My first solo trip to Japan - Fantasy Springs Opening Day Trip Report

[Disneyhanna]

5/31: Tokyo (Hyatt House Shibuya)

The New South Gate at Shibuya Station deposits you very close to the hotel, this is the view from just exiting the gate/station and the pink building on the left is basically where the Hotel is. The Hyatt House Shibuya is super confusing to find, given all of the pedestrian platforms around this part of Shibuya. I found Google Maps walking directions to be mostly useless. The hotel website had some directions based on where you were coming from, and I found that far more helpful. I still g22ot super lost several times but after a full day, I at least was able to find the hotel without wasting too much time



Here is the main entrance to the hotel, located on a little plaza.



The lobby is on the 16th floor, so you have to take an elevator up to check in. I arrived around 4PM and was checked in by 4:10. My shipped luggage was in a room right next to the check in desk, so they grabbed that for me and I brought it to my room myself. Tough life after saying in a 5 star hotel

I stayed in their standard King room on points, it's a category 4 which for Hyatt is usually 12k-15k points. This is an amazing deal as the cash rates are ridiculously priced around $500USD (which you should absolutely not pay).



The hotel only opened three months prior, and I did not notice any new paint/building smell that some reviews indicated. There was plenty of storage and everything was nice and new.



The bedroom area was very spacious!



About half my hotels had Nespresso machines.



A nice kitchenette with a good sized fridge/freezer. Would be really great for a longer stay, I imagine. This hotel is super hard to book on points (need to book like 10+ months out) but I was able to get my three-night stay by stalking the website. I picked up all 3 nights individually, and then was able to rebook as one continuous stay as it luckily became available. I just had the search bookmarked and checked it regularly.



I didn't have much of a view, but could be worse!



The hotel also had free umbrellas to grab, I think this is pretty common. Grab one if you even think it's going to rain that day as when it was already raining, all were gone!



The best part of this hotel was the in-room washer/dryer. It's small, definitely meant for only a couple days worth of clothes for one person, but the washer part worked well and wrung out the clothes really well. The dryer definitely took a while. And it's humid enough in Japan that things don't hang dry very quickly.

I did maybe 3-4 sets of clothes and it would take 60-80 minutes to dry. There was a button that did 60 minutes wash followed by 60 minutes dry and I usually had to do a bit more drying. Cotton seems to be the best setting for drying. I hang dry a lot of stuff at home but these small dryers are so low power I didn't worry about it. It does chime when done, so you probably want to be away when you're running it. They provided a pack of detergent and replaced it daily but I brought my own detergent pods. I ended up doing laundry every day to ensure I'd have clean clothes for the rest of my trip! Plus I was wearing at least two outfits a day in the heat, phew!

Overall this hotel was fantastic. The location isn't the easiest to figure out but it is well located once you know where you're going. Definitely ship your luggage as taxi drivers won't be able to find the hotel, lol. The room was huge and practical, highly recommend.

 

[cinnamoroll]

I stopped for a snack at Sumikkogurashi-do where they had these cake donut things shaped like characters. The stand smelled sooo good!

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A cup of six was only 390¥. Unfortunately the ones in the cup were cold but they were still pretty good, I'm sure they would have been best hot off the iron!

We got this last year because my daughter loves Sumikkogurashi, but I was so disappointed! Like you said, they were cold, with no crunch, and way too doughy

 

[Disneyhanna]

We got this last year because my daughter loves Sumikkogurashi, but I was so disappointed! Like you said, they were cold, with no crunch, and way too doughy

LOL! Like for the price, I'd totally eat them again, but they 100% smelled better than they looked Idk what you gotta do to get the fresh ones!

 

[Disneyhanna]

5/31: Tokyo (Shopping in Shibuya)

I left my room around 6PM as I had a reservation for Shibuya Sky, but I was cutting it pretty close. I had a reservation for sunset the next day as well so no big deal if I didn't make it. Well, I didn't make it

It was really confusing for me to navigate near the hotel, none of the Google Maps directions were making sense. I finally gave up and went down to street level and finally found my way to Shibuya Scramble Crossing.



It's much less hectic than I expected at ground level! And look, a Fantasy Springs ad spotted!



I went to the Disney Store first, which was very cute.



They had some new rainy day merch which was just adorable. I regret not buying the keychain!



I also resisted buying a Marie.



The prices were sort of high, cheaper than the US parks but not by much. I abstained from buying anything (somehow) as I knew the parks merch would be cheaper.

