[Trip Report] First trip to Tokyo, 4 days solo trip

Hi! This is my (22F) solo trip experience in Tokyo that I wanted to share, especially for gals like me who are nervous about traveling alone there. I am Korean + I speak pretty fluent Japanese(N1), so YMMV depending but generally I had a blast & didn’t feel unsafe walking around late at night.

**Basic Information***- Trip length: 4 days (June 27th \~ June 30th)*

*- Hotel: Sunroute Plaza Hotel Shinuku* It’s a 5 minute walk from the West Gate of Shinjuku Station, so it was super convenient. The hotel itself was nice as well. They have free amenities including bath salts, the bathtub was also decent. Took a nice bath every night. Also, it’s Shinjuku. Lots of nightlife / restaurants in the area as well as a Don Quihote + Shinuku Gyoen was in walking distance.

*- I did create a basic itinerary, but since I was traveling alone + prefer staying loose with travel plans I did not stick with it 100%. I just knew I definitely wanted to hit Ikebukuro, Yokohama, Shibuya, and Shinjuku (Yes, I am a fan of HPMI).*

*- Knowing some basic Japanese is incredibly helpful, but I’ve noticed that you could get by with just speaking English (unless you want to go to some more local experiences or enjoy Disneyland 100%)*

*- Comfortable shoes is a must! Almost wore my Docs, so glad I did not do that because my feet would’ve died. Walked anywhere from 17,000\~23,000 steps a day.*

*- Pasmo and Suica is pretty much the same if you are using the temp foreigner passes. I got Pasmo Passport, because of the Sanrio collab. You can charge them at subway stations, but it is cash only. If it has the little IC logo on Google Maps, it means you can pay the fare via Pasmo/Suica.*

>*One mini-rant (feel free to skip):*I’m sure everyone here will act respectfully towards locals while on their trip to Tokyo. However, please remember that you never know when someone is capable of understanding English & people watching is fun, but you are watching **people**.
>
>While I was in Ikebukuro, on my way to the subway moving along with the large crowd, there was a group of American tourists standing in the middle of the moving crowd *waving at people*. It was very bizarre, but alright have fun. When I passed by, one lady turned to her partner and pointed at me and said “Oh Look at her, she’s very cute”. Now, thank you for the compliment, but it felt very rude, almost like I was cat-called. lmao. I guess she assumed I was Japanese / therefore could not understand what she was saying. Please don’t do this. Sorry if this was off-topic, just had to get it off my chest it was a very bizarre experience since I was a tourist myself.

**2023. 06. 27. (Tue) – Arrival In NRT, Shinjuku + Ikebukuro**

Landed in NRT at 9:30 AM, got through customs pretty quick (30 minutes). I was worried getting a Pasmo Passport would take a long line, but thankfully there was no line! Took N’Ex Express to Shinjuku (get the foreigner pass, affordable and easy to figure out!), which took maybe a hour and a half.

*SHINJUKU*

*LUNCH: Motomura Gyukatsu Shinjuku*
([https://goo.gl/maps/XT5SVoiHB8vCFZrr5](https://goo.gl/maps/XT5SVoiHB8vCFZrr5))
This place was delicious. It’s a very small restaurant in the basement, so there is usually a wait. I waited in line for about 30 minutes, and it was definitely worth the wait! I ordered the Gyukatsu set with Beer, and it was a great first meal in Tokyo. 10/10.

I had about a hour and a half to kill until check in, so I went and explored a Don Quihote near by, grabbed some fake eyelashes and a Sanrio face mask. Then I headed to Shinjuku Gyoen for a nice walk around the park! There is a 500 yen entrance fee, and you can use your Pasmo/Suica to tap into the gate. The park was very pretty, and a lot bigger than I expected. It felt like the Central Park of Tokyo. There’s a Traditional Japanese Garden area that was very pretty.

