My Favorites in Tokyo, Things to Do, Places to Visit, Trying Foods, Snacks + the BEST Ramen & Gyoza

My Favorites in Tokyo, Things to Do, Places to Visit, Trying Foods, Snacks + the BEST Ramen & Gyoza

If you haven’t been following my adventures in Japan this far, we have enjoyed a taste of island life in Okinawa, dusted off our Mickey ears at the Tokyo Disney Resort. And we’re wrapping up our short trip with a few days in the city. There’s absolutely no way I could list all of the amazing things to see and eat here and keep this video a reasonable length. So, I’m just sharing a few of our favorites across different areas of the city. So, buckle up and let’s get going. Starting off in the Weno Park area, you have Weno Station, which is a really convenient place to catch both the metro and the JR. Just behind the train station is Weno Park which is home to both the Tokyo National and Metropolitan Art Museums, the National Museum of Western Art, Royal Museum, Shinobazuno Pond, Toshogu Shrine, and of course the Weno Zoo. I haven’t been to the zoo here, but this is a great chance to see pandas if you’re from my neck of the woods, since they’re only at a few locations back in the States. Hey, little guy. We were here later in the day, but it looks like there are some vendors a bit closer to the shrine area. The last time we visited Tokyo was many years ago, and it’s crazy to see how much more built up this area is. Could be just my goldfish memory, but I don’t remember there being so many big shops and restaurants in the Weno area. You can find everything from Uniqlo to Taito Station, gaming and claw machine arcades, thrift stores and restaurants. You have tons of options. You’ll want to head to Amayyoko Street, which is pretty much an area with loads of great smaller shops and isakaya, which are basically casual sidewalk bars that have really yummy, affordable food and drinks. You can grab some produce or get some freshly cut fruit to start your day. Little Muscat grape candy. This looks like it’s going to be hard. M. The grapes themselves were delicious, but if you’re scared for your dental work, I may get the version without sugar. I don’t know that I needed my grapes to be sweeter, but this is a great way to start my day. I’m not mad at all. All right, let’s keep eating. Here’s a quick look at the menu from one of the izakaya just to show you an idea of the prices and offerings. Many of these places also charge a seating fee per person, and it varies for different places. We just got a highball of gin and soda and a super dry beer. We also got some gyoza and fried potatoes. This is like a salad with conjac noodles and a sesame sauce. This is the fried tofu and broth. These are the smelt. Maybe I sound like a dummy, but I’m impressed with this parking situation. I wonder how it works if you’re parked on top. Do I have to be like, “Hey neighbor, uh, I need to run to Costco. Can we play musical cars real quick?” It wouldn’t be me if I didn’t eat my way through every place I visited. So, here are a few food recommendations. First is Harapico Oando, which is an adorable little shop next to the park further away from all the hub. Everything here is super fresh in that 400 yen and under range. There are both sweet and savory options, and the shop owner was the absolute sweetest person. We got the coffee jelly with whipped cream on top. Coffee jelly is really good. It’s not overly bitter, but you still get a good coffee flavor. And the whipped cream is definitely homemade, and it it tastes like a perfect cup of coffee. This is the kiwi sandwich. Homemade whipped cream, fresh kiwi. I don’t think that’s cumber nickel. The bread, I think, just happens to be brown. This is delicious. If you’re in the Weno Park area, I think this is the spot. This is an amazing second breakfast. Next up, some of the best food we ate during our entire trip, Vegan Goza. This is located a little bit north of Weno Park, nestled in a beautiful, peaceful neighborhood. There’s both indoor and outdoor seating available. Here’s a peek at the menu. The prices are pretty good, and they have a decent variety of options. They also have some local craft beers on top as well as sake and plum wine. We opted for the Jasberry and the after dark beers. This one has really smoky chocolate notes. No bitterness. It says that it might have a little bit of bitterness in the profile, but I’m not picking that up. And this Jaspberry is really good. It’s like a little bit sweet, but not overly sweet, but you definitely taste that raspberry. We also got the set of 11 gyoza for 2500 yen. Here they are in all their plump fil glory. I think they look kind of small in the shop, but they are a pretty good size. Here’s a closeup of the kimchi flavors, so you can get an idea of the ratio of filling. These were so good, guys. I swear I’m actually drooling a little bit just editing this. Our favorites were the ginger miso, kimchi, and shiake flavors, but by a really narrow margin, you can’t go wrong with any of these. We love them so much, we opted for a second helping of the kimchi, and the ginger miso. We also got the Daydream craft beer, and it was light, refreshing, citrus forward with zero bitterness. We really loved everything we tried. And between the great service, amazing gyoza, and delicious craft beer, I would highly encourage you to make this a priority on your trip. If you need a pickme up, another quick recommendation before we move on is Coffee Murasaki. Very good service, very good coffee, no notes. Before we leave Bueno, I do want to mention that this was the area we stayed in while we were visiting Tokyo. If you want a more detailed rundown of our hotel, I’ll link that video for you. Let’s keep it moving just south of Bueno to Electric Town, Akihabara. This one’s for my fellow nerds out there. If you’re into anime or electronics, this is the place for you. There are loads of hobby stores that sell Pokémon cards, model cards, or anime and manga figurines or even used video games, note here, they usually have a separate section for the games that work on American systems. Either way, there’s a lot of good treasure hunting to do here. And like most of the city, don’t be afraid to deviate from the main drag and explore. This