Our Three Day Tokyo Itinerary (Budget Travel)

Last year we spent three full days plus two partial days in Tokyo. I planned this three day Tokyo itinerary in advance and we followed it fairly closely. This post glosses over food as I have another post dedicated to the Food We Ate in Tokyo.

We really looked forward to visiting Tokyo as we had heard many good things. Though we almost spent more, our activity spendings in Tokyo were more low budget-level.

How Many Days to Spend in Tokyo?

When looking at flights, we struggled to decide how to allot our days on the trip. We were going to Myanmar on the same trip and ultimately decided we wanted more time in Myanmar as we felt it was necessary there (due to travel within the country) and thought it would be more likely that we would return to Japan.

We toyed with the idea of adding a day in Japan but at that point, it was going to be hard to decide if we should stay in Tokyo the whole time or also visit another city. This seemed like a good amount of time to spend in Tokyo specifically so we went with three full days. The fact that it’s a more expensive city also factored in, as each additional night would add more cost and most of the additional activities (which we didn’t do) that we were interested in were costly.

Ultimately, we didn’t have enough time to do everything planned, but that is simply because I over-planned. I generally do that just a little the idea that we probably won’t get to everything but I think I did it more this time. Tokyo is, of course, a very large city. How much time you need just depends on what and how much you want to do.

Despite taking public transportation, we still walked 8-10 miles each day. For this kind of walking, Skechers shoes have personally served me well. I wore Go Runs for this trip and my feet didn’t hurt and now I use Go Walks.

Planning our Three Day Tokyo Itinerary

When planning our itinerary, I decided to make the first evening light and put more of our must-do Tokyo stuff into the first day so if we missed any of it that day we could return a later day. For the final day (5th) day when we would leave Tokyo, I left it open to add in whatever we missed/wanted to see again, etc. I actually wish I did not leave it open and had planned something small instead.

The hardest thing about planning this itinerary was there were a bunch of things I wanted to do at night so we couldn’t do them all with only three nights (aside from the first one) and the activities being in such different areas.

I tend to plan our itineraries in basically the same way. Perhaps I will make a post about that in the future.

Our First Evening in Tokyo

We flew into Tokyo Narita on ANA from Bangkok as a part of a multi-city flight (I wrote a flight review covering our journey, which included a tight layover). This particular flight went more smoothly than the first part of the trip. Upon arriving to the airport we found a couple of vending machines but we weren’t feeling the options available. 

I don’t remember much about taking the metro from the airport to our place. This would suggest that everything went relatively smoothly. Once we got off the metro, we wandered around before finding our hotel (I think we went the wrong way at first but that is standard for us). Before checking in we grabbed me a baumkuchen at a convenience store as well. 

Our Hotel In Tokyo

Originally, we booked an Airbnb but due to new laws it had to be canceled and we booked a hotel. I explain this a little more on our Weekend in Whistler post (you’ll see why). Our hotel was down a quieter street. It was raining while we tried to find it and the area seemed peaceful – though we don’t know if this is because we had just arrived from Myanmar.

The front desk was friendly. They gave us our key and we headed up the elevator. Our room was small, as one would expect in Tokyo, but it had everything we needed, even pajamas! The toilet was in the Japanese style, with bidet and different options. 

Budget Activity: Tokyo Station

Tokyo Station was the destination for the evening. Just a metro station? It sounds weird but Tokyo station has a lot going on. Here is a post about how you could spend a whole day in Tokyo Station. It was also within walking distance so I thought it could be a good place to explore our first night since we probably didn’t want to venture too far.

Wandering + Ramen Street

We started off just wandering. When you’re in a new country or place it can be nice to just wander a little to get a feel for things.

The station was also huge. Though we found the station a little confusing at first, it wasn’t too long before we found Tokyo Ramen Street and grabbed some food at Soranoiro Nippon. 

Tokyo Character Street

Next we wandered Tokyo Character Street, where shops showcase various anime, manga, and other characters. It’s basically a little shopping area with a theme. Since I am not really into anime I wasn’t familiar with most of it outside of Pokemon and Hello Kitty but it was nice to look. There was also a grocery store and things of the like. 

Note that the shops close at 8:30pm.

Dessert: Boba

We decided to finish off the evening with a boba. We got full from our dinner but boba is kind of our thing and we decided we could use a snack for the way back.

Three Day Tokyo Itinerary: Our First Full Day

Harajuku

We started our first full day in none other than Harajuku. This area was a must for our first time in Tokyo. For those who don’t know, Harajuku is typically known for its wacky street fashion and related shops and the crowded Takeshita street. We took the metro from Suitengūmae Station to Shibuya and then took that to Yamanote. We had a little trouble figuring out the metro at first but a friendly worker saw us having trouble and helped us sort things out. After that, really no problems for the rest of the trip.

Arriving in Harajuku

Upon exiting Harajuku station we immediately found ourselves in a shopping area. We checked it out and then headed toward Takeshita Street.

