Almost 2 weeks in Tokyo/Kyoto, first time in Japan. Recap and lessons

Here’s my recap of almost 2 weeks in Tokyo/Kyoto. I’ll call out particular restaurants by name but I mostly want to convey what our days were like/how much we comfortably fit into our days before exhaustion wins out. First a couple call outs before a daily recap.

Rather than rehash everything I learned along the trip I’ll call out a couple things I didn’t see mentioned too frequently on other posts here…
– no trash cans anywhere, including bathrooms. Slightly annoying but a big reason why Tokyo is so pristine. Most places ask you to eat takeaway food in front of where you bought it. Highly recommend carrying a bag/backpack for your trash if you tend to carry snacks with you on your trip/if you tend not to finish your food or drinks right away.
– we traveled in a group of 4. Most places this isn’t a problem but you might have trouble in some izakayas or in Golden Gai with anything more than 2 people. Not everywhere does reservations and if they do I’d recommend using your hotel concierge to make sure nothing gets lost in translation
– 85% of toilet seats were heated and had settings like ambient noise in case you get shy in public. Overall bathroom quality/cleanliness in Japan was far better than any other country I’ve been to
– bathrooms do not often have hand dryers or paper towels (see lack of trash cans comment above). Most souvenir shops will carry little hand towels you can buy. I realized most locals will carry one in their bags to dry their hands.
– if you are relying on blogs, books, or travel site recommendations for “the best” food, expect a line especially around typically meal hours. The waiting can definitely eat into your vacation time so either consider visiting off-peak or be prepared to pivot to another option if you arrive and see a big line
– I bought a SIM from Family Mart and it was okay. Spotty outside of Tokyo but good enough to get by. A lot of neighborhoods have free wifi so look out for signs when you get off the big train stations
– Google maps is amazing in Tokyo, going above and beyond to give you details you wouldn’t typically think about. Most bigger stations have numbered/named exits. When you get off the train look for signs with yellow rectangles and numbers/names inside them. Google maps will often denote which is most convenient to use to get to your destination. It also says which train car to board to make your transfer/exit most convenient.
– our hotel near Shimbashi Station was wonderfully convenient for its access to many trains. Multiple JR lines including the Yamamote, Ginza and Asakusa metro lines, as well as the Yurikamome monorail are within a ten minute walk. This made all of Tokyo very accessible in <50 min with minimal transfers and multiple options for most destinations
– if you go to a baseball game, all food is eaten at your seat. There are no standing tables to eat in the concourse and even trash cans weren’t the easiest to find. If you get food, I recommend buying food on the level your seats are on because otherwise you will need to carry it back to eat it

Wednesday- arrive in evening from Narita taking Narita Express to Tokyo, staying near Shimbashi Station the Yurikamome monorail stop. Thankfully there were many lively izakaya near our hotel full of salary men/women in a laid back atmosphere. Not all had English accommodations, but it was easy enough to find one if you need it

Thursday – 9am leave hotel to Asakusa. Nakamise Dori street, Sensoji temple. Walk along sumida river park for peak-ish cherry blossoms and great views of Sky Tree Tower and surrounding buildings. We experienced different intensities of matcha ice cream at Suzukien Asakusa. We stumbled upon great cheap sushi atop shopping center at Sushiro. Took the metro to Ueno to walk through Ueno park. Got coffee at Kayaba Coffee in Yanesen while seated upstairs at a table with tatami mats. There were a lot of students around and it was full of great vibes. Walk through Yanaka cemetery on our way to Yanaka Ginza Street. The couple serving drinks at Echigoya Honten were so hospitable and friendly. I highly recommend stopping here for a drink and people watching. Mosey back through streets of Yanesen admiring residential buildings and tiny shops back towards ueno park. This was one of the most pleasant walks we had in Tokyo. Ate dinner at Gyukatsu Motomura in Ueno after waiting over an hour. Very good food and experience. Might not be worth it for some but if you’re curious they have many locations around the city so don’t feel like you need to wait in line at this one

Friday – 9am leave hotel to Tsukiji. Absolutely unreal, spent 3 hours eating and drinking everything… fresh strawberries, pour over coffee, multiple kinds of nori, onigiri, wagyu on stick, toro nigiri, pizza & peppers, sake, and a red bean croissant. Walked to Pokemon center DX. Mostly retail but a bunch of enjoyable exhibits for Even modest Pokemon fans. Hotel rest before baseball game at the Tokyo dome. As a fan of baseball in America this was a must-see experience. Both sets of fans cheer all game while their respective team bats. Food was relatively affordable compared to sports in America and decent enough quality. Beware that lines on the middle innings were very long.