*IKEBUKURO*

Made my way to Ikebukuro after check-in! Freshened up a little since I was sweating buckets + had an reservation for Swallowtail at 6PM and a lady needs to look put together to return home!

Ikebukuro is geared more towards women otakus (女性向け), so if you’re like me, Ikebukuro is the place to be! Rather than visiting the Animate, I would recommended going through all the KBooks stores. They have separate stores for anime-focused, game-focused, VTuber-focused, live-focused, live-focused+, and doujinshi-focused. KBooks is for second-hand goods, but they are always in good quality & if you don’t like buying multiple random goods for one character it is perfect.

DINNER/DESSERT: Conbini for dinner + Swallowtail Butler Cafe for desert ([https://goo.gl/maps/XT5SVoiHB8vCFZrr5](https://goo.gl/maps/XT5SVoiHB8vCFZrr5))
Grabbed a salmon onigiri and water for dinner at a 7/11, and ate it at a nearby park. It wasn’t the best meal, but I was saving up some money for Swallowtail.

For those who don’t know: Swallowtail is a Butler Cafe, and they serve Afternoon Tea sets as well as a Dinner Course Meal after 7 PM. The whole concept of the cafe is that you are a lady (or lord) returning home to enjoy your time at the estate’s Tea Shop being served by the butlers.

You get assigned to a butler at the start (you cannot pick (指名) your butler), and usually you stick with them until the end. I had a swap in the middle because my initial butler’s shift ended. TBH, I could kind of notice that he was tired, service definitely picked up after the switch. I think in order to properly enjoy Swallowtail, small talk conversation with the butler is a must. They are pros at keeping up with the concept of the cafe. You can literally pretend that you *are* a lady, and this is your home. Or if that’s too much, you can just make normal small talk. “Whatever my lady is comfortable with to enjoy her time at home” is what the butlers will say. I heard there are a couple butlers who can speak limited English, but it’s not a guarantee that you’ll be assigned to them.

The food and tea was very tasty! I usually do not like dessert, but I really enjoyed their food. The scones were delicious. Also, they are very official about their tea, they have over 40 types of tea and most of the butlers are certified Tea Connoisseurs. They also had a cocktail event going on, so I had a drink as well. T2 Sherbet is a must, the butler makes it in front of you and serves it. Overall 9/10 visit, will definitely be “returning home” again next time I am in Tokyo.

If you are planning on going: you need to reserve 10 days in advance, and seats usually fill up fast (trying to get a 1 person seat was like concert ticketing). DM me if you want more info about reserving. Also, it is best if you or someone in your group can speak Japanese to enjoy Swallowtail 100%!

After Swallowtail, I quickly dropped by West Gate Park on my way to the subway to take pictures then returned to the hotel.

**2023. 06. 26. (Wed) – Akihabara, Ikebukuro Pt.2, Shibuya**

*AKIHABARA*

Akihabara is *the* place for otakus, and tech geeks! It does lean more traditional / male focused (男子向け）than Ikebukuro. You’ll find a lot of maid cafes, game stores, shonen, and electronic stores in this area.

I visited the Animate there, and some other smaller anime/game stores in the area. I’m not big on buying character goods (keychains, stickers, etc) anymore unless they have practicality… (I feel old…) So I ended up just getting a Pochita pen set for my boyfriend, a Makima mechanical pencil for myself, and a Buster Bros notebook & Ichiro pen. But there’s a lot of cool figures (that were definitely way over my budget), and other goods that you normally can’t easily get outside of Japan.

LUNCH: Eorzea Cafe Akihabara
([https://goo.gl/maps/Az1cofDywqgfopyz8](https://goo.gl/maps/Az1cofDywqgfopyz8))
My real objective in Akihabara was to visit Eorzea Cafe. It’s a theme cafe based on Final Fantasy XIV, done in partnership with Pasela. They have themed drinks as well as themed food based on the game. If you’re a fan of the game, 100% recommend! They have it decorated like Gridania, and they play music from the game in the background. You also get a random coaster per item you order, and a selectable job coaster per person. I ended up getting 6 items by myself… oops. The guy who sat next to me gave me all of his coasters when he left, I think he felt bad and thought I needed them more than him. It was very nice of him to do that, I ended up with 12 total. Also purchased a Gunbreaker soul crystal magnet from the goods store there! This cafe also requires a prior reservation.

