Samantha and I visited Japan in March 2024. It is one of our favourite trips ever. Here is an attempt to seal our memories in words. One of the challenges I faced with writing was capturing the ‘feel’ and aesthetics of the place. I’m just not a good enough writer for it. But here goes 🙂
March 14
We landed in Tokyo in the evening. We took the train (with a change in between) to our hotel in Akihabara. Our hotel was in an alleyway and took us a few minutes to find. The room was tiny but everything was very modern, high quality and functional. One interesting thing we noticed was the prevalence of vending machines. The exit to the train station had a set of probably 20 small vending machines for little toys or anime characters in plastic containers (they’re everywhere in Tokyo and we didn’t understand the fascination with them). We thought it was a pop-up store but I don’t think it was. Then, right next to our hotel, we noticed a set of 4 or 5 vending machines selling all kinds of cold – and hot! – drinks.
Both of us hadn’t slept on our 12+ hour flight, but were not super tired. We were hungry though. We dropped our bags and headed out for dinner. I had made an extensive list of restaurants with vegetarian food options in Tokyo and recommended a highly rated ramen restaurant to Samantha. As it happened, the restaurant, Kyushu Jangara, was bang opposite our hotel. It was a very traditional looking small ramen restaurant and – I won’t lie – I was a little apprehensive about the vegan ramen they were advertising. After the first taste though, all my doubts were dispelled! The ramen broth was delicious and the fake meat, though I usually don’t like things like that, was also good. This was the beginning of experiencing some incredible Japanese food (more to come on that).
After dinner, we ventured out into the area. Akihabara is called electronic town. Boy, was it lit up! Brightly lit stores selling electronics, arcade games, those little toys in plastic containers, anime stuff, weird stores selling stuff we didn’t understand, souvenirs, food, you name it. It was fascinating to see. And even though it was a Thursday evening, the area was crowded (we didn’t know yet what crowded in Japan meant). We saw a lot of young girls dressed up in anime (?) costumes walking around the area. We also saw a bunch of girls standing by the side of the pavement calling out for people to get coupons or brochures or something. They were all speaking in Japanese so we didn’t understand what they were offering and we didn’t bother to stop and ask.
After spending some time out, we went back to our hotel to get some shut eye.
March 15
I slept soundly but woke up really early – I think around 3:30am. I lolled around in bed for a while but started feeling the need for coffee and food. I had read that some convenience stores are open 24X7 and also sell coffee. So I Google Mapped the closest one (the Family Mart was less than a minute from our hotel) and went down and got a coffee and apple strudel. Both items were surprisingly decent. Early morning coffee at the Family Mart became a regular feature of our time in Tokyo. Samantha in particular was delighted by this because she was living something she read about in Japanese novels.
Samantha was also up early and we walked to Senso-ji, a famous temple. The 45-minute walk was through regular main streets but towards the end we walked through narrow alleys with an old world charm.
Senso-ji is a beautiful red-coloured temple. There are multiple structures inside the temple grounds, but no landscaping. It was really calm in the morning before the crowds started coming in. It was nice to see some locals come there to pray before going off to work. We also saw kids not older than 10 walking to school on their own – something I had heard about Japan and now witnessed.
After the temple we strolled around the area (Asakusa) and soaked in the atmosphere. The area was so pretty and the aesthetics really to our taste. We were surprised to see most shops still closed though it was past 8am. We realised later that shops and restaurants in general open late in Japan. While walking around, we came by a Viennese-style cafe that was open. We were both hungry and went in for some breakfast and coffee. The cafe had a really nice old European charm to it. This would be the first of several we would visit with a similar vibe. My Japanese milk bread toast was delicious!
As we continued on our stroll, we came across a Don Quijote – the famous Tokyo department/variety (?) store chain. The store had several floors and all kinds of stuff, including many cute, funny, kinky and touristy items. We were amazed by the breadth and number of SKUs they carried. We ended up buying a few knick-knacks, souvenirs and the famous Japanese Kit-Kats (we got the orange-flavoured ones). We also stopped by a ceramics store that had the most exquisite but completely unaffordable items. The quality of craftsmanship was incredible.
We then made our way to Ameyoko, an open air market, which sells a variety of stuff and was recommended for finding lunch too. The market was not much to our liking – it was cheap and very tourist-oriented – and we didn’t particularly find any restaurant enticing (especially with my vegetarian restrictions). We browsed about for a while and then made our way to Ueno station to head back.
