My Must-Go Places In Tokyo

It has always been me and my boyfriend's dream to travel the world but the top of our list has always been Japan. It was a perfect trip for us because we are not really into sight seeing and we prefer keeping our itinerary flexible so we get to really enjoy every destination. The theory we both agreed on is that since Japan isn't 12 hours flight away and it's not a super expensive place to travel to, we would prefer going back again rather than cramping a few major cities at one go. So if you are someone who prefers a more relaxed itinerary with quite minimal interest in sight seeing, feel free to use this as a guide!

1. Edo-Tokyo Museum

As my bf and I are fans of antiques ( more like he is and I got influenced), Edo-Tokyo Museum naturally became a part of our itinerary. Please note that there is no direct train to the museum and you have to stop at Ryogoku Station and walk to the museum which is less than 5 minutes away. No worries about direction because you should see a crowd flooding towards it so just follow the crowd!

 

First thing first, get a translator! These translators come in many other common languages and best thing is, they are free! Only a 1000 yen REFUNDABLE deposit is required to ensure that you take good care of the translator. This was really useful for our visit because it felt like we had a tour guide telling us about the stories behind Japan's major historical monuments and events. Fyi, there were also free volunteer guide whom you can request to guide you throughout your visit but we preferred using the translator so we could take our time!

 

So intrigued by the amount of effort Japanese put in for details!

Guess what, this is a HAIR PERMING MACHINE!

 

 

 



Admission Fees :

 

 For 600 yen, I think it was really worth it because the museum was well maintained and they have also done a good job segregating the museum area according to themes such as economy, technology, war and so on. It was really eye opening to witness how Japan evolved from the pre-war era to the 21st century first world country. If you are into embracing new cultures, this would be the perfect place for you!

 

2. Shibuya Crossing

 

 

One of the busiest crosswalk in the world, ever! If you asked me what is the first thing that came to my mind about Japan? It would definitely be a photo taken at this crosswalk. I knew it was gonna be crowded, but I was beyond shocked when the pedestrian's light turned green. People were coming from ALL direction I swear! It was almost impossible to take a clean shot with no one behind, so we had to try and try again. Believe it or not, we had to cross the road 4 times for 1 photo. And it was still photobombed!! The worst nightmare was when my bf and I panicked and ran to different directions when the pedestrian light was turning red. We were separated for 3 minutes and I couldn't stop laughing.

 

 

 

If you are not into pushing through the crowd just to take a photo, then head to the Starbucks in Tsutaya Mall, right across the road. Located on the second floor, you can sip on coffee while enjoying the view of the busiest crosswalk under your eyes. Quite a spectacular experience I must say, but you may have to fight for a good spot because the cafe is always crowded!

 

After that, you can do some shopping around the area which will probably take you half the day.

 

3. Harajuku

 

I looooove the European style building and interior here! Everything was either minimalist, or super funk and unique so you would want to go into every shop. Fyi, their shop workers are all so polite and helpful, regardless if you actually make any purchase. So feel free to do some window shopping!

You can actually have your Converse customized here and they have so many unique designs that you don't see elsewhere. Maybe because I am a sucker for all things white and minimalist, I was obsessed with everything in there.

 



 

Harajuku at night.

 

You would want to bring your shopping bag here because it's probably where you will score yourself some super cool finds!

 

 

Don't forget to grab yourself the famous Harajuku style crepe. You will definitely be spoilt for choices.

 

There are also many other dessert that you should try here! This super creamy soft serve being one of them. In my opinion, Japan's dairy products just taste SO MUCH BETTER in every way.

 

4. Ikebukuro 

 

When I say I love Japan, most of it just meant that I love Japan's food. This famous ramen restaurant is one of the biggest reason! I did an extensive research on the best ramen in Tokyo and Mutekiya happened to be on everyone's list. When we arrived about 1.30 pm, there was still a queue of 20 people in line. You will be given their menu while queuing to speed up the ordering process later on, and they even gave out paper fans to us to help with the slightly warm weather. We had alot of spare time to kill so I actually took alot of OOTD shots here.

 

 

 

After a 40 minutes wait, it was finally our turn. When you enter the restaurant, it is easy to see why you had to queue up because the restaurant is so small! (Less than 20 seats I reckon?!)

 

IT WAS ALL WORTH IT. Best ramen I ever had in my life. I will tell you why :

1. The broth was thick, yet not too salty/ overwhelming.

2. The braised pork melts in your mouth, legit. There was not much chewing needed, it just melted!!

3. The noodles were springy but not too hard.

4. Look at that egg.

 

Btw, this is a "small" portion. We were also given the option to add noodles for a "large" one for FREE. The bf went for the large one without a doubt but I didn't want to be greedy ( for once).

 

After that, we took a stroll around the area and stumbled upon this gorgeous roof garden on top of Seibu mall. There are also eateries here where you can buy some snacks and drinks to chill with. I loved the concept! The weather turned chilly when we came up so it was perfect. Definitely a great spot to relax after that huge bowl of ramen.

Basically, I came here only for the ramen.

 

 5. Tsukiji Market

 

I have probably heard about this famous fish market countless times before going to Japan. While people recommended us to go as early as 4am, we didn't because we just couldn't survive on such little sleep! ( We get back about 11pm every night) So we decided to skip the famous Tuna auction which takes place around 5.30am where only 120 visitors are allowed per day. If you need more details about the auction, click here.

Our first purchase of the day! The fruits were all so huge, juicy and sweet. I am hardly a fan of strawberry because the ones we have back in Malaysia are always so sour! But I finished almost half of this box. It was 550 yen if I am not mistaken.

