Join hosts Neil and Sunila as they uncover #tokyo ‘s charms, from iconic neighbourhoods like #shibuya to hidden #culinary gems. Learn insider #tips on exploring each area, marvel at Tokyo’s #skyline from towering landmarks, and hear the legendary tale of #hachiko dog. Discover the truth about #vegetarian #food options and the best time to see #cherryblossoms. Tune in for an extraordinary tour of #japan ‘s captivating capital!
00:01 Introduction
00:42 Neil’s Japan Obsession
01:46 Japanese Food Aesthetics
02:29 Exploring Tokyo’s Neighborhoods
04:01 Tokyo Myth: Overcrowding
04:51 Shibuya’s Party Capital
05:51 Asakusa’s quaint traditional shops
06:17 Shinjuku’s vibrant entertainment paradise
07:18 Akihabara’s bustling gaming district
07:50 Harajuku’s and Ginza’s eclectic shopping scene
08:09 Roppongi’s electrifying nightlife
08:11 Odaiba’s futuristic artificial island
08:27 Tokyo Tip: Where to Stay?
09:46 Shibuya Crossing: Why the Buzz?
11:11 Shibuya Crossing: A Bird’s-Eye View
12:17 Hachikō – A loyal dog story
15:30 Sunila’s encounter to Japanese Culture
16:19 3 Towers to Enjoy Tokyo’s Skyline
20:27 Travel Tip: Layer Up at Tokyo Towers
21:19 Japan Must-Try: Street Food
21:48 Why Tokyo Loves Michelin Stars?
23:09 Sushi’s Global Debut
24:22 SÉZANNE and Florilège: French Dining in Tokyo
24:52 Why Tokyo’s Italian Cuisine Trumps Italy’s?
25:16 Japan’s Pursuit of Perfection
25:37 Neil’s Bizarre Japanese Restaurant Waitlist Tale
26:05 Neil’s Authentic Tokyo Dining Recommendations
26:16 Japan Travel Tip: Avoid Google Ratings
26:26 Tabelog: Japan’s Go-To Restaurant Guide
27:24 Japanese-Peruvian Dishes
28:01 Myth Busted: Vegetarian Options in Tokyo
30:25 HappyCow: Vegetarian Guide in Tokyo
30:58 Neil’s Top Non-Veg Must-Try in Tokyo
32:49 Cherry Blossom: Best Time to Visit
35:18 Tokyo Shopping Must-Haves
36:06 Closing
If you like this episode, check out our other interesting episodes on:
– Amsterdam Revealed: Canals, Tulips, Bicycles, and Beyond: https://youtu.be/HBq0rq8tMvk
– Interlaken – Switzerland’s Adventure Destination: https://youtu.be/vcCOK8oLius
– Palace on Wheels – Luxury Train Journeys in India: https://youtu.be/swf363qpy5A
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Neil Patil:
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Sunila Patil:
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[Music]
hello and welcome to travel explore
Celebrate life I’m sunila pel and with
me as usual is Neil and we’re going to
be talking about a destination I think
if given a choice Neil would probably
move there he loves it so much I’m
talking of the most populous city in the
world the Metropolitan that’s always you
know buzzing with life and just so many
things to do uh with over 37 million re
ents I think it is an amazing city that
you must visit definitely visit once in
a lifetime at least I’m talking of Tokyo
and Neil how excited are you to speak
about Tokyo
today well like you said uh if I had a
chance I would move there because um I’m
I’ve mentioned it multiple times but you
know since 2016 when I first went to
Japan and the first thing you do is you
land into Tokyo I’ve been there every
year barring the two years of of the
pandemic so how excited am I uh I’m so
excited that you know we have a little
one on the way and hea and I were
talking about it and we were really
contemplating that Japan should be the
first destination for our baby so um
Japan always excites me so when we
decided that Tokyo should be the focus
or theme of our episode I was like oh my
God I’m going to bring out my lists I’m
going to bring out all of this
information and stories that I I have
about about Tokyo and I was like let’s
get going so yes my excitement level is
at 100 right now I know I think in a few
years you’ll both be making little Bento
boxes for the little one to take uh you
know to to school I love those Bento
boxes they’re so cute it’s it’s amazing
how everything in Japan it kind of just
looks good right like even the food
looks so good that you I get confused
should I eat it should I not it’s so
pretty like imagine opening your lunch
box and having like a little animal
stare out that you made from carrots and
stuff like that so they’re they’re
really amazing in in everything they do
and you know it’s it’s just amazing I
know you can’t stop talking about it and
that’s why I was also so excited I’ve
been to Tokyo but not as many times as
you you you really know Tokyo well I
would say I think if he ask Neil he’ll
probably tell you go there and then take
a right from here and go left and you
know you’ll probably have directions all
mapped out easier than Google Maps you
know when we speak of Tokyo
um I think one of the questions like I
have or what people would ask is where
do I stay uh which neighborhood would I
