Tokyo Japan 2025 Ultimate Travel Guide: 7-Day Itinerary of What to See and Eat 🇯🇵

Tokyo Japan 2025 Ultimate Travel Guide: 7-Day Itinerary of What to See and Eat 🇯🇵

[Music] This is Tokyo, the largest city in the world. Vibrant and fast-paced, filled with deep history and rich culture, diverse and highquality cuisine in one of the safest countries in the world, Japan. Known as being the master of many crafts and for pushing innovation to the limits in just about every facet of life, I’ve been traveling to Tokyo for many years now. First stepping foot in 2012 when Tokyo had a bit of a different vibe. The electronics town Akiabara was filled with mostly otakus consuming anime and video game culture like myself and Maji Chingu Shrine with many Japanese people going to pray and pay their respects. 13 years later in 2025, Japan and Tokyo have seen a massive shift as tourism here has exploded, especially after the pandemic, becoming on par with places like France and Spain. And to be honest, now Akiabara and Maji Jingu are both absolutely crowded with tourists, which I have no right to complain about being one myself, but I have to admit, I had a better time visiting them in 2012. And as a result, I’ve started to become attracted to different areas in Tokyo and the surrounding area that give me more of the feeling I fell in love with back then. The goal of this video was to give firsttime travelers a nice, easy 7-day itinerary that they can follow along to see most of the major tourist attractions that people come to see, as well as food recommendations catered a bit more to the budget traveler because I didn’t have the budget for fine dining while filming this guide. and I included some alternative options throughout the guide to hopefully help those looking to avoid the crowds a bit while still seeing the majority of the main attractions. The itinerary link can be found in the description with step-by-step directions and Google Maps links to all of the locations. And this video was made out of passion without any sponsorships. So, they’re all my personal recommendations with consideration to most types of travelers. And with that out of the way, let’s get started with day one in central Tokyo at Asakusa Station. Asakusa is one of Tokyo’s most well-known neighborhoods where the old meets the new. Therefore, you can find a lot of older looking buildings here, giving a feel of the ado period of Japan from the 1600s to late 1800s filled with various shops and restaurants contrasted by the new appearance of Tokyo scene here with the Tokyo Skytree building in the background, which we’ll get to later. Asakusa is a good way to get an overall feel for Tokyo on your first day. And we’re going to start with the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo, dating back to 628 AD. Sentoji. Sentoji was founded in 628 AD and it’s dedicated to the Buddhist goddess Canon, the goddess of mercy. According to legend, in the 600s, two fisherman brothers found a statue of Canon in the nearby Sumida River, and a local village chief decided to enshrine it, eventually becoming Senoji. To get there, take the subway to Asakusa station and get out exit 1 or 3, taking you right to the entrance. I arrived just after 8:45 a.m. on a weekday, and it was already jam-packed with tourists. But I’m going to warn you first that the main tourist attractions of Tokyo will all look like this no matter what time it is or what day of the week it is, at least in 2025. So, it’s good to prepare for this in advance and just accept that Tokyo’s tourism is running rampant and you’re going to be sharing the experiences there with many others at the same time. When you pass the first gate, you enter the Nakame shopping street filled with various snacks and souvenirs. So, if you’re looking for more traditional Japanese goods to bring back with you, it’s not a bad place to start. The shopping street will be packed, but the architecture itself is interesting to look at. And you can see the main hoon gate of the temple in the distance where you enter into the main temple grounds. And it’s starting here where the architecture is truly grand and majestic. There are three large lanterns and two guardian statues guarding the entrance with a beautiful five-storyried pagod to the west. Inside the grounds, there are various ways to see your fortune, such as the Omiuji fortune boxes, or you can lighten incense to purify your body and mind before entering the main hall, called the Canondo or Cannon Hall, where the statue is hidden from public view, and pictures or videos can’t be taken. Overall, Senoji is an experience packed with tourists, but the architecture and surrounding area is so beautiful, and it’s a place that can really capture you with its marvelous surroundings with other statues and shrines to look at as well. So, you can easily spend about an hour or so here, and it’ll also prepare you for what to expect for the rest of your trip. After exploring the temple, it’s time to head over to the Tokyo Skytree, the tallest structure in Japan and the second tallest in the world at 634 m. To get there, you can take the subway from Asakusa station to Tokyo Skytree Station, but I strongly recommend walking as it’s only about 20 minutes and you get to see some really nice views of the Sumita River with the tower literally towering over the city in the sky. [Applause] The Tokyo Skytree opened to the public in May 2012 and was inspired by traditional Japanese pagota structures with some apparently very high-tech earthquake resistance built in, which is a necessity in Tokyo. As earthquakes are quite frequent, and I’ve experienced one on nearly every trip I’ve been on here. When you arrive at the Tokyo Skytree station, just follow the signs to Tokyo Skytree observation deck, and you can go up to the fourth floor where you can find the lobby to buy tickets to go up to the top. There was a really long lineup when I went there, but I just reserved my time online to easily skip the line and scan my QR code to get the ticket, which cost 2,400 yen just for the observatory for adults, which you can get a discount by booking the day before or by booking on a site like Cluke. You then take the elevator to the observation deck, which is 350 m above the ground. And although it’s open until 1000 p.m., I think it’s worth seeing this one specifically in the daytime or around sunset. As you can see, so far from all 360° to look out over the city. Usually, I don’t like to spend a lot of money on attractions when I travel, but I give exception to observatories as it’s just so nice to gaze out onto the sea of buildings and get a sense of your surroundings. you can truly understand what kind of environment you’re in, as it’s hard to tell on the street level sometimes. And being up there makes you realize just how much of a city city Tokyo is. It’s a massive gray sea of somewhat modest buildings that aren’t too tall and nothing that really sticks out, but you can really experience the scale that Tokyo is being the world’s largest city. And you can easily spend an hour or more up here. This is what it looks like on a weekday on a relatively hazy day. So, there will be a lot of people heading up regardless of the day or the weather. And up top, there’s a cafe to enjoy some drinks while looking at the view. And if you want, you can visit the Tempo Galleria on the 450th floor for an extra,000 yen or so, which looks interesting, but I’ve heard the view is similar up there. After visiting the observatory, it’s probably a good time for lunch, which luckily there are plenty of places right inside the food court at the Tokyo Solo Machi Mall that’s attached to its base. I tried out the ramen in here, which wasn’t anything special, but the perfect spot to just relax and recharge before exploring more. And there was also a really cool store called The Tree Village, which had some really awesome video game inspired goods to check out. It’s now time to head over to Tokyo’s most famous entertainment district that basically needs no introduction, where we’ll spend the afternoon and the evening, Shinjuku. [Applause] Shinjuku holds the Guinness World Record for being the busiest train station in the world, serving over three and a half million people per day with a plethora of different subway and railway lines. And because of this, it’s an absolute hot spot for shopping, dining, and nightife. But there’s also some nature nearby. To get there from Tokyo Skytree, just take the Hanzo line to Sumioshi Station, then transfer to the Shinjuku line and get off at Shinjuku Station. And if you arrive somewhat early, you could start with the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, which can be accessed via the southeast exit of Shinjuku Station. The Shinjuku Koan National Garden was originally the private residence of Nito Noonari, a feudal lord or daimo who served under Tokugawa Eyasu during the Ado period. the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunit, which for those that don’t know, shoguns were military rulers in Japan, appointed by the emperor until the late 1800s. The garden was converted into an imperial garden in 1906 during the Maji era, which opened to the public after World War II in 1949. It’s one of the biggest parks in Tokyo at 144 acres, and it costs 500 yen to enter. When you get inside, you can feel just how beautiful it is with various little forests and gardens to explore within the park. It’s a great place to just relax and avoid the crowds for a little stroll, walking through the forests, checking out the Taiwanese style pavilion, and if you want, you can have tea at a tea house, too. There’s no right or wrong way to spend time at the park. So, just take your time and relax during the late hours of the afternoon until it closes at 4:30 before starting to head out to dinner. If you’re more interested in shopping instead of relaxing in the park, Shinjuko also has a ton of different department stores filled with clothing stores and accessories or electronic stores such as Yodashi camera or big camera where you can test out all the latest cameras, look at all the video games and toys or pretty much any electronics item you can think of which you can easily spend hours inside. Another thing that can’t be missed on your trip is Don Kiote, which you might have heard of. And it’s basically a wacky store that sells pretty much everything and can’t be summed up easily, but just go and check it out as you won’t be disappointed. And there will probably be some things inside you want to buy as souvenirs. When day turns to night, it’s time to head to Kabukicho, the most famous entertainment district in Tokyo. To get to Kabuki Cho, just get out of the east exit of Shinjuku Station and walk a bit north until you see the red Kabuki Cho Ichibangai gate or the Godzilla road gates. And now is a great time to grab some dinner. And it’s the perfect place to try out an izakaya or Japanese pub. And you can eat anything from Japanese fine dining to cheaper places