3 days in Tokyo [Japan Road trip #1]
We were supposed to travel with my parents to Turkey, but our schedules didn’t match. So instead, we invited them to Japan, just after hanami and before the Japanese Golden Week (Japan’s big holidays).
Part 1: Travel Journal
Part 2: Practical Tips
Part 1: Travel Journal
We had to get to Japan from Chile, and the journey was very long: an 8-hour flight between Santiago & Atlanta (USA), a few hours of layover, then a 14-hour flight between Atlanta and Tokyo. Luckily, by choosing seats at the back of the plane, we each had an empty seat next to us, making the trip much more bearable. Those long hours on the plane allowed me to catch up on all the movies I’d missed at the cinema. Delta is an American airline controversial for its mediocre service, and I now understand why: the meals are barely edible, and there are only 2 options: vegan or not vegan. Thank goodness they handle baggage transfer, as I saw several people having to retrieve their bags and re-check them for a connecting flight.
Day 1: Saturday
We arrive in Tokyo completely exhausted and with an 11-hour jet lag. Luckily, Japanese efficiency is not just legendary; we’re guided through every step at immigration and manage to buy a train ticket to our hotel. We make the mistake of not buying the PASMO Passport (a card you load up to take public transport) at the airport. Due to the microchip shortage, this card is only available at the airport, and we couldn’t get our hands on one even at major Tokyo stations (sold out!). Fortunately, my parents arrive 2 days later and managed to sweet-talk an employee at the airport into buying 4 PASMO cards with only 2 passports (you normally have to show your passport to buy one). Each PASMO card costs 1500 yen, is valid for 28 days, and you can use the 1500 yen for public transport, or to buy drinks from vending machines, pay at konbinis, and even at some restaurant chains. It’s super convenient. Before arriving in Japan, we already have SIMs (more info here, my parents have SIMs bought on Amazon, and we via Holafly, which is super handy because these SIMs don’t need APN settings unlike SIMs bought locally).
So, for the train to the city center, you need to take exactly the train shown on Google, i.e., to the second. If the train shown leaves at 2:05 pm, you absolutely must not take the one at 2:03 pm!! Japanese trains run to the second; if you take the train before or after, it might stop at a different terminus. Google Maps will tell you the fare for your journey, so with a PASMO card you have 1500 yen. If you’re low on credit, don’t hesitate to top up your card BEFORE boarding the train. You need to tap in and out. If you make a mistake, you risk a huge fine (no, that’s in Paris ^^. If you get it wrong, you can fix it by topping up your card before exiting).
We arrive at the hotel at 2:45 pm, but the Japanese are way too strict and won’t let us into our room before 3 pm. At exactly 3 pm, we get the key to our room. Our hotel is called Belken (Booking link) and is very well equipped (pajamas provided) and well located; we highly recommend it! There’s even a washing machine and dryer on the ground floor, which lets us have clean clothes just before the road trip.
We’re quite surprised to see the cherry blossoms are still in bloom. Actually, we arrive a week after full bloom. And we could have seen nothing at all, but full bloom is two weeks late this year due to a cold snap just before. How lucky! When we head to the mountains, we might get a real full bloom, I think.
Before arriving, JB ordered a few items on Amazon. These products are waiting patiently at a Family Mart, and we’re thrilled to pick them up. For me, it’s my favorite face wash: Rosette Paste with sulfur, which I’ve talked about at length here. My skin has been terrible since I ran out, and it gets back to clean ASAP as soon as I apply it. I can’t live without it!! I’ll stock up before leaving Japan. JB goes to 7-Eleven to print the translation of his driver’s license. He’ll need it when we rent a car in two days. He’ll also bring me back some mochi that will serve as dinner, and then I sleep until 5 am.
Day 2: Sunday
We wake up very early due to the 11-hour time difference. We patiently wait for the nearest ramen shop to open. It’s in a shopping mall, just below Tokyo Station. This ramen chain is poorly rated (3.8) like all chains in Japan, but it’s better than any ramen sold in Europe. Ramen chains all have a vending machine (which can be set to English) where you just click buttons and add toppings (we love adding “extra noodle” and “egg”). At 6.5€ per person, so cheap! !
The Japanese yen is plummeting against the euro and USD. It’s a golden opportunity now. Before, 1000 yen = 8€, now 1000 yen = 6€. Prices haven’t adjusted yet, so we have enormous purchasing power. We’re in Tokyo; hotels are still expensive (75€) but not 100€ like before. Also, we’ve been accumulating miles with American Express and were able to cover part of our expenses with those miles. So, if you buy plane tickets well in advance, the cost of a trip to Japan has become much more reasonable (as long as you avoid whipping out your credit card for shopping, which is oh-so tempting!).