stay in and I think Tokyo is really
famous for its neighborhood like rongi
Shibuya there’s so many names so
everything looks good Akihabara like and
and then when I start looking at the
neighborhoods I feel oh this is nice you
know there are these things here oh no
but that is also nice there are those
other things here so what is it with
Tokyo and its neighborhoods and how do
you how do you decide which neighborhood
to visit where to stay what do you do
well I think um you’ve hit it right on
the spot because Tokyo is a city of many
things like you said it is the most
popular city in the world if it was a
country in itself the economy of Tokyo
would be among the top 10 economies of
the world so when you really arrive into
Tokyo right you see this massive City
you might arrive into Narita Airport or
haneda airport Tokyo is one of those CI
where there are two airports Narita is a
little out of the city haneda is bang in
the middle of the city and whenever you
look into the sky you’ll often see
planes either Landing or taking off from
one of these airports now as for where
to stay Tokyo’s always been about its
neighborhoods you mentioned that I’ve
been there multiple times but have I
really seen Tokyo to the fullest I still
think I haven’t seen it because Tokyo
has always been a city where you go to a
particular neighborhood and there is a
distinct charm about it there is often a
myth that people say that okay when you
hear about Tokyo being the most popular
city in the world Tokyo is crowded
everywhere that’s not the thing that’s
the beauty of these neighborhoods
because there is a Shibuya which is
famous for something known as the
Shibuya crossing right because we saw it
in Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift and
shamble the Shibuya scramble there’s a
new uh Tower there new observation deck
we’ll talk about that so there is the
Shibuya Crossing which is the busiest
Crossing in the world they often say
that hundreds of thousands of people
cross this Crossing all the time and the
best time to really visit it is in the
evening so Shibuya is a super crowded
neighborhood but also a neighborhood
where 24/7 there will always be
something it is often said that Shibuya
is one neighborhood where on a Friday
night or a Saturday night you know Tokyo
is known for its night life right you go
on a Friday night or a Saturday night at
midnight if you stand at Shibuya
Crossing you will feel that there’s an
earthquake happening of course Tokyo are
many earthquakes like you know there are
is prone to many earthquakes right and
you often get alerts on your phone that
oh earthquakes happening get cover but
the Friday night Saturday night
earthquakes are not really the natural
earthquakes but there are so many clubs
and bars and isaka bars which are the
traditional Japanese bars there that
just because of the music and the base
of the music there’s just like you’ll
always feel like this vibration where
something like that it just keeps
happening like you know it’s like
booming sound yeah boing party
everywhere yeah so that’s that’s one
side right there Shu but then you look
at another neighborhood which would be
like an asakusa where you will always uh
see it on many iin Aries that people go
to where there is the story of old Tokyo
it has the senoi Temple which is Tokyo’s
oldest Temple and it is surrounded by
all of these traditional uh shops and
streets that are more about uh old Japan
old Tokyo and how it used to be but on
either sides of these extremes there are
a lot of neighborhoods Let There
Shinjuku which is in my opinion is one
where there is transformation from what
it was postwar to now how Tokyo has
become a booming commercial uh
Entertainment District so you always
find narrow alleys where there will be
robot cafes there will be uh Pachinko
parlor which are similar to casino
parlers but going into a Pachinko Pala
traditional Japanese Casino uh games
continue happening there there’s also
something known as the golden guy in
Shinjuku which is a street of tiny bars
and in Golden guy there are these small
small bars where a maximum of 8 to 10
people can sit and because Shinjuku
neighborhood is more about stories of
the from how Japan went from the postwar
ruins to a booming uh country and a
metropolis uh there will always be
discussions about politics and life over
these drinks where you are sitting with
the bartender and they create all of
these drinks so there’s Shibuya there’s
Shinjuku there’s asakusa there’s also
Akihabara which is known as the gaming
District when you go over here you’ll
always see many anime or Manga which is
like Japanese comics and Japanese like
storytelling right you’ll see a lot of
of shops that will sell uh merchandise