Funny enough, I saw a bunch of WDW shirts! I knew some of the 50th merch had made its way to Tokyo, but it was funny seeing in person.



There were three levels to the Disney store, but each level was pretty small. I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to stop there, but worth it if you're in Shibuya. I had to resist from buying more washcloths, because how many washcloths does someone need when not living in Japan

I went to Loft next, which I absolutely LOVED. I didn't even have time to go to every floor, and I figured I'd come back (I didn't). I'd say Loft is more like Target and Don Quijote is more like Walmart

I bought a bunch of beautiful birthday cards (including stuff like Disney and Snoopy) for maybe $2, a nice handheld fan, a matcha whisk, and probably more I am forgetting. They have a lot of really nice home goods and stuff, and very reasonable prices.

For dinner, I found Oreryu Shio Ramen on Google Maps. The line was very short at 7:45 and you ordered from a machine. Really the line was mostly to order, as I was seated as soon as I ordered.



I was seated just before 8, and it was 1530¥ for ramen and lemon sour. They were playing the Beatles the whole time I was there, which I loved! My drink arrived first, delicious!



My ramen arrived 8:10, the bowl was huge! Not sure why the egg was hard boiled? Can a girl get a soft boiled egg? LOL!

Wow, the broth was super light and creamy and spicy. Very flavorful, a lot better than the spicy ramen broth at Ipuddo.

It came with a HUGE amount of fried chicken. The noodles were very average, not much different than instant ramen. This ramen had the best pork I'd had yet though, super thin.



I was done around 8:30, and since I'd already paid I could just walk out. I loved that so much about Japan!

Afterwards, I explored the 7 story Don Quijote that was nearby. It was pretty overwhelming, way busier than the one in Namba and since it was late evening, I think it's probably just really popular as other things are closing around then. I saw the tax free line on the top floor and all I can say is don't bother unless you're spending a LOT of money.

I was getting tired so I headed back to the hotel, which was super confusing. I probably wasted 30 minutes getting pretty lost! Part of the issue is the pedestrian walkways all criss cross but not in every direction, and then on street levels you can't cross in all directions either, so I obviously was getting something wrong. And then maps got so confused when I walked through buildings connected by the walkways.

Finally, I found my way back. I found a Family Mart just a block or two away and got some snacks. It was a pretty mediocre Family Mart though, not a lot of options. I did get a white peach ice cream bar which was good and refreshing!



Shibuya was interesting! Regrettably, I didn't really spend much more time in Shibuya. I would have liked more time to shop and wander around. It was certainly lively at night. I saw so many goth people, like black clothing and heavy eyeliner and spiky hair! It was a change from Kyoto, all the skyscrapers and lights. I'm a city girl though, so it felt familiar!

Somehow, I didn't get to bed until almost midnight. This is why you should always do Kyoto before Tokyo if you are coming from the west, or you will be sleeping in too much

Overall, only 17.5k steps, despite my extra steps getting lost! A nice intro to Tokyo, and I was looking forward to being in the same hotel for the next three nights (and being reunited with my luggage).

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/1: Tokyo (Senso-ji)

I woke up at 9AM, and had the best sleep I'd had all trip! The bed was very comfy, not amazing, but certainly did the job! The AC ran very cool in this hotel so I only needed it at 19.5C which is about what I set it to at home.

I got going a bit faster than usual and left the room around 10:15. I reverse engineered the hotel website's directions on how to access from the Ginza line, which I found much more useful than trying to rely on Google Maps. I didn't get lost and I made it from my room onto the Ginza line (literally ran onto my train lol) in 9 minutes! It involved multiple escalators in different spots which is partly why it's not the easiest to navigate.

(The trains are usually perfectly on time and I actually beat Google Maps, which had me getting onto the next train. That was a handy feature, being able to see the train times and names before/after the suggested one.)

I will say, it was easier to navigate Shibuya during the day for some reason. I encountered my first passed out person on the train, literally everyone was staring, he was lying across an entire seat. It looked like a local but who knows. The train platform people actually boarded to wake him up at one station (they held the train) and he did wake, but he passed out again. On some poor lady who was too polite to say anything

I was headed to Asakusa to see Senso-ji, there were soooo many stops on that line. I made it just before 11. It was incredibly sunny, my UV umbrella came in very handy. It wasn't humid so under the umbrella it was pleasant.

The temple was a short walk from the station. It was as crowded as it looks in photos of people trying to get their picture at the entrance!



Though it was busy, it wasn't unmanageable or anything.

