Tokyo, Japan

By Raige on Monday, April 16, 2018

If our recent flight path looked odd, it’s because we were supposed to end this RTW trip in South America; however, fond memories of our honeymoon in Japan encouraged us to extend the trip, taking us back to Asia.

After Cape Town, we flew to Tokyo, finally arriving to our Airbnb in Shibuya some 30+ hours later. Exhausted, we ended up sleeping past our 1 pm lunch reservation the next day. Fortunately, Tofuya Ukai accepted our frantic apologies and let us arrive late. The beautiful, classically Japanese kaiseki meal was the perfect way to kick off our food tour (h/t Sergio)!

I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date!

While in Tokyo, we were lucky to overlap with our fellow travelers including my brother, Curtis, my cousin, Andrew, his girlfriend, Justine, my coworker, Jodie, Ben’s friend from Melbourne, Shunya, and his girlfriend, Beth. We also met a couple from New York (hi, Elyse and Sam!) who just so happen to be cousins of Ben’s fraternity brother, Labo, proving once again, that it’s a small world after all!

My Journey to Look like the Michelin Man

I had only made a handful of reservations in Tokyo partly because I didn’t plan much in advance (very unlike me) and partly because a lot of the restaurants on my list were more casual and didn’t take reservations. In any case, you can eat exceptionally well in Tokyo without reservations and at any price point.

One of my favorite things about eating in Japan is the variety. Trust me, there is more to Japanese food than ramen and sushi. On top of that, I love how Japanese culture is all about doing one thing and doing it well. That is particularly true when it comes to food thanks to the shokunin obsession with perfection.

With seven full days in Tokyo, we ate everything from oden at Otafuku, tori-paitan ramen at Kagari, tonkatsu at Tonki, shoyu ramen at Tsuta, yakiniku at Sumibiyakiniku Nakahara, In-N-Out style burgers at Henry’s Burger, sushi at Sushi Yuu, sukiyaki at Shabu Zen Shibuya, tempura soba at Kanda Matsya and Tamawarai, yuzu ramen at Afuri, gourmet ramen at Suzuran, pizza at Seirinkan, and all the convenience store musubis I could get my hands on.

Note: Stay tuned for a separate post on our Tokyo recommendations! Pictures included. 😉

All Good in the Hood

Like New York, Tokyo is full of incredibly colorful and diverse neighborhoods. When we weren’t eating, we spent our days walking around our favorite neighborhoods. We first hit up the glitzy shopping streets of Ginza, window shopping at Ginza Six, seeing the latest high-end streetwear at Dover Street Market, and doing some damage at Barneys (they have some incredible Japanese designers that you can only get in Japan!).

Next, we strolled through Tokyo’s Soho-like streets, Harajuku and Omotesando, discovered a few gems, and found a moment of zen in Nezu Museum‘s Japanese gardens. While the building’s exterior is beautiful, I’d skip the Mezu Museum and go to the Mori Art Museum in Roppongi instead.

The last time we were in Tokyo, we fell in love with Tokyo’s hip/stylish neighborhood, Daikanyama, so this time, we went back for more. The neighborhood’s relaxed vibe and pedestrian-only streets make it the perfect place to live life like a local rather than a tourist. There, we popped into numerous boutiques, art spaces, bookstores, cafes, and specialty stores, wishing I had more room in my suitcase!

Cherry Blossom Season

Sakura (cherry blossom) season is one of the busiest times of year to travel to Japan (caution: crowded and expensive) as tourist flock to see the country blanketed in pink splendor. The flowers bloom for only a week before the petals start to fall like snow. Their short-lived existence echoes the fleeting nature of life, while the blooms represent new beginnings.

We could not have timed this trip better since we arrived to Tokyo at the height of cherry blossom season. Seeing the city in full bloom was such a magical experience. I’ll admit that I couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about. They’re just flowers, right? Boy, was I wrong.

Tokyo boasts numerous hanami (flower viewing) locations where clusters of cherry blossom trees bloom like a carefully choreographed event. There are so many flowers; it’s almost overwhelming. My favorite spot for hanami is along the tree-lined canal in Nakameguro (best done at sunset)! It was definitely the highlight of our trip to Japan.