While there were various different options, the above photo is Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku. We thought the mirrors around the escalator were cool.

Takeshita Street

Takeshita street is a well-known street in Harajuku. It’s known for crowds but I felt it was not overly crowded the day we went. 

Mostly we walked along in this region and checked out a relatively large Daiso and some other little shops.

Food in Harajuku

We knew the area had things like giant cotton candy and crepes. Checking out some cute food place is a must here and we really struggled to decide (in advance) where we would go. We picked Reissue, a cafe where the latte artists can make cute designs on your coffee. We chose to share a coffee and a slice of cheesecake for our late breakfast.

After walking out a little more in Harajuku, we grabbed some ramen nearby from Kyushu Jangara.

Yoyogi Park: Another Budget Option

Next, we walked to Yoyogi Park. The tall entrance/torri gate for the park and Meiji Shrine is made from a 1,500-year-old Cypress. The 100,000 trees in the forest were planted for the shrine and originate from all over Japan.

This is a pretty large, forested park. FYI I did read afterwards that once you enter you should only walk on the sides and not the middle as a sign of respect to their traditions.
Also, we did see a giant hornet in one of the flowers and those can be quite dangerous so while it probably wouldn’t bother you, watch out!

This is really a pleasant place to take a stroll. Most of Tokyo felt pretty peaceful to us, but this in particular. 

Below you see barrels of sake which I believe are meant to be offerings to the “kami”, or spirits.

A friend of ours recommended we take a picnic there (but only after we had already walked through). Maybe you can do this, though!

Meiji Shrine

Through the park, we wandered to the Meiji Shrine, one of the most popular shrines in Japan. 

The Meiji Shrine itself is a shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji, the first modern emperor of Japan, and his partner Empress Shoken. The shrine was built in 1920 (after the emperor and empress’s deaths), destroyed in WWII and rebuilt. It is actually one of the younger (by quite a bit) Shinto shrines in Japan. 

There are several buildings, including an Inner and Outer Shrine Hall, The Main Hall, The Prayer Recital Hall, and the Treasure House.

At the shrine you can write a wish on an ema (a small wooden plaque) and leave it there, purchase an amulet, or make an offering. The shrine gets many visitors during the New Year and you may even see wedding occasionally

While we did not do these, you can also visit Meiji shrine’s Inner Garden (500 yen), the Museum Annex, and the Treasure House containing the personal effects of the Emperor and Empress (500 yen together) You will just need to make sure you are there within the correct hours and acknowledge that this is a very large park. You could spend quite a bit of time here if you wanted to.

After exploring, we wandered out of the park a different way.

Skyline Views: Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

Tokyo is one of the largest cities in the world with an impressive sprawling skyline. Getting a good view of the skyline was another must. With a number of options, we considered trying multiple views, but we only went to one on this trip: The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Why this one? Because it is free.

Visiting the Tokyo Metropolitan Building

There are two panoramic observation decks (one in each tower). This means you can walk around inside getting different views of the city from different windows. And that is what we did.

These views are from the 45th floor which is around 660 feet high (the building is around 800 feet high total). It may be slightly different by tower but the one we went to had a gift shop, a restaurant, and views of Tokyo Tower.

You could end up in either tower because sometimes one of them is closed. In either case, you need to get there sometime between 9:30 am and 11 pm. I was really worried because some websites showed it closing at 5:30 pm and some at 11 pm. What the official website currently says (check for changes) is that the South Observation Deck closes at 5:30 pm but whenever the North Observation Deck is closed, then the South stays open until 11 pm.

As one might guess from the name, the building isn’t just a place to get great views of Tokyo. It is a government building that oversees 23 wards of Tokyo and the towns/villages, etc. that are included in the Tokyo Metropolis. 

We stayed until darkness fell on the city to watch the city light up.

Snack Time: Standing Sushi Bar

Next, we grabbed some sushi at a standing sushi bar. This was a nice Japanese experience. As with the other food, I covered this more in the food post.

Golden Gai

Golden Gai is a small area in Shinjinku which is known for its narrow alleys connecting each other. We basically just wandered through here. It is a cute place, filled with tiny restaurants and bars, some fifty to sixty years old. In addition to tourists, this area allegedly attracts more artistic patrons (like people in film or music). 

Piss Alley

Also known as Omoide Yokocho (or Memory Lane), Piss Alley is a nearby area with bars and small food stalls.

Back in the 1940s, this was the place to get cheap drinks (illegally). Because there were no restrooms, visitors of the bars would go off and use the nearby train tracks as a restroom. A fire burned down a lot of the area in 1999 but Japan decided to restore it. People say that it is like stepping back in time. It’s one of those places it is fun (and easier) to picture it in the past. The Japanese use the word “natsukashii” for this place. 

These areas (Golden Gai and Piss Alley) are relatively small but quite photogenic.

