Not including the day we arrive and our two days in the Tokyo Disney Resort we have a full seven days in Tokyo and already looking at my list of things we want to do I can see it being a busy seven days and also the longest time I've been away from home.
Over the past few months I've been doing a lot of research in to Tokyo finding out the best places to visit, places to shop, eat and even get amazing snacks. After I had done this I brought a map of Tokyo and started pin pointing all these places in different areas and coloured sticky notes.
You may ask me why I decided to do it this way rather than just use google maps and that's because I find things easier when I can visualise it all in front of me. This will make planning our daily itinerary a lot easier as we will now be able to see where in comparison everything is making sure we do certain things together rather than going here there and everywhere.
Tokyo is somewhere I've wanted to visit for such a long time and now we finally are I want to make sure we see everything that we can and experience the culture that is Tokyo.
Places We Want to Visit
Shrines and Temples
You can't come all the way to Tokyo and not explore the vast amount of Shrines and Temples dotted over the capital. It wasn't until I looked on my map that I realised how many there were to see and realistically we aren't going to see them all so I looked through my Tokyo Top 10 guide and made a note of the some of them as well as taking a look online as well.
- Meiji Jingu Shrine
- Sensoji Shrine
- Tennoji Temple
- Yasukuni Shrine
- Shinjuku Suwa Shrine
- Honganji Temple
- Sengakuji Temple
- Kanda Moyojin Shrine
- Nezu Shrine
- Hie Shrine
- Zojoji Shrine
I really cannot wait to explore all of these Shrines and Temples to gaze at the amazing architecture but also find our more about the culture and experience it first hand.
Gardens
Japan is known for having some of the most amazing gardens and even though we won't be going during Sakura Season the gardens will be looking all autumnal during the autumn season.
- Imperial Place Gardens
- Koishikawa Korakuen Garden
- Yoyogi Park
Neon Lights
Whenever you google Tokyo you are bound to see a photo of all the buildings and billboards covered in neon lights lighting up the night. I have always loved the photos I've seen and loved this about Tokyo so I am super excited to get there and finally take my own.
Two places I've been recommend so far are Kabukicho and Shinjuku so these are definitely on my list and before I go I'm planning to do some more research and see if there are anymore places I can check out.
Other Places
Tokyo Tower:
Very similar and based of the Eiffel Tower in Paris so a must see whilst in Tokyo and is one of the 2nd tallest structures in Japan. Below the tower is an area called Foot Town which houses restaurants, shops and museums. Guests are allowed to visit the two observation decks which will give some amazing views of Tokyo and the surrounding area.
Very similar and based of the Eiffel Tower in Paris so a must see whilst in Tokyo and is one of the 2nd tallest structures in Japan. Below the tower is an area called Foot Town which houses restaurants, shops and museums. Guests are allowed to visit the two observation decks which will give some amazing views of Tokyo and the surrounding area.
Tokyo Sky Tree:
Is the tallest building in Japan and is primarily a television and radio broadcast sight but is open to the public to visit certain observation points on the way up to the main deck which has a restaurant, cafe and a shop. Like with Tokyo Tower is a must do if you want to see the most amazing views of Tokyo and Mount Fuji when she isn't hiding behind the clouds.
Is the tallest building in Japan and is primarily a television and radio broadcast sight but is open to the public to visit certain observation points on the way up to the main deck which has a restaurant, cafe and a shop. Like with Tokyo Tower is a must do if you want to see the most amazing views of Tokyo and Mount Fuji when she isn't hiding behind the clouds.
Odaiba:
I'm really excited to visit Odaiba for many reasons it has a really fascinating history and is actually a man made Island which now houses a popular shopping and entertainment district. All the buildings on the island are very modern and futuristic looking. I can't wait to come over here and do some shopping and visit the Hello Kitty Cafe and Bakery, there is also a giant Gundam outside one of the centres we are excited to see.
We are hoping to visit in the late afternoon so that on our return it will be dark enough to see the connecting Rainbow Bridge all lite up.
I'm really excited to visit Odaiba for many reasons it has a really fascinating history and is actually a man made Island which now houses a popular shopping and entertainment district. All the buildings on the island are very modern and futuristic looking. I can't wait to come over here and do some shopping and visit the Hello Kitty Cafe and Bakery, there is also a giant Gundam outside one of the centres we are excited to see.