There were tons of food vendors and I saw Cremia which I had wanted to try!



I ordered via machine, and got it immediately.



This was everything I wanted it to be. Portion was small, but it's so creamy and rich you don't need any more. Ice cream for breakfast The cone was delicious too, like a wafer cookie. I would love to go to Hokkaido someday, which is where the cream is from.



There were a ton of girls in kimonos at Senso-ji, if you don't get to Kyoto, seems like this is the place to rent a kimono in Tokyo.



The Temple was very beautiful, again I didn't really participate in any rituals or charms but it was unique from the Kyoto temples I saw.



There was lots of touristy shopping and food near the temple, I know Asakusa is another popular place to stay. Definitely different from the skyscraper big city vibe of Shibuya!

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/1: Tokyo (Manten Sushi Marunouchi)

I hopped back on the Ginza line just before noon to head to Marunouchi for my reservation at Manten Sushi. I had kind of mixed thoughts about my reservation as the reviews I saw made think it was a bit of a tourist trap, but it was cheap enough I decided to keep it. My reservation was for 1PM and it was a two hour experience.

I really liked the Ginza line, the stations were all numbered very obviously and there were screens above the doors that showed the names of the gates and whether you should go right or left when getting off, which I appreciated. On other lines that didn't have that I would get off and make a beeline to a spot where I'd be out of the way to figure out which direction I should go.

Tokyo Station was very nice, though it felt tiny compared to Kyoto Station! It did take me a while to find the exit I wanted. Wow, it was so beautiful on the outside!



The area around the station was very laid back. No hustle and bustle, it was really relaxing. I imagine it would be a pretty nice area to stay in?

There was so much shopping, I didn't have time to stop but it seemed like the kind of area where I'd go have brunch with the gals and wander around. Lots of cute cafes, there was a really nice garden seating area near the building where my lunch was so I sat there for a bit before heading to Manten Sushi.



It was inside a small shopping area and pretty easy to find, everyone is seated at the counter at once so we all started awkwardly waiting around until they came out and started checking our names off a list at 1:00.

There was a counter and then maybe two or three tables off to the side for groups larger than two. You definitely need reservations. At the counter, I think it was split so half was in English, the other half was in Japanese. There were two chefs preparing the food for each side of the counter. I thought that was cool!

The table seating definitely misses out on the experience. But, the chef on our side was absolutely hilarious and a showman, and he did his best to include the tables, and invited them over several times to take pictures/videos.

• Shellfish soup (fine)
• Snapper (very hard/chewy)
• Seaweed salad (slippery and more interesting tasting than the standard kind served everywhere in the US)
• Scallop (my favorite)

It was really fun watching our chef prepare everything. He was an entertainer and very silly! Everything was served one piece/course at a time. The menu is pretty fixed and I think is the same at the restaurant Sushi Tokyo Ten.

• Bonito/katsuo (similar to tuna, so smooth and fresh, I liked this)
• Abalone (huge, looked and tasted a lot like mushroom, green part was soft, not a huge fan but wasn't bad)
• Isaki (skin quite chewy, not fave, nice grill taste from torching)
• Steamed egg with crab (very tasty)

• Okra and creamy tofu (tofu was creamy indeed)
• Tiny shrimp (this was very nice, salty shrimp and very soft warm rice)
• Kanpachi/amberjack (easier to chew, pretty neutral taste)
• Salmon roe and uni (huge portion, uni was very creamy and fresh, roe was rich and salty, I like uni but don't love it but I think uni lovers would be pleased)

• Octopus (less chewy than most I've had, but very plain)
• Cod roe (chef was like this is a little spicy, it sure clears the sinus lol, reminded me of horseradish/wasabi which I don't like)
• Bluefin tuna, akami on left and tuna on right (Akami was good and better than most tuna in US, but the toro was so fatty and flavor and just melted, I get it now when people say toro is the best!)
• Miso soup with clams (pretty plain, clams to small to eat)

• Sea eel and omelette (eel quite good, melts in mouth, grill taste from torch, omelette super sweet and custardy like egg tart, enjoyed this)
• Hand roll (chef's antics were hilarious, he served this in his special "trademark" way lol)
• Dried cucumber (like sweet bamboo shoots)
• Watermelon (sweetest ever!)

We were done about 2:50PM, our side took longer than the Japanese side. I had a lemon sour and it was 8800¥.