such as this yaki tori or chicken skewer place called Tori Kizoku which isn’t that pricey is quite delicious and has a good casual atmosphere to get adjusted on your first day. After dinner, walk back out on the street to check out the vibrant night life with all the flashing signs and even the famous Godzilla head that’s on top of Hotel Gracery, which sometimes roars and lights up if you time it right. Just walk through the busy streets and enjoy the chaotic and friendly vibe of Kabuki Cho, which is also a red light district, just so you know in advance of what to expect. And after checking out the alleyways, head east to Golden Guy, a few rows of tiny alleyways filled with cool little tiny bars that only seat a few people at a time. A lot of them are themed, extremely foreigner friendly, and speak English. And although they’re super touristy, it’s something that I think everyone should experience at least one time. And a lot of them have entrance fees, just so you know. If you aren’t interested in the bars, just walk around them to experience them, as they’re cool from the outside, too. And then consider checking out the Hanozono shrine, which is beautiful to look at during the nighttime as it lights up and dates back to the early ado period during the 16th century. And that wraps up a busy day one. So, it’s time to get some nice rest as we’re waking up early for day two to check out Tokyo’s and maybe all of Japan’s most famous shrine. Day two starts at the Maji Chingu Shinto Shrine, not too far away from Shinjuku, where we finished yesterday. And to get there, you can take the subway to either Harajuku or Magi Chingume Station and get out the west exit to find the entrance right across the street. Magi Jingu was established in 1920 to honor Emperor Magi and Empress Shokin, who are both extremely wellknown in Japanese history for helping it modernize in the late 19th century. This is the period when they abolished the samurai class and feudal domains that were spread across the country and adopted western technologies and institutions such as steam engines and factory systems, as well as a national school system that modeled those from France and the US. When you first arrive at Magi Chingu, you’ll notice a massive brown Tory gate leading into the forest. I arrived at 8:45 a.m. on a weekday, and there were already tour groups meeting up, but it was still quite peaceful and relaxing while entering the forest path as you quickly get out of the hustle and bustle of the city. And it almost feels like you’re in a completely different area. It’s also here where you’ll find sake barrels which are offered to the shrine by sake brewers across Japan as a gesture of respect and bring in Japanese tradition into the mix with the Shinto rituals. On the way to the shrine, you’ll notice the entrance to a garden called the Magi Jingu Inner Garden, which costs 500 yen to enter, and it was designed by Emperor Magi himself as a gift to Empress Shokin and became part of the shrine’s sacred grounds when he died in 1912 as a way to honor his and Empress Shokin’s connection to nature. Of all the gardens I saw on my trip, I thought this was one of the more beautiful ones with noticeably less people than the shrine and lots of lotus flowers blooming on the south pond, which create a really peaceful atmosphere on the way to the shrine. It’s a good place to just walk around and relax. And when you finish exploring the garden and arrive at the shrine, it’s good to know that at Shinto shrines, you should always wash your hands and mouth to first purify yourself and then you can enter the gate, which itself is grand and harmonious with the beautiful nature surrounding it, leading to the main shrine itself. Compared to 2012, there were a lot more visitors this time around, making the whole atmosphere a little more hectic overall, to be honest. But it’s still incredibly impressive and 100% worth the visit. It’s probably the most memorable shrine I’ve ever visited in Japan. And it’s a good way to be literally right inside one of the busiest parts of the city, but walk around in peace among the beautiful trees. Now, a good chunk of the morning has passed, and it’s time to make a huge change in scenery by walking back to the entrance of the shrine, finding the Takishita exit of Harajuku Station, and it’s time to explore the birthplace of Japan’s youth fashion culture. Harajuku and specifically Takashita Street has been the epicenter of Japanese youth trends since the 70s when a new shopping mall opened up and with its proximity to Maji Jingu, young people started flocking to the area. Starting a boom of small independent clothing shops and crepe stands. To this day, it’s a place where seemingly everything seems to be accepted, nothing is judged, and is the pure essence of freedom and expression. So, it’s a really cool place to just go check out the fashion if that’s what you’re into. And of course, today it’s a major tourist destination. So, it’s a mix between clothing shops, restaurants, and cafes catering to tourists. But, it’s still worth a stroll to see the variety of shops, including massive capsule toy stores such as Capcom’s Capsule Lab that has a little something for everyone. It’s also a good place to try a Harajuka crepe, which isn’t anything super special in my opinion, but they’re famous for a reason, and I figure a lot of people will be interested. I decided to try Omaru, or Japanese omelette over rice at a place called Tamago Kitchen, just off of Takishita Street, which was incredibly soft and a good place to just relax that went well with the whole Harajuku aesthetic. After checking out the area for a bit, it’s time to head over to one of Tokyo’s most famous areas that pretty much everyone knows of because of a specific intersection, Shibuya. And to get there, you can either take the JR Yamanote line one stop south to Shibuya station and get out at Hachiko exit, or walk about 15 minutes or 1 km, which I strongly recommend doing, as to be honest, the walks in between tourist destinations are usually the most memorable parts of my trips. [Music] Shibuya used to be a rural agricultural area during the Ado period, but in the late 1800s, Shibuya Station opened and it became a main transportation hub of Tokyo. Today, it’s a symbol of Japan’s youth and commercial culture, and you can tell right off the bat when you arrive at the famous Shibuya Crossing. What I mean by that as there are plenty of billboards all around it surrounded by buildings filled with different restaurants, stores and cafes to get views of the crossing as well. There’s even the Hiko statue of the famous Akita dog who waited at Shibuya station for years after accompanying his owner. But the owner unfortunately never lived to come back after work, leaving the poor dog to just keep waiting around and hoping for his return. When you arrive, you should have plenty of time to do some shopping if you want, which there are a lot of department stores in the area with pretty much everything you can think of, including stores selling anime related goods like Mandarake, the official Nintendo store of Tokyo, selling goods from all the biggest Nintendo franchises, and right beside it, the Pokémon store. Both of which are absolutely packed. But the Nintendo store in particular was worth checking out for me because of all the Zelda merchandise available. Shibuya is also a great place to go for dinner with plenty of Japanese izakayas and restaurants around the area. I didn’t get a chance to film it, but it would have been a good time to try out yakiniku or Japanese barbecue, especially Jeniskan, which is lamb barbecue famous in northern Japan and one of my favorite meals I’ve ever had there. After dinner, you can check out the Shibuya Sky Observatory, which costs 3,400 yen after 300 p.m. for what looks like some incredible views of the city and a great place to watch the sunset turn into night to end day two in Shibuya style. On day three, it’s time to head over to Ueno, an area dating back to the Ado period, which during the modernization in the late 1800s became the center of culture and modernization in Tokyo, with Ueno Park being established as one of Japan’s first public parks in 1873. To get there, take the subway to Ueno Station and get out at Ueno Park exit, where you’ll leave the subway gates right into the park. And there’s a good chance that there will be a lot of people doing the same thing as it’s one of the most popular parks to go to. If you keep walking straight, you’ll end up right at the main gate of the Ueno Zoo, which has a pretty reasonable entrance fee of 600 yen for adults and free for children 12 or under. Ueno Zoo is the oldest zoo in Japan, dating back to 1882. And it houses over 3,000 animals across 300 species, including tigers and pandas. and it’d be a good place to spend the morning if you come as a family. Personally, I’m not that interested in zoos and more into the traditional culture and history. So, I started my trip in the west side of the park looking at some of the temples such as the Shinobazu Pond Benton, which is across a little street and located right in the center of the beautiful Shinobazuno Pond. Then I went to check out some of the Shinto shrines such as the Gojoten and Hanazono Inari shrines which almost feel like you’re walking through a little forest maze to get to and are quite tranquil in their own way. Afterwards, I went straight to one of the most impressive shrines I’ve ever seen called the Ueno Toshogu shrine built in 1627 and dedicated to Tokugawa, the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunet that we introduced earlier. The shrine is incredibly grand and beautiful with golden carvings and a nice pigota to look at as well and certainly matches the whole military ruler aesthetic. On top of history and a zoo, Ueno Park is also home to some very nice museums including the National Museum of Nature and Science with about 25,000 displays of different animals, dinosaurs, and pretty much everything that has roamed our planet before. Then there’s the massive Tokyo National Museum, Japan’s oldest and largest museum, containing over 120,000 artifacts, including things like samurai armor, swords, pottery, and Buddhist statues. And you can easily spend a full day here. It’s literally that big. But let’s assume you’ve spent your morning wandering around the park and the various attractions there, and it’s time for some lunch. Luckily, there’s a perfect area to eat and sightsee nearby at a market called Amea Yokoto. And to get there, just walk five minutes south along the train tracks towards Okachimachi station until you see the main gate. Amea Yokoto or Aayyoko began after World War II as a black market and its name derives from a which means candy and also America since imported goods were sold here after the war. There are tons of restaurants around and I’m going to recommend the most famous ramen franchise in the country here called Ichidan, which isn’t my number one overall ramen in Japan, but