We are hoping to visit in the late afternoon so that on our return it will be dark enough to see the connecting Rainbow Bridge all lite up.
Shibuya Pedestrain Crossing:
A must do on our list, its one of the busiest crossings in the world and Japan sending people in a variety of different directions. From the videos I've seen it looks really exciting as its so busy and yet people don't seem to bump in to each other. Can't wait to get a video of me walking across for myself.
A must do on our list, its one of the busiest crossings in the world and Japan sending people in a variety of different directions. From the videos I've seen it looks really exciting as its so busy and yet people don't seem to bump in to each other. Can't wait to get a video of me walking across for myself.
Hachiko Dog Statue:
I absolutely love the story of Hachiko the dog after watching the movie based on his story and I didn't realise near the station in Shibuya that there was an actual statue of the dog which has been there for many years. This is a popular tourist spot and I cannot wait to go an see it for myself and snap a few photos.
I absolutely love the story of Hachiko the dog after watching the movie based on his story and I didn't realise near the station in Shibuya that there was an actual statue of the dog which has been there for many years. This is a popular tourist spot and I cannot wait to go an see it for myself and snap a few photos.
Ueno Zoo:
I absolutely love going to the zoo and its become a thing that on holidays me and Joel will try and visit one if there is one local to where we are visiting. Low and behold there are a few different Zoo's in Tokyo but after doing some research we found out about Ueno Zoo which has Pandas I repeat Pandas which I have always wanted to see so of course this was going on the list.
I cannot believe how cheap it is to visit the zoo, its 600 yen which £3.90 compared to the costs of £13 in the UK in I couldn't believe it and there is such a wide variety of animals as well.
I absolutely love going to the zoo and its become a thing that on holidays me and Joel will try and visit one if there is one local to where we are visiting. Low and behold there are a few different Zoo's in Tokyo but after doing some research we found out about Ueno Zoo which has Pandas I repeat Pandas which I have always wanted to see so of course this was going on the list.
I cannot believe how cheap it is to visit the zoo, its 600 yen which £3.90 compared to the costs of £13 in the UK in I couldn't believe it and there is such a wide variety of animals as well.
Day Trip to Mt Fuji:
You can't come all the way to Tokyo and not go visit Mt Fuji especially when there is so many different trips that can be booked making the whole experience a lot better. We have decided to go for a package that has a variety of different things going on.
We start the day travelling to Mt Fuji and driving up to station 5 I believe if the weather permits where at this point we will be able to take in the amazing views, explore the gift shops and enjoy a traditional Japanese lunch. After lunch we make our way back down and across to Lake Ashi where we get to travel across the lake via boat taking in more of the breath taking scenery and once making it to the other side we get travel up Mt Komagatake in the ropeway which is opposite to take a stroll along the top taking in the sites of Mt Fuji if shes not being shy and exploring the shrine at the top.
What I love about this whole trip is that every part is going to be extremely breath taking, we are going to get to explore so many places from different heights and directions and I cannot wait. The fact we get to return to Tokyo on the Bullet Train makes it even more exciting as that will be the only chance we have to ride it.
You can't come all the way to Tokyo and not go visit Mt Fuji especially when there is so many different trips that can be booked making the whole experience a lot better. We have decided to go for a package that has a variety of different things going on.
We start the day travelling to Mt Fuji and driving up to station 5 I believe if the weather permits where at this point we will be able to take in the amazing views, explore the gift shops and enjoy a traditional Japanese lunch. After lunch we make our way back down and across to Lake Ashi where we get to travel across the lake via boat taking in more of the breath taking scenery and once making it to the other side we get travel up Mt Komagatake in the ropeway which is opposite to take a stroll along the top taking in the sites of Mt Fuji if shes not being shy and exploring the shrine at the top.
What I love about this whole trip is that every part is going to be extremely breath taking, we are going to get to explore so many places from different heights and directions and I cannot wait. The fact we get to return to Tokyo on the Bullet Train makes it even more exciting as that will be the only chance we have to ride it.
So there you have it some of the places we plan to visit on our trip Tokyo. I imagine as the year goes on and I seen more vlogs extra places might make they're way on to our list as its still early days before we actually go. It's actually 200 days till our trip so I think to spread these out the next post will be around the 150 days mark as I only have a couple of posts left before we go.
200 Days To Go!