is also where you’ll find an abundance of maid cafes, which is where staff dressed as maids typically serve coffee or desserts. There’s also plenty of adorable treats and vending machines around the area. Of course, there’s more of my favorite claw arcades like JGO. And this is a great place to live out your real life Mario Kart dreams. You know, I might be lured into a basement for some bunnies. This is entrance number one from Akihabara Station. Koko’s Curry House is right here. This was another one of our faves. Koko’s Koko is a chain of Japanese curry restaurants across Japan, and it’s pretty much a must. There’s free water. A staff member will seat you and you’ll do all your ordering from a tablet. then they’ll bring it out to you. Here’s an idea of what they have and the prices. Quick note in case I didn’t mention it or you’re unaware, you will not have to tip, not even at a full service restaurant in Japan. That’s not a thing here. And you can see things do sell out. They have a vegetarian option for a small upcharge. This was a Kieran draft. We obviously had to get two. Not bad for what 3.97 yen. Can’t beat that. We got the tonkatu curry spice level three and the cream croette crab curry spice level five and the cheese naan bread. I got it a five level spice. It’s so good. I really like spicy food, so it’s not too hot for me. Absolutely perfect. It’s a little bit of a mellow burn in the background. Let’s try some of this crab. So, it’s kind of like a mashed potato with some crab in it and it’s fried in those patty like panko thumbs. This is amazing. Need some privacy, please. The naan was good, but a little softer than I would have preferred. The pork here has a nice crispy breading. The meat itself was super tender and the level three or less is perfect if you’re not looking for anything spicy. Moving right along, there are lots of doniotees around the city. We just happen to go to the one in Akihara, so I thought I would mention it here. While I don’t think this is the cheapest place to get souvenirs, this is a great one-stop shop before you head to the airport, but leave lots of time because this place can get super crowded and you’ll get stuck in line. They have floors and floors of options. Seriously, you could lose hours in one of these stores. Let’s keep the party going and head east from here over to Asukusa right along the Sumito River. If you walk across the Azuma Bridge, you may recognize that little golden squiggly over there. And that is the headquarters for Asahi Beer. The downstairs area here has a bar, but we’re actually headed up to the Asahi Sky Room. Wow, this is so pretty. This is a fancy place where you can go get Asahi beer on tap, light snacks, and killer views of the city. Got a number. We’re going to bring the beer out. Look at the view. So, this is the half and half. And this is the other one. That smooth light barley flavor. This one’s really creamy. No bitterness at all. Yeah, I hope this is the winner. [Music] All right. So, we walked across I don’t know if you can see, we walked across that bridge after we had some beers, but we actually were in, if you can see where that glass is, we were right there when we had our beer earlier. Back across the bridge, we have a few major points of interest over here. If you’ve heard of Mossber, there’s one over here. And here’s a look at the menu, so you can pause if you’re curious. Looks like they have a few interesting things like the shrimp cutlet burger. So, what you’re looking at right now is Denboine Street, and it’s one of the pathways filled with food and goodies. We saw everything from sandwiches to desserts, some vegan options, Studio Ghibli merch, and even found some gacha pan. It was here that we wandered along and found some dango. I’m about to make a mess. M. Yeah, that’s pretty good. It’s really chewy, but the sauce is like sweet and salty. But these are good. I would eat these again. If you take my advice and wonder a little, you’ll find the Asakuzu Chaya Habanoshi, which is a dessert place to the west of the temple. you kind of can’t miss. Just look for the very long line. Here’s the menu. There’s lots of fancy options on here. We’re just going to go with the most popular one. And if you end up waiting at the front of the line, it’s fun to watch them make these. Not going to lie, I feel pretty fancy with my little golden flake on top. It’s like a little creme brulee top. There’s a lot. Not overly sweet. There’s saltine crackers in here, which honestly is delicious. It just adds like a little hint of salt and a crunch to break up the texture. If you still haven’t gotten your matcha fill, you can go to the special matcha suite, Kaminari, where they have a wide variety of matcha treats, including the matcha beer. There’s also some indoor seating here. That’s matcha. It’s like a matcha IPA, but it’s not so bitter. It’s a little bit smoother. It’s pretty good. Also in this area is the Senzo Gi, which is the oldest established temple in Tokyo. It’s absolutely beautiful and I would highly recommend you make it a stop. While Nakamise Street is the main shopping and food stall vein over here, please don’t be afraid to wander off course. There are some great options on the adjacent streets. Also, I actually would recommend this as one of the better places to pick up souvenirs. Full warning though, this place can get really packed. M looks really good. Yep. Time to keep it moving to the next area. This wasn’t too far away at all from where we were in the sky tree right there. Okay, for all my fashion girlies out there, this one is for us. We are headed to Genza. There is tons of shopping here. This is basically the fifth avenue of Tokyo. You’ll find all things designer here. You can even get secondhand designer items at a store like Brandoloff or Vintage Villa, including Mitsukoshi, which all you Epcot fans might recognize from the Japan Pavilion at Walt Disney World back home. Couple quick tips. If you head upstairs, you can relax and get a view at the Ginsa Chandelier Sky Room. Let’s face it, you’ll be doing a lot of walking, so this is a nice little break. The store also will have artisans in different areas, which I think makes for a super special souvenir. The store is several