OMG OMG OMG. Till this day, me and the bf still dream about this tamago we had from Tsukiji market. I always loved tamago, but I never knew it could taste THIS GOOD. It was fresh from the grill, still warm and fluffy on the inside. Best part is, it only cost us 100 yen! We had 4 of this in 2 hours, that is how good it was. For those of you who aren't familiar with japanese cuisine, this is made of just eggs, with a tinge of sweetness and it is cooked layer by layer. You will see a number of the stalls selling freshly grilled tamago like this and I think they are almost the same since it is a common street food.

 

For lunch, we went to one of the roof top of the buildings within Tsukiji market. You are allowed to bring food purchased from the market downstairs to eat here and enjoy the cool breeze for free!

Our picnic spread! You haven't been to Japan if you don't feast on sashimi. Everything was super fresh so you don't have to worry. We got these 3 boxes of sashimi for 1000 yen which is relatively affordable given the freshness and portion.

 

Overall, we enjoyed strolling and eating around Tsukiji market but I will be honest with you, it has become very tourist-focused. It was flooded with tourists and alot of the sellers were speaking english to us and some had english menus too. I will still recommend you to pay a visit because you will really discover all kinds of fresh seafood and traditional japanese snacks here. Remember to feast on the fresh seafood here because they are much cheaper price than restaurants in Tokyo.

 

 

6. Disneyland

Going to Disneyland has always been a dream of mine. When we were planning for the trip, we were going to omit Disneyland because we already spent extra on better accomodation and the bf isn't a big fan of theme parks. But in the end, we still decided to splurge a little because IT'S DISNEYLAND OMG. I got my tickets from Travel Recommends which I made sure was the cheapest! ( Cheaper than buying from Disneyland itself)

 

 

 

 

The ever so magical Disney castle.

 

Before we came, I told myself that I will not make irrational purchases since we already went over-budget. No snacks, no souvenir. Promise. But when I saw these little green man mochi, I couldn't care less about money!! These are mochi with chocolate, vanilla and strawberry fillings. ( I chose the mixed flavored one but you can opt for just a single flavor) This 3 little pieces cost 360 yen but to be fair, they tasted quite good.

Remember what I said about not making any irrational purchase? Well forget it. My Dumbo Popcorn holder was 2300 yen. Initially I wanted the Little Green Man version but I found out that they were not selling it anymore :( So I actually went to every single popcorn stand around the park to choose my favorite character. I settled for my childhood favorite Dumbo and I still find it soooo cute! The bf didn't want one at first but we saw someone carrying this BB8 one and he said " Ok if we come across this BB8 one then I want one" because he is a huge fan of BB8. And guess what, we found it! He looked so adorable with it I cant <3 Btw, you can also opt to buy the popcorn without the character casing in case you wish to try the popcorn. They were mediocre because there wasnt enough coating so some of tasted bland. However, it definitely comes in handy when you are queueing for your ride I guess?

To be honest, we didn't camp up to watch the daytime parade because we just felt too old for it? So whenever there was any daytime parade we just ran to the popular rides because there most probably will not be a queue. ( Proud to say we conquered every single ride in the park :P) For the night time parade, we couldn't afford to miss it! The lightshow was fantastic, you can really see how much effort and money was invested to make these light-covered floats. 

 

At 9pm, the long-awaited Once Upon A Time firework show started! I refrained myself from searching about this show before the trip because I wanted to see it for myself. So having no clue about what was this classic lightshow about, I was so taken away! All the classic Disney movies reenacted on the castle with fireworks. I didn't want it to end at all so when it did I was kind of in tears because everything just felt so surreal. The bf actually teared up a little too and when I asked him why, he said "it was just too beautiful," Ahhhhh, I love this side of him.

 

 

A few tip before you go to Japan :

1. Remember to buy your special tourist Train pass in the AIRPORT. You can only get this from the airport with your passport shown! This saved us SO MUCH money and we didn't have to worry about going somewhere else for lunch and come back to the area later because you can ride unlimited times within the period of your train pass!

 

2. Use Hyperdia while you are commuting. This was a LIFESAVER for us! Just type in your nearest train station and where you would like to go, at which time of the day and the website shows you the fastest and cheapest route instantly. All information are provided from your train fare ( not relevant to you if you use the train pass), arrival time of the train and which station should you switch train. I was told by my friend that Google does the same too but I am not sure whether it works as precise as Hyperdia. Anyway, I just lovedddd using Hyperdia!

 

3. Stay connected. As widely available as wifi could be in Japan, having to stay connected at all times is still unbeatable. I was able to use Hyperdia at anytime of the day because I had my own portable wifi device from Travel Recommends! Any time I wished to leave from one place to another, I just went on Hyperdia to find the easiest route. It would have been so troublesome if I had to search for free public wifi. Perks of having your own portable wifi also includes being able to find for the nearest restaurant, use Google Maps when you are on foot, whatsapp call your missing boyfriend who lost his way in the toilet ( and if he does pick up, you know he is still within your range too because he is still connected to wifi right?! #ingenious), scroll through Instagram when you are queueing for ramen, etc etc. Best part is, it is only for RM15 per day!!!!! That is easily cheaper than a meal of McD in Tokyo I can assure you. I had 0 problem staying connected with my device and the battery could last up to 1 and a half day which is so impressive. The pick up and drop off were also convenient since they had an outlet within the KLIA 2 airport.

 

There you have it, the 6 places that I think were " Must Gos" while you are in Tokyo! Of course, these are just my personal favorites and I know some of you will be rolling your eyes at my itinerary since I skipped all the usual tourist hotspots like Sensoji temple and what not. I think I have not reached that age where I can appreciate sceneries and nature so till then, 😂

Thanks for reading and if you have any suggestion for other readers, please feel free to include it in the comment section!  ❤