72 Hours in TOKYO: Our 12 Top Experiences + Red Light District 🇯🇵

72 Hours in TOKYO: Our 12 Top Experiences + Red Light District 🇯🇵

Today we’re in Tokyo and John and I are trying 
12 top experiences and putting them to the test. Tokyo’s infamous red light district — this is the 
most grungy part of Tokyo. A rare sumo wrestling tournament — wow. Three epic immersive experiences 
including Team Labs. I’ve never seen anything like it before, I really enjoyed it. Shibuya — home to 
the world’s most famous crossings. So this is the Times Square of Japan. And in the city’s quirky 
anime district — a cute maid café. Look at this, it smells like candy in here. We’re also 
getting cultural in Senso-ji, which is the most traditional suburb that I’ve seen so far. 
Right at the end is the temple. My number that I got was three. This is your prescription for 
the year — oh dear. Before skyscraping our way to the top of Tokyo — welcome to Tokyo. Tokyo is 
a place where the future collides with the past. There’s these neon red light district streets 
to these ancient temples. So let’s put each of these experiences to the test by day and by night 
as we dive into the heart of Tokyo. Oh my gosh, this is so cool — its bustling streets, and 
explore its darker, mysterious side too. [Music] Now as soon as John and I arrive, we’re in 
Japan. I’m in Japan! We are catching a train from the airport to our hotel. Look at this guy 
— he’s got all the bags. This is a bullet train, right? No? Oh. Turns out bullet trains 
aren’t really used within Tokyo. Instead, they connect Tokyo to other major cities across 
Japan. So we have assigned seating? Okay, no — you have the window seat. You have a 
window seat. Okay, we are staying in Ginza. The best area to stay because it’s central, 
but it can be expensive. You know those little rooms where, like, the Willy Wonka rooms — they 
get narrower and it makes you feel like you’re   becoming a giant? I feel like I’m a giant. 
You actually look enormous in the room. Not bad for 150 bucks though, with your little Tokyo 
Ginza. Exactly. Got a little TV. Hotels here come with all the creature comforts — fabric and air 
freshener. Ah, Japan. How funny. During our stay here in Tokyo, John and I have a lot to squeeze 
in. Our itinerary is going to take us to every corner of the city. We’ll be sharing our maps, our 
discounts, and resources with you along the way. How you going there? Please select your account — 
but it’s in English. I thought the city would only   be taking cards at all the restaurants and shops 
and cafes, but it turns out that they still use cash quite a bit. So we’re just quickly going 
to the ATM. Got some cash out. John and I have $100 each to spend here. Here you go — 
there’s your allowance. Our first location is completely free. We’re at one of the most 
cinematic places on Earth — the famous Shibuya Crossing. So this is the Times Square of Japan 
— of Tokyo. There are so many people. Hang on, we’ve got to wait till the next set. Shibuya 
Crossing is a Tokyo icon. You’ve probably seen it in heaps of Hollywood movies. [Applause] 
There’s just people everywhere — everyone’s filming. [Music] Look at all the cameras. Why are 
there so many? I don’t know who these people… and then the lights changed and it was time 
to cross. 3,000 people cross this crossing at every single light change, which happens every 
2 minutes. So if my calculations are correct, that’s more than 150,000 people crossing every 
hour. Mostly it’s just people crossing over to be a part of crossing over. We’ve crossed 
over three times now. There are also plenty of cafes that have a bird’s-eye view, 
but we are on to the next activity. But before we find some Harajuku girls in one of 
the most famous strips in Tokyo, we need to talk about the train system here. Let’s get these 
tickets. So let’s dive underground. That was very cool, John. That’s like a bucket list item. 
I wish we had time to like soak it up more. I feel like we went there, crossed four times, and left. 