We entered Ueno station with a plan to have lunch and head back to our hotel for a break, but saw that there was a full-fledged mall inside the station. We browsed around the shops, bought some stationery and checked out Motherhouse leather bags (beautiful but not practical for me). Again, the aesthetic quality of the items and the way they were displayed was really pleasing.
I looked up vegetarian options in the area I had saved on Google Maps in advance. I zeroed in on T’s Tan Tan, which was the closest one and had really high ratings. The helpful lady at Motherhouse told us we would have to swipe our transit card and get into the station to access the restaurant. We debated for a bit but then decided we wanted to head back after eating anyway.
Boy, was it a good decision! I ordered the golden sesame ramen and Samantha had the black sesame one. The broth was super creamy and delicious from the sesame, the noodles were great, there were veggies to add freshness and balance the dish out (including some fresh leaves that neither of us knew the name of), and no fake meat! Samantha’s was the same but made with black sesame and with more pepper. We both devoured our bowls. It was one of the most delicious meals I can remember ever having.
After lunch, we went back to the hotel to rest for a while. We had tickets to see a Kabuki theatre show for the evening. We woke up from our intended 1-hour nap super late though! We decided to skip the theatre and just went to the hotel restaurant for dinner. We had sake and both the ones recommended by the waiter were very nice. We ate pizza and I enjoyed mine, heaped with fresh rocket leaves (though it got a bit soggy), but Samantha found her toppings too intense. We decided to call it a night after dinner.
March 16
The next morning we went to the Meiji JIngju temple. We got off at the Yoyogi station and walked to the temple from there. I needed coffee. We saw a McDonald’s opposite the train station and I made a coffee order on the screen, which was only in Japanese, using Google Translate. What an accomplishment!
Meiji Jingju is spread over a sizeable area with beautiful landscape and water features. Since we got there early, before the crowds (read: tour groups) came in, we were able to enjoy the serenity of the place. The temple structures, that surround a large courtyard, are made of wood and relatively simple, unpainted but very beautiful. We also got to see a wedding at the temple – I don’t know if this was someone connected to the royal family or just someone who paid to get married there – it was a nice addition to the visit. On our way out, we crossed displays of sake and French wine barrels gifted to the royal family. The sake barrels in particular were striking, with different colourful designs from the various distilleries.
We exited the temple and walked down the main street in the Harajuku area which houses big brand stores. Most of the shops were still closed, but their window displays made a pretty sight. Abraham’s guide had mentioned that we would see funky stores and people doing cosplay, but we saw neither though it was a weekend.
From there, we decided to walk to the famous Shibuya crossing, the world’s busiest crossing. We were both getting hungry. Samantha found a tomato noodle place she wanted to try. I wanted to keep my appetite for a popular vegan place that was not yet open (and also in the opposite direction). I just had a white chocolate croissant at a bakery while Samantha was having her tomato noodles.
While on our way to Shibuya crossing, we came by a farmer’s market and decided to check it out. It was a fun one, with stalls selling a variety of things – fruits and vegetables, tea, condiments, sweets, flowers, Japanese knives. It was strawberry season in Japan and they also had a strawberry festival within the farmer’s market to promote local strawberries. They were selling a platter with 9 strawberries from different growers in Japan (for $9!) and we bought one to share. The strawberries were so juicy and delicious! I’m usually not a fan, but I could eat strawberries like those every day. While walking around the market, I saw a food truck selling vegan ramen. The photo of the ramen looked really fancy so I decided to try that instead of going back to the place I was holding out for. The ramen was indeed as fancy as the photos, with beautiful veggies and greens, and even a roasted papad (!) adorning it, but the taste wasn’t great.
After that, we made our way to Shibuya crossing. There were a lot of pretty stores and cafes along the way. We also saw a store selling very pretty looking shaved ice but bailed when we saw the prices ($30 if I recall).
The Shibuya crossing is on the intersection of two large streets and apart from the crossings across each street, there is also a diagonal crossing. People walk across all the crossings at the same time. And boy is it busy! I think there were about a 1,000 people crossing each time (Wikipedia says it’s 3,000)! While it’s just a crossing, it was an incredible sight to see. After that, we walked around the area for a while. There were lots of shops and cafes and the whole area was super busy. Samantha got a hot milk tea from a vending machine (the first of several over our trip) and really liked it. We sat at a cafe for a bit and then decided to head back to the hotel for some rest. On the way we stopped at Bic Camera (a Tokyo institution) to get a SIM card for Samantha. Oh, and close to our hotel Samantha saw a hole-in-the-wall shop selling fish waffle (taiyaki) and got one – she loved it.
