Tokyo trip report

9 days in Tokyo and environs 9/21-9/30. A summary.

Day 0: Arrive in Tokyo. Get Suica card and train to hotel in Akasaka. Get food at 7-11. Crash.

Day 1: Tokyo Tower. Meh. Very touristy and kitschy. Next stop was Teamlab Borderless. I was completely blown away. Very very cool and hugely recommended. Next was the Art Aquarium in Ginza. Verdict: cool but overhyped. Walked around Ginza and ate dinner at some little Ramen place.

Day 2: Started the day at Shibuya Crossing. People everywhere! Walked around a bit and discovered the 8th Wonder of the world that is Don Quixote. What an amazing ode to chaos! I both love it and hate it at the same time. Lunch was at Maidreamin Maid cafe. What a bizarre and awkward place. Maybe I just don't get it. After that was Harajuku and Takeshita St. If you like crowds and people everywhere, then this is for you! I'm glad I checked it out, but once was enough. Ended the day at Meiji Jingu. Impressive.

Day 3: Kamakura and Enoshima. So, this was Monday the 23rd and no one told me it was a holiday! Kamakura was shoulder to shoulder. Took the train, saw the big Buddha, went to Enoshima. Walked around and shopped and ate. Checked out the sea caves. All in all, a good, if crowded day. Pro tip: pay for the escalator to the top! It's worth it.

Day 4: Akasuka and Senso-Ji. Walked around. Took pictures. Shopped. Went to Ueno Park in the afternoon. What a really nice park! Went to the art museum there and was going to go the science museum but it was closed. Ended the day at Skytree at sunset. Amazing views! 

Day 5: Went to the Mori Art Museum in the morning and saw the giant spider and the Louise Bourgeois exhibit.  Afternoon was spent in Akihabara. I was like a kid in a candy store. So many cool stores. Yodobashi is amazing! I so wish there was something like that in the States. In the evening went to an owl Cafe and saw lots of owls! 

Day 6: Took the train to Mt. Takao for another day trip. Took the chairlift up and hiked up to the top. Weather was favorable and the views were amazing. Monkey park was closed though, which was slightly disappointing. Took the chairlift back. A good day.

Day 7: Feet were hurting and needed an easy day. Went to the National Museum Modern Art and then back up to the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno Park. That museum is absolutely amazing! The number of specimens is astounding! It is a real jewel in Tokyo.

Day 8. Shabuya Sky in the morning (only time I could get a ticket). Being out in open air on top of the city is a cool feeling. Went up to Shinjuku and had lunch at the Alice in Wonderland Cafe. Gimmicky as hell, but a lot of fun! Checked out Kabukicho, saw the giant cat, Godzilla, and got drunk in Golden Gai at an awesome bar called Deathmatch in Hell. Excellent end to a day!

Day 9: Odaiba. Saw the beach and the Statue of Liberty. Walked around by the water and checked out the Small Worlds Museum, which was really cool! It's amazing how detailed everything is. Got lunch and ended the day at Teamlab Planets, which was cool, but I thought Borderless was better.

Day 10: Flight home. Goodbye Tokyo!

Observations:

As noted by others, the lack of garbage cans is quickly apparent. Bring a small plastic bag with you for all your garbage. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Tokyo is the cleanest city I've ever seen. 

Once you figure how the trains work, navigating around is pretty simple, even thought some of the stations are huge and it can take forever to walk from one track to another.

I got away with knowing practically zero Japanese. It seems everyone knows at least some basic English and you can get pretty far just by pointing. 

All in all, an amazing trip and I can't wait to go back!