What in Tokyo is actually worth the hype to you?

42 comments

1. Yushakobo (遊舎工房).

   To make it short : it all depends on what people are looking for, so it’s very subjective.

2. Next week on TikTok…

3. how windy shutoko is

4. Just the experience of being in the biggest city in the world. The sensory experience is very enjoyable.

5. Tokyo is only as fun as you are.

6. Shinjuku Pit Inn – afternoon sets

7. [removed]

8. You haven’t distinguished between choosing Tokyo for living (working, raising a family) and Tokyo as a tourist destination. I think it’s an amazing place to live, but I don’t recommend that friends visiting Japan spend more than a couple days here.

9. TeamLab planets and borderless was worth hype, even better going back in Covid times when less people were around.

10. I enjoy the variety of exhibitions and museums, but I love art. I also work in fashion, so just looking at people (what they wear, how they wear it) is super interesting. Just walking around without a plan, popping into shōwa era cafés is also something I enjoyed when I first moved here or visited in the past.

11. I’m a stationary nut so I like visiting all the stores like loft, Itoya, honestly all the lofts, Tokyu hands, etc. I got into traveler’s notebook which is kind of a make it yourself notevook(select cover and insert types) so I’ve been wandering around all over Tokyo for collabs and stuff. I also like stationary stuff at dollar stores(can do, seria, daiso), si there’s been a lot of wandering around for that as well🤷🏻‍♀️

12. Odaibas night views, the River tour from Asakusa to Odaiba, the National Art museum in Ueno, Ameyoko, Decabar in Kabukicho, Ibex in Roppongi after 2am on the weekend, the views from Tocho in Shinjuku, Barbacoa, Disneyland on a weekday, Joypolis on a weekday, Niimura Shabushabu restaurant.

13. I am not a fan of Tokyo in general but was pleasantly surprised at how pretty Odaiba is. Nice view out the window of the train and cool to walk around.

14. Mine was Tokyo Disneyland/ Sea.

    Edit: And Akihabara in 2013.

15. depends on my mood and what I want to do on that particular day.

    if I want to just chill and relax I prefer Odaiba. because it’s very nice to just go there on a Sunday afternoon, buy a cup of coffee and just relax on the bench overlooking the rainbow bridge. I can also go down to the small park by the beach and watch the sunset from there.

    and since the shopping mall is also pretty close from there it got plenty of options for food, cafe, and shopping.

    however if what I’m looking for was more of a urban bustling environment then daytime Shibuya – Harajuku is where I go.

    and if what I’m looking for is a slightly more traditional bustling environment I just go to Ueno area for cheap chinese food in ameyoko

    hope this answers your question

16. Teamlabs was definitely worth the hype for me. I also loved buying dish wear in asakusa kappabashi district. The dishes I got are so pretty and they’re a nice daily reminder of the trip for me. I enjoyed night views in odaiba, especially the Gundam Statue. I enjoy fashion so I have to visit harajuku every time I go. I also really love visiting different restaurants every time. Coming from the countryside my options are pretty limited so I also plan out a few new restaurants to try. I guess what’s worth the hype really depends on what your interests are. Instead of trying to hit every generic Instagram spot think about your hobby and interests and google those specific activities in Tokyo. I also usually try to plan my trips around some kind of event. Tokyo has so many conventions, concerts, ect. I find it helps to have one main event like that to be the highlight of your trip and then spend the rest of it wandering around.

17. The train system. Yes, it’s complex, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a more punctual and cleaner train system anywhere in the world especially when you consider its sheer size and the number of people using it every day.

18. There is always something to do and each area is very different from each other. I’ve traveled all over Japan And I don’t think I could live anywhere else tbh.

19. Idk im mostly drinking and talking with random people
    Not really into nature stuff but people say its great

20. I live in Chigasaki, Kanagawa by the beach, but I walked from the Diet Building (Kokkaigijidou) to Nihonbashi on a super sunny day at the end of August with a few 7% chuu hais on the way. Got me back in touch with the insane scale and infrastructure of Tokyo. Found some serious nooks on the way.