*IKEBUKURO PT.2*

Since I had mostly spent my time at Swallowtail the day before, I wanted to visit Ikebukuro again, and thankfully both Akihabara and Bukuro are on the Yamanote line so it was pretty easy to get there.

Spent more time looking over fanbooks at the KBooks doujinshi store… /// And also took a stroll around Sunshine City. I really, really enjoy aquariums, so I wanted to visit the one there but I was short on time. Definitely will be checking it out next time. They had a bunch of Pokemon stuff going on at Sunshine City. I don’t know much about the franchise, but the Pikachu dessert store looked very cute.

There’s also a Capcom cafe in the area, but I did not go since it didn’t seem to have any RE or DMC related stuff there.

*SHIBUYA*

Shibuya has a lot of stores, mostly fashion-related! I saw a couple vintage/thrift stores that I wanted to check out but again, time was not on my side. I also crossed the famous Scramble Crossing, which was a surreal experience! The crossing area itself gets congested, but the crowd magically thins out somewhat when you go into one of the adjacent roads.

I visited Tower Records Shibuya, and got myself the most recent Eorzean Symphony CD. The store itself is nice to linger in. They have headphones hooked up to CD players so you can listen to some of the CDs before you decide to buy them!

After Tower Records, I wanted to get a Purikura done, so I went to this store that had a bunch of machines you could choose from. Purikura is basically instant photo booths, and you can decorate your pictures before printing them.

DINNER & DRINKS – Yoyogi Milk Hall
([https://goo.gl/maps/hFhUWQNsN4LvEXTb6](https://goo.gl/maps/hFhUWQNsN4LvEXTb6))

A friend of mine recommended me this place, and I would recommend it as well! I love bars, especially ones that have a “niche”, so this place really fit my style. Located right outside of Yoyogi Station, this place is a retro-themed izakaya. The interior reflects that with LP discs hanging from the ceiling, and old retro album covers decorating the walls. The drinks are also themed after 80’s songs, or have some kind of nostalgia factor to them. My personal favorite was the Garigari-kun Sour! They also have an English menu. The food & drinks were absolutely delicious! I would definitely recommend going if you have plans in the area.

I was pleasantly surprised when I found out the place was actually like a 7 minute walk to my hotel, so I ended up just walking back. It was around 10:30 PM at that point, so a little bit later than I would recommend being outside as a solo woman traveler. But I did not feel unsafe, and it wasn’t a long walk so I took the risk.

**2023.06.29 (Thur) – Yokohama, DisneySea**

This day was only supposed to be Yokohama or DisneySea, but I had a hard time deciding so I decided to do both. Probably would’ve stuck around in Yokohama if Cosmo World was open, but apparently they close on Thursdays :/ So I pulled a half day in Yokohama, and a weeknight passport at DisneySea. It was definitely the most exhausting day out of the entire trip.

*YOKOHAMA*

I got to Minato Mirai Station at around 10AM. I don’t remember exactly how long it took to get there, but it was less than a hour with no transfers from Shinjuku Station. Usually you will want to go to Minato Mirai Station instead of Yokohama Station for touristy spots.

First spot I checked out was the Yokohama Landmark Tower. The elevator that takes you to the top is apparently the fastest elevator in Japan! The speed definitely felt very fast, it was a very weird and slightly unpleasant feeling. The views were amazing! Seeing the vast sea and the buildings of Yokohama in one view took my breath away. You can also see Tokyo / Fuji Mountain (on days with good weather) in the distance.