I know. Now we’re trying to get tickets — tickets   to Harajuku. You see, the train system is very 
confusing and confronting at first. Oh my gosh. But Tokyo’s train network is efficient and easy 
to navigate if you have a phone with an eSIM. Which brings me to the sponsor of this episode 
— SLY, an eSIM provider that lets us have data run frequently. They’re always on time and they’re 
signposted in both Japanese and English. It feels a little overwhelming at first, but bird sounds 
are calming to make it feel like you’re not in a concrete jungle. During busy periods there 
are lines, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a dream and quickly becomes super intuitive. 
So we’re on our way to activity number two — the fashion capital of Tokyo, Harajuku. To its most 
famous streets — it’s Take-a-shit-a Street. Okay, it’s actually pronounced Tekkashita. You 
need to take a [__]. Okay, enough of the toilet. It’s funky. It’s pretty feminine. I mean, there 
are plenty of like accessory stores and makeup shops. Oh my gosh, this is so cool. This is where 
all the Harajuku girls come from. Harajuku — the fashion is so Japan. This is so cool. Really 
busy. So it’s a nice day and it’s the weekend. It’s a Saturday, yeah. And you can buy pretty 
much every quirky treat under the sun. Fetish. It’s so wacky here. Hey, it’s no different. John 
and I love bubble tea, so for a laugh we went for the most expensive thing on the menu. So John and 
I have just walked into this bubble tea place and we are about to order the most intriguing thing 
on the menu — the gold foil brown sugar boow. I’m just looking forward to bossing for nuggets at 
the other end. Bit of gold patties. Wow, we are actually going to be pooping nuggets tomorrow. So 
you’ve got to stir it 18 times. So 18 times, and then at the end you make a wish. No, I think you 
just drink it. Oh okay. Ready? It tastes like pure cream with caramel. It’s delicious. That’s really 
good. Feel like it’s like pure calories. John’s just looking up where we’re going to next. We’ll 
save the red light district until later because   right near Harajuku is this huge forest amongst 
the concrete jungle, and inside is our next activity. And while we walk there, John actually 
notices something. One thing that I’ve just found crazy about Tokyo is it’s almost silent. All 
the cars — most of them are electric — and no one talks on the street or on the subway. It’s 
really quiet, so you won’t hear any horns honking as we cross the road to Meiji Shrine. But before 
we enter the forest, I feel nostalgic, ’cause the last time I was here… Kristina Costalos joins 
me now. Life looked very different. I was actually working full-time as a TV news reporter. We’ve 
just walked into the park and I’ve noticed this massive torii gate, and it’s literally sent me 
back to the time that you were here 7 years ago by yourself. I got FOMO, ended up joining you a 
few days later. I got on a plane to join. I got FOMO. At the time, John — a pilot — was flying the 
Boeing Trip 7 from Australia to Los Angeles with an epic work-life balance. So I was flying long 
hauls and I would have like 10, 10, 12 days off, and I’d just jump on a flight to wherever I 
could get one. And at this particular time,   I came up to Japan. Kristina wasn’t going to come. 
She was working a full-time job, heaps of overtime to get days off to join me, and she’s like, 
“I can’t do it, I just… you know, work’s not   going to let me take it off.” I used to make jokes 
every time you’d come away with me. So I came up here on my own and I did like 3 days sightseeing 
— went up through here, went all around Tokyo in   a few days — and I got some good photos from 
this Meiji Jingu. It’s a shrine, big torii, and there’s the sake barrels. And I got some good 
photos that last time I was here. You got some   amazing photos. I’m glad, ’cause you missed out on 
Tokyo. When you joined me, we did Osaka and Kyoto. This is my first time in Tokyo. This is your 
first time in Tokyo. So I’m—it’s kind of cool   to revisit these places with you. So John still 
works as a pilot in Australia and I edit and make all our videos. Should we go and have a look? 