21. Hinoya curry is pretty serious. Mermaid coffee roasters* not cafe, is also a cool place.

22. As a amateur street photographer, Shinjuku East Exit Yodobashi Camera area at night is pretty cool. It might be a cliche neon light area, but I do still think the photos you can take there are quite cool!

23. 1000 円飲み放題

24. [The only bagel shop in Japan](https://newnewyorkclub-bagelshop.com) afaik that sells real, genuine New York style bagels and BeganEgganCheese sandwiches. I hate how dainty and sweet other bagel places make them, and some don’t even serve cream cheese! I make it a point to get breakfast here at least once every time I visit Tokyo.

25. Finding weird electronic parts in small shops in Akihabara

    Team Labs

    Food in general, but not some of these places that tourists like to go to like Ichiran etc

    Tokyo Disneyland/Disney Sea every once in a while (not 5 times a week like my coworker pre-Covid lol)

    Public transportation

    Department store food halls

26. This may not be ideal for tourists, given their limited time here, but I really enjoyed simply riding my bike with no intention of where to go. I’d end up on some random shopping street, find a beautiful old building, discover a tiny park with a koi pond… It always felt like there was something somewhere to see, I never had to go too far, and there was always a decent place to eat or drink, thanks to just how incredibly dense the city is.

27. I think Nakano Broadway is fun. Lots of tiny shops to walk around and look at, the tiny arcades…. but you gotta care about that kind of stuff.

    I also like Showa Memorial Park (in Tachikawa). Rent a bike and there’s an amazingly large bike course to chill in. Places to stop at, generally a fun experience IMO. Bring a picnic, ride around and find a place to chill.

28. Oimachi station Ofuro no Ousama

29. For me it isn’t a tourist attraction or something I’m supposed to enjoy because the internet told me to which is honestly most people’s problems coming here – they expect Tokyo to be some magical wonderland and then get disappointed when they find it’s just a city where people live and work.
    I love Tokyo because of what it offers. The opportunities are endless here, you can be whoever you want and do whatever you want. And it really feels like it. There is a reason people flock to Tokyo rather than stay within the constraints of their small city or hometown. Career building is also incredibly easy in Tokyo. No one is watching or judging you because there are over 14,000,000 of us here. You can meet people from all walks of life from countless countries and learn and see so much. You will never be bored living here, and if you are? Mountains to the north, beaches to the south, awesome cities such as Yokohama just a train ride away. I have made close friends from multiple countries and all walks of life, bumped into celebrities in bars, seen and done things I’d never get to do if I were not in Tokyo. Tokyo is awesome but not for everyone, but I would never leave and have been here 15 years.

    Edit to add: Tokyo is comprised of cities, and each one feels different from the next. Offers something unique, different vibe, different fashion, different food, different type of person. It can feel like you left Tokyo but you didn’t at all.

    Anyway that’s just my ¥2.

30. [Yoshiwara](https://tokyopast3.com/tokyo-yoshiwara/)

31. Live music. The livehouse culture here is SO GOOD with unbelievable numbers of top-class acts playing in tiny venues every night here. Tokyo truly has one of the world’s best music scenes, rivalling or even surpassing London and NYC.

    Also Koenji. Real punk energy still kicking in the venues and weird little bars.

32. Well, I’ve been living in Japan for about 10 years and I must admit I do not really understand why so many tourists are coming here except for the “Cool Japan” and subculture stuff.

    Most cities and urban environment are not really what we can define as “visually appealing”, most of the time it’s just hideous semi-industrial enrironment with too much concrete and steel structures everywhere, when it’s not ruins. Almost 70% of the sea coast is covered with concrete. As regard of the above, it’s maybe the most hideous country with originally beautiful landscape on the earth.

    Even Kyoto, compared to most European cities, is just a 60’s looking ugly city with some historical building here and here. It’s not like you can really enjoy having a walk in the city between landmarks (except for the Kamogawa area which is nice to stroll around).

    However Japan is cool to live in, the small neighbourhouds atmosphere, the culture (as a whole and also the food and the alcohol culture), the small shops, bars and restaurants are really enjoyable if you keep the right distance with the country’s working culture.