Then I made my way to the Cup Noodle Museum. Passed by Cosmo World and the famous big ferris wheel on the way, and I’m still sad it was closed when I went. The Cup Noodle Museum is a modestly-sized place. Entrance fee is 500 yen, and they *only accept cash*. I didn’t know this, and I was running out of cash at this point since it was towards the end of my trip… So I had to use a nearby ATM :/

The guy who invented the cup noodle has an interesting life story, and there’s a short animated film/documentary that they screen. It’s in Japanese with no subtitles, but I think you could still get the gist of it through the animation. I also did the My Cup Noodle Factory experience (another 500 yen), and brought back my own custom made Cup Noodle!

LUNCH – Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse
([https://goo.gl/maps/5TRuDzqxiTp8GQiq6](https://goo.gl/maps/5TRuDzqxiTp8GQiq6))

Red Brick Warehouse is a mall-type place with many shopping and food vendors inside. I ate Sanma-men at one of the food places in the food court area. Also did some gift shopping for family back home. There’s lots of art and craft stores, so it was also a nice place to walk around and see the items on display. There was also a Disney Garden Cafe? thing on the 4th floor. It looked like a dessert shop that was Disney themed.

I was pretty full from my lunch, so I walked down to Yamashita Park. Its a nice stretch of green right next to the sea, so the view was great! I was surprised to see some jellyfish floating around in the water as well. I forced myself to sit down and enjoy the view a little bit, since I was moving around a lot. I really enjoyed Yokohama, it’s definitely a different vibe compared to Tokyo!

*TOKYO DISNEYSEA*

I decided that I had seen all I wanted to see of Yokohama during this trip, so I decided to make my way to DisneySea. It took about 2 hours in total to get there, and 2 transfers (but one was for the Resort Line). Definitely *not* the most efficient way to do it lmao.

I made it to the park around 4 PM, which was just in time for the Weeknight pass. DisneySea was great, I loved my time there! I had so much fun even though I was by myself. It was also a weeknight, and not during a major holiday / school vacation, so the crowds were definitely not as bad. All the pre-shows and such are in Japanese, though. If you want a more detailed trip report on DisneySea, check my post history; I have one posted on the DisneySea subreddit.

Ended up not having a proper dinner this day, just because of all the things I crammed in. Did grab a quick bite in the park (was delicious, but portion was small), and then had cup noodles from conbini when I got back to my hotel as a late night snack.

I walked about 23,500 steps this day (according to my iPhone), which is absolutely wild! I definitely felt like I did. Really wanted to crash when I got to the hotel, but unfortunately I had to pack… But I would do it again in a heartbeat.

**2023.06.30 (Fri) – Going Back Home**

This day was… literally just going back home. My flight back was at 1:30, and I thought that would give me at least a couple more hours… But I underestimated the travel time from Shinjuku to NRT.

Got on the N’EX Express at 10:30 AM, and that was the end of my Tokyo trip!

Also, if you do get the N’EX Foreigner Discount Pass, I advise that you redeem the return ticket the day before you leave for the airport! This way you know your schedule, and to make sure you can grab a seat. Someone on the internet said that you have to wait in line at the ticket office to redeem the ticket, this is *not* the case. The line is usually very long, but you can just use the kiosk in the ticket office to redeem the return ticket. (not the regular kiosks in the subway station) Scan the QR code of your ticket voucher, and the machine will automatically direct you to the correct option.

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And.. that is it! That was my trip report. I hope it is helpful to at least one person planning there next trip to Japan. Thank you for reading this long ass post! haha

Definitely was a slightly hectic and jam-packed trip. Next time I will try and stay longer and enjoy things more slowly! But I think this was a nice trial run to get a sense of some of the places in the city, so I have a better idea of which places I want to visit again in the future. It was also my first trip to Tokyo + my first solo trip, so I definitely feel proud that I got through it without any major issues!

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Happy travels, minna!