervous about is transportation and dining. I’ve been to London and NYC. Is the subway system pretty similar to the subway and the tube?
I was thinking about booking a tour through Airbnb that helps you with the transportation system and takes you to all the “major sites”
Here is the tour I was planning to book:
Example of itinerary
(Morning)
1. Seven Eleven: How convenient!
2. Meiji Shrine: Beautiful Forest in busy street
3. Shibuya “Hachi”: The most famous dog
4. Shibuya scramble crossing: The most crowded crossing
(Afternoon)
5. Tsukiji Honganji: Very unique temple
6. Tsukiji traditional fish market: The biggest fish market
7. Lunch at Japanese genuine Sushi restaurant
8. The imperial Palace: The center of the country
9. Marunouchi: Business center
10. Tokyo station: Central Hub of the country
11. Akihabara: Anime city
(Evening)
12. Sensoji Temple: The most popular tourist spot in Tokyo
Then, the next day I was thinking of booking a day tour to Mt Fuji and lake kawagaguchi, but I’m having second thoughts about this. Not sure if it’s worth a whole day! What do you guys think? Is Mt Fuji something you HAVE to see?
If I don’t do that, I was thinking of doing the TeamLabs Planet, food tour, and wander around on my second day. Is teamlabs worth it time wise? Are there more things that *have to be done* in Tokyo?
I was also wondering if there are any ethical animal cafes anyone recommends? I love animals and love the idea, but have heard there’s some that the animals are really distressed and I don’t want to support that. Are there any other themed cafes that are recommended?!
Finally, I was reading that ryokans are really cool to stay in. Any recommendations for those? I originally booked a hotel in shijuku, but is it worth it to stay a little further to stay in a ryokan?
So many questions!!
Thank you! 😊
1 comment
Your first day is easily 2-3 days worth of stuff.
The train/subway is not especially difficult if you just follow Google Maps. Just pay attention to the station name, line name and direction and it’s not that difficult, all of this stuff is also written in English.
Mount Fuji is cool, but it is notoriously difficult to see it because it’s often hiding in the cloud, so if the weather is not perfect, don’t even bother.
Depend of what you want to experience in a ryokan. You mean the full experience with kaiseki meal or just being in a more traditional Japanese building, Japanese style room with tatami and sleep on futon. You also do not have to go especially far, there is a couple of ryokan around Asakusa for example, but you might want to skip the places with meal included is you want to have more time to explore area not around the ryokan.