My thoughts? The price was fantastic, that would get me a couple rolls and nigiris in the US. That said, I only really enjoyed a couple of the dishes (scallop, tuna primarily), and a lot of them were not to my taste. I don't think they were bad at all, it's just it was more about showcasing ingredients with minimal seasoning. Turns out I'm a seasoning/sauce girl I don't think anything served here was super high end quality stuff either, so I don't think anything really shined a whole lot on its own. Like, nothing against octopus, but if I'm going to eat it, completely plain wouldn't be my first choice. The fancy dishes at Takayama in Kyoto were much more up my alley. I am not a picky eater in any way and I love trying new things, just nothing really wowed me here.

I don't regret it at all, as our chef was an absolute hoot. It was more about the experience than anything else. It was mostly couples and another solo traveler who I sat next to, and we took each other's photos a few times lol. I enjoyed trying many new things I've never even heard of before and though I probably won't be back, it was overall a good time.

 

[soniam]

We stayed in Asakusa, so we took the Ginza line all the the time. It was so easy and great. There was actually a few kimono rental places between our hotel and the nearest train station Senso-ji was totally packed. I had to take pics up high to get people out of view. We hit that Disney Store, Loft, and Donki in Shibuya. Our son loved Loft. He looked at pens forever. That Donki is insanely busy. It was pouring rain that day too. Shibuya Scramble was kind of dead because of the rain.

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/1: Tokyo (Shibuya Sky)

It was easy to find the JR station to head back to Shibuya, and I was back to my hotel in no time. I took the regular South Gate exit this time and it was probably the same distance as the New South Gate, with more people around to help if you get lost or have ticket issues lol.

I rotted on my bed for a few hours, that is the perk of solo travel, sometimes you just need a break.

I left my room at 5:40 and hoped I'd make it to my 6:00-6:20 Shibuya Sky window this time. Also, for booking in advance, make sure to practice a few days before your window opens up. I had to use Chrome and a Mastercard, couldn't get any other browser/window to work. And you need an account too, so doing a practice run is helpful as sunset slots sell out in a couple seconds.

Thankfully I knew my way around a bit better and was able to find Shibuya Sky this time, there is an elevator but the wait was long so instead I took all 14 escalators in a row up to the check in area. I was not the only one

It truly amazes me there can be 14 floors of shopping in one building!

I scanned in at 6:00, and it was pretty quiet, no wait for the elevator up to the viewing platform. It was a fast ride to floor 45.

You have to put your stuff and umbrella in lockers, they had umbrella lockers which was awesome.



It ended up being pretty cloudy and windy so I didn't hang around until sunset which was close to 7:00. There were long lines for photos in the good corners or with the professional photographer (and you have to pay for the photo). it was neat watching the scramble crossing from above, it looked like slow motion!



Unfortunately there weren't many good sunsets on my trip, this was better than the night before at least. Photos look nicer than it did in real life! I'm sure this would be absolutely amazing on a day with a colorful sunset. Is that green spot Yoyogi Park?



There was a little shop with some nice Shibuya Sky souvenirs, they had a Peanuts collab which was perfect since my cousin's daughter loves Peanuts. I got her a magnet and myself a keychain. It was about $8.50 for the two.



I thought it was funny how much Snoopy stuff there was in Japan, as Charles Schulz is from Minneapolis, so we have lots of Peanuts stuff back home!

At this point, I started feeling a little under the weather. I wasn't sure if I was getting a cold or just getting worn down. I was too tired to do anything but find whatever takeout I could get my hands on. Otherwise I probably would have sought out an Ichiran which I wanted to try.

I ran into a Gong Cha near the Shibuya Sky building so of course I got some to go. It was pretty quick! I so wish a large bubble tea was only $5 in the US



The boba was delish, I think this was the Alishan Oolong Milk Tea. Gong cha's pearls are really good and they give you a big scoop, no skimping!

I passed a Vietnamese place called Banh Mi Star on the way back to my hotel, and pho is one of my favorite foods. I briefly read the reviews and it sounded like this place was not legit at all, but I was too tired to find anything else.



The worker was very nice, I got a pho and spring rolls for only 1780¥. Since I wanted takeout I had to wait a few minutes and she apologized for the wait when giving me my food, even though it was not even 10 minutes!



The pho was packaged well, there is no world in which this was actually pho, but it was a nice tasting soup (just not pho, I think it was chicken broth and not beef for starters )

The spring rolls were ehhh...I'm not a fan of peanut sauce and prefer fish sauce, so I didn't eat much of these.



I went to sleep just before midnight again (oops) and had just shy of 15k steps. I think up to this point I got fewer steps every single day. That's how I know I am getting older!