about this that is like I said it’s the
gaming District so you’ll see a lot of
games like you know back then Nintendo
and Sega were game gaming consoles that
we used to use right today you’ll go and
there’ll be like six floor uh six six
floors of just gaming consoles and you
can do all types of gaming over there
then there is a neighborhood which is
Harajuku and omat Sando where there is
great shopping speaking of shopping
there’s also Ginza which is often known
for its elegance and luxury and it is
known as Tokyo’s premier shopping
district so staying in Ginza is like you
know you’re staying in one of the most
expensive neighborhoods um in Tokyo then
there’s rongi which is known for its
nightlife then in addition to that there
is also something known as odba which is
more so futuristic because it’s known as
an island which was built on reclaimed
land and there is a bridge that connects
Tokyo Mainland to OA and that is the
Rainbow Bridge so there are multiple
neighborhoods I’ve stayed at Shibuya
I’ve stayed at Shinjuku I’ve stayed at
um asakusa I’ve stayed at a neighborhood
called akasaka which is often confused
with asakusa I’ve stayed in rongi I’ve
also stayed in Ginza so there’s not one
place that I would recommend staying at
but make sure that you have most of
these neighborhoods on your list and I
will definitely say that one trip is
never enough so I often tell people if
you start your trip in Tokyo also end
your trip in Tokyo because when you
start a trip in Tokyo you will really
really understand what Tokyo is you can
consume it and then after a break of
seeing Mount Fuji Kyoto Osaka you come
back into Tokyo and then you’re like oh
I’m very familiar with this city now let
me explore it so yeah the neighborhoods
are just crazy yeah I think I think
you’ve given the answer you know out
there Neil and I’m sure our listeners
are probably going to rewind and listen
to this again because there was just so
much information out there but I think
what I what I pick from what you say is
that go and try a new neighborhood every
time and then you know select and choose
what you like it also depends on what
you want to do if want you you want to
be out parting you stay somewhere else
if shopping is on your mind this trip is
all about shopping go stay in Ginza so
it it really depends on what it is that
you’re looking for and Tokyo has a
neighborhood for everything there were
two more things you mentioned and I’m
going to pick on the first thing uh
first which is the Shibuya Crossing or
the Shibuya scramble and I remember
reading about it and they actually were
comparing it to the migration you know
like how there is a scramble of animals
crossing so what is Shibuya Crossing
actually yes we know it is in the
Shibuya district and it has something to
do with the seven roads or I think more
roads or traffic lights and people
crossing from one place to other so so
tell us more about what is Shibuya
Crossing so if you think about Shibuya
Crossing it is a pedestrian Crossing
like in the easiest form it is a
pedestrian Crossing like you’ve already
mentioned it is often known as the
Scramble now there are these seven or
eight roads that intersect at one
Crossing so you know when we are
crossing we see green lights so you can
go from one road to the other it’s
basically all of these seven roads
converging at one point and at that
point you don’t have to just cross one
road you’re Crossing like three roads
four roads eight roads and the site that
you see over there is often something
that people really want to click photos
off or I have seen people walk around
Shibuya Crossing and just be ODed by the
number of people around them and you’ll
often see people with selfie sticks
you’ll often see influencers trying to
get that one video for that one re in
those 30 seconds that the light The
Pedestrian lights have turned green now
here often it is said that when this
Crossing at in the evenings when there
are so many people crossing at this
Shibuya Crossing there is a Starbucks
next to it and it is often known as the
best place to click a photo of shabuya
Crossing so if you go into the Starbucks
it is a two- floor Starbucks
you walk into it and on the first level
you go up and you click a photo and once
you’ve clicked a photo of that you’ll
really see the enormity of it but that
used to be the tip up until now then
they came up with a new thing which is
known as Shibuya sky or which is known
as the Shibuya scramble observation deck
we’ll talk about it but relatively new
landmark in Shibuya a really tall
building and if you even go to the ninth
or 10th floor of this building you get
an even better view of the cross
because you are seeing it and Tokyo is a
city of neon lights right so if you go
to the ninth or 10th floor of this