floors and is sectioned off almost like little boutiques, and everything is at different price points. So, don’t think just because you can’t buy expensive designer clothes, there’s nothing for you here. They have lots of special sets and gift boxes you can buy. This is also a great place to get some surprisingly affordable designer scarves, but it can be kind of a feeding frenzy. However, they do have a duty-free area upstairs where you can go and get a refund for a portion of the tax you paid. And as long as you’re a resident of a different place with an entry stamp on your passport and have spent at least 5,000 yen, you’re set. As per usual, I’ll link to the details in the description. There is also an art aquarium and a food hall for you to grab some snacks. We opted for ice cream. Barkeep make it a double. This is roasted green tea and black soybean. Yeah, that’s black bean. It’s still pretty mildly sweet, but the consistency isn’t good. It’s kind of like partially melted and it doesn’t seem very smooth. I say the flavor is really good. I don’t like the consistency. Meh. If you tuck outside, there’s also a really nice terrace. There’s some seating in the shade, too, and a shrine up here you can also check out. Back inside, there’s a beautiful display of Kabuki theater costumes. If you’re a textile nerd like me, you’ll love this. Let me know down below which is your favorite. I think I’m partial to this red and green one. If you actually do want a chance to go see Kabuki Theater, there’s a pretty popular theater, Kabuki, just a few blocks away. Also, a cool stop in Ginsa is Nissan Crossing. If you have any car lovers in your group or you want to take a picture with a Speedy Go machine, this is the place. [Music] There’s also an area with Nissan souvenirs and a Nissan cafe. If you keep heading up, you’ll find the Sony showroom. You can try out the new headphones that just came out, or even better, maybe bring a new friend home. If you guys have ever owned a real dog, this guy may actually be cheaper. Good boy. Down. Good girl. I could play with her all day, but we got to keep it moving. all the way downstairs. If you’re looking for a quick bite, the Ginsa Lion is a popular spot. I I will say this is actually a chain and I think the larger, more popular one is about a block south. But here’s an idea of what they have. Right next door is the Sapro Draft Beer Black Label, the bar where we’re headed. And it’s a great place for light snacks and very good beer. We got The First and the Perfect, and they were both great. Light, refreshing, not much bitterness at all. We like the Perfect just a little bit better, but you can’t go wrong with either. It’s actually kind of cool to watch how they pour the beer. I’m not a beer expert, but I’ve never been to a place where they pour the head separately. Very interesting. I’m sure there’s some science here, and I regret not asking. Comment down below if you know what’s happening. For watch fans, there’s a Seikko Watchtower, which is also their flagship boutique, and the Seikko Museum just a few blocks north. I love me some dauku, which is basically mochi with a filling, and this place was too pretty to pass up. This is Ginsza a bono. We were on our way to an actual restaurant, so we just got one. But there were so many flavors that looked great. This is the apricot and red bean paste. This has got some heft to it. Mochi around it doesn’t have much flavor, but the apricot is delicious. It’s tart and sweet, but I think most of the sweetness is actually coming from the red bean paste. This is pretty good. I would give this a five out of five. Let’s get on and uh keep eating. This is another one of my favorite places and that’s a Happy Pancake Ginsza which has Japanese sule pancakes. Full warning, don’t go hungry because you have a 2hour plus wait usually and you have to scan a QR code to put yourself on that list for a return time. So patience is key here but totally worth it. I would really recommend you get your name on the list then go explore the area while you wait. You’re going to scan the QR code with your phone then place your order. There is a lot of stuff to choose from and it all looks amazing. You can order all at once or add to your order like we did. Quick note, most places offer sets, which is basically make it a combo in American speak, but do the math. Sometimes it isn’t cheaper or you got smaller versions of the things in the set. When you’re done, you take your receipt and pay with the cashier. Cafe latte. Caramel latte. Caramel latte is really tasty. You can taste the caramel, not too sweet. Cafe latte. The espresso’s coming through. So, good coffee. These are the Tramasu pancakes. and the tea milk pancakes with homemade granola. The tea milk is up first and I can tell you that these were amazing. The granola has some dried apricots, pumpkin seeds, and oats. There’s the homemade whipped cream. The pancakes are perfect soule texture and the sauce is almost like a cinnamon caramel cream. Still not overly sweet, just right. The terasu pancakes were also perfectly fluffy sule texture with a rich chocolate sauce. Homemade whipped cream, a rata cream, and a shot of espresso that you pour over the top. Good things come to those who wait, and this place has a weight for a reason. Another major highlight in Ginsa is Glitch Coffee and Roasters. This is another place that can get a pretty crazy line if you go at peak times, but it’s not your run-of-the-mill coffee experience. It’s completely bespoke, and they’ll recommend coffee based on your mood or what sort of flavors you like, and a staff member will help determine what to brew you. The staff is very knowledgeable and if you’ve ever been to a winery and had wines explained to you thoroughly, it’s like that but for coffee. And this isn’t your K cup of folders. I would not get this to go. This is incredibly high quality and you’re going to want to take your time like you would with wine and savor all the different tasting notes. Taste the profile on the top in a country in the fall. That’s really good. Yeah, it’s super smooth. All the notes are really clear. The audio equipment here is fancy, too. This one is orange passion fruit. It really does smell like fruit. Wow. It