 

[Disneyhanna]

We stayed in Asakusa, so we took the Ginza line all the the time. It was so easy and great. There was actually a few kimono rental places between our hotel and the nearest train station Senso-ji was totally packed. I had to take pics up high to get people out of view. We hit that Disney Store, Loft, and Donki in Shibuya. Our son loved Loft. He looked at pens forever. That Donki is insanely busy. It was pouring rain that day too. Shibuya Scramble was kind of dead because of the rain.

I loved the Ginza line! I think my first choice to stay next time would be Ginza, or somewhere on the Hibaya line which I also liked. I thought it was kind of funny how many people were trying to get perfect pictures throughout the trip, waiting for people to move out of their way. Like, you people will be waiting forever!

That Loft was amazing. I could have spent all day there, I really wished I had time to go back. I wanted to try to get glasses in Japan and ran of time, I also wanted a matcha bowl and I never had time to find one. The rain definitely puts a damper on things, but Japan is sure prepared for it! If those clear umbrellas were a bit shorter I would have taken some home, but they were too long for my luggage I guess I didn't try putting mine in my duffel, I might have to measure it for next time LOL!

 

[soniam]

I loved the Ginza line! I think my first choice to stay next time would be Ginza, or somewhere on the Hibaya line which I also liked. I thought it was kind of funny how many people were trying to get perfect pictures throughout the trip, waiting for people to move out of their way. Like, you people will be waiting forever!

That Loft was amazing. I could have spent all day there, I really wished I had time to go back. I wanted to try to get glasses in Japan and ran of time, I also wanted a matcha bowl and I never had time to find one. The rain definitely puts a damper on things, but Japan is sure prepared for it! If those clear umbrellas were a bit shorter I would have taken some home, but they were too long for my luggage I guess I didn't try putting mine in my duffel, I might have to measure it for next time LOL!

I have learned a few tricks to get rid of tourists. Aim high just over their heads. It's much easier in Japan, because typically people aren't massively tall. I'm short. You can also take multiple quick exposures, and there's a good chance to get one without anyone in it. You can also do a long exposure. People moving quickly will disappear from your pic.

 

[mlaw]

I now need to add that ice cream to my must try list of foods!

 

[Ngwira]

I did soooo much stalking. I had all my nights bookmarked on the Hyatt site so I could just open all my tabs with searches at once. I got all 5 nights I needed at various Hyatt hotels so I think the odds are pretty good if you look every day.

Grabbed 2 of the 3 nights at the PH Kyoto.

 

[Ngwira]

5/31: Tokyo (Hyatt House Shibuya)

The New South Gate at Shibuya Station deposits you very close to the hotel, this is the view from just exiting the gate/station and the pink building on the left is basically where the Hotel is. The Hyatt House Shibuya is super confusing to find, given all of the pedestrian platforms around this part of Shibuya. I found Google Maps walking directions to be mostly useless. The hotel website had some directions based on where you were coming from, and I found that far more helpful. I still g22ot super lost several times but after a full day, I at least was able to find the hotel without wasting too much time

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Here is the main entrance to the hotel, located on a little plaza.

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The lobby is on the 16th floor, so you have to take an elevator up to check in. I arrived around 4PM and was checked in by 4:10. My shipped luggage was in a room right next to the check in desk, so they grabbed that for me and I brought it to my room myself. Tough life after saying in a 5 star hotel

I stayed in their standard King room on points, it's a category 4 which for Hyatt is usually 12k-15k points. This is an amazing deal as the cash rates are ridiculously priced around $500USD (which you should absolutely not pay).

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The hotel only opened three months prior, and I did not notice any new paint/building smell that some reviews indicated. There was plenty of storage and everything was nice and new.

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The bedroom area was very spacious!

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About half my hotels had Nespresso machines.

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A nice kitchenette with a good sized fridge/freezer. Would be really great for a longer stay, I imagine. This hotel is super hard to book on points (need to book like 10+ months out) but I was able to get my three-night stay by stalking the website. I picked up all 3 nights individually, and then was able to rebook as one continuous stay as it luckily became available. I just had the search bookmarked and checked it regularly.

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I didn't have much of a view, but could be worse!

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The hotel also had free umbrellas to grab, I think this is pretty common. Grab one if you even think it's going to rain that day as when it was already raining, all were gone!

