Tokyo, Japan 🇯🇵 – Where the Future Meets the Present: A Cyberpunk Metropolis | Japan Travel Guide

In this video, I explore the many districts of Tokyo – the largest and most populated metropolis in the world. I go over the public transportation options, capsule hotels, food, and general things to see. An incredible city with many things to see and do, all while being regarded as one of the safest cities on the planet.

Please check out some of my other videos on Japan in the playlist below

00:00 Intro
00:21 Transportation
02:30 Shinjuku
06:32 Shibuya
09:58 Asakusa
12:14 Akihabara
17:20 Outro

#Tokyo #Japan #LeoDoesLife

Tokyo is the heartbeat capital of Japan. It’s  the most populated metropolis in the world,   with over 40 million residents, and a vast urban sprawl powered by innovative technology,   diverse neighborhoods, incredible  cuisine, and flashy nightlife. Tokyo has one of the most efficient and  extensive public transportation systems I’ve ever  

Experienced. It’s incredibly punctual and clean, with one of the most complex and intimidating   subway systems as well – I mean, just  look at it. But after a couple runs,   you get acclimated to it quickly. Since most people utilize the train system, it  can get really busy in some stations. It’s a  

True sight to behold as the chaos to catch and fit on the train is so orderly and everyone   respects each other’s space. There are helpful,  color-coded signs on the floor to help guide  you to where you need to board, and I found  them to be extremely useful more than my phone.

Taxis are also widely available and while they’re  not cheap, I do recommend taking one just for the   sheer experience of comfort and reliability. One of the coolest trains I found in the region is  actually in Chiba, a smaller city just southeast  

Of Tokyo. It’s basically an elevated track that runs throughout the city as a   monorail but what sets it apart is the overall  design. At first glance, it almost looks like  the train tracks have been inverted and the train  cars hang upside down. It’s a scene right out of  

The movie Inception, watching this go by, while minimizing interference   with ground-level traffic and being  incredibly quiet at the same time. Of course I had to experience this  for myself and hop onboard this   unique monorail. Once you get moving,  it definitely begins to feel like 

You’re casually flying above everyone else.  The train does pivot and sway on turns but   by Japanese standards, it’s entirely safe and worthwhile to ride on if you’re ever in Chiba. Tokyo has a vast variety of different districts  and for all intensive purposes of this video,  

I’ll explore the ones I found to be the most interesting to travelers. I’ll start with   Shinjuku, arguably the most popular and dynamic  sector in all of Tokyo. It’s essentially a wild  entertainment district lined with  neon-lit streets, a bunch of restaurants,   and vibrant signs advertising bars  and nightclubs. Just by walking 

Around, I met plenty of unique characters  and aspiring street performers. This was also my first introduction to  experiencing capsule hotels in Japan. I   ended up booking several nights  near the epicenter of Shinjuku  and learned all the pluses and minuses of  the capsule life. It’s basically a hive,  

With individual pods stacked  one on top of the other, with  around 40 in total. Similar to bunk-style hostels,   you get a small locker and sound insulation is  limited making it a toss up of whether or not 

You get a good night’s rest. I had no real issues  but I’m curious to know other people’s experiences   if you’ve stayed. Comment below and let me know how it went. Away from the bright neon lights of  Shinjuku’s main sector, lies a small,   nostalgic and atmospheric alleyway.  It loosely translates to “Memory 

Alley”, offering a glimpse into Tokyo’s  past during the 1940s. Walking around,   you’ll notice several tightly-packed  and dimly-lit pubs, as well as  a number of stalls selling different  grilled meats. It’s worth seeing it   come alive in the evening as well but  be warned, it can get very crowded,  customers reporting being overcharged,  

And the strong smell of burning coal and  cigarettes will linger in the alleyways. Instead, I recommend checking  out Golden Gai. It’s another   throwback to Tokyo’s past and this area has  evolved into a haven for artists, writers,  and musicians. There’s an impressive concentration  of tiny cocktail bars, each with its own unique  

Theme, and most can only accommodate a handful of patrons at a time. I recommend going in,   making friends with the locals,  and see where the night takes you. Shinjuku as a whole, is just a fun place to  explore, even if some people might see it as  

Over-the-top or even sketchy. It’s always a lively atmosphere and it’s hard to miss one of the main   characters that lives here.  I’m referring to Godzilla,   whos head sits atop a rooftop in the main street and has a ton of memorabilia you  

Can scout for in most of the shops. I  was in Tokyo in December when the new  Japanese-made Godzilla film,  called Godzilla Minus One,   was premiering at the Toho Cinema. It was a  great opportunity to see the King of the Monsters  on the big screen, especially  the new MAX 4D experience.

Shinjuku Station is a massive maze  of interlinking tunnels and levels,   but if you somehow make it out to the west  exit, that’s where the main tech stores  and restaurants are. It’s much more quieter than  the other side and there are a couple shops worth  

Looking into, as well as a bunch of claw machines where I never had any luck to win a single   stuffed animal. Wrapping up some memorable times around  Shinjuku…I took a 10 minute train ride   south, to the busy, fast-paced,  half-brother district of Shibuya.

The main eye-catcher here is the Shibuya Crossing,  or Scramble. A major intersection where people   cross from all directions, it’s a pretty surreal experience the first time I had to cross. It’s not   the busiest I’ve been in but I do appreciate  the controlled chaos that goes on here.

There’s a rooftop called Mag’s that’s  relatively new and overlooks the   crossing from above. You pay 1500 Yen for  entry and a drink included. I think it’s  cool to come around lunchtime to hang out and  watch the world move below. Fun for a while,   but in the end, it’s just a crossing.