almost tastes like tea. It’s so smooth. The perfect temperature, too. It’s a little on the pricier side. Think close to 10 bucks a cup, but this is a must if you’re like me and kind of a coffee snob. Let’s keep it moving and head over to Shabuya, shall we? This is the home of the famous Shabuya Scramble. It’s been in a bunch of movies like The Fast and the Furious and Lost in Translation. It’s called that because of the giant intersection that has people crossing in multiple directions at once. And it’s often referred to as the time square of Tokyo. I’m sure you can guess why. There’s a lot of shopping over here. And one of the more popular shopping spots is Shabuya 109. It’s a shopping mall with a lot of trendy women’s clothes. I don’t recall seeing that many men’s sections and a food court and some full service restaurants on the top floor. Shabuya is also where you’ll find the famous Hachiko statue, right next to the Shabuya station exit. [Music] North of Shabuya, you’ll pass the area around a Moando Hills, which has a lot of great shopping, including high-end vintage and antique stores, as well as some other recognizable brands. There’s also another Happy Pancake in this area, and I’m not sure if the wait times are any better, but something to keep in mind. If we keep moving a bit more north, we’ll visit Harajuku, made even more popular by Gwen Stefani all those years ago if you remember that timeline. Takashita Street is where you’re going to want to head to, and it can get pretty crowded over here. You can often see people cosplay here, and this is a great place to shop for cosplay outfits or cute toys. There’s lots of places to get snacks, and those of you still on the gram will have plenty of photogenic food to try. Speaking of photogenic, there’s also several animal cafes where you can go and play with, just for example, mini pigs. We also saw dogs and otter. I think there’s even an owl cafe not far from here. Which cafe would you guys go to? I think I’m partial to the pigs myself. Okay, so we have finally made it to the Shinjjuku area of Tokyo. This is the area that I think a lot of people make a beline for on their trip and usually try to book a hotel in this area. Personally, I think hotels tend to be a little pricier in Shinjuku since it’s a popular destination because of the concentration of restaurants, bars, and clubs. It’s home to the famous Golden Guy, Memory Lane, the giant Godzilla statue, you can go down Godzilla Road, our Kabuchiko main gate to see it, and of course, plenty of shopping. We also noticed that people tend to set up camp and hang out. Looks like there was some event going on earlier that day, so maybe that’s why. Also, over here is a furry ramen, which can be a little tricky to find and usually has a wait, but is very worth a trip. Before you head inside, you’ll place your order on this machine. There’s lots of different options for add-ons, and you can adjust the spice level. Once you’ve ordered and you have your ticket, you’ll wait for seeds to open up. The one on the left is the Yuzu beer and the right one is the craft cola cocktail. I’m not tasting too much of the whiskey, but this is so, so delicious. It almost tastes like gingerbread soda. And the beer is very yuzu forward. We actually watched her scoop yuzu pieces into it. The beer itself is nice, light, smooth finish, not much bitterness at all. And this is the rainbow vegan ramen. And the yuzu carai ramen with brazed pork belly. So good. This really only flour. Delicious. This is super good and flavorful, especially for vegan ramen. I guess I didn’t have a lot of expectations, but there’s asparagus. There’s tomatoes. It looks like maybe some sort of arugula in there. We have some radishes. We have some cauliflower. There’s a really good bite to the noodles. They’re not overcooked. They’re not undercooked. They’re exactly perfect. And the portion size is really good. So, even though we got a two, this feels more like a medium spice level. And we’re usually pretty good with spicy stuff. The meat was super flavorful, tender, and the noodles were cooked perfectly. Again, some of the best ramen we’ve ever had. That was absolutely worth the wait. It wasn’t too long to get in. I think people scarf their food down and then head out. This place is a little hard to find. If you’re really lost, try to get to BaskinRobins and it’s directly next to BaskinRobins. It is not visible from the street. You are going to have to go down. But it was really delicious. Everything we ate and I think that they did a great job in terms of not coping out on the vegan ramen. They actually decided to season it and put flavors and it felt like they put just as much effort into the vegan ramen as they did the regular ramen. So, I would definitely recommend this place. Five stars. No notes. BaskinRobins for wayf finding. Your GPS won’t like it, but just go down back over at that corner. We’re here and we went down all these stairs. That is the hole you’re going to go in to go get to the ramen spot. Before I leave you guys, I have one more bonus for you. I just wanted to share our train ride from the Kesai Bueno station to the Naruto airport. I would highly recommend taking the Kesi Skyliner. It was really quick and easy since you don’t have to worry about transferring with your bags and it stops at all the airport terminals. It was about 2,600 yen per person. And don’t stress if you have a large check bag because it fits in the storage area in the front of your train car. The train was air conditioned. There’s a power outlet and lots of leg room. And the ride will take roughly an hour. So, I hope this little highlight reel was helpful for you if you’re planning a trip anytime soon. You can put your carry on luggage up there. And there’s a big area right there in the front where you can put your suitcase, your big suitcase. I barely scratched the surface of all the things that the city has to offer. And I didn’t even mention places we visited the last time we were here, but I wanted to give you some suggestions in case you want to get a trip planned, but don’t know where to start. I have more adventures on the horizon soon, so I hope you’ll join me for those. Until next time, go forth, be kind, be creative.