    I really like my time here. Tokyo is a major city with international exhibitions and live events (and I do like some local artists too), close enough to the sea and mountains to enjoy a day trip to the beach or ski resort/hiking. That’s great enough for me.

33. I enjoy eating the people here and meeting the amazing food.

34. Hmmm I do miss it sometimes. It’s like the city is alive. There’s always something going on somewhere. If you make it your business to be curious, friendly, and engaging I’m sure it can be endlessly amusing.

35. I’m an artist and a nerd so anime/doujin/art market events are always worth the hype to me. I enjoy getting to talk to artists I love and give them gifts to show my appreciation, meet up with my japanese mutuals at the event, see the cool cosplayers, and network with new artists. of course it’s probably harder to enjoy those events if you don’t speak japanese, but it seems like plenty of non-japanese speaking foreigners still enjoy them

36. The trains! I love that the Tokyo Metro has different songs for each station! One of the best parts of living in the city for me🥹

37. My first memory here was in the Hibiya/Yurakucho area below the JR tracks are bars that shake a bit as you hear the trains overhead. Anywhere else I recall in the world this would be a slum or closed off area below the tracks. Shinagawa kindof has this too with the ramen store cluster under the tracks but not bars.

    Meiji-jingu/Harajuku area is one of my favorite spots just as a quiet forest with a shrine in the middle of a huge city.

    It is accessibility as well, any world events like art, artists, etc., exhibit in Tokyo occasionally, various events, people visit, so as a global city access is nice. This includes food as well for restaurants where generally the restaurant chefs match the ethnic cuisine making them more authentic whereas where I come from no matter the cuisine ethnicity the chefs tend to be… from another place.

    Odaiba has a tiny beach area which is pretty cool but the real waterfront areas of “Tokyo” are in Yokohama: Minatomirai/Sakuragicho.

38. I like Tokyo because it’s like a paradise. If there’s anything going on it’s going on in Tokyo (sometimes only in Tokyo) and you can go there and do it no problem. Of course there are downsides to it, but yeah. I guess it depends on who you are and what you’re into but it’s great imo

39. Love Tokyo.
    The best public transport ever.
    Historic buildings to discover.
    Nice museums.
    Good night life.
    Amazing food.
    What’s not to live?
    OP, if you think Tokyo is not worth the hype, I’d like to know which city -in your opinion- is worth it?

40. Coming to Reddit for real answers is never a good idea it’s full of trolls lol.. but TeamLab was def legit. I really enjoyed it

41. Overall I’d say with Tokyo- and this is what I tell almost anybody who wants to move here. The purpose of being in Tokyo is you really really like a specific thing A LOT. Say, you really like playing and listening to jazz music. Tokyo is the best place in the world for having a specific interest in something since the population density allows any interest to be catered to really. If you are unsure what you are interested in, it can be a good place to try a bunch of new things , but it can also leave you feeling confused and overwhelmed about what you want from the world. So basically you need to approach Tokyo, whether visiting or living, with a very “active” attitude. Ask yourself what you want from Tokyo and then ask how to pursue that specific thing.

42. The best thing for me is the randomness that can happen. For example, I once went to Nakano and stumbled into an 80s bar and it became my regular. Stumbling into random cool bars was definitely a benchmark of my early period here. Chuo line usually. I remember going to Kichijoji and finding a replica of the Clockwork Orange milk bar, completely by accident. I remember one near my apartment then that was literally just someone living room with a bar in it, sofas and all. We walked past it everyday and never knew until one Friday night staggering home.

    Or doing stuff like getting on a bicycle and riding for an hour ina. random direction, ending up riding alongside a river. Or the same with walking, finding some cool stuff by accident. Going to a famous station and then walking ten minutes and you’re in a peaceful leafy middle class neighborhood, or a run down area that feels about 100 years old. Or finding a seedy area by mistake and nosing around trying to figure it all out. Going into some department store and there’s a random roof garden selling beers and kebabs.

    You’ve got to explore.