Let’s go have a look. And our website has free   travel resources, locations, and discounts if you 
want to go check it out. Now, before we enter, there’s a special rule we need to know about Meiji 
Shrine. You looking it up? Be careful not to walk down the center of the path under the torii or 
the Shinto gate — the center is only reserved for holy people. I guess it’s really easy to make 
a faux pas when you come to Tokyo. You gotta do a little bow. Oh yeah. So this shrine honors 
Emperor Meiji, who actually opened Japan to the world. The country had been in full isolation, 
cut off from the world for more than 200 years. But that all changed 150 years ago when Emperor 
Meiji came to power. So this is Meiji Jingu. It’s a shrine that’s dedicated to Emperor Meiji 
from the Meiji era, and he led the industrial revolution and modernization of Japan. He 
pretty much led the country through a huge   transformation, bringing in new ideas, technology, 
and opening up Japan to international trade and relations. He’s quite revered to this day. So 
the Sake Brewing Association of Japan — they all donate barrels of sake to show their respect 
for Emperor Meiji. What a beautiful tradition, right? Yeah, pretty cool. I think every 
year they donate new barrels. And also,   interestingly, the Japanese text — if you 
can see that behind me here — the traditional way of writing is actually in vertical 
columns rather than horizontal. So yeah,   I thought that’s interesting. So amazing. And 
they also read magazines from back to front, don’t they? Yeah, I think so. Today, inside 
here, it is packed. Deep inside the grounds, millions of people visit each year. We have 
to bow, throwing coins in the offering box, praying, and writing their wishes on plaques. 
It stands as a reminder of that turning point in Japan’s history. There’s a media crew here 
and John and I are interviewed, which was super cool. “Are you like YouTuber?” “Yeah, yeah yeah.” 
Accidental. She resigned from her job and started a YouTube channel. Okay, but before we enter the 
shrine, there is this tradition of cleansing. This is a little thing where you’ve got to wash your 
hands and rinse your mouth out — I don’t know,   to cleanse them before you go into the shrine. 
“Please purify yourself.” I’m going to need a lot more than just water. I hope I did it right. 
All cleansed! We are up for our next activity. So we don’t miss out, we’ve had to pre-book a 
few of them, like TeamLabs, which can sell out   weeks in advance. But there are so many cool 
places to see and unique experiences to visit, and we can’t wait to share which one is going to 
be our ultimate favorite. But until then, we have a concert and a sumo wrestling match to attend. So 
let’s quickly bring up a map — from Meiji Forest to the Sumo Arena is a 30-minute train ride, 
and as soon as we arrive, it is sumo central. Let’s step foot into the Ryōgoku Kokugikan 
National Sumo Arena, one of the most famous wrestling venues in Japan. It’s only on three 
times a year for like two weeks, so we’re very lucky. I’m so excited. Guidebooks! We’re right at 
the back — so our tickets are on the second floor, which is the highest level, and they’re in the 
very last row. We were just happy to get what we could. Yeah, we’ve arrived early, so there are 
plenty of empty seats — wow — but it won’t be like this for very long. Let me explain how the day 
plays out. So, these are our seats — literally the back, the last row possible. What do 
you reckon, John? Perfect. With every match, losing sumo wrestlers get knocked out. But by 6:00 
p.m., only the best of the best are left for the finals — so that’s why, as the day progresses, 
the matches get better and the stadium packs out. Every seat will be taken. Our seats were like 
right at the back, but we wanted to try and get better shots, and because it’s only midday, 
there aren’t too many people around. No one’s   told us off just yet. So how did we score these 
sold-out last-minute tickets? I’ll explain how in a sec — but can we just admire this beautiful 
building for a second? The stadium is so much bigger than I was expecting. It’s absolutely 
massive and it feels like royalty. All these seats are like a red velvet. Sumo has been around 
this very area we’re in today for centuries, but the sport actually goes way, way back — over 
1,500 years ago. It started as a ritual to honor the gods and to pray for a good harvest ahead. So 
John, obviously the tickets were sold out, but we were able to buy some resale tickets. We only got 
them two days ago. It was from—what website? Uh, ticketjam.jp. That’s not a sponsor, that’s just 
if you guys want tickets. We paid probably over double the original ticket price, but it sold 
out by 3:00 p.m. We were back up in the nosebleed section — way at the top again — but we didn’t 
stay long because, well… we kind of messed up. We accidentally booked a concert at Tokyo Dome 
for tonight. That’s insane huh? I thought the sumo was big. We’ve got to head off early, which 
means we’ll miss the finals. But before we go, we have to talk about the toilets here in Japan. 