it’s a cool experience for firsttime visitors to sit in the individual booths as they serve you privately from behind the counter and the taste is about as universal as it gets. Just think typical Japanese tonkotu or pork broth ramen that can be customized to your liking. Now, let’s get back to the shopping street. It’s one of the most hectic places in Tokyo in a good way with lots of restaurants that have outdoor seating, which would be nice in the spring or fall. And you can think of Aayoko is kind of a free-for-all with literally everything you can think of. There’s souvenirs, fashion, shoes, the best secondhand electronic shop I saw in Tokyo called Hard Off. But this franchise specifically had more secondhand Gameboys than anywhere else I saw. And there’s an amazing store that sells things from various anime, pop culture, and video games called Yamashiroya, which was one of the better stores I saw on my trip and has easily survived and gotten more popular since my first visit in 2012. But now it’s time to check out the most famous neighborhood for anime and video game goods that we talked about in the introduction, Akiabara. And to get there, either take the JR Yamanote line one stop and get out the electric town exit or walk about 1.3 kilometers or 20 minutes south to Akiabara Station. Akihabara became a hub for electronics after World War II, selling radio and electrical components. And in the 80s and 90s during the rise of video games with the release of the Nintendo Famicom and Sega Master System, it adapted to the market and it became the spot to go for the latest gaming trends. That’s also when multi-story arcades started popping up from companies like Sega creating the 3D driving game Outrun in 1986 and Capcom Street Fighter being released in arcades in 1987. What a time it must have been to visit back then. Then the ‘9s to 2000s was a big shift when it changed from being primarily an electronic town to taking full advantage of the anime, manga, and cosplay culture craze that was starting to get popular. And that’s what shaped what it is today with electronics, cameras, video games, anime, and manga stores, as well as made cafes everywhere, which is quite the experience if you’d never tried it. eating desserts shaped like cute animals and learning how to do little cute moy dances to accept your food. With the rise of tourism in Japan in the late 2010s and especially after the pandemic, Akiabara has now expanded to become a full-on tourist destination with people coming from all over the world to marvel at Japan’s unique culture it created stemming back to the8s. Because of this, it’s hard to find anything rare without being incredibly expensive. And there were crowds of people in every shop I went into. To be honest, it went from being my favorite place to go in Tokyo in 2012 to one of the most exhausting areas of my recent trip just because of the sheer number of people. But for firsttime travelers, it shouldn’t be missed. And another casual dish that can be tried is Koko Ichiba, which serves Japanese curry, which is almost a completely different genre than Indian curry, but it’s a must try in my opinion. and they have a vegetarian option as well. Although this is a structured itinerary for the most part, I don’t actually prefer to travel this way. Kind of ironic to say for a channel that makes guide videos and I want to challenge those planning their trip to Tokyo to get outside of their comfort zone and look for a random residential area nearby to explore for the evening. This is where you get to see the real Tokyo, how the people live their lives. And when you go in with few expectations, you can usually find little hidden gems that will be memorable from your trip. As following travel itineraries to a tea is often not the absolute best way to experience a culture, but more of a way to go on a vacation. And with that out of the way, it’s time to start day four at the Imperial Palace. [Music] The Imperial Palace is located near Tokyo Station in the very center of the city and is the official residence of Japan’s Emperor Naruhito. Although he has no political power these days, Japan still honors the royal family as a symbol of the state and unity of the people. The palace is located on the former site of the Ado Castle which was the seed of Tokugawa Shogunit power from the early 1600s to the Maji period in the late 1800s when the capital of Japan was moved from Kyoto to Tokyo and the emperor was relocated there. To get there, take the subway to Otachi Station and go out exit C13B, which brings you close to the Ot Gate, the main entrance to the Imperial Palace East Gardens, which was originally the main gate to the Ado Castle. If you want to visit the actual Imperial Palace grounds itself, you’re required to take a guided tour, which is given twice a day at 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. every day except for Sundays, Mondays, and public holidays, which you can technically register online, but it appears all the bookings are always booked these days. They do allow 300 people each day on a first come, first- serve basis, which the registration starts at both 9:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. But by the time I arrived, I already missed it as it’s extremely competitive. However, even if you join a tour, you don’t get to see the actual imperial palace where the emperor resides. Apparently, you get to see one side of the ceremonial palace called Cuden, as well as the surrounding grounds. But luckily without a reservation, you can still see the East Gardens, which opened up to the public in 1968 to commemorate the Maji Centennial and features remnants of the original Ado Castle, all surrounded by beautiful castle walls and moes for a pretty unique experience, especially in the middle of downtown Tokyo. To be completely honest, the Imperial Palace is mostly worth visiting due to its significance. So, if you’re someone who would prefer another serene nature park, I want to recommend one of the nicest parks I went to called Koishiawa Korakuen Garden. One of the oldest gardens in Tokyo, dating back to the year 1629 in the early ado period. [Music] The Koishiawa Korakuen Garden is located near the Tokyo Dome, a massive indoor baseball stadium home to the Yomiuri Giants. To get there, you can take the subway to Kodakuen station, go out exit 2, and take the overpass to arrive at the entrance. The garden costs 300 yen to enter. And as soon as you go inside, it’s like you’re being transported to another planet with a nice blend of both Japanese and Chinese traditional elements, making it really unique as it was modeled after famous landscapes in both countries. And I think it’s relatively unknown for tourists as there weren’t that many people and it was extremely quiet. It’s a great place to just wander around and marvel at the different unique architecture as well as the serene nature right out of a story book. And with the lack of people, it also felt like nature was thriving within the park with some beautiful herand perched up on the rocks and other birds roaming around peacefully without a care in the world. It was definitely one of the most memorable parts of my trip, so I’d strongly recommend trying to fit it into your itinerary on other days if you decide to visit the Imperial Palace instead, especially for those who are into more quaint and quiet places. And after visiting the Imperial Palace or the Garden, it’s time to head to Tokyo Station by walking east from the palace. Or if you visited the garden, you can take the Madunoi line from Korakuan Station to Tokyo Station. Tokyo station is one of the main transport hubs in Tokyo, especially for the high-speed Shinkansen rail, and it’s also a historical landmark. Opening in 1914, designed by Tatsuno King, who blended together Japanese craftsmanship with European architecture. It’s just a good place to check out for about 10 to 20 minutes, take some photos, and maybe grab lunch in the basement before we head over to one of Tokyo’s fanciest neighborhoods of Ginsa. And to get there, just walk south from Tokyo station about 5 minutes. [Music] [Applause] [Music] The name Ginsza means silver mint, as there used to be a governmentrun silver coin mint back in the early 1600s. And in modern day Tokyo, it developed into an artisan and merchant district, which unfortunately had a massive fire in 1872 and was restored and modernized with westernins inspired brick buildings being built there that were seen as being more fireresistant. Today, it’s one of the fanciest areas in all of Tokyo. Home to all the luxury brands, various department stores and shopping malls with fancy cars on display, and of course, highclass accessories and fashion all over the place. And to be honest, I have no interest in any of this stuff, so I can’t give much advice. But if you know anything about Japanese stationery, you’ve probably heard that it’s pretty good. And Kinsza is home to one of the most famous and reputable stationary stores called Etoya, which has been around since 1904 with multiple floors of different stationery such as planners, notebooks, business tools, and home office design. There are pens of all price ranges that go all the way up to almost $10,000 or as cheap as $2, which to me still felt like the best pen I’d ever used. It’s a great place to buy some highquality Japanese souvenirs and definitely worth checking out if you’re interested in this sort of thing. After spending the afternoon in Ginsa, it’s time to head over to what used to be the home of the world’s largest wholesale fish market, the Tsukiji Outer Market. To get there from Ginsa, you can take the Heibia line to Tsukiji station and get out exit A1 or walk about 20 minutes south. Although the wholesale fish market was moved to Toyosu in 2018, the Tsukiji Outer Market still exists and it’s thriving with various fresh seafood and street food that anyone can enjoy. When I visited in 2012, it was quite lively and interesting and one of the most memorable parts of my trip. I wasn’t able to make it back during my recent trip to film this video, but I’d feel bad not including it here as it was so much fun back then. Although there are a lot of people online saying it’s more of a tourist trap now. So I’m going to leave it as a place probably worth it for many, but further research is required before committing to it in my opinion. We’re now at the point where we have seen a lot of Tokyo’s most famous landmarks and it’s time to decide what type of trip you want to do depending on your interests. I’ll recommend three different options here. One for the sightseer who wants to keep exploring Tokyo at the same pace. one for the family or for those interested in things like theme parks and one for those who want to include a visit to the nearby Mount Fuji. For the traveler who wants to keep exploring Tokyo or for the family interested in smaller activities, we’re going to start off day five at Tokyo’s futuristic entertainment and shopping district