building you really get a bird’s eye
view of the crossing and suddenly when
the lights turn green for the
pedestrians to cross it’s just crazy so
Shibuya Crossing is something very
unique but while you are at Shibuya cing
you will also see a statue of a dog and
statue of a dog is known as the haiko
dog story so people don’t only go to sh
are crossing for the crossing but it’s
also for this haiko dog now generally
for someone who goes and sees the statue
of the dog if you don’t know the
backstory of this you’ll just be like
okay like you know why is there a statue
of a dog over here dog yeah I think it’s
a good point to bring in this story
because it’s a very heartwarming where
haiko was actually a movie about it
right with Richard
gearo yeah yeah so tell us the story
Yeah so basically haiko was a loyal dog
to a professor and the professor’s name
was hiao weno and the professor was
teaching at the Imperial University in
Tokyo so every day the professor would
leave his house and go to Shibuya
station in the morning to take a train
to the university and return in the
evening and when the professor would
return in the evening from work haiko
his dog would be at the station to greet
the professor so the dog would go with
the professor to shabuya station
Professor would hop onto the train go to
the university come back now tragically
in main 1925 the professor went to the
university but while he was at
University he suffered from a hamage and
uh passed away now while he was at work
he passed away which means that haiko
didn’t know that the professor had
passed away while he was at
University that left haiko waiting now
from 1925
up until 1935 when haiko himself passed
away every day for nearly 10 years haiko
would be waiting at Shibuya station for
Professor weno to come back now
hachiko’s heartwarming or unwavering
loyalty to this professor moved people
all across Japan and to symbolize
loyalty because Japan is a collectivist
culture and also the bond between humans
and animals in April 1934
which was a year before hachiko’s death
a bronze statue of haiko was erected
right outside Shibuya station and haiko
himself was also there uh when the
statue was unveiled now during the World
War the statue unfortunately melted so
again in 1948 they replaced it with a
newer statue and that’s the statue that
you see today and like you said there
have been movies made about it there
have been stories made about it so when
you know this backstory Shibuya scramble
just becomes more than a Crossing into
something where you’re place you should
visit yeah you’re doing multiple other
things so that is quite interesting and
that’s what Shibuya Crossing is all
about it’s about the stories that it has
yeah Neil you’re absolutely right
because I remember when I went there and
I stood there by the statue and then you
learn the story and it really warms your
heart and I think it’s an excellent
example of course of the loyalty and the
special bond between humans and animals
and dogs specially
but I think it also speaks a lot about
the Japanese in general as to you know
how they are as a culture and how they
have evolved because I remember one
thing that uh we were looking for
directions you know we using the local
trains and we were looking for
directions and one thing I noticed in
Japan is when you ask them for a
Direction they start walking with you
like they come ahead and they take you
like they don’t just tell you they don’t
leave you halfway that go here there
take a ride they start coming with you
and I thought that was like you know as
if you’re a guest in there house and
they’re coming with you they’re walking
they’re taking you and they actually
show you till the end of the road at
least that okay this is the way you do
so I I found it like an amazing culture
that uh really exists in Japan and a lot
has been said and spoken about Japanese
culture we all follow a lot of it
wherever possible in business in life
and all of that but Neil you also
mentioned at the Shibuya Crossing that
uh you have the new attraction is the
tar and one of the one of the you know
best ways to photograph Shibu your
Crossing of course is the higher up you
get you get a better view but I think a
time lapse is just amazing when you see
the time lapse of the crossing it’s like
in super speed watching people go so so
let’s let’s come to this this star and
you know what are the best views so when
we were researching for Tokyo of course
you’ve been there many more times but I
think there are three main tars in Tokyo
that you can go to and have a different
view so what’s the best view of Tokyo
and and what is this new tar at
chuya I would not see one Tower gives
you the best view but if you were to ask
me if there were three observation Decks
