Tokyo! 

Chaotic yet organised, hyper-modern yet utterly classic, garish yet demure, unique yet unquestionably Japanese. Tokyo is always ahead of the pack, it’s certainly a city like no other. From reclaiming miles of swamp land to transforming war-torn areas into ultra-modern skyscraper districts, Tokyo hungers for improvement, which has resulted in the modern tapestry unlike anywhere else in the world. The construction of the Sky Tree was completed in May 2012 and it is one of the latest additions to mark the skyline. It is now the tallest free standing broadcasting tower in the world, standing at a whopping 634 metres. 

The Japanese have recently just finished Golden Week which is a collection of four national holidays within seven days. In combination with well-placed weekends, the Golden Week becomes one of Japan's busiest holiday seasons. Visiting Tokyo seemed like the best idea for our holiday. We will be travelling against the crowds as most people flock to the countryside and sea leaving the bustling city behind.

We arrived in Tokyo, and tackling the subway was the first step. Now, it is quite straight forward once you get used to it, although please note that there are private lines and subway lines, if you mix your journey using the two different networks your fare will soon get rather expensive. So if you start your journey on the private line, stay on the private line to your location or buy a buy as you go card (like the Oyster card in London).

Lantern at Asakusa and The Sky Tree

I have used the subway map as a background to a couple of sketches of the Sky Tree (as it’s pretty hard to miss it) and also the large lanterns at Asakusa (as it was my favourite place in Tokyo).  

We stayed in a capsule hotel called the Capsule inn Kinishicho. I have always thought it is something you must do in Japan!! Why not?! It is difficult to find a capsule hotel that will accept females, as most are for men only as they are designed to accommodate business men that have missed the last train home. The capsule was very cheap considering the great location, for two nights it was 6000 Yen (roughly £40), there was a common room, WIFI, good washing facilities and all products (shampoo etc.) provided. It was very comfortable and not too cramped at all. We did opt for the capsule cabin, which we assume is slightly larger than the normal capsule. If you are going to Tokyo its definitely worth it, there is so much to do in Tokyo you will only need somewhere to rest your eyes for a couple of hours, the city never stops. I would definitely recommend this capsule hotel too, great location – I had a great view of the Sky Tree from our balcony, English speaking staff, easy access by JR line and subway, male and female accommodation and cheap prices.

Capsule hotel with a view!!! 

There is just so much to do in Tokyo! On Friday we went to the Imperial Palace and strolled around the beautiful gardens. It seems like the perfect place to start your sightseeing, located right in the centre of Tokyo; it’s open to the public in daylight hours and is free to get in. We also visited Akihabara also known as electric city! It is district famous for its electric shops; it has more recently gained recognition for anime and manga, with many establishments lining the streets. It is definitely worth hunting for a good bargain on electronics. We saw many weird and wonderful shops, whether you find the lights tacky, garish or beautiful this is a great district to visit and easily accessible by subway or JR line (local line).

We visited a couple of restaurants, but I would highly recommend the vending machine restaurants. You put in your money, select your dish (pictures are provided so it makes things so much easier for travellers) and sit at your table. About 5 minutes later, a freshly cooked meal (usually rice or noddle based) is brought to you. It is so cheap, a large bowl of ramen (noodles and meat in a stock) may set you back 400-500 Yen (£3.50) and it’s delicious.  Get away from the tourist traps and down a small ally… you will find all the gems.

After visiting a local bar, my first night in the capsule was… interesting. I banged my head on the in-built TV, and my toes slightly poked out the end of the curtain. I am tall for an English girl, so these Asia sized capsules were snug. I seemed to struggle with the lift most of all, getting many weird looks as I tried to get off at the men’s floor several times!

On Saturday we decided to spend most of the day in Ueno Park, this park is home to a wonderful conglomeration of museums, shrines and seated areas. It is also the most popular site for hanami (blossom viewing) in early to mid-April. Museums include Tokyo National Museum, Shitamachi Museum, National Science Museum, National Museum of Western Art and much more.