built on Tokyo Bay called Oda. Oda stems from the word da which means fortress because there used to be a bunch of fortresses here built in the 1800s to protect Tokyo from naval attacks. To get here, you can take the futuristic Ringai subway line that goes over the water to Tokyo Teleport Station and go out exit B, where you’ll arrive at a walkway that goes straight to Diver City with awesome views of the Fuji Television Network building with a cool iconic sphere on top. Diver City is a massive shopping complex with a little something for everyone. And there’s a good chance you’ve heard of the anime Gundam Wing from the ‘9s where wars were fought with big mobile suits. Well, Diver City is home to the Gundam Wing statue that has become incredibly famous, and it’s a good 20 m or so high. There’s also a Gundam Wing store right behind the statue for those who are curious. And apart from Diver City, Odiva is a great place to go for a walk around and explore with a lot of space as well. You can walk north to Aqua City for more shopping and see beautiful views of Tokyo from across the bay with the rainbow bridge and for some reason its own Statue of Liberty. You can also walk south to Midikan or the National Museum of Emerging Science in Innovation Japan which has various exhibits and classes all to do with science and tech that could be interesting especially for kids. I noticed that I barely recognized the island on my recent trip because there used to be a massive ferris wheel here, which has now disappeared, but there’s a pretty cool go-kart track called City Circuit Tokyo Bay that’s still around. It’s hard to give a quick summary of Old, but it’s worth exploring for just about every type of traveler with things like Legoland and Sega Joyful theme parks for kids. There are boat rides nearby called the Tokyo Cruise which take you all the way up the Sumito River all the way to Asakusa where we started our itinerary and you can take the Yudi Cam line from Aomi station to Shintoyosu station for the incredibly popular Team Lab planets which to be honest I’m not very interested in but it’s famous for being a really immersive digital art museum that a lot of travelers love to visit and take photos. Honestly, there are travelers that could easily spend all day at Oda. There’s so many things to do there. But for those who want to keep exploring in the afternoon, I’d like to recommend the Buddhist temple Sangakuji. And to get there, we’re going to take the subway about 30 minutes to Sangakuji station and get out exit A2. Sangakuji is not flashy or grand, but it has one of the most interesting histories of any temple I’ve been to. being the resting place of the 47 Ronin, a group of samurai who became legends for avenging the death of their lord Asano Naganori during the Ado period known as the Ako incident. I’ll link a documentary that goes over the 47 Ronin samurai. And if you watch it, you’ll probably think it’s so cool that this might become your favorite stop of the whole itinerary. When you enter the temple, it looks pretty ordinary and frankly like a neighborhood Japanese Buddhist temple. very modest in design, but you’ll see a sign to the back of the temple leading to the Ako Gishi graves. And it’s here where you find the resting place of the samurai. You pay 300 yen, and they give you incense to lay down at each of the graves to pay your respects. And if you did your homework a bit beforehand, it really feels like you’re honoring some of the most respected samurai in Japanese history. This ended up being one of my favorite parts of the trip. Now it’s time for dinner. And if you want, you could spend the evening at Ropongi Hills, which is the international district of Tokyo, as it had a lot of American influence after World War II. And to get there, you can take the subway to Roongi station. Here you can find lots of restaurants and bars all over the neighborhood to relax after a long day. Or another great option would be to check out the Tokyo Tower, built in 1958, of course, inspired by the Eiffel Tower. and you can get there by taking the subway to Kamiacho station and going out exit one. The tower has a really nice observatory to check out, especially at night. And even though I don’t prefer it to the other observatories I’ve listed in this video, it had to be included as it’s arguably the most famous landmark in Tokyo. Now, for families and travelers who are into theme parks, an alternative day five to Oda would be to spend the day at Disneyland. And to get there, take the subway to Myama Station, which takes you to the entrance of the Tokyo Disney Resort. And you can walk to Disneyland, which is meant more for families, or take the Disney Resort line to Disney Sea, which is meant for all ages. Personally, I’ve never been to the Disneyland here, but I’ve been to Disney Sea a while back, which is a great time overall with a good variety of rides. And you can get discounts on tourist websites such as Kuke if you want. Also, as an extra for Harry Potter fans, there is the Warner Brothers Studio Tour located in Nitima City in Western Tokyo, which is the world’s largest indoor Harry Potter movie set experience and exhibition. And I’m sure some people would be interested in seeing it. And then, of course, there’s the famous Studio Ghibli Museum even further west. But tickets are incredibly hard to come by as they’re always sold out months in advance. So, I’ve never gotten the opportunity to check it out. But that’s enough theme park talk. So, let’s get back to exploring the Tokyo Greater area as we are going to do a day trip to the nearby coastal city of Kamakura for day six. Suitable for both the sightseer and the family. [Music] Kamakura is a coastal city with a lot of history as it was once the political center of Japan during the Kamakura shogunit from the late 10th to early 14th century. These days you can expect a bit of a blend between nature and history with various temples, shrines and hikes to go on which are a nice break from spending a lot of time in Tokyo. It takes about an hour away from Tokyo by riding the JR Yokosuka line to Kamakura station and then you can transfer to the Anoden line and ride 5 minutes to H station. From here you can start walking up the hill to the two main attractions of Kamakura. And before we start, I want to mention that the less known temple I explored around this area was a lot more interesting, at least in my opinion. And consider doing a Google map search of all the various temples and shrines in the area as I have a feeling a lot of them will be really nice. and I definitely plan on checking them out later on. After getting off the subway, while walking up the hill, I realized that I had entered another area with really heavy tourism. And although the surroundings were really beautiful, it was hard to get a real feel for them just because of the sheer amount of people around. But while making these guide videos, it’s important to show off the most popular attractions as that’s what most people are interested in, and then offer my own advice to travelers that are looking for something a little more quiet and peaceful like myself. With that out of the way, after walking about 10 minutes up the hill, you arrive at Kotokuin on the right side, which is the dautsu or great Buddha of Kamakura. It costs 300 yen to enter and stands over 13 m tall. And the statue has been around since all the way back in 1252. It’s quite impressive that a statue of this size was built so many years ago, and it’s definitely interesting to look at. But as someone who has been so spoiled traveling around Asia, seeing various temples and statues, this one wasn’t quite on top just because of its influx of tourists. So arriving early would be recommended if possible. After looking at Kotokuin, which should take about 20 minutes, you can start heading back down the hill and to the right to find Hedera Temple, which costs 400 yen for adults. Hedera is a Jooek Buddhist temple that was founded in the 8th century. Situated amongst the hills with a beautiful path leading up to it that looks straight out of a Zelda game. And when you arrive at the top, there’s a peaceful plaza area with multiple wooden structures and statues. And inside you can find a statue of canon which is also inside Senoji from the beginning of this itinerary. Hi is famous for having a path of hydrangea flowers to walk around, which needs a separate reservation that can be booked online or on site if you arrive early enough. And there’s also a nice observation deck to get some good views into Kamakura City and the surrounding beach called Yuiga Hama Beach, which speaking of is relatively nice with decent sand and somewhat clear waters. But I think exploring the historical side of Kamakura is more worth it. And the next place I’ll introduce is one that I had absolutely no expectations of but ended up being the highlight of my day called Enakuji. And to get there, first make your way back to Kamakura Station either on foot or by taking the Anodin line again. And then you can take the JR Yokosuka line back towards Tokyo one stop to Kita Kamakura Station. And the temple is right outside the exit. Ingakuji costs 500 yen to enter and it’s one of the most important Zen temples in Kamakura. Founded in the late 1200s by a Chinese Zen master named Mugakuen and was built to honor the fallen warriors during the Mongol invasions and promote Zen teaching to the samurai class compared to Hedera and Kotokuin from earlier. Inakuji was relatively quiet, located in the middle of the forest and gives you a feeling of instantly being transported to another time period. Exactly the type of temple experience that I love. It’s also a good way to experience the old Kamakura traditional architecture with some very modest wooden structures that aren’t particularly flashy, but very harmonious with the surroundings. Inside the main prayer hall, you can find a crowned Buddha statue that’s one of the earliest and largest crowned Buddha statues in the region. And the exploration doesn’t stop at the prayer hall as you can continue forth to the chhatteden or relic hall. A singlestory Chinese style wooden hall you’re allowed to walk in on select days and houses a relic of the Buddha officially recognized as a national treasure. You can keep exploring the temple grounds which have a lot of other nice structures to look at and the overall experience is quite peaceful and quiet making it one of the most memorable temples I’ve seen in Japan. Honestly, it made me wish I spent more time in Kamakura checking out other similar temples and shrines nearby. And that’s why I recommended checking out other places maybe lesser known on Google as well. But it’s now the end of day six for the sights here and family. So, it’s time to talk about a potential 2-day plan to visit Japan’s tallest mountain, which is also an active volcano, Mount Fuji. [Music] Before we start, I just want to mention that this isn’t a trip to climb Mount Fuji, which can also be done, but to