that you should really check out in
Tokyo while you’re there one would be
Tokyo Sky Tree another one would be
Tokyo Tower and the third one like I
mentioned would be the Shibuya scramble
observation deck now all three are
different in their own right Tokyo Tower
so um that is something very interesting
it’s a very unique Tower it is an iconic
symbol of Tokyo and it was designed
to be inspired by the Eiffel Tower so
back in the day it was painted in only
white but then later on they changed it
to orange and white for air safety
regulations now when you go to Tokyo
Tower you are close to the rongi
neighborhood which means that you can
see different things closer to that so
you many say that you get a nice view of
the city from Tokyo Tower just because
um if just if you visit visited at night
now along with Tokyo Tower there’s also
Tokyo Sky Tree which is one of the
tallest structures in Japan and was the
second tallest structure in the world at
the time of its completion now how is
the Tokyo Sky Tree different from the
Tokyo Tower I think Tokyo Sky Tree when
you go to the observation deck um there
are two observation decks one is known
as the tempo deck at 350 M and one is
known as the tempo uh Galleria or
Galleria at 450 M now when you go up
there on a clear day on a clear day you
can see all of Tokyo and you can also
see fujian or Mount Fuji uh which
everyone in the world likes because it’s
a mountain bang in the middle of nowhere
and it’s this volcanic mountain and if
you’re you see it you know you yeah
exactly cloud cover all the time so if
you can see it wow you are lucky yeah
it’s like you know when you’re in Japan
the guyses will tell you Fuji sun is
always uh shy to reveal itself to the
world and if you’re lucky you’ll see it
but if you’re a Tokyo Sky Tree and
because it is at a height of
approximately 634 M the Tower and the uh
observation deck is about 450 M if
you’re lucky you’ll see how big Tokyo
really is and that will give you an idea
that you know it’s not only that you’ll
be able to complete it in four or 5 days
but just that it has so many
neighborhoods and you’ll just see this
NeverEnding City unending City and it
just stretches for kilometers and
kilometers and miles and miles at end so
there’s Tokyo Tower which has an emoji
for itself there’s Tokyo Sky Tree which
is a unique Tower in itself and the
third one and the newest one like I
mentioned is Shibuya scramble which is
an observation Tech the unique thing
about Shibuya scramble is the fact that
you go to the 45th floor of this
building it is only 229 M from the
ground which is much lower than what you
see at Tokyo Tower or Tokyo Sky Tre
but the unique thing is this has an
indoor observation deck and also an
outdoor observation deck and the outdoor
observation deck has an escalator
outside so at night many people will do
reels of themselves just coming down the
escalators and you have all of Tokyo in
the background so viewing Tokyo during
the day is a different experience
viewing Tokyo during the night is a
different experience I will not say do
one or the other I would say do both
because they are unique in their own
right just one more tip over here if
you’re going to any of these observation
decks and if you’re going during the
winters it can get really windy and if
you’re going to an out uh outdoor
observation deck like the one at Shibuya
scramble you really need your jacket and
scarf because it can get very cold no
definitely I agree with you and I think
Neil you’re right like you know you can
view different parts of the city from
the different TS but one more thing is
viewing the tar itself is also a
pleasure and I remember the last time I
was in Tokyo uh uh we went to a
restaurant which had this beautiful view
of the Tokyo tar and with the lights
changing and everything and you know
half my attention was on the food but
the other half really was on the T and
the way it was looking and then going
and taking photos from time to time
because you just can’t help yourself you
have to go to the window and take a
photo out there incidentally the
restaurant was actually Italian so I was
a tad bit disappointed because honestly
in Japan I don’t want to eat anything
but Japanese food and it was a very nice
restaurant very nice food but I was like
maybe I should go down and you know uh
and and and I did I satisfied my craving
by going right down and going to the
street food because even the street food
in Japan is so amazing so uh and and
everything is open late till night like
until late night so I was out there on
the street food but Tokyo today really
is popular for a lot of the mishela
restaurants right there’s so many and I
know that you have to book them way in
advance so what is this you know session