Do you have a story to tell? What happened? Well, did you go to the toilet cubicle or just a—? 
I went to a urinal. So I went to the cubicle, and it had all these like buttons. I was 
like, “Oh this is going to be interesting.”   Sat down — it was obviously like a warm seat 
— and then it had the half flush, full flush, and then the washer. But there was this button 
there and it was a sound effect to flush. Oh, this is so people can’t hear you! And I 
was like, I’m going to push it — but it was so obvious that it was fake, that it 
was embarrassing. What noise did it make? I’ve heard about this! It’s so people…
And so we’re about to head to Roto’s concert at the Tokyo Dome. John’s double-booked 
us for the day. The train from the Sumo Arena all the way to Tokyo Dome takes just 20 minutes, 
and we entertain ourselves en route. And before we know it, we have arrived. I am so hyped for 
tonight, but John — he has no idea what we’re in for. You looking forward to it, John? First 
concert ever. Do you know any of his songs? No, I don’t even know who it is. I thought it was 
Harry Styles. Sure it’s good. I’m excited. Hey,   what gauge is your excitement? Wow. So how far in 
advance did we have to buy these tickets? Well, the backstory is that our friends actually 
purchased them but couldn’t go. We got hold   of these tickets the other night while eating 
ramen in a cute little restaurant in town where we wore bibs. This is crazy — our friends have 
got tickets to Bruno Mars and they can’t go, so we’re getting the tickets delivered to us 
by an Uber. You really look like a local there, babe. Might be one. I’m the only guy in this hotel 
that’s got… eating a pig. Thirty minutes later, the Uber driver arrived. Is it him? Hello! 
Thank you so much. And so that’s how we got these tickets. So I’d recommend booking well ahead 
— unless you’re able to score some resale tickets. Oh wow. Okay, now we’re entering Tokyo Dome. It’s 
actually a baseball stadium. It’s home field to the Yomiuri Giants — kind of like the New York 
Yankees of Japan. Welcome to the Tokyo Dome, also known as the Big Egg. Dodgers against the 
Yomiuri Giants. Oh my goodness. This is huge. Wow okay let’s find our seat. So 
our seats were no joke—literally, we had nosebleed seats for the second time 
today. See you guys singing along! I want to see y’all sweating tonight. Tokyo, Beyoncé, 
BTS, Taylor Swift—they’ve all played here, and every now and then you’ll even catch American 
football or a wrestling match. But tonight, John made his big concert debut. I’m 
a dangerous man… and survived. [Music] Can’t lie, I did enjoy the sumo more, but the 
crowd was impressive. I’ve never seen that many people in one place before. Yeah, so if you do get 
the chance to head to the Dome—Tokyo Dome—like, just see if there are any concerts playing and 
add it to your bucket list. That was pretty cool. But one place I really wanted to experience here 
while in Japan was Team Labs. It’s like a museum, but it’s immersive—it’s arty with a touch of tech. 
This is by far one of the most remarkable rooms. It often sells out. I’ve seen it pop up on my 
Instagram time and time again, but I had no idea it was going to be this cool. So this morning 
we’re catching a cab to Team Labs. It’s so big, the taxi drivers have this screen up. Look 
how much space there is. We’re heading to the waterfront district of Toyosu. [Music] That 
taxi was cheaper than Uber. Yeah, it was. Oh, I nearly stepped out in front of that dude. So it 
did say in the Uber app that you could get a taxi,   and it was a little bit cheaper. They’re really 
clean and they use a meter, and in Uber it’s good ‘cause you just know what you’re up for before 
you get into it. That’s what I like about it.   But they’re really good here—like, trustworthy. 