go to a nearby town called Kawaguchi, which has a lake with an incredible view of the mountain. And you can technically make it a day trip as it takes about 2 hours each way. But I think it’s a bit too much for most people. So, I’ll recommend an overnight trip there as it was one of the more memorable experiences from our trip. There’s a train called the Fuji excursion that leaves right from Shinjuku station in Tokyo four times a day and also returns from Kawaguchiko station four times a day. You might have heard of the JR pass which gives you access to all JR group trains including the Shinkansen bullet trains, but the Fuji excursion train runs off of a special reservation system. So only half of the trip is covered by the JR pass and at least the second half of the trip must be booked separately either from a website like Cluke or you can use the JRE site. And both methods don’t require the JR pass to book and they both cost about 4,000 yen each way. When you ride the Fuji excursion from Shinjuku station, make your way to JR train platform 9 or 10, which are the JR Chu line platforms. And the Fuji excursion train is only train cars number one to three. as the rest of the train splits off at Otsuki station about halfway there and goes in a different direction. So, make 100% sure that you’re riding the right train car and sit in the right seat. The ride is extremely comfortable, takes about 2 hours, and there are power outlets and free Wi-Fi if needed. Instead of going all the way to Kawaguchiko station, we decided to get off at Shimo Yoshida station as we wanted to check out one of the most famous pagotas in Japan with a beautiful view of Mount Fuji called the Chetto Pagora. To get there, you can walk about 20 minutes northwest of the station. Churto Pagota was built in 1963 as a peace memorial to honor citizens of Fuji Yoshida who died in wars starting from the Maji period through to World War II. When you arrive, you’ll see a lot of stairs, followed by the Adohama Shrine, which was originally built in 705 AD, built to enshrine Kunohana Sakuyaime, the Shinto goddess of Mount Fuji and all volcanoes in Japan. When you continue up the pagod, there are countless sets of really steep stairs. So, be prepared for what feels like an actual hike, as most people, including us, were panting quite heavily by the time they got to the top. Then you arrive at the beautiful orange pagota with a little observatory deck built for people to take pictures of because there will be a lot of people doing just that. And there’s a good chance that there will be clads like this as apparently Fuji’s cloudy about 80% of the time. But it was still definitely worth the stop. After visiting the pagod, you can head into Kawaguchiko by heading back on the train to Kawaguchiko station. Kawaguchiko is part of the Fuji 5 lakes region that all have really impressive views of Mount Fuji. It’s set up like a tourist town and you might have heard of the story of the loss and convenience store that decided to block the view of Mount Fuji by installing a big black barrier because of the people taking photos there. Well, that has since been taken down and people are back in action getting those Instagram photos in. Walking around the town, there are a lot of different restaurants, gift shops, cafes, and you can go for boat rides along the lake if you want. For us, we wanted to take the opportunity to stay in a hotel with traditional Japanese tadami mats with a view of Mount Fuji, the most expensive hotel we’ve ever stayed in, which included an onsen and a really fancy breakfast buffet. It was definitely an unforgettable experience. The next day, the earliest Fuji excursion train leaves at about 2 p.m. So, you can wake up, keep enjoying the views of Fuji, have some food nearby, and just relax for the day before heading back to Tokyo to end day six, and rest up for your final day in Tokyo. [Music] It’s now day seven and if you followed this itinerary, there’s a good chance you haven’t seen everything I recommended yet, such as the Koishiawa Kurakuan Garden with influence from Japanese and Chinese landmarks, or maybe even Senakuji, the Buddhist temple built to honor the 47 Ronin samurai. So, it’d be a good idea to check out some of the places you missed in the morning if you’re curious. And one thing I always notice while traveling to Tokyo is there are always areas that I want to check out more than once. You might want to head back to Akiabara to Shinjuku or Shibuya to keep exploring as every area has too much to see in one day. You might also want to do some shopping at Uniqlo which can be seen kind of like Japan’s own H&M that I find higher in quality with similar pricing. Or there’s Muji, which has a lot of household items and clothing with really simple and nice aesthetics. You can find both chains all over the city, no problem. Or even better, go to a secondhand clothing store as they have so much variety and you’ll probably see something you really didn’t expect, too. Another good idea I love doing is to spend some time inside one of the underground shopping areas linked to the major subway stations. Just walking around, people watching, and entering the random stores to see what you can find is always nice. But if you’re looking for something new and you’re interested in collectibles or hobbies in any way, shape, or form, then look no further. Go to Nakano City’s very own Nakano Broadway in western Tokyo. And to get there, take the subway to Nakono Station and get out of the north exit. The shopping center will be right in front of you. At Nakano Broadway, you can find a multi-story shopping complex that’s been around since 1966 and was once a state-of-the-art shopping mall, but it struggled as newer shopping centers emerged in areas like Shibuya and Shinjuku. So, a little place called Mandarake, a secondhand manga and collectible store, opened up in 1980, which completely revived the shopping complex in a different light, catering to various subculture hobbyist stores that sell literally everything that people enjoy collecting. and it takes up most of Nakano Broadway. Now, walking around you can find anime figures, superhero collectibles, antique toys, Star Wars, Pokemon and other collectible cards, video games, sports memorabilia, toy trains, old manga. You name it, you think it, they got it. They even had Beast Wars toys from that Transformers spin-off that was popular when I was a little kid. And it’s good to note that a lot of the stores don’t start opening up until 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. So don’t arrive too early here. Yeah, basically if going down a trip memory lane interests you at all, you’re going to be spending a lot of time here. So just browse around the shopping mall and treat it like a museum where everything can be purchased, too. And you might find yourself an amazing souvenir that you probably couldn’t find anywhere else on the planet. Also, the Nakano Sunmal Shopping Street is located right outside, which has a ton of stores and restaurants to go to. I had the best tonkatu or pork cutlet I’ve ever had nearby, which I’ll link with a really friendly owner. So, definitely give it a try. And that should cover you for the morning. So, it’s time to end the trip with in my mind probably the most underrated tourist destination in Tokyo, Iikbukuro. And to get there, take the Chu line from Nakono Station to Shinjuku Station. Then ride the psycho or Yamanote line to Eekuro station and get out the east exit. Ekbukuro also has quite a history to it being known as Yamii or black market city after World War II because a lot of goods were traded there after the war. Then a lot of department stores were built and it emerged as a really diverse cultural district of Tokyo. You can kind of think of it like a blend of Akiyabara, Harajuku, Shinjuku, and Shibuya, as they have everything from anime stores, including those on Uto Road specifically targeted towards females interested in BL or boys love manga, of course, with another Don Kiote, clothing stores everywhere, big camera for electronics, and you get shopping and sightseeing here catered to literally everyone. And by the way, the Super Potato here for retro games was absolutely empty compared to the Akiabato one as well. Maybe I just got lucky. And hopefully I don’t contribute too much to overcrowding there from this video, but it was definitely worth going. And the overall reason I pick Eekuro to end the trip is I treat it kind of like a summary of the entire trip up to this point. You’ll see bits and pieces from the other famous neighborhoods. And although it is touristy, it feels a bit less like an Instagram spot to take photos and more like a neighborhood where people hang out and have fun. It has a lot of soul to it and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. For dinner, we visited the budget sushido franchise. A cheap conveyor belt sushi restaurant that’s always absolutely packed with lines, but this one in particular is so massive with almost 100 tables, big screens to order from, and a fun and casual atmosphere to end the trip on a high note. [Music] And that wraps up 7 Days in Tokyo for firsttime travelers to get the full experience to the best of my knowledge. But I want to stress again, if you’re watching this video, I’d strongly consider going to some more random areas around the city, too. You might feel like you’re missing out, but it always ends up being the highlight of my trips. just traveling around without any expectations, finding hidden gems, and watching life go on. Before signing out, I’ll finish the video with some extra tips that I think will be helpful for you to plan your trip as well. And let’s start out with when you should go. Most guide videos out there will show you Tokyo’s weather like this and recommend either the spring to see the cherry blossoms or sakura or the fall time to see the autumn leaves change colors, which I would agree would be the most pleasant times weatherwise to explore the city without it being too hot. But I’m going to expand on this. First of all, avoid the summer at all costs. It’s so hot and humid. And on top of it, a lot of families have vacations around this time anyways, so it’s not going to be that much less crowded. But what about the winter? I’m going to do a hot take here. Tokyo doesn’t actually get that cold, at least in the perspective of a Canadian. The coldest month of January is around plus 8° C during the day and plus 2 at night. So, if you’re okay with exploring with some layers and a jacket on, there’s a good chance that this is when the least amount of people will be visiting. And this trip isn’t a fully nature focused trip anyways as Tokyo is a massive city. So I wouldn’t worry too much about seeing the peak Sakura or autumn leaf season surrounded by other tourists. And I’d personally prefer to explore around when it’s quieter at my own pace as it doesn’t typically get cold enough to take much away. And you get the added bonus of maybe being able