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The best part of this hotel was the in-room washer/dryer. It's small, definitely meant for only a couple days worth of clothes for one person, but the washer part worked well and wrung out the clothes really well. The dryer definitely took a while. And it's humid enough in Japan that things don't hang dry very quickly.

I did maybe 3-4 sets of clothes and it would take 60-80 minutes to dry. There was a button that did 60 minutes wash followed by 60 minutes dry and I usually had to do a bit more drying. Cotton seems to be the best setting for drying. I hang dry a lot of stuff at home but these small dryers are so low power I didn't worry about it. It does chime when done, so you probably want to be away when you're running it. They provided a pack of detergent and replaced it daily but I brought my own detergent pods. I ended up doing laundry every day to ensure I'd have clean clothes for the rest of my trip! Plus I was wearing at least two outfits a day in the heat, phew!

Overall this hotel was fantastic. The location isn't the easiest to figure out but it is well located once you know where you're going. Definitely ship your luggage as taxi drivers won't be able to find the hotel, lol. The room was huge and practical, highly recommend.

I grabbed this hotel too. Thanks for your review.

 

[Disneyhanna]

I now need to add that ice cream to my must try list of foods!

I think it was super popular a number of years ago and the fad is dying a bit, but I saw it a couple places! Soooo delicious.

Grabbed 2 of the 3 nights at the PH Kyoto.

Congrats!!! It is such a beautiful hotel unlike any other I've experienced!

I grabbed this hotel too. Thanks for your review.

Lucky!!! It is like winning the lottery to book there on points!

 

[Disneyhanna]

Well, I just booked flights for same time next year, just in case I want to go again For a couple less nights though, to not take so much time off work. So this trip report could evolve into a planning report once I'm done with it

Nonstop to HND was only 57.5k skymiles one way, and then I was able to book the return Delta flight using Virgin points, which I had transferred with a 30% bonus from Capital One a while ago. So it was only 39k capital one points for the return flight. So less than 100k points round trip! Not a great economy redemption but I learned from this trip that I'd rather have a direct flight in economy than book business class with a connection. Not that I had any luck trying to get a good business class award anyways, lol.

The same flights were 300k miles this year (absolute ridiculous) since I only booked a few months in advance, so obviously I paid cash instead. If I go again next year, I will definitely need to make it a cheaper trip

 

[Ngwira]

Well, I just booked flights for same time next year, just in case I want to go again For a couple less nights though, to not take so much time off work. So this trip report could evolve into a planning report once I'm done with it

Nonstop to HND was only 57.5k skymiles one way, and then I was able to book the return Delta flight using Virgin points, which I had transferred with a 30% bonus from Capital One a while ago. So it was only 39k capital one points for the return flight. So less than 100k points round trip! Not a great economy redemption but I learned from this trip that I'd rather have a direct flight in economy than book business class with a connection. Not that I had any luck trying to get a good business class award anyways, lol.

The same flights were 300k miles this year (absolute ridiculous) since I only booked a few months in advance, so obviously I paid cash instead. If I go again next year, I will definitely need to make it a cheaper trip

Curious to see where you stay.

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/2: Tokyo (Meiji Jingu)

I woke up at 8, and was headed off to Meiji Jingu which wasn't far from Shibuya Station. It was only 7 minutes from leaving my hotel to being on my train headed in the Shinjiku direction!

I definitely had a tourist fail though, as Google Maps had me get off at Yoyogi Station. That took me to what felt like a back entrance, over a 5 minute walk from the station. Don't be dumb like me, get off at Harajuku Station, which will deposit you literally at the entrance



I had no idea I wasn't at the main entrance and thought it was rather quiet, and I had a loooong walk. Not that long, it was less than 10 minutes, but it felt long in the heat! At least it was shaded, very serene to experience the green park in the midst of Tokyo.



Finally, I came across the famous sake barrels so I knew I was in the right place.



All of these famous spots are very English friendly with signage in English.





This was not too busy at all, and there was some ceremonial stuff going on that was interesting to observe.



I personally found Senso-ji more interesting if you only had time for one, but Meiji Jingu was different in that it really felt like you were away from the city. Especially if you take the back entrance like me and have a bit of a walk to acclimate to nature before getting to the shrine If you come in the Harajuku side, you don't have to walk nearly as far.



I believe there was a garden you could pay for, but I wasn't really interested. I spent around 30 minutes at Meiji Jingu, and then hopped on the train to Ginza which was an easy transfer from Harajuku Station.