After ramen, we stroll through the shopping mall and stumble upon a cake shop where a huge crowd is waiting for the store to open. We have absolutely nothing to do and queue up like sheep. JB tells me he hates queuing but finds it more bearable when it’s well organized (there are 4 employees managing the line) and there’s no risk of cheating (the Japanese are disciplined). There are even floor markings showing where to stand to respect everyone’s personal space! A woman at the front is live-tweeting her wait, taking photos of the waiting sign and the crowd. We’re super excited too, even though we have no idea what we’re about to buy. It’s the Tokyo Banana store. JB quickly looks it up and tells me the bestseller is their curry cake (which doesn’t look very appetizing at all). A woman explains in Japanese, but we understand from the gestures that there’s a purchase limit per person. We watch people’s baskets and figure out what to buy: 2 large boxes + 2 small boxes of filled cakes. OK. When it’s our turn, it’s disappointing: the curry cake is only sold at noon, and it’s 9am. But the others don’t seem disappointed because they also want filled cakes.
We think it’s too rare and buy €30 worth of cakes and take photos in front of the walls like other Japanese people (you can see the crowd waiting on the stairs behind him).
… until we go up a floor and discover that a shopping center kiosk sells EXACTLY THE SAME THING but without the line. Honestly, we just can’t understand why a hundred people can be so dumb together. JB’s theory is that the original store hands out adorable bags, while the kiosk doesn’t.
We’ll come across another crowd. The line stretches around the store. We discover it’s for another cookie shaped like a chicken. We’ve learned our lesson and won’t be sheep anymore.
Many of you are asking if the cakes are good. Well, we’d rate them “worth a 5-minute wait max,” not 30 minutes! But they’re super cute! Each cake has its own expression, and I can see them served on a little British-style plate during a tea time with friends.
Tokyo Banana is located in a shopping mall with other character-themed stores. I have no idea where these characters come from—maybe cartoons, or just an app, or stickers in a chat app. And people love buying the merchandise.
By the way, the women all have charms huge ones hanging from their bags—they’re full-on little plush toys.
Speaking of Japanese women, they all dress alike. Same style. Seems like Uniqlo has taken over Japan. Skirts and dresses are ultra long. Their makeup is minimalist, with flawless complexions (Japanese concealers are the best in the world). It’s a very successful minimalist makeup look. Looking impeccable is part of politeness—if you offend the eye by being too ugly, it’s rude.
I’m out of moisturizer, so I rush to Takashimaya to buy my SK-II cream. It’s extremely expensive, but it’s the best Japanese cosmetics brand. Their products contain good bacteria (PITERA) derived from sake, and I love all their products except the essence, which takes a long time to adjust to (3 months). I only use the essence when I think I can stick with the routine; otherwise, I just use the cream and their serum. First, you start with a skin scan. JB is impressed to see skin analysis machines at all the high-end brands, but I’m used to doing this at SK-II, so I can compare results from one year to the next. The Magic Scan gives me 2 years younger than my real age. PHEW. And it recommends a personalized routine. PHEW. It’s the same routine I already use—no need to change products. By buying a 50g cream, I get two generous samples (the facial cleanser I really like, and the lotion I find meh). €110 though! But it would’ve cost 50% more abroad. The saleslady offers to set up a tax-free file to get the VAT back (8%), but I’d have to seal my products, and they must leave Japan brand new (when I need them ASAP!!!). I’ll come back later to stock up and go through the tax-free process.
Takashimaya only has very luxurious brands, and the only somewhat affordable floor is the 7th, which has home goods. Between overpriced lacquered bowls and feng shui chopsticks, we come across sento (Japanese bath) towels made of cotton and manufactured in Japan. Just €4. Super cute too! Everyone needs a towel like this to wrap around your hair in a sento/onsen, go to the sauna, and exfoliate. The special weave makes it perfect for that.
I told you about my ultra-light umbrella bought in Japan. I lost it in a taxi and regret it every day. So obviously, I headed straight to Tokyo Hands (on the 8th floor of Daimaru shopping center). There are plenty of Tokyo Hands stores, but this is the closest one. My 70g umbrella is no longer sold there, but there are other versions now: 65g or 99g… Count on €24 per umbrella. Honestly, buy it because it’s super, super light—you can only find these in Japan. It fits in your pocket and is UV-protective. Honestly, it’s the perfect gift! Japanese women use umbrellas to escape the sun. Their skin is very sensitive, so everything is designed to avoid the sun (UV hats, UV clothing, UV gloves).