to see Mount Fuji covered in snow, which looks like it’d be absolutely beautiful. If you don’t mind being surrounded by other tourists, then take everyone else’s advice and go when the weather is nicest during the spring from mid-March to early June or fall from midepptember to late November. Now, let’s talk about where to stay. When picking a place to stay, there are a few things to consider, primarily being location, atmosphere, and price. As far as location goes, there probably isn’t a better area to stay at than somewhere near Shinjuku. as you’ll be central enough to easily travel to all the places on this guide, including the Fuji excursion train to Mount Fuji, and it has a lot of things to do during your downtime when you aren’t traveling. However, there are a lot of people around Shinjuku at all hours of the night, especially near Kabuki Cho. So, I’ll recommend an alternative for those looking for a quieter area. And to be honest, I’m not an expert on all areas of Tokyo, but I stayed within walking distance of Eekuro in Toshima City, and it was a very quiet neighborhood, which was really peaceful to come back to at the end of everyday exploring around the busy city. It was also close enough to the action where I didn’t really feel like I was missing out that much. And I had more opportunities to explore lesserknown parts of Tokyo as a result. So, I’d recommend anywhere directly west of Eekuro station as a good area for people looking for somewhere more quiet. Then, when it comes to price, you’ll be spending the most on hotels in the more central areas like Shinjuku and less at the less central subway stations. But, Tokyo is such a welltraveled city that I wouldn’t expect to get any huge deals for staying a bit out of the way. So, I’d still prioritize location and atmosphere. And now, let’s talk about how to get to central Tokyo from the airport. [Music] Tokyo has two main airports, Hanida, which is in central Tokyo, and Narita, which is about an hour east in the city of Chiba. If you can manage to get a flight into Hanida, it’s a lot faster to get into the city, as you can simply take the KQ airport line, which operates like a regular subway line and takes about 30 minutes to an hour to get to most places in central Tokyo. So, just buy your IC card if needed at the airport and hop on the train to get to your destination. If you arrive at the bigger and more commonly used Narita airport, although there’s a local train called the Ques Narita Sky Access that goes into the city, it’ll take about 1 and 12 to 2 hours to get to most places in central Tokyo. So, I’d recommend taking the Skyliner, which is a faster train that needs a reservation and takes 36 minutes to get to Nepoti station in central Tokyo. and then you can transfer to a bunch of different lines, making the total trip about an hour. I’d recommend buying a Skyliner ticket on a website like Cluke in advance for a bit of a discount. To get to the Skyliner, follow the signs to the Kes line until you find the ticket counter, which has ticket machines next to it. And then just scan the QR code they give you to the Skyliner ticket machines to print your ticket. And then put the ticket into the subway gates and hold on to it until you get off the train. Your train car number and seat number are also written on the ticket. For travelers with a lot of luggage that are worried about riding the regular subways with your bags, there are also airport buses that go pretty directly to many different areas in Tokyo. It might take a bit longer, but I think it’d be worth it for many people. Just follow the signs to the buses, show the ticket counter the location you’re staying at, and they’ll help you find the closest bus and tell you which bus stop to go to, as well as the departure time. And now, let’s talk a bit about how to ride the subway, cuz you’ll be riding it a lot. Tokyo’s subway system is one of the best in the world, but it’s arguably one of the most confusing systems I’ve ever ridden, as it’s not run by one company, but by different companies operating different lines. To get directions, you can simply use Google Maps and search for public transportation directions, and it’ll tell you all the information you need to know, including the subway line, the direction it’s heading in, the platform number, where to get off or transfer, what exit to go out, and more. I’m going to make a detailed video on how to use Google Maps to get around in Tokyo, so stay tuned for that. And one important thing to mention is when you’re transferring from one subway line to another, if it’s the same subway company, such as Tokyo Metro or JR, you can usually simply transfer inside the platform area without having to leave the gates. But if you’re transferring from one company’s subway to another, you have to leave the gates, find the right subway line, and then rescan your card to get back in. This means you’re constantly walking in and out of subway gates to get to your destination, and it makes it a lot easier to make a mistake. Also, it means that instead of buying individual tickets for each leg of each trip, it’s so much easier to get an IC card, like the Suika card or Pasmo card, which are both rechargeable cards that can be bought at the airport or at the subway stations at certain machines that are labeled as IC card machines, which you can also use to recharge the card with cash. All in English, too. It’s also possible to use Apple Pay to add a digital Suika card or Pasmo card to your iPhone or watch. And there’s the Osu Kai app on Android, but as far as I know, you have to be living in Japan with a Japanese bank account to use it. To use your card or phone for the subways, simply tap it each time you enter and exit the gates on the IC sensor, and it’ll automatically calculate the fair for you and sometimes give you a discount for transferring. Despite the somewhat confusing system, on the plus side, there are so many subway stations everywhere that I don’t think riding the city buses are necessary for the most part. But if you want to ride the bus, just tap your IC card or phone when you get on the back of the bus and then tap it once again when you get off at the front next to the driver. And as a side note, if you want to take a taxi somewhere, you can use the Go app, the SRE app, or even use Uber. And you don’t have to tip the taxi drivers. And with public transportation out of the way, let’s talk about SIM cards. To be honest, Japan is one of the more expensive countries when it comes to SIM cards, costing about 2,700 yen or more for 7 days when picking one up at the airport. But these days, almost every smartphone allows for e sims, which if you don’t know is just a digitalbased SIM card and is typically a lot cheaper than physical SIM cards with way less hassle to purchase and install. Just for comparison, since I live in Korea, I’m using the app Dshidak, which is only available here, and I can get a 7-day eim plan with 1 gig per day for about 20% of the price of the physical SIM cards at the airport. But for others around the world, I believe Aerelo or Sy are some of the main apps that are used. Just do a quick Google search to find the eim app for your country and they should have plans on the store that are quite a bit cheaper than the physical ones as well. Just double check that your phone can install them and then browse for the plan that suits you. And just so you know, free public Wi-Fi isn’t accessible enough to go without a SIM card in my opinion as it helps so much having data just getting around the city. If you need a physical SIM card because you have an older phone or something, then I would search on Amazon and order one before going to Japan, as even the ones you find there are cheaper than waiting until you get to Tokyo. So, what about the language barrier? [Music] As you probably know, Japan doesn’t natively speak English, so a lot of people are probably curious about the language barrier. And if I were you, I’d recommend studying a few phrases in Japanese before going. I found a website called Boutique Japan that I’m not associated with, but they give a great guide with 20 important phrases to learn, including a video on pronunciation. So, I’d recommend starting there or somewhere similar. And if you need to say something more complex, you can always use Google Translate and just talk or type into it to automatically translate and then you can just show it to the person you’re talking to. When it comes to reading, you can also use the Google Translate app, which has a camera feature that will automatically translate written Japanese into English. And I just want to mention that you’ll probably run into a lot of Japanese people that speak English. But I’m going to say, please don’t expect them to. People in Japan don’t need English in their daily lives. And the amount of tourists I’ve seen getting frustrated with Japanese people that couldn’t speak English was really upsetting, making me just hope that whoever’s watching this and travels to Japan tries to at least learn a few Japanese phrases and make a little bit of effort to try doing things in Japanese when possible. Even just the simple things like hello and thank you go a long way. You’ll have some awkward moments here and there, ordering food and all that, but you’ll also make some great memories if you put a bit of effort into it. Now, let’s talk about getting cash at ATMs and paying for things. When it comes to paying for things, Japan has still held on to the tradition of using cash at a lot of places. So, you’ll definitely need to take out some money from an ATM, which is usually better than exchanging cash at the airport. I’d recommend using the ATMs found at 7-Eleven convenience stores, which charge the following fees. Also, I noticed in Tokyo a lot of places are starting to accept cards. You can usually find a little sign posted outside the store or restaurant that lists all the various payment methods they take. And a lot of the time, if they don’t accept cards, there will be a sign saying cash only. So, if you’re like me and you have a card that’s very international friendly, like Wise, you can use that at most places when possible and then just use the cash as a backup. I only had to use cash at certain restaurants if that helps too. And when you’re using cash, just place it on the little trays at the cash register instead of handing it to them directly, unless they put out their hands first to take your cash. And that wraps up my guide to get the most out of Tokyo in 7 days. It’s one of the most exciting and vibrant places to visit. A true one-of-a-kind gem where if you’ve never been there, you’re really in for a treat. So, I hope this video helped out a little bit just to make things easier to plan your trip and check out a variety of videos from different channels to get different recommendations tailored to different people, too. I just want to say thank you so much for hanging in there and watching my video and have an amazing trip to Tokyo.