I got off in the main shopping area and briefly checked out Mitsukoshi Ginza, of course went straight down to the food floors! Wow, I wish WDW's Mitsukoshi was more like this

There were multiple levels of food, this particular floor had beautiful pastries and goodies and deli type foods as well. Lots of souvenir treats and stuff to bring back to your hotel for dinner as well.



With the exchange rate, everything was so cheap...I could have stopped in there every day for a two week trip and had something different every time.



I don't think I bought anything this time but I did make it back the next day!

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/2: Tokyo (Tsukiji Market)

Since I had some time before my lunch reservation, I checked maps and saw that Tsukiji Outer Market actually wasn't a far walk, about 15 minutes. I braved the heat (with my UV umbrella of course) and made the walk. It wasn't too busy at all, I didn't notice any crazy lines.



I stopped at Matcha Stand Maruni first, I am not a huge matcha person but when in Japan!



I got an iced matcha late, I think single shot and less sweet. This was good, maybe a tiny bit grainy, but enjoyable and not too sweet. Definitely refreshing on the hot day.



I bought a bag of their matcha and it was about 1780¥ with the drink.



One thing about this market, you have to make sure to throw away your trash at the place you got it from! This is one of the only places I really noticed the lack of trash cans in Japan. Since you don't eat/drink while walking, I really didn't accumulate any trash during the day, so I never noticed that there weren't trash cans everywhere like in the U.S. Most of the places at Tsukiji Market had tiny trash cans and signs to only throw stuff from that stall, and often taped to only fit the shape of skewers for example.



I tried tamagoyaki again, since I enjoyed it at Nishiki Market. This was 150¥.



I didn't take any notes on this one so it must have been just okay lol. I think there is a more famous stall with the perfectly square shaped tamagoyaki but I didn't really search anything out, just stopped wherever.



This strawberry daifuku from Tsukiji Iroha looked so good, and they had a strawberry whip flavor so I got that. I'm not a big fan of red bean so I was happy to see this! One was 400¥ and it was SO good.



The mochi was so soft and pillowy, and this was the most perfectly ripe, sweet strawberry. I think it had a small amount of whipped cream inside, overall delicious. I could have had several but I had lunch soon, or I would have kept snacking.



I didn't think there was anything special about Tsukiji Market, though I know it's nothing like the original market and is mostly for tourists now. It's worth stopping if you're in the area but I'm not sure I'd ever make a trip to specifically go there.

It was time to head to my reservation at Ginza Hachigou. They now take reservations online through Tablecheck once per week, and they literally go within a couple seconds. I practiced the week before my trip so I knew what to expect, so I did not have trouble getting the time I wanted. They only seat six at a time so they serve less than 100 bowls per day, I can give some tips if anyone is interested.

On my way there, I ran into this statue of Chirori the Therapy Dog. I didn't make time to see the statue of Hachiko sadly!

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/2: Tokyo (Ginza Hachigo, Sailor Moon Manhole Covers)

About a block from Ginza Hachigou, I saw this massive line for some restaurant. I looked it up later and think it was Godaime Hanayama Udon Ginza, that was really the only long line I ever saw!



I also ran into this orange juice vending machine, which I didn't have time to try but definitely want to next time.



Finally I made it to the restaurant! If you go before they open, I think you can wait in line, but you have to be there hours before opening from what I hear. There's nothing I will wait more than maybe 30 minutes for so I was very happy to have a reservation. You are limited to 30 minutes.



They had a hostess that checked my name off a handwritten list, and I was seated right on time! It was fun to watch the chefs work, every bowl is prepared individually and very carefully. I forget if I ordered ahead of time or from a machine, but either way it was contactless so I was just charged automatically through Tablecheck!



After only a couple minutes my bowl was served. The couple people seated next to me were Japanese and I think were on lunch break, since it was 12:30, and they literally inhaled their bowls in a couple minutes and were gone

The chefs were quiet but kind, and offered me a hair tie when giving me my bowl!



Wow, this ramen was so beautiful! The broth as so clear. It was really hot and I had to blow on it a lot to eat it, I don't know how the people next to me ate theirs so fast (they slurped the heck outta their noodles though, a skill I haven't mastered yet, which I think cools them off a bit)

It comes with a truffle foie gras ravioli which is one of the single most delicious things I have ever eaten. I am not a truffle fan but this was absolutely insane, so much concentrated flavor and so rich. The pieces of chashu were so fatty and it just melted. I think the broth was chicken and duck, it tasted mostly of chicken to me but was delicious and so clean tasting. The egg was just okay, I never did get a perfect ramen egg in Japan

The noodles were good but not standout, really the ravioli and pork were what made it so good. I wouldn't say the broth was the most flavorful broth I've had but it was so clean tasting that it was memorable. Really an outstanding bowl of ramen, I can see why it got a Michelin star! Despite the star, this bowl was a modest 2200¥. I think there was a 500¥ fee for booking on Tablecheck as well.