JB is super tired because of the jet lag, and we head back to the hotel and only go out for dinner at a shopping mall, for once (a lot of restaurants are closed on Sundays). This time, we treat ourselves to sushi. A set like this costs €22. It’s super good, and there’s wasabi inside the sushi itself. Unfortunately, the chef puts varying amounts, and some sushis burn my brain while others don’t have enough wasabi. Oops. Anyway, the fatty tuna is still the best! It’s like eating beef.
Anyway, it feels great to be in Japan. We wonder why we don’t stay here forever. The streets are super clean, the people are polite, the food is delicious. And there’s such peace of mind because we know no one will steal anything from us.
Day 3: Monday
We wake up early again and stroll down the street when an army of white-collar workers in suits and ties marches toward us. We’re speechless! We never thought Japanese people had to dress so well for work. The women are almost in uniform too: ultra-classy, ultra-minimalist. That’s why we saw plenty of suit, blouse, and tailor shops yesterday.
My parents arrive early. They’re in a different hotel than us, a 9-minute walk away (Booking link). They have the much-desired PASMO cards. My parents aren’t allowed to early check in either and have to leave their luggage at the lobby until check-in from 3 PM. We head out ASAP to visit the famous Shibuyacrossing. My parents know the place because they’ve already been to Japan, but I read somewhere that this crossing might disappear, so we absolutely have to see it before it does. We cross it several times, and the most fun is going diagonally so everyone crisscrosses. My mom notices people cross just for the sake of crossing; they’re all tourists, and everyone films themselves crossing the famous intersection. Look around, and you’ll see a little elevated walkway where everyone watches the crossing. Take the escalator, and you’ll get a great overview.
I filmed the crossing in time-lapse:
It’s strangely hot, and my parents agree they also need an ultra-light umbrella to shield themselves from the sun. As for us, we opt for UV hats. We visit the Tokyo Hands nearest one before ending up at a ramen restaurant. It’s so good that my mom, who doesn’t usually eat much, managed to finish half the bowl. And JB, for once, doesn’t need extra noodles. The restaurant is called Oreruy Shio Ramen Shibuya Center Gaiten and as usual, you have to order by pressing buttons on the machine at the restaurant entrance.
A little digestive stroll through Shibuya’s pedestrian streets, then we take bus 51 to the west entrance of the Shinto shrine Meiji-jingu.
It’s incredible to think we’re in the middle of Tokyo and there’s such a beautiful forest. We arrive at the shrine fairly quickly, and before entering, you have to wash your hands and rinse your mouth.
The temple’s three gates look very similar, and you can easily get lost and not know where to continue afterward. The center is the prayer area where you toss coins to make a wish. Then you bow twice, clap twice, and bow one last time. You can also write wishes on wooden plaques or buy super cute good-luck charms to hang on your bag.
We walk toward the other exit, and there’s a collection of wine and sake barrels on both sides. They’re donations from France (from a distant era) and the Japanese.
While JB goes to buy his vests at Uniqlo (his is old and falling apart), my parents and I enjoy a cold drink in the shade at the café right by the main shrine entrance. 500 yen per drink. Their matcha ice cream is excellent; I recommend it!
We’re all tired and take the metro ASAP to head back. Tomorrow we’ll start the day very early. JB will use his free evening to go to the nearest sento (Jisshi-yu, 500 yen + sauna option 500 yen).
For the rest of our adventure, click here
Part 2: Practical Tips
The detailed itinerary of our road trip is available here
- Hotel:
- Belken €70/day, very well located and not too expensive, but you can leave your luggage (Booking link)
- Sotetsu Fresa Inn €75/day, very well located and not too expensive, check-in from 3 PM, but you can leave your luggage (Booking link)
- Transport:
- buy a PASMO at the airport (1,500 yen) and top it up if needed. Budget 200–400 yen per trip (depending on distance)
- for the airport–city center trip, expect about 550 yen if coming from Haneda Airport (30 minutes) and 1,400 yen++ if coming from Narita International Airport (1h10)
- SIM card: better to buy a card before you arrive; it’s simpler, and you’ll need internet for getting around (more info here)
- My parents and I have already visited Japan, so we don’t stay long in Tokyo, but if it’s your first trip, do less shopping and spend more time sightseeing 😀
