It’s hard to think of a city as fascinating as Tokyo. And calling it a ‘city’ doesn’t do it justice. This is a metropolis that encompasses a collection of mini-cities, each with their own intriguing attributes. You have the bright lights of Shibuya, the eclectic people of Harajuku, the electronic gadgets of Akihabara, the hedonism of Roppongi, and the craziness of Shinjuku. This is one of the world’s great cities with more to offer than most places. And while some parts may not suit everyone’s taste, there isn’t an area that will fail to excite you.
There are many things that you can only find in Japan, and two of these are types of accommodation - ryokans (traditional Japanese inns) and capsules. To learn more about them, Colm speaks to Kunio Koike of Homeikan, one of Tokyo's few traditional ryokans, and Toshikazu Odaijma of Capsule Inn Akihabara.
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Download Tokyo Pocket Guide View all guides »Despite being a huge city, Tokyo is a place where tourists in two or three days know the main tourist spots. I confess that I thought would be little, but I was 4 days and thought well enough. I have problems to adapt to local food. But I found a delicious Brazilian restaurant. It is also nice to note that the people of tokyo is extremely kind and polite back soon there.
Insider Tip:TUCANOS GRILL - BRAZILIAN FOOD - AKIHABARA
I lived in Tokyo for a year, so my review is going to be very biased. While Tokyo doesn't have a lot of temples, it does have parks (Yoyogi, Inokashira, Yurakucho) and lots of amazing districts to go to.
Insider Tip:Go to Harajuku, Omotesando-dori exit, and go straight and take the first right. Then you can continue to Yoyogi Park and straight into Shibuya. It's a great afternoon walk especially on weekends, where you can see wandering musicians.
I got to spend 3 days here in Tokyo. In my mind 2 would have been just enough. Not a lot to see here. Just a big, opaque city with a few sights and bad food (if you don't eat any meat). But that's my personal judgement, doesn't mean anybody else feels the same about it that I do.
Insider Tip:Wish I was given some.
Tokyo is great and unlike any other city in Asia. It has many different neighborhoods that all have a slightly different feel. Remember to look up, since there are hidden gems hidden on every level of a building. The subway systems were amazing and the trains came quite frequently.
Insider Tip:If you want to go out at night, the trains do not run around midnight until 5 am so either stay near somewhere you want to go out, like in Shinjuku or Shibuya or prepare to pay for a cab unless you want to stay out all night.
Tokyo may have been the biggest surprise of my trip. I had a one night layover here but it was enough to convince me to go back. Everyone is very polite and helpful, the city is extremely efficient and clean, and the food is wonderful. It was by far the most expensive place I traveled to (although coming from SE Asia most places are relatively more expensive) but definitely get some fresh sushi at the fish market; the quality surpasses the price.
Insider Tip:There are at least two different metro operators so make sure that you're buying a ticket for the correct line. I didn't have a problem when I bought the wrong one (the station manager just took the ticket and refunded me) but I was a little confused the first time I had to switch.
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