because of course we we are getting used
to Japanese food in India as well like
sushi are quite popular we even order it
on swiggi and zato now right we have
food delivery apps that bring us Sushi
back home but tempuras Ramen Sashimi
there’s so much food we’ve spoken about
it in the other episodes but since we
are talking of Tokyo let’s let’s you
know why why so many Michela start
restaurants in
Tokyo I think if you look at the
Michelin guide the Michelin food guide
it is more about the food it is more
about the creativity it’s more about the
Ambiance at the restaurant it’s more
about the service now given the Japanese
obsession with perfection every meal
that comes out is going to have great
service and is going to be plated very
nicely you often see videos of this on
Instagram where an omelette comes out to
you and the chef comes out with a knife
and just slices it and then the omelet
Falls like very graciously so the
obsession is not with Michela but but
the fact that the Michelin guide gives
importance to all of these things now
getting a reservation at any of these
restaurants is very tricky some
restaurants will have only eight seats
now Sushi or like unique food all around
the world or all into unique food from
Tokyo was introduced to everyone All
Around the World in my opinion because
of one documentary which was a
documentary called Jiro Dreams of Sushi
and that documentary was about sukia
Bashi Jiro who’s a chef
and he often has this Sushi menu of
around 20 or 25 courses which you pay
about $350 or $400 for the meal itself
ends in about 45 minutes but it’s an
experience where you have the greatest
produce everything is amazing now
there’s also another place where which
is known as uh Sushi Seto which is eight
eight seats and that’s it you will not
get a reservation at all but more so the
thing like you said is is that all of
these restaurants are so popular and
then they get famous but Michelin star
is not the only are the Michelin star
restaurants are not the only famous
restaurants because Michelin gives one
star two star and three stars right the
one star ones are great two star ones
are great three star ones are great now
there is this obsession with Michelin
star but there’s also a new guide that
has come out which is the world’s 50
best and recently the Asia’s 50 best
restaurants came out and the best
restaurant on that list was a restaurant
named sesan in Tokyo which was not a
Japanese Resturant Toyo but it was not a
Japanese restaurant it was a French
restaurant in Japan oh wow okay so it is
a NE French style um Cuisine that they
serve there another one that was there
was a place called Flor Le or Flor Le
which is again French Japanese cooking
so you mentioned that you went to an
Italian place I have observed that over
the years many people say that the
Italian food in Tokyo is better than the
Italian food in Italy so you will often
see that it’s not only the Japanese food
that you exposed to which is amazing but
rather the Italian food the French food
that you get over there is also
incredible and because of the obsession
with perfection because the chefs are
just trying to Master One art like you
know someone will try to make sushi all
the time and they will only make sushi
all their life or there will be someone
who like just uh hand make noodles and
that is the only thing that they will do
all their life so the obsession with
Michelin star restaurants or the world’s
50 best restaurants is good but if I
were to tell you instead of trying to
book one of these restaurants where
you’re going to be disappointed because
I came across one restaurant where they
said that we have a weight list or we
are like a club where there are members
and you will only be get a reservation
or become part of this club who is
allowed to eat at this restaurant if one
of our members dies so if if
like it’s just like okay then there’s
just no way to get into these places
right and there are websites that help
you get reservations at these places but
in my opinion after so many trips to
Tokyo I feel that the regular
restaurants are also amazing and in
Japan of course you can use Google Maps
to walk around but don’t go by the
ratings on Google Maps another rating
website that you should really look for
is something known as tab log or like
you know t l and tabilog is a Japanese
rating website for restaurants and the
Japanese are very critical in their
ratings so you know sometimes you will
go on zato in Mumbai and you’ll be like
oh wow this restaurant is 4.1 rated or
3.8 rated I’ll go for it like but the
restaurants in Japan that are 4.3 rated
are probably the best restaurants in the
world and the 3o ons are like the good
ones so you you will often see that
anything above three you can definitely
