Tokyo, Japan (Part 1)

Why visit?  Because it is one of the greatest cities in the world. It has so many things to offer everyone. Personally I like Tokyo because I like the food, the people and the city is full of so many interesting suburbs to explore.

[ Busy Shinjuku ]

Where to Stay?

Keio Plaza, Shinjuku

PROS

• Really sizeable room
• Good breakfast with beautiful settings
• There is a direct bus goes to the hotel from the airport but it’s infrequent. If you don’t mind walking, take other buses stopping in front of Odakyu Department Store and then around 10 mins. to walk back to the hotel from there.
• Walking distance to Park Hyatt – best place for the ‘Lost in Translation’ experience and see the night view of Tokyo while sipping cocktail.

CONS

• Quite a long walk to Shinjuku station

[ Breakfast at hotel ]

[ View from our room ]

Shibuya Tobu Hotel, Shibuya

PROS

• Location, location & location – great location for shoppers
• Good value for money considering the location

CONS

• Small and basic amenities, quite a walk up from Shibuya metro

[ Shibuya Tobu Hotel ]

[ Breakfast at Excelsior Cafe near the hotel ]

[ Japanese girl dressed like a strawberry! ]

What to do?  You will notice that I haven’t included any popular sight-seeing spots in my suggested itinerary as I have been to Tokyo many times and I would like to introduce different suburbs in Tokyo which are often missed out in guide books. Having said that, I did take a quick look on Tripadvisor and remind myself what the top spots are for first-time visitor so first thing first:

Must See Places for First Timer

• On top of the list gotta be the famous Tsukiji Fish Market – apart from the freshest sushi breakfast in Daiwa, the market itself is an interesting place to wander around.
• The beautiful shrine in the trendy Harajuku area - Meiji Jingu shrine and Yoyogi Park in the same area where you will see lots of wannabes performing on Sundays.
• Sensoji Temple, Asakusa – one of the busiest temples in Tokyo during the New Year. Asakusa is full of traditional ryokan (B&B) and shops for antiques and second-hand kimonos. If you like tempura, there is an excellent tempura restaurant in the area – Tempura Daikokuya (大黑家 )
  

  

  [ Sensoji Temple ]

  

  [ That's a huge slipper! ]

• Ameyoko Shopping Street, Ueno – best place to come here on your last day before flying home. This is where you can get all the bargains from Japanese snacks to trainers.
  

  

  [ Ameyoko ]

• Akihabara – this is geek heaven, da place for the latest electronic products.
• Tokyo Imperial Palace – the name says it all.
• Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Shinjuku – if you come to see cherry blossoms, then one of the busiest and best gardens is Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.