Hello everyone! I just spent a few weeks staying in Tokyo, and decided to make a 7 day itinerary video for travelers that want to get the most out of their trip there. The itinerary includes most of the famous attractions, and also some alternatives for those looking for quieter places to check out. I also realize that not all travelers are the same, so I tried to tailor the guide as much as possible for all types of travelers (sightseer/family/theme park lovers). Also keep in mind that there are commonly asked questions at the end of the video such as how to use the public transportation, how to navigate the language barrier, and also how to withdraw money and pay for things on your trip there. Please enjoy the video!

⚠️⚠️⚠️ TOKYO 7 DAY ITINERARY WITH ALL LOCATION LINKS ⚠️⚠️⚠️ https://docs.google.com/document/d/12zuRymHYBLoYesN9gDJhMeI1c6_A3sArRoB9H0SM-KM/edit?usp=sharing

🌐📱 Other Websites and Apps Listed in Video (The Klook links are typically cheaper for you, and affiliate links and help support me):
🌐 Tokyo Skytree Tickets (Klook)
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🌐 Tokyo Skytree Tickets (Official)
https://www.tokyo-skytree.jp/en/ticket/individual/
🌐 Blog: Tokyo Imperial Palace Guided Tour
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3017.html
🌐 Tokyo Imperial Palace Reservation
https://sankan.kunaicho.go.jp/english/about/koukyo.html
🌐 Disneyland Tickets (Klook)
https://affiliate.klook.com/redirect?aid=96239&aff_adid=1103404&k_site=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.klook.com%2Factivity%2F695-tokyo-disney-resort-1-day-pass-tokyo%2F%3Fspm%3DSearchResult.SearchResult_LIST%26clickId%3Daa702437f2
🌐 Disneyland Tickets (Official)
https://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/ticket/index.html
🌐 Fuji Excursion Train Tickets (Klook)
https://affiliate.klook.com/redirect?aid=96239&aff_adid=1103404&k_site=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.klook.com%2Fjapan-rail%2Fshinjuku-station%2Fkawaguchiko-station%2F%3Fspm%3DSearchResult.SearchResult_LIST%26clickId%3D4a8b16ecd1
🌐 Fuji Excursion Train Tickets (Official)
https://www.jreast.co.jp/multi/en/traininformation/azusa_kaiji/
🌐 Blog: TokyoFiles Ikebukuro’s yami-ichi (post-war black market), in miniature