Two million people visit Team Labs here in Tokyo every single year, so that’s about 5,000 people 
a day. It’s nearly all foreigners. Let’s go. Some say the experience is pricey but worth it, but I 
do have a discount for it on my website. Inside, there are seven major room installations. Oh 
wow, the whole room is like a giant bean bag. The waterfall room—wow look at this—oh my god, smells 
good. The mirror infinity room. [Music] So cool. There are giant digital art spaces that react to 
you and send you into a bit of a trance. People look like they’re on drugs in here. You’re in a 
trance. Wow, this looks really cool on camera. Wow, it’s trippy. There’s the ballroom full of 
glowing spheres. [Music] Are they real, John? I think they’re real. They are. Yeah, it’s pretty 
sad—there are over 12,000 live orchids suspended in the air. Everyone’s just like gone in with the 
key and they gradually fall towards you. Should we lay down right here? [Music] And just before we 
left, we walked through the digital moss garden. Wow, look at this—feel trippy. They look like 
little alien eggs. We touch it. [Music] Well, that was cool. Yeah, that was very cool. What was your 
favourite? Mine was the LED room. Same. 30 bucks per person—I thought that was… yeah, it was pretty 
cool. Sometimes you go to these art installations   and they’re a little bit underwhelming. You’re 
kind of like, yeah… but this one genuinely felt like you had a cool experience. I’ve never seen 
anything like it before. I really enjoyed it. If   Team Labs is your thing, we also found this really 
unique exhibit that I need to talk to you about. I think this is going to be kind of like a fish 
version of Team Labs. I’d never seen anything quite like it. It is very Japan, and it was right 
near our hotel in Ginza. So there were thousands of goldfish in here—cool—in large tanks, in round 
tanks, fountains and cylinders. They were all lit up in a trance of colours. Oh, you see that colour 
change? Do you see the colour change in different rooms as part of this huge exhibit? It’s so 
mesmerizing. There were dozens of variations of fish—fat ones, skinny ones—they remind me of 
Tucana. Celestial eyes, the weird and the wacky. Oh my god, what is that called? Bubble eyes. Oh 
wow. Oh my gosh, it looks like they’ve got little cysts on their eyeballs. The Art Aquarium Museum 
or Team Labs—they were both unique. So right next to Team Labs is the fish market. We’ll take 
you there soon, but right now we’re going to be   catching a train to Tokyo’s quirky anime district, 
Akihabara. Then the plan is to read our fortunes at Tokyo’s most visited temple, Senso-ji, before 
we explore the infamous red light district. This is the most grungy part of Tokyo, in my opinion. 
Don’t you think, John? He Tokyo—that’s coming up, but right now we’re heading to Tokyo’s northern 
suburbs to a place called Akihabara. So like Blade Runner—where the hell are we? This is Akihabara, 
which is electric town, tech and Transformers. And I personally don’t follow anime, but I found 
this place so intriguing. Talking about anime—look at this! I definitely feel like I am on a set 
of Blade Runner at the moment. This is crazy. Straight out of the train station, there 
are multi-floor arcades, retro game shops and stores selling collectibles. Picking Pokémon 
cards for your brother. Pokémon—that one’s $300, that’s $500, one’s $2,180. And there are capsule 
toy machines everywhere—thousands of them—and stores selling everything miniature. I was like, 
there’s mini everything here—like mini sushi, mini bikes, mini cars—like just miniature 
ornaments. Mini hamburgers. In Akihabara, you’ll also find maid cafés, and you’ll see the 
signs for them everywhere. It smells like candy in here. Oh my gosh, look at this. Wow. [Music] 
Unfortunately, you can’t film inside the cafés, which is fair enough, because they might not 
want to be placed all over the internet. But um,   that’s like a really fun, cute experience. It’s 
a bit odd—don’t know what to make of that. It’s unique—just like our next stop, Senso-ji, which 
is Tokyo’s most visited temple. So here we are at Senso. This is a real cultural experience. There’s 
so many beautiful women in their traditional kimonos. It’s a little further north again—a 
20-minute train away—and for just a dollar, we’re about to find out our fortunes inside that 
temple there. So we’re in the area of Asakusa, which is the most traditional suburb that I’ve 
seen so far. Right at the end is the temple. There are so many beautiful women here wearing 
their kimonos, as you can see. Lots of like traditional shops selling Japanese merchandise 
and goodies, and there are also rickshaws down on the main street as well. So let’s go and have 
a look as we walk down this main [Music] strip. To the left, I can smell this pancake-type dessert 
being cooked—a famous Japanese confectionery. What kind of contraption is it? I don’t know. 