In the evening we went to Shinjuku, another popular neighbourhood. It’s also a brightly lit area with lots of people and shops. We first made our way to Zen, a popular okonomiyaki (cabbage pancake) restaurant. We sat all the way in the back with low tables and our feet hanging down from our seats. All the other people there were also tourists and you could see the place was geared towards tourists. The okonomiyaki was decent and filling (especially with the amount of cheese in it) but nothing special.
After dinner, we made our way to Golden Gai, the famous alleyway with bars and restaurants. I didn’t expect what I saw! There were several narrow alleys in the area, with a contiguous stream of tiny low-lit bars and restaurants (tiny as in enough to seat less than 10 people) squished together on both sides, some with neon signs and others with traditional Japanese lanterns hanging outside. It was pretty sight. The bars usually had only bar counter seating with one bartender. There was an incredible number of people walking around. In the bars, people were drinking and chatting and all around having a good time. It was a really fun place! Samantha wasn’t interested in sitting in one of the bars there though, so we came out after walking around for a while.
We had noticed a nice looking wine bar opposite the okonomiyaki restaurant. We decided to go back there to sit for a while. The place was very cozy and didn’t have too many people so was relatively quiet. We enjoyed sitting there and just chatting. The bartended was very nice and I tried some whiskies I had never had before, which was a bonus. We also had their chocolate ganache which was delicious. After that we went back to the hotel.
March 17
We had not pre-planned anything for this day. Samantha suggested going to the Meguro Parasitological Museum (that had become popular after Bill Gates visited it). Since we were up early, the plan was to sit at a cafe for a while before we went to the museum.
For the museum we had to take a train from Tokyo station, so we searched for a cafe around there on Google Maps. In general cafes open late in Tokyo (mostly past 11am) so we had to look for one that was open early. On our way out from Tokyo station we noticed that there was a full-fledged mall inside the station with some really enticing stuff (read: confectionery and baked goods). Some of the places were handing out samples and we tasted cookies from Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory that were delicious! We decided to spend some time exploring Tokyo station on the way back.
We walked to the building housing the cafe and couldn’t locate it. I stepped into a pretty-looking bookstore, Maruzen, to ask about it and they told me it was inside the bookstore! Cafe 1869, located on the 3rd floor of the bookstore, was nice. We sat at a counter facing the windows and could watch the trains go by. We were both hungry so apart from coffee (a fancy siphon coffee) we also got sandwiches (mine was ok). We sat there and read for a while. Samantha went around the bookstore and, while most books were in Japanese, bought a couple of beautiful art books with impressions of life in Japan that had English text.
We then took a train to go to the parasite museum. The museum was a 15 minute walk from the train station, through a regular neighbourhood, which was nice to see. We came across a small but beautiful temple on the way, and stopped to have a look. It was one of the features of our trip, seeing small temples – islands of serenity – nestled away among the hubbub. We also crossed a river whose banks are lined with cherry blossom trees and host a cherry blossom viewing festival in the season. We were a few weeks too early, though.
The parasite museum is small and free to visit (though they accept donations). It displays real specimens of parasites that affect both humans and other animals, including a 30-foot long tapeworm recovered from a human. We went in but I came out within 10 minutes. The displays were a bit too disgusting for me, and I also felt that there was a nauseating chemical smell inside – don’t know how much of that was real and how much my mind playing tricks. I waited outside while Samantha browsed the rest of it. She finished in another 10-15 minutes.
We made our way back to Tokyo Station as planned. First on the agenda was lunch. And, lo and behold, there was a T’s Tan Tan at Tokyo Station! So we got our fill of their delicious ramen again – we both had the golden sesame noodles. I also bought a couple of their cup noodles to bring back home. We then spent time growing the Tokyo Station stores. We went to a store selling confectionery and bakery items from various local brands, including Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory. As we were buying the salt and Camembert cookies we had tasted earlier, Samantha noticed they also had cheesecakes (they call them ‘milk cheesecake’). We bought the one topped with pistachio cream for eating later. Samantha bought some rice cakes to have for dinner. We then went back to our hotel to rest.
In the evening we made our way to Ginza, another upscale and happening neighbourhood with lots of high-end shops. We first went to Cafe de l’Ambre, an old cafe famous for its coffee. The place was very nice – small, wood-panelled, cozy, with an old-world charm. I tried two of their coffees, both were perfectly brewed and very tasty. Samantha tried their egg yolk coffee and didn’t like it. The prices were pretty high, though, for the amount of coffee. Overall it was a good experience.