Ikebukuro’s yami-ichi (post-war black market), in miniature

🌐 Apple Pay Suica/Pasmo Card Guide
https://support.apple.com/en-us/108772
📱 Osaifu Keitai App to Add Suica/Pasmo Card to Android (Living in Japan Only)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.felicanetworks.mfm.main&hl=en&pli=1
📱GO Taxi App
https://go.goinc.jp/lp/inbound
📱S.Ride Taxi App
https://www.sride.jp/en/
📱Uber
https://www.uber.com/
🌐 E-Sim Compatible Smartphones
https://esimcard.com/esim-compatible/?srsltid=AfmBOoqhdJLnoE1S0QG9clw4P7y-UHLoWM1JiP-QJre3dBX9oTaGN7V1
📱Airalo: E-Sim App
https://www.airalo.com/
📱Saily: E-Sim App
https://saily.com/
🌐 Boutique Japan: 20 Essential Japanese Phrases for Travelers to Japan

20 Essential Japanese Phrases for Travelers to Japan

🎥 Other Videos Used in Video:

Hachiko (1987) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]

TOKYO, JAPAN 1983

Akihabara, Tokyo Neon Billboards and Traffic, 1990s Japan

History’s Most Feared Warriors: What Made The Samurai So Hard To Fight?

Tokyo in 1964

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
2:07 Day 1: Asakusa and Shinjuku
12:10 Day 2: Harajuku and Shibuya
18:33 Day 3: Ueno and Akihabara
25:32 Day 4: Tokyo Station and Ginza
32:20 Day 5 (3 Choices)
32:41 Day 5 (Sightseer or Family): Odaiba
37:09 Day 5/6 Alternative (Theme Park Lovers/Families): Disneyland or Harry Potter
38:17 Day 6 (Sightseer/Family): Kamakura
43:28 Day 5+6 Alternative: Trip to Kawaguchiko to See Mount Fuji
47:28 Day 7: Nakano Broadway and Ikebukuro
53:20 FAQ: When to Go to Tokyo?
54:51 FAQ: Where to Stay?
56:17 FAQ: How to Get to Central Tokyo from the Airport
58:12 FAQ: How to Ride the Subway (And Buses and Taxis)
1:00:43 FAQ: Best SIM Card to Use
1:02:03 FAQ: How to Navigate the Language Barrier
1:03:29 FAQ: Using ATMs and Paying for Things
1:04:33 Outro

Patreon/Donations:
𝐏 Patreon: https://patreon.com/user?u=83742549
🅿️ Paypal: paypal.me/lostthenfound

🛒 Our Video Equipment:
https://www.amazon.ca/hz/wishlist/ls/121NYWGIJTXXU?ref_=wl_share&tag=lostthenfou00-20