Saturday – 9:30 am head to Harajuku for Meiji Jingu shrine + Yoyogi park. This temple and its scenery was very different from Sensoji. Back to the main streets near the station for amazing gyoza. One part of Harajuku had more gen-z trendy brands and second hand stores, while the other was focused on kawaii culture. The latter part was overwhelmingly crowded and I didn’t understand the kitsch. The area was pretty lacking in terms of good food and bar options. Walk through the shopping center with Uniqlo was pleasant by comparison. Unless this is your thing, I would recommend skipping the streets of Harajuku. Took the train to Shibuya for the crossing. Afterwards we wandered around through the department stores, rooftop bars, etc. Each had a different j pop boy band and nice views of surrounding areas. Drinks were nothing special, more about the vibes. Kaiseki dinner at night in Ginza. Train to Shinjuku for Golden Gai. Very hit or miss wrt getting into places that aren’t members only. High variance in price/cover and whether there were seats open. Was very unique, happy we went and enjoyed drinks at two spots but one evening there was enough.

Sunday- late start, leave at 11:30 to go to Akiba, waited for 1.5 hrs for crazy good ramen at Kikanbo. It was at this point we decided to be more flexible and not wait in lines if we could avoid it for the rest of the trip. Shopping in Akiba some stores were more approachable than others. Mandarake was for hardcore otaku while others had better layouts and appeal for more modest fans. Don Quijote was fine, only go if you want candies or other goods otherwise i thought there were better places for cheap souvenirs like Asakusa. Walked back up to Ueno Station, and got to experience some different backstreets with interesting shops along the train line. Jumped into a train to go east of the Sumida river for a temple that had a 5pm ceremony known for its flaming pyre. Afterwards stopped at a nearby sake shop Orihara Hoten was a highlight along with other shops on that street. We got Thai food nearby in a place where we were the only tourists before going back to hotel.

Monday – arrive in Kyoto at 11am via Shinkansen. walked to Ginkakuji temple, shady and very pleasant with gorgeous scenery and paths into the hills. Walked along philosophers path, passed Monk (Chefs Table Pizza) but it was closed for vacation. Stopped at Nanzenji. Gorgeous, massive, lots of different things to see including painted screens, gardens, impressive buildings, aquaducts for nominal admission fee. The walk through the temple was the most immersive experience of the temples we visited. Walk back to hotel in Gion. Ate dinner in Pontocho Alley at this izakaya run by an old couple. Couldn’t find the name in English but Google maps says 丸萬. Dollar for dollar the best sushi we had all trip

Tuesday- 8:30am walk to Fushiniinari gates. Didn’t go up all the way but 40 minutes was enough to appreciate and get many great photos. Train + walk to Kiyomizu dera. Massive temple, impressive views but be prepared for lots of walking up hill to get there and steps throughout. Walk back into Gion and go to Nishiki market, spent several hours in the market and around. Shinkansen back to Tokyo

Wednesday – Ghibli museum, meh. Had great lunch at BoulangerieBistro Epee. Revisited Yanaka for shopping we didn’t get to on our first visit. This area has the most quaint vibes and niche little shops run by wonderful people. Ate dinner at Pizza Studio tamaki back in Minato City, unreal. Coming from NYC this pizza was exemplary. Get there early or get a reservation. TeamLabs planets was pretty meh. Yes it’s immersive, different than most attractions, but overall underwhelming. Fine if you’re looking to kill time but this was the most unclean experience in an otherwise very clean trip through Japan.

Thursday – JR train Kamakura, local beach side escape for Tokyo locals. Really fun, different vibes and legitimate ocean views! A lot of diversity of food options including some amazing Hawaiian options. We walked up to the temple with the Giant Buddha statue. Both the streets asking the walk and the sight itself were worthwhile. The backstreets are enjoyable enough to get lost in for an afternoon. Easy train ride back to Shimbashi.

Friday – Shopping for kitchenwares on Kappabashi Street. At this point we’re exhausted and as you can tell by there being less detail as my recap went on that we started spacing out our days more. We revisited some places we enjoyed walking through and are monjayaki in Asakusa for lunch. It started raining so we went to the Tokyo National museum in Ueno before omakase at night for our final meal in Japan

Saturday – fly out of Haneda.