Tokyo zoo is also based in Ueno. It was Greenary Day (4^th May) so entrance was free, although usually it costs only 600 Yen. Greenary Day is a national holiday in Japan, the day was originally created to celebrate the Emperor Shōwas birthday, but following his death it was changed to Greenary Day, a day to appreciate nature. The zoo was packed!! Whilst the others went to the Science Museum I decided to visit a small university art gallery, visit a few more shrines (all have free entry), and go back into the zoo later in the afternoon to join the 90 minute queue to see the world famous giant pandas. Thankfully and luckily a park ranger told me to walk with him to the front of the queue, so there was no waiting for me! There were many other animals, my favourite being the polar bear!

Giant Panda

The polar bear was loving the camera

Later that afternoon we visited Asakusa (close to our capsule hotel and the sky tree). The area is most famous for the Senso-ji, a Buddhist temple. It is Tokyos oldest temple.

When you approach the temple, you first enter through the Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate). A shopping street called Nakamise leads from the outer gate to the temples second gate, the Hozomon. You can buy typical Japanese souvenirs such as folding fans and tapestries to various local traditional snacks. Beyond the Hozomon stands the temples main hall, a huge lantern hangs from the temple and the area is engulfed with the scent of incense burning.

I did get a group of about 10 lads asking to take my photo whilst I walked around, I have no idea why? Maybe they just thought that I was funny looking and tall!

After tasting a few local treats, we walked back to our capsule hotel for a quick break and to get ready for a night in Shibuya on the West side of Tokyo. Shibuya is loud, and the centre for young teenagers and adults to hang out. Swarms of local people mill about all times of the day. The areas centre piece is the famous Shibuya crossing. It is one of the world’s busiest intersections, with an estimated 100 000 people passing through every hour. It is so worth just stopping for a moment and getting a bird’s eye view of the crossing (maybe from the Starbucks which is located on the crossing). As the lights go green, thousands of people cross, and there is no point in following the zebra crossings, just go for it before the lights turn red again!

Ali and I at Senso-ji temple

We had pizza for dinner, and decided to venture slightly off the beaten track into the small alley ways to find a watering hole. Now a top tip in Tokyo is to walk down the main straight and then take a few small streets off and you will find somewhere half the price than the main street. We went to a tiny little bar, 400 Yen for a drink! Now I enjoyed it, until Ali spilt my drink all over me! Ha. But he bought me two more drinks in return, so a result in my eyes.

I painted one of the streets in Shibuya, the area is just so vibrant, full of life, colour, sounds! I have tried to capture this in my painting.

A painting of a street in Shibuya

Like most cities, public transport stops about midnight so we hopped on the last subway home! I got talkeing to a few people in our capsule hotel, it’s a great way to meet new people so if you are a loan traveller capsule hotels are like youth hostels in the UK.

Our final day took us to Tokyo Tower. Same great views as the Sky Tree just not as high but a lot cheaper. To go up the Sky Tree is roughly 3000 Yen half way (£20) and an extra 2000 Yen (£14) to the top. Whereas, to go up Tokyo Tower, it is 800 Yen half way (£5) and an extra 600 (£4) Yen to the top. Tokyo Tower is a replicate of the Eiffel Tower just 13 metres taller. It is a rather retro, old school, sort of ugly tower, but it’s a great opportunity to see Tokyo on a beautiful clear day. If you are lucky you can also see Mt Fuji. Don’t miss the glass floor too!

View from Tokyo Tower looking out to Tokyo bay and
 Disney Land 

Me at the top of Tokyo Tower

All in all Tokyo has to be high at the top of my list of the best cities I have visited yet. It is clean, garish, modern, high-tech, safe, exciting, lively, and bustling with life. I can honestly say do not be daunted by the size of Tokyo.

I feel that not enough young people want to travel this incredible country; it’s not expensive if you don’t make it expensive and everyone will offer a helping hand. I can guarantee if you pull out a map because you are lost, a Japanese person (regardless if they speak English or not) will ask whether you need help, and rather than pointing they will often walk you to where you want to be. 

There is still so much to see and do in this city, and I can not wait to go again with my sister and boyfriend in July.

I hope you have enjoyed my Tokyo update! – I hope this blog post makes you want to visit Tokyo!

Have a great evening

Marion