walk into and I feel like there are just
so many things that you can really try
that don’t keep trying the same thing
and that’s the obsession with
restaurants because Mumbai will have
about 25,000 restaurants or 35,000
restaurants they say Tokyo has about 1
lakh plus restaurants or 100,000 plus
restaurants because there are so then we
have aalas who bring us lunch Neil so
you know they probably not in Japan
where you tend to eat out quite a lot
more and I think I’m I’m really happy to
hear this from you because I’m feeling a
lot better about my Italian food and the
Italian dinner in in Tokyo and actually
the food was really good and you know
just just on the same topic like when
you go to say London or when I was in
the US also right now we actually were
looking for and we saw a lot of Peruvian
Japanese restaurants so that’s also like
a combination that has become very
popular everywhere and um you get a lot
of food uh and new dishes that you can
try which is very very really tasty and
delicious but on the topic of food you
know we we know there is so much of
Japanese food that is popular but what
about the vegetarians because a lot of
people are vegetarian and your wife haa
is a vegetarian you went to Japan uh did
they have a problem did they have their
own food with them because that was how
it was in the earlier days that you most
vegetarians would carry some food with
them because you need something to be
sure that this is vegetarian so do they
still have a choice in Japan or or you
still need to carry something with you
so if you think about it right it’s a
myth that there is no vegetarian food in
Japan of course Seafood is a big part of
their culture but so is tofu so is rice
and as a result you will get vegetarian
food everywhere like haa got vegetarian
ramen then of course you won’t get your
avocado cream cheese Sushi because that
was made for the Indian palette and the
Western palette but you’ll get
vegetarian ramen which is made out of a
mushroom broth you’ll get vegetable
tempura which is fried it’s just
vegetables fried with rice and pickles
then there is Japanese Curry of course
it is made out of pork or chicken but
there is vegetarian Curry too where it
gives you a feel of home like you know
um my father-in-law was like this
Japanese Curry was the best meal I’ve
had on our trip so um you have you have
the curry as well then if you think
about the udon noodles or if you think
about um different ja
street food you get a lot of vegetarian
food and with vegan food becoming such a
big thing you will find vegan
restaurants all across Japan so I think
it is a myth and this myth now needs to
be busted because um you do get a lot of
vegetarian food the okaki which is a
potato pancake is vegetarian there is
the tanaki where you can have vegetable
um V like vegetables made on a teinaki
pan and that can be given to you with a
fried rice so a lot of the food that you
get is vegetarian friendly maybe at a
sushi place if you go to go or a keki
place which is a Japanese traditional
meal you may not get vegetarian or it
might be difficult but you will get
vegetarian food all along but you should
also know which places to go to and
which places to not go to and that’s why
like I said tabog is a good restaurant
guide similar to that there is another
website called Happy Cow and Happy Cow
lists down all of the vegetarian places
all across the cities in the world so
you should also look at that and it
really uh gives you a big list of places
that you can have uh a vegetarian meal
at in Tokyo yes Neil I think two apps
that we have to download of course one
is the website Happy Cow and the second
is tabog definitely on my next trip to
Japan I think I’m going to have my list
of restaurants ready first and then go
in but you know let’s let’s just
complete this topic of food yes I know
that food in Japan needs a podcast on
its own and the dishes in Japan as well
but we’ve spoken of it also earlier but
list out your five favorite top
non-vegetarian dishes that you would
order or a drink or a dessert with it so
give us a meal that we should go and
order in Japan if we love um
non-vegetarian or seafood or whatever it
is what are your favorites listing down
five would definitely be difficult but
if you in Tokyo you should have the
sushi because a sushi experience used to
be at the sukij fish market earlier but
that aiji fish market has moved now but
the restaurant still exists so you
should definitely have that another
thing that you should definitely try is
a tempura meal because it’s a
misconception that a tempura meal is
just a deep fried meal with deep fried
food with uh rice it’s actually the way
that batter is made and how that uh meat
or uh chicken or vegetables uh deep
