Guest post by thadeus_d3
Map tips: each color represents a different day. Click a marker to learn more about the spot, and click the star in the map header to save the entire map under Your Places in Google Maps.
Day 1
- Mistral Bleu Train Bar, 5 Chome-5-1 Roppongi, Minato City, Tokyo, Japan
After arriving in the evening, I went to Rappongi for dinner and drinks at Mistral Bleu. Mistral Bleu is a tiny bar that’s inside of a train car.
Day 2
- Imperial Palace
- Kitanomaru Park
- Hie Shrine
- Ginza
- Tokyo Tower
- Robot Restaurant
I started my day off with a metro ride to the Imperial Palace and Kitanomaru Park. Since it was November, the park was not as beautiful as it is during the summer. The Imperial Palace was also not worth the journey. Aside from the grounds, there’s not much to see. I left and walked to Hie Shrine. The shrine was beautiful and I spent some time just taking it all in. After the shrine, I visited Ginza for shopping. I knew that Ginza had a lot of high end boutiques, but there were also affordable shops in the area. Afterwards, I went to the top of the Tokyo Tower. The panoramic views of Tokyo were stunning.
Later that night, I visited a show at Robot Restaurant. It was an experience that is hard to explain. It’s sensory overload. Singing, dancing, lasers, robots and more. Definitely worth the ~$50 cost for a show.
Day 3
- Tsukiji Market
- Tsukiji Hongwanji
- Ameya-Yokochō
- Akihabara
- Shinjuku
- Omoide Yokocho
I woke up at 2am to catch the Tsukiji fish market (now closed). It was very hard to find the entrance, even with google maps and an internet connection. My taxi driver was also unsure where the entrance to the auction was located. Fortunately, I was one of the first 120 people to find it, so I was able to enter the market. Here, I was able to watch the fish auction and see fish that fetched over half a million dollars.
Following the auction, I visited Tsukiji Hongan-Ji which is a nearby Buddhist temple. After snapping a few pictures, I headed to Ameyoko Street for some souvenier shopping and lunch. This was my favorite area for souvenir shopping.
Afterwards, I headed Akihabara to explore and take pictures before heading to Shinjuku. I hoped to find a place called “piss alley” or memory lane (Omoide Yokocho) as the locals call it. It’s a few narrow alleyways that have traditional japanese food and drinks in a traditional setting. Most of the restaurants seated no more than 7. It was one of my favorite experiences of the trip.
Day 4
- Nakano Broadway
- Harajuku
- Sensō-ji
- Tokyo Skytree
In the morning, I visited the Nakano Broadway, which is where the locals go to buy manga. I purchased a few books as gifts and left for Harajuku. I mostly went here to people watch, since it’s the district known for people dressing in strange clothing. After snapping a few pictures, I left for Asakusa Shrine. The shrine was very busy, but the experience was great. Sensoji temple is located right by the shrine and offered great views of the Tokyo Sky Tree.
Traveled in November 2015
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