Definitely recommend Ginza Hachigou if you can get a reservation and have a small party. I imagine it'd be really hard to get one for more than 2, maybe 3 people. And as good as it was, I would not wait hours for it!

I had to walk the meal off (it was a huge portion) so I wandered around a bit and found Tokyo Tower! I was so excited, it was a dream to see and I just stumbled across it! I grew up watching anime like Sailor Moon where Tokyo Tower is featured multiple times, and seeing it in person was so surreal.



It was raining gently but not bad, and so I decided to look for some of the Sailor Moon manhole covers that were recently installed in the area. I had a reservation for teamLabs Borderless but had some time to kill, and thought that would be fun. I found the coordinates of two nearby that were less than 15 minutes apart.



It was fun walking around to find them, it took me by a public library and though the grounds of a high school and dog park.



I also found the most beautiful hydrangeas! I didn't have my tripod with me or I would have taken a nice picture as I was near a water supply station and there was no-one around.



This little adventure was one of my favorite parts of the trip, it was totally spontaneous and a very peaceful walk through quiet neighborhoods. Even though the weather was a bit gloomy, it was only sprinkling so it was nice to be out and away from tourists.



As you can probably tell I didn't do much planning for this trip and I don't think you really need to. Maybe 1-2 things per day, and then just figure it out as you go. I hate being rushed and it was nice to just do things at my own pace, the perk of solo travel of course!

 

[Disneyhanna]

6/2: Tokyo (teamLab Borderless)

TeamLab Borderless is located in a shopping center in Azabudai Hills, it's a really nice area with lots of high end shopping. You could probably spend a good chunk of a day there if you're into that sort of thing.



You do have to buy your ticket in advance, they don't sell out immediately but I don't think you can wait buy a ticket the week of especially if it's a weekend. This was one of the more expensive things I did in Japan, at 4600¥ ($30 USD).



The entry is timed with a 30 minute window, I didn't have to wait to get in at all. There were so many people in the Azabudai Hills area, it's definitely a popular spot!

There are lockers to store your bags, I kept my wallet and phone and passport in my pocket. They had umbrella lockers too which was nice.

I headed in at 2:30 and it was so dark, my eyes had to adjust! I'll include just a few pictures here to not spoil too much!



There were a couple special rooms they limited access to, so on a busy day you may have to wait a bit. I never waited more than a couple minutes or not at all for those rooms. They limit your time inside as well, but it was plenty of time.



It wasn't too busy at all, this is definitely a good rainy (or hot) day activity.



My favorite was a room with these large spheres rolling around, the music was very futuristic and it was quite the experience.



I spent about 90 minutes there, and stopped by the restroom and bought a water partway through. Lots of people were sitting in that area just gathering themselves, it can be overwhelming. I wouldn't be surprised if some people were feeling ill, if you have motion sickness or vertigo I would definitely avoid Borderless. My mom would probably fall over and get sick after one minute, the moving art can be very disorienting if you're susceptible to that. There was one room in particular that I can imagine makes people very wobbly.

I found this rudimentary map online that I used to make sure I hit every room. Since there's no map or guide, it's really easy to totally miss some areas. Even with the "map" I had to retrace my steps many times to find everything.



There was a room where you could draw artwork of sea creatures and they made them float around the "ocean" which was neat. There was a line that was probably at least 15 minutes to do that so I skipped it.

Overall, I'm glad I did Borderless. I don't feel any need to do it again, but it was a cool experience. It was very cool inside so bring a layer if you get cold easily. I think two hours is a good amount of time, you could spend more or less easily.

Afterward, I wandered around the shopping center a bit and found another Arabica location!



I decided to buy some of their decaf beans. This was one of the only times I had a bit of trouble as the girl at the bean station didn't speak English, and I was confused when she was asking me some questions. It ended up being how dark to roast the beans (scale of 3 to 6 I think), which I didn't realize was an option! We laughed and figured it out though, no big deal.



The beans were a bit pricey but I also bought more than I realized I bought 500g for 3600¥. It only took 15 minutes to roast them, so I bought another Kyoto latte while I was waiting. It was just as delicious as the one in Kyoto, best latte ever!