fried is an art in itself so I would say
a tempura meal is definitely something
that you should go for ramen is always
on the list and you will often see a
place called ichiran Ramen you should
definitely try that but there are many
other ramen places also that you should
try because Ramen is different in
different parts of Japan but if you’re
talking about Tokyo different
neighborhoods will also have different
uh types of ramen so that is a third
thing fourth thing I would say something
that is like a hot pot meal it’s a shabo
shaboo so uh I think that is also
important I could go on but in the
interest of time my fifth meal would
probably be something that is udon
noodles which are not like Ramen but
they are thick noodles right I think
that that is enough on a 4-day trip to
Japan to try or to Tokyo rather uh
different meals to try out and the list
is endless of course they we’ve been
speaking of Tokyo for the last half hour
an hour and I know we can go on for the
next half an hour but uh uh let’s let’s
close this uh episode here itself uh as
a good closing point I think U you know
right now is the cherry blossom season
in Japan and we know that this year it’s
been a little delayed right so when
you’re planning your trip to Tokyo or to
Japan very often you you are faced with
this fact when do I go what should I do
should I really go only during the
cherry blossoms or can I go all around
the year so you know as as a last point
for today’s episode what’s your take on
when do we go to Tokyo and to Japan so
you know if I were to count the number
of times I’ve been to Japan since 2016
16 17 18 19 I went in 2020 in the month
of February and then I’ve been twice
ever since so I’ve been to Japan seven
times how how many times have I gone
during the cherry blossoms zero because
I still haven’t seen the
Cherry exactly right so the cherry
blossoms are one period in Japan but
after the cherry blossoms are done the
Alpine route starts which is this
amazing 30ft high wall and your bus is
going through it and or your car is
going through it so the Alpine route
season which is just after the cherry
blossoms is something that you should
definitely think about then along with
that there are also the autumn colors
that you should see in the month of
October November and December I would
say November and December more so that
is also a great period to go so I don’t
think the cherry blossoms are the only
period that you should visit Japan in
one thing you should remember is during
the cherry blossoms things also get
crowded so it’s always better to think
about those things so I would say that
it’s simple seven times to Japan I still
haven’t been because I think the
multi-entry multi-year Visa that you
generally get for Japan if you have a
well-traveled passport you can
definitely visit Japan multiple times
and you have a direct flight from Mumbai
you have a direct flight from Delhi you
have direct flight from Bangalore to
Tokyo so I think I’ll probably go to
Tokyo again in the future and I think
I’ll see the cherry blossoms at some
point but I don’t think they are the
only time that you should visit Japan so
I would say that Tokyo is a city that
you should enjoy all different types
like in all seasons and that is the
beauty of it no absolutely and we’re
waiting for your next trip to Tokyo so
we get more tips on what else to do in a
different neighborhood of Tokyo uh so
listeners that was Tokyo for all of you
and with like I think the transportation
is just fabulous out there you can it’s
so efficient it’s wonderful one more
reason to go to Tokyo and to Japan is
also the shopping don’t forget that
because you have some amazing shopping
out there uh there one of our favorite
Brands uni is also Japanese of course
it’s there here now but there are so
many other things from Electronics to
other things that you can buy and you
can actually buy a suitcase to you know
bring back all those wonderful things
you’ve bought because even they are so
amazing and given the Japanese quality
everything is just amazing out there so
let’s let’s head to Tokyo and discover
all of that for ourselves we have a nice
little guide out here now on things to
do what to eat and what to see and even
enjoy Beyond those U the sightseeing and
the attractions in Tokyo so Neil thank
you so much this has been wonderful
speaking about Tokyo and uh we will be
back again next week with another
episode so until then we will say
goodbye but you can definitely write to
us let us know your feedback so our
emails are Neil atwood.com and sunila
atwood.com so that’s NE lww.com and S N
L award.com we’ll come back with another
episode that will surely give you one
more inspiration to travel somewhere so
keep traveling and celebrate life thank
you and bye-bye bye see you