Eating is prohibited on this street—there,   a little sign there. Really, you can’t 
eat. Please eat outside the street. Also, we just purchased one of the doll cakes—we’ve gone 
outside the street to eat it. This machine made this—it was something out of like Willy Wonka. 
Smells amazing. Scent is like pancakes—smelled amazing—you smell it down the whole street. Oh, 
it’s the red bean style—I really like that. Oh, it’s good. And as we approach the temple, this 
one sells deep-fried mochi. We’re sucked in one more time—that looked good. Cream custard—so 
this is what a traditional mochi looks like. It’s chewy and soft. Are they all deep-fried? All 
deep-fried. Oh, please try the chocolate one. Oh, it’s hot. We’re just metres from the temple, 
Senso-ji, and we’re not allowed to eat in here,   are we? We’re about to make our way through 
the gate. It’s a Buddhist temple—is it really? And I think that’s the biggest lantern 
in the world, apparently. Really? Yeah,   it’s pretty big. Let’s go and check it out. Yeah, 
let’s go walk through. There you go—this is the biggest lantern in the world, apparently. Wow. 
Wow, it’s open—it was closed last time. Really? Yeah. How pretty is the pagoda? And everything’s 
so ornate. That’s where I got the photo—this is where I got the time-lapse photo of me standing 
with all the people walking around. And that   spot with the guy—you know, who was missing the 
ear? Oh yes—that was in that lantern there. See, supposed to like blow the smoke over you like it’s 
a blessing. Oh, it’s a blessing. Yeah, and I think   these sticks are all prayers or something. See, 
on the sides? Oh wow. I have to say, out of all the locations we’ve been to in Japan, this is one 
of my favourites. Like, I feel like I’m in Japan   here. Yeah. Yeah, true. You know what we’ve got to 
see tonight? We’ve got to watch 47 Ronin, and then we’ve got to go to the gravesite of the 47 Ronin 
tomorrow. That would be really cool. Alright,   go on—do you want to go and smoke yourself? 
Smoke myself? Yeah. Alright—it’s so windy, it kind of does it for you today. Yeah, it does. 
You go have a go. Okay. It smells like incense. I think this has something to do with like getting 
rid of the bad spirits before you go into the   temple. Oh, that’s beautiful. Alright, let’s go. 
We later found out that waving the smoke towards you is also said to bring you good health and 
luck. So I might not have done enough waving, because once we stepped inside, we drew 
our fortunes—our omikuji. You put 100 yen, which is a dollar, into this, then you get this 
silver box and you shake it around. And when you feel like you want to stop, there’s a little 
hole in the bottom and your stick pops out—and it has a number on it. My number that I got was 3, 
and then you find the corresponding top. Right, you already found it. Stuff here. This is your 
prescription for the year. Mine is bad fortune. “Lack: although you do your best and sincerely to 
others, it’s useless—just like burning incense to the sky.” Okay, let’s uh screw this one up. Let’s 
try again. Screw that one up. Can you try again? Okay, let’s do another one. Can you do—do one 
for me? Can you do another one? Do honestly, come on. That’s ridiculous. Are you serious? Yeah, 
that one’s broken. Okay, I need to put another 100 yen in. Yeah. Okay, I don’t have a—oh, not this. 