We then walked around the shopping area, seeing the beautiful stores and displays, and made our way to Itoya, a stationery store highly recommended by Abraham. Itoya has, if I recall correctly, 7 floors, each with a different set of stationery items – e.g. office, home, art, etc. What a treat! They had every stationery item you might want. Some of the more memorable ones for me were the variety of beautiful (and very expensive, like running into 1,000’s of dollars expensive) ink pens and inks of various hues. We browsed around for quite a while and tried a bunch of different items there. I bought another mechanical pencil and Samantha bought an ink pen.
We were scheduled for a Kabuki theatre show at 8:15pm and I wanted to have dinner before that. There was a highly rated Indian restaurant in the area and we went there. Surprisingly, I had not missed Indian food given all the delicious food we had been having, but I decided to go to this place because I had to try Indian food at least once in Japan! It was a small place. I got a veg thali and it was decent, though expensive.
After that we walked to the Kabuki theatre. Kabuki theatre shows apparently go on for 4-5 hours, but they also sell tickets for single segments of 30-45 minutes which is what we watched. The theatre was large and our seats were in the upper deck. We made it just in time for the show. The stage had a bunch of seated musicians who started playing and singing. I thought the singing was very discordant but maybe it was just the style. Then one of the main characters appears on stage and starts doing some dance-like performance. We’re waiting for the buildup. Then the other character appears and also starts some dance-like performance. We’re still waiting for something to happen. This went on for over 30 minutes. Given we didn’t understand the language or had context on the performance itself, we had no clue what was happening and I think all the foreigners in the theatre were as clueless as us. There was one Japanese guy in the last rows who was enjoying it thoroughly though and exclaiming from time to time. Initially the crowd used those as a clue to clap but then their enthusiasm died down. Samantha got so bored she (almost) took a nap. We were relieved when the performance was over and we could leave. It was one of the most random performances we’ve watched (given we had no context) and I think it’ll be memorable just for that.
We made our way back to the hotel. Samantha had her rice cakes. We then had the pistachio milk cheesecake. OH MY GOD! It was delicious! It was soft and creamy and not overly sweet and the pistachio cream was the right level of intensity – it was just perfect! After her meal Samantha said she was full and just wanted to taste, but ended up matching me spoon for spoon and we ate half the cake. I had to put it away or we would have probably eaten the whole thing in one go!
March 18
This day we went to Hakone, a hill town a couple of hours from Tokyo popular, among other things, for views of Mount Fuji. We took the Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Odawara (our first bullet train ride!) and then the local train up to the main Hakone station. There is a very nice little train that goes from the main Hakone station to the sights. Because of the height it needs to climb, it does a series of switchbacks, that is, traveling in opposite directions (similar to how cars go round a hill instead of straight up). The way up is very scenic.
Our first stop was the Hakone Open Air Museum. It is a large landscaped open area, you could call it a park, with sculptures and art installations. We were lucky to have sunny weather. I had gone in with low expectations but was surprised by how beautiful the museum was. The art displayed ranged from the traditional to the modern and quirky, but pretty much always interesting. A few that struck me were The Weeper (right as you enter the main area), Man and Pegasus and the Hand of God, both soaring in the sky (and both by the same sculptor – Carl Milles) and the tower with stained glass all over that you could climb. There was also a section with Picasso’s sculptures but it was underwhelming to me. We spent over two hours at the museum and thoroughly enjoyed it.
After the museum we took the train to the next station. From there, we took a trolley and then a cable car to go see Mount Fuji and volcanic activity. When the cable car passed over a hill, Mount Fuji suddenly became visible. It was a pretty sight and we were lucky that it was a clear, sunny day so we got good views. Further along, we saw the volcanic activity and could see and smell yellow sulphurous fumes. The cable car dropped us at a place which had really nice views of Mount Fuji and the volcanic activity. There was a large building with food, drink and lots of souvenir shopping options. We hung around for a while there but didn’t eat anything (there were some local specialities but Samantha wasn’t interested in trying them). Next we were supposed to take the cable car to the next stop to take a boat cruise on the lake in the area. However that cable car segment was shut for maintenance and the line for the alternate bus was really really long. We both agreed to skip that and make our way back to Tokyo instead.
We took the same path back to Tokyo Station. We were both hungry and it was our last day in Tokyo, so… we had food at T’s Tan Tan again! Needless to say, we enjoyed it. After food, Samantha checked out the Uniqlo at the station while I went to another confectionery store I wanted to try (unfortunately they were not giving out samples). Samantha also bought a bento box for dinner.
We made our way back to the hotel and stayed put in the evening. At night, we finished every last bit of the remaining half pistachio milk cheese cake.