Hello everyone!
In the last article, I wrote about how I felt about Japan generally. This article will be a little more specific and will be dedicated to Tokyo and what can be done in this huge-ass city.
I spent 2 days in Tokyo and it was definitely not enough. Even if you spend two weeks here, you won’t be able to get through all the shrines and temples. There are thousands of them. So you need to select the best, most photogenic and biggest ones. Japanese architecture doesn’t only include traditional style, but also modern or even brutalist jewels that are worth a visit.
We basically explored Tokyo on bikes as part of our Eco-Challenge training, so we’ve done over 100 kilometers in two days. The first day we wandered around downtown and went a little further the second day. At the end of the article you’ll find two maps with names of the places we visited. But due to the limited time we skipped a lot of things, so unfortunately you won’t find everything here.
Highlights
If I had to pick only a few highlights, the first one would be Senso-Ji. It’s a very crowded Buddhist temple, so I’d recommend to get up very early or head out in the evening when it’s all lit up. Imperial Palace, the primary residence of the Emperor of Japan, is worth mentioning too. Most sights are free, including the palace and all the shrines & temples.
You can grab something to eat in the quarter called Omoide Yokocho, but you won’t find sushi there. However, every single time I had sushi, it was great, so I think you can go pretty much anywhere, from fancy restaurants to street bistros, and won’t regret it.
When it comes to the the famous Shibuya Crossing, you can see it from the top. We went to the Magnet shopping center, which is located directly above the intersection. There is a paid viewing platform on the top floor.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask, I’d be thrilled to answer!:)
E.