Oh my god, that was great. Alright, alright, that was a practice round. Imagine if you got number 
3. I think this jar is just full of threes. More shake. See, that’s what you did wrong—you didn’t 
shake it off like this. Lucky number. Okay, here we go. Yeah yeah yeah—this one’s going to be much 
better. We keep doing it until we get good luck. One more. Oh it’s a good one! So good—marriage 
and employment are both well. You just needed to shake it more. Okay, okay—put that one in your 
pocket. Give me that one—take this one—there we go. So I guess the good news is, you can 
leave the bad luck behind. So after reading it, do what John did—fold it up, tie it onto the racks 
or wires nearby. The idea is that you’re going to leave this bad luck here instead of carrying it 
with you. We are heading to the Skytree. Yeah, so we just finished the Sensō, and we’re going from 
the complete old and ancient to the brand-new, modern Skytree. It was built in 2012 and—643 m, 
I think? Yeah. My hands are cold—it’s freezing. If you’re wondering, we’re here in the month of 
January, so it’s winter. We’ve really enjoyed   it though, and have even seen snow fall right here 
in Tokyo. It’s so weird. Oh my god, I haven’t seen snow in so long. From Senso-ji, we crossed over 
the river—it was just a 20-minute walk. We timed it so that we would be at Skytree for sunset. 
It’s such a pretty walk. That was the plan anyway. Okay, it literally just—we just sold out. Do 
you want to wait 2 hours? You must—we can go have dinner and come back. So while we waited, we 
checked out the Skytree Mall which is downstairs. There’s an ice skating rink, restaurants—we ate 
sushi for dinner—I had the best chair massage of my life. [Music] And it turns out they were 
invented right here in Japan in 1954. Who knew? And then two hours later, we were off to 
our final activity. Wow, look at all the boats in the bay. Before we check out the nightlife 
in Shinjuku real soon—look at all the planes taking off. See the lights? Oh my god, oh my 
nose is going all funny ‘cause I’m getting all   a little emotional. From up here, we realise 
we’ve only seen a fraction of Tokyo. [Music] So we’re just walking through the area of Shinjuku 
and it’s funny because the word sin is actually in the—is it not? Is it Shinjuku? Oh, I thought 
there was sin in it. Because this is the most grungy part of Tokyo, in my opinion. Don’t you 
think, John? Peak Tokyo. This is where all the nightclubs, the pubs. That smell… Oh my 
gosh, you’re always thinking about food. I know. Constantly. It’s from one restaurant 
to the other. It’s even like quite dirty. You don’t usually see. I saw someone pissing in the 
street before, you just don’t even see any of that anywhere else in Tokyo. It’s definitely like 
a touristy, seedy kind of peak Tokyo, spot. And there’s lots of strip clubs here as well, go go 
girls, like you can see over to my right [Music] Like this is a part of Tokyo that we 
haven’t seen before. Wow, look at that. Wow. Are they like dealing drugs? I don’t 
know what they’re doing, they look   like they’re doing something dodgy. I know, I feel 
really uncomfortable. I haven’t felt uncomfortable or unsafe here in Tokyo, Japan the whole time I’ve 
been here, but there’s something about this place, that I feel like this camera is drawing a lot 
of attention John. It draws a lot of attention   everywhere especially a girl walking out like 
this camera. With both hands cause it’s so heavy. Anyway I think we’re going to put it down we’re 
going to go stealth mode and use our phone. This   is Shinuku and we’re going to take you to Golden 
Gai, Golden Gai. Golden Gai, and so this is a cute little area within Shinjuku that has a lot of 
tiny bars, little bars. It’s about four or five streets of really closely packed tiny little 
bars to become like a tourist hot spot. Okay, all right this way. This is just one of the many 
streets in the area, it’s lined with little pubs tiny little doors, some of them have cover 
charges others don’t. Most of them are barely big enough for five or six people. It’s gritty 
full of um skeletons and intimate in the best way but some spots welcome tourists, others 
not so much. It’s really quiet, it’s a week night. Is that what it is? Yeah Thursday night 
yeah it’s dead there’s not much going on tonight unfortunately. We’re probably either a bit early 
and it’s a week night but mind you like there are people in. The only people I can hear are Aussies 
talking about not paying taxes in that corner bar. If you plan to go to Shinjuku during the 
day there’s still a lot happening. There’s a cinema if you want to put your feet up, 
just look for the giant Godzilla on the   roof. Oh Godzilla. I’ve been looking for 
that monster. Oh my gosh this is so cool. The karaoke bars are endless, some span over 
several levels of high-rise buildings. And nearby subways and streets are bustling with 
people. There are plenty of food options too our next episode if you’d like to subscribe, is 
all about food the delicious and traditional where to find those fluffy Japanese pancakes. And we 
stop by my favorite markets in the entire world, where precious cargo is sold. The strawberries 
each are XX dollars. Let us know in the comments what your favorite experience is. Follow us 
behind the scenes. Use the discount codes in the description or keep watching youtube thinks 
you’ll like this next episode on your screen.

Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily eSIM data plans! Download Saily app and use code KRISTINASTRAVELS at the checkout 👉 https://saily.com/kristinastravels

🇯🇵 WEBSITE BLOG + INFO: https://kristinas-travels.com/allblog/tokyo

GET OUR TOKYO GOOGLE MAPS:
🤗 Become a Patreon for a copy of our curated Google Pins (and extra behind the scenes content): https://www.patreon.com/kristinastravels

INSTAGRAM:
💃Kristina Costalos: http://www.instagram.com/kristinacostalos
👨‍✈️John Tilley: http://www.instagram.com/johnptilley

⛵ Support this production by leaving a SUPER THANKS tip, or a PayPal donation here: https://tinyurl.com/2s3fvchy

CHAPTERS:
0:00 Top Things To Do In Tokyo
1:25 Tokyo Airport
1:57 Ginza Hotel
2:45 Tokyo ATM & Money Exchange
3:04 Shibuya Crossing
4:23 Tokyo’s Train System
6:33 Harajuku
7:00 Takeshita Street
8:23 Quiet Japanese Streets
8:52 Meiji Shrine Tokyo
10:28 Meiji Jingu
11:05 Emperor Meiji
13:25 Sumo Wrestling Tokyo
13:44 Tokyo Sumo Wrestling Tournament
15:24 Ryogoku Kokugikan (National Sumo Hall)
16:32 Japanese Toilet
17:26 Tokyo Dome Concert
20:18 teamLab Tokyo
20:41 Catching A Taxi in Tokyo
21:24 teamLab Planets TOKYO
23:26 Tokyo Art Aquarium Museum
25:15 Akihabara Electric Town
26:21 Tokyo Maid Cafe
26:55 Senso-ji
27:22 Asakusa, Tokyo
29:07 Sensoji Temple
32:46 Tokyo Skytree
34:35 Shinjuku City
35:12 Red Light District
35:37 Tokyo Nightlife
36:26 Shinjuku Golden-Gai
37:30 Shinjuku by day

OUR STORY:
Kristina and John are two Aussies 🦘 who met when they were just teenagers at high school! Kristina went on to become a TV Journalist and John an Airline Pilot flying all over the world.. which is where their passion for travel first began!

We packed up our apartment and took “one-year off work” before purchasing the boat of our dreams!! We documented our adventures sailing around Australia, and when global boarders opened, we began travelling overseas. We’ve since visited more than 60+ countries!

Kristina is now a full time YouTuber and John a part time Commercial Pilot onboard a Boeing 737 (listen out for his name on your next flight!) and our goal is to explore and share the most incredible destinations by… 🚐🚗⛵️✈️!!

We are so grateful to share our adventures, tips, guides and thank you for being part of the journey together!! 😊🎥 K x

#travel #tokyo #japan