Today I’m sharing some of the super fun highlights from our time in Tokyo in the hopes that it may be helpful if you’re planning a trip anytime soon. There’s no way I could list all the things to do or see, but we really had a blast!

00:22 Ueno Park
05:02 Akihabara
07:32 Asakusa
11:41 Ginza
18:49 Shibuya
20:32 Shinjuku

Do you guys have any suggestions for our next visit? If you have a trip coming up, what are you most looking forward to?

Keisei Skyliner
https://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/skyliner/us/skyliner/index.php

Mitsukoshi Ginza
https://cp.mistore.jp/global/en/ginza.html

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I always bring my Tevas with me when I travel!
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I filmed most of this with my Osmo Pocket 3
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Rooftop, Lunareh XLURXUKAYQFSS9CM
Isla Del Sol, PALA OBMZKOC0N05KZ8JU
Strawberry Sunday, PALA XPG9AHUDFUC7TAIQ
Property Bet, Sam Barsh MQAWJXJUPHMMYHX2
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Hi guys! I am a fashion designer with a line of womenswear, Lawren Michele. I love sharing my experiences, some of my favorite sewing/designing tips & tricks, and traveling to fun places. Recently, we also purchased and rehabbed a Class C RV, so I’ll be sharing what it’s like to travel & work on the road.  Feel free to follow me on other platforms to follow my adventures!

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