I wanted to get a bird’s eye view of Tokyo.  I bummed around and looked for an elevator  that could take me to the rooftop of  one of the tallest buildings nearby. The whole experience ascending to the rooftop is  definitely unique and builds up some anticipation,  

I won’t lie. As you reach the final escalator, you’re treated to the sprawling metropolis of   Tokyo, as far as the eye can see.  The views are mostly unobstructed,   and you really get a sense of the ever-evolving cityscape of Tokyo all around you.  

I’ve been to many observation decks in the past  but this one hit different. You really feel like  you’re being suspended freely over a diverse city  of 40 million people. On clear days, Mount Fuji   can be seen towering far out in the distance and there are designated spots for professional  

Photography. It was a little cloudy when I went  but I prefer that over a completely sunny day. Overall, I recommend booking this experience ahead  of time to see Tokyo from a different perspective.   There is a vintage café available on the same floor for refreshments, as well as some sort of  

Ball pit but it’s primarily used for photoshoots.  Shibuya’s entertainment district is OK, I just  didn’t really find a lot to do in the area besides  paying a visit to the beloved statue of Hachiko   the akita. Celebrating his 100th birthday, this statue was commemorated to celebrate the loyalty,  

Patience, and undying love for his owner  during the early 20th century in Japan. I’ll move on to the district of  Asakusa, a historic and vibrant   ward of Tokyo that offers a bustling  shopping avenue filled with traditional  Japanese shops and stalls. This is where the big  Senso-Ji Temple is also located, celebrating a  

Number of festivals and ceremonies throughout the year. It gets quite busy here in the daytime as   people post up near the massive red lantern that  symbolizes prosperity and good fortune. I stayed  here for most of the day, and as evening came,  I biked over to the nearby Tokyo Skytree.

Rising to a height of 634 meters,  this is one of the tallest structures   in the city and is pretty iconic in  Tokyo’s skyline. It looks amazing at  night too, with revolving lights and  reflective shadows. I unfortunately   dropped the ball in securing a ticket  to go up to the observation deck but 

Overall, I think it’s best to be admired  from up close in the evening hours. The other tower, located across town, is the Tokyo  Tower, rising to around 333 meters. Resembling the   Eiffel Tower by design, it’s a beautifully constructed freestanding tower draped with  

An iconic orange and white color scheme. Again,  it’s one of those marvels of Tokyo that I mostly  enjoy seeing up close rather than from above so  I didn’t go up this tower either. I was surprised   by the cafeteria inside though, where a lot of mostly international meals can be purchased.  

The Tokyo Tower is also illuminated every  night, making for some spectacular photos. The final district I want to cover is  Akihabara. This is a fun, playful part   of Tokyo that is the epicenter  of Japanese otaku culture, which  covers anime, manga, video games,  and electronics. Just coming out of  

The train station, I immediately felt  transported into some sort of gaming  paradise. It’s got a lively atmosphere with  floors and floors of Japanese pop culture, cosplay   scenarios, and innovative technology. There are plenty of maid cafes as well if you’re into it.

It’s fun to get lost around here, as I started  to feel like a kid running around a toy store.   It’s the innocent, childlike wonder that lives and breathes here that sets the stage for exploring as  

Much as possible. Everything lights up even more  in the evening and I took a walk inside one of  the bigger stores here to take a closer look at  the merchandise. Each floor is organized to a   different theme and various characters from different universes. It’s especially fun  

To walk around and see how many  characters you can recognize from   your own childhood and get introduced to others you never knew existed. There are a ton of throwbacks, rare  collectibles, and just full-blown nostalgia that   I got completely immersed in  exploring every inch of these 

Specialty stores. Everything has it’s own little  space and the amount of things I found here that I   probably won’t be able to find back home, is staggering. It’s cool getting   acquainted with the Japanese cast of  characters as well, some bordering  

On the bizarre but that’s what makes them stand out. There are stores that supply parts for   building realistic dolls, K-Pop memorabilia, and  some interesting gravity-defying character models. I was a little shocked when I first saw a wall  of assault rifles since this is Japan, but they  

Ended up being replicas for airsoft battles. There’s all sorts of military builds, keepsakes,   and other random things that I wanted to buy so  bad and it really takes some resilience to stay  within budget. So many different  card games are also here and overall,  

I feel like there is something  for everyone that can bring them   back to their childhood days. Akihabara is definitely different and unique in  it’s own way and I also explored the nearby street   that sells all things cooking related. It’s a good opportunity to buy various kinds of hibachi  

Blades as well, that are highly regarded as the  best in Japanese engineering. I also recommend the  nearby market, close to Ueno, that not only sells  reasonably-priced products, but is amazing to   explore for both locals and tourists. There are some more whacky items to buy, small shops  

To explore, and just taking a day to sample  some delicious food items at discount prices. There are lots of local vendors,  including ones that sell the popular   social snack called takoyaki. They’re  basically grilled batter balls filled  with octopus. You season them with onion flakes,  some soy-based sauce, furikake, and enjoy.

So this wraps up some of my time in Tokyo. I left  out some footage for another time, including some   hidden gems so stay tuned. For my next video, I’ll go over some daytrips from Tokyo, including   Yokohama, Enoshima, and Nikko. These places have  elevated my time in Japan even more and I can’t 

Wait to share them. If you like this video  on Tokyo, please don’t forget to like,   subscribe and follow me for more  content around Japan and beyond.  Thank you so much for tuning  in and I’ll see you next time.