My Top 10 Tokyo things to do

As my time in Japan starts drawing to a close, a few people have asked me for a list of my favourite things to do in Tokyo. Nothing too different from what the guide books will tell you but here goes:

1. Asakusa - Senso-ji temple is a must see, looks beautiful lit up night Check out the guardians at the main gate and then wander up the shopping arcades to the main temple and pagoda. Next to the main shrine is Asakusa Jinja, a small Buddhist shrine. If you are looking for traditional clothing the store right next to the Buddhist shrine has a great range at reasonable prices. Lots of great shops and izakayas in this area. Also only a short train ride from Ueno Park or you could catch the ferry from here down the river to Tsukiji fish markets & Ginza - see my previous post:  Rolling down the river

 2. Ueno Park - choice of many museums, shrines, lake, zoo. Tokyo National Museum is an interesting way to spend a few hours. 620 yen admission. The zoo is 600 yen, worth is just to check out the super cute pandas and monkeys.

3.Meiji-jingu located right next door to the craziness of Harajuku this shrine area is a nice, relaxing spot to cruise around in at your own pace.

4. Harajuku & Omotesando -  Definitely worth having a wander around these two shopping areas. Sundays you are more likely to see people dressed up in their cosplay gear. Oriental Bazaar shop has some good quality souvenirs on Omotesando. Lots of tasty food options around here too especially if you have a sweet tooth, Lindt, Max Brenner, Ben & Jerrys....The architecture of the big brand name stores are pretty impressive too.

5. Shopping in Ginza - shops open at 11am. Worth checking out the 12 floors of Uniqlo. Sony building has lots of fun gadgets to play with and the basement of departments stores have food halls with amazing things to make your stomach grumble.

 6. Imperial Palace East Gardens - closed Mondays & Fridays, gardens around the ponds are my favourite spots. Free entry but they give you a tag at the gate which you need to return when you exit. Close to Ginza if you need a break after shopping or a stroll to work off your lunch.

7. Edo Tokyo Museum - 600 yen, closed Mondays, my favourite museum in Tokyo. Lots of scale models and interactive displays - see my previous post Edo-Tokyo & Sumo museums- Head to Popeyes afterwards for a taste of some of the 70 beers on tap.

8. Golden Gai bars/ wander around Shinjuku/Karaoke -  the Golden Gai bars are tiny, elbow room only drinking holes in the red light district of Shinjuku. Drinks are not cheap but the atmosphere is great. Shinjuku is a great place to wander around anytime of the day or night, lots of great restaurants, shops and people watching. And everyone needs to do some karaoke while in Tokyo. You will see the signs for Big Echo and other karaoke chains all over town. They are often all inclusive deals with drinks and or food packages.

9. Akihabara - electric town! Still worth checking out despite the prices not being as awesome as they once were. Also lots of interesting geek shops and anime weirdness. Hit up Tsukada Nojo izakaya for tasty dinner and drinks afterwards.  (Also Kanda is not too far if you are looking for ski gear)

10.Festivals/Sumo/Baseball - it depends on what time of year you are visiting Tokyo but if you can manage to make it to a festivals or see some sumo or baseball that is where you will see the locals in their element. Festivals are free to attend and are on throughout the year but mainly in summer. Sumo tickets go on sale a month before the tournament begins. Sumo is on during January, May & September in Tokyo. Tickets are available online at http://sumo.pia.jp/en/  and baseball tickets through http://www.japanball.com/tickets.htm

Day tripping to Nikko

Had some friends visiting from Melbourne this week so I had people to talk to and hang out with for a couple of days, whoo hoo! It was a bit of a family reunion for my friend's partner, he lives in Melbourne now but is originally from Spain. His brother and wife had come across from Zaragoza and were super organised with their itinerary, so I tagged along on the family day trip to Nikko, 120km north of Tokyo.

Depending which train option you go for, (the faster the train, the more expensive your ticket), it takes between an hour and a half to two and a half hours to reach Nikko train station. We caught the shinkansen (bullet train) from Ueno to Utsonomiya and then onto the local train the rest of the way to Nikko. From the train station you can walk 20 mins up to the shrine area or catch the bus up and save your legs.

The Nikko national park area is extensive, 1,400 sq km. The main attractions within this area are the many Shinto and Buddhist shrines from the Edo period, scattered between the giant cedar trees. We spent most of our time wandering around the biggest shrine complex, Toshu-Gu shrine, a memorial to the first Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu. It supposedly took 15,000 artists two years to complete the shrine. You can see why!

There are several building to explore just within this one shrine area, the photo below is of the steps leading up to the shogun's mausoleum area at the top of the hill behind the main bling bling area.

Getting a bit tired after taking our shoes on and off  a gazillion times and trying to stay one step ahead of the large Mexican tour group behind us, we decided to check out one more area before lunch. At this point I had lost track of where we were but it was another stunning shrine area. I particularly liked the miniature replica of the portable shrines that get toured around the town during cherry blossom festivals.

On our way to lunch we passed the Shin-kyo Bridge. Pretty ugly huh? No idea why anyone would want to check out this area at all.

And thanks to Lonely Planet for directing us towards this beauty - 900 yen ($9) for this plate of awesomeness.

Yes, I ate that all myself. Yes it was as tasty as it looks. Photo below if you want to find it for yourself one day. Place is called Hippari Dako. People like to leave notes of thanks all over the walls.