More Food: Donuts & Convenience Store Sushi 

Time for a donut. I like donuts and this looked sort of unique so I planned this as a potential snack. We got three donuts, including one Halloween-themed donut and one specialty “strawberry mochi donut” which is in the shape of a sakura flower.

After we were done in this area and took the metro to the station closest to our hotel, Kyle decided he might like a little something more so we stopped at a convenience store. He got sushi and he did get a little sick from this. He feels pretty confident it was from the mayo.

Skipped Activities of the Day: Samurai Museum & More Ramen

When I was providing some ideas for things I might put in our itinerary to Kyle, he was interested in the Samurai Museum. The price was a little high (1,900 yen/person, or $18) and so we decided to just do it if we had time. When I made this itinerary I didn’t feel like I planned too much and thought it was possible we would have time but retrospectively I’m not really sure how I thought that. 

For someone else who would like to add this to their itinerary, I think I just wouldn’t combine it with everything else we did this day unless you have a ton of energy. It sounds pretty interesting and would be a great way to learn more about Japanese culture and history. I read somewhere you can even dress up as a samurai there if you want. Address” 〒160-0021 Tokyo, Shinjuku, Kabukicho, 2 Chome−25−６ 永和第６ビル1F・2F

Another planned option we skipped: an additional ramen restaurant called Ichiran Ramen which has a really tasty-looking matcha almond pudding. Both of these just didn’t work out timing/energy/appetite-wise.

Three Day Tokyo Itinerary: Our Second Full Day

Various Foods in the Morning

We started a little later this day due to Kyle getting sick from the sushi and me just being sick in general. The day began with some rain but we enjoyed the rain in relatively warm weather as that is rare in San Jose.

We first stopped at the convenience store grabbing coffee and juice. After, we passed by a shop and grabbed a korokke – a type of fried curry cake – for Kyle. At the metro station, we got pizza for me since I didn’t want the korokke.

Kawasaki Station Mall

We took the metro to Kawasaki station, which is home to the second-largest underground shopping mall in Japan. There is also other indoor and outdoor shopping in the surrounding areas to the station like the Mitsui Shopping Park and Lazona Kawasaki Plaza. We even saw a casino. We really just walked through here, stopping only at a couple of places to look briefly.

Apparently, across from the station, you can also find the world’s shortest escalator but if we saw this, we don’t remember.

Anata No Warehouse

Anata No Warehouse, or “Your Warehouse”, is a five-story themed gaming… place (I’m going to use the word arcade as others do). Except, unfortunately, it does not exist anymore. It closed in November 2019 which I only found out while writing up this post. It’s not clear why. Comment if you do know why! Anyway, if you want to follow this same itinerary you will have to put something else in this spot unless it re-opens.

One nice thing about Anata No Warehouse was that it was free to enter. You just paid for what you used in terms of games/machines.

Theming at Anata No Warehouse

Despite this being a big game place and me not really being a gamer, I was the one who was more interested in it as an unusual activity. The adult arcade is meant to look seedy and was designed after Kowloon Walled City.

It was really neat how it worked out for us as we went to Hong Kong and visited the site of the actual Kowloon Walled City (where it used to be) only a couple of months later. You see faux facades of worn-down looking buildings, old-looking ads and signs in Chinese, fake roasting goose juxtaposed with arcade and bar games. Allegedly some of these signs are actually truly from Kowloon Walled City. Coming from Myanmar, we didn’t feel this look was incredibly far off some parts of present-day Asia, including parts of Vietnam and Hong Kong as well. Personally, I’m a fan of the grittiness. Despite the theming, the actual arcade was clean.

There were also some European-looking decorations such as a fountain.

Games and Activities at Anata No Warehouse

There were all kinds of games here! They had old games, new games, role-playing games, shooter games, racing games, DDR, etc. Not only was there variety in terms of types of games and consoles, but also content. We don’t remember what Kyle played but, as he puts it, the game was some kind of “dual-wielding, free-movement, 3rd person shooter”. I wanted to play a dance game but those were taken up the whole time we were there. You know how those people can be.

For a less “virtual” experience, you can play games such as ping pong, darts, pool, or table tennis. We decided to play some darts together.

In addition to all this, they had more activities like slots and claw machines.

Odaiba

Following Anata No Warehouse I grabbed a muffin at a bakery at the metro station and we headed to Odaiba, a high-tech artificial island in Tokyo. It is known as a shopping and entertainment district with some additional attractions like a huge Ferris wheel.

DECK Tokyo Beach and the Takoyaki Museum

DECKS is one of the large malls on Odaiba. It took us a little bit to get to the malls and even longer to get to our primary destination once inside. There were many shops. We wanted to check out the offerings a little but the main goal was getting some Takoyaki (fried octopus balls) for Kyle at the “Takoyaki Museum” which is on the 4th floor. We also watched it being made. Afterward, we grabbed some fries for me.

Odaiba Statue of Liberty Replica & More Wandering

After we were done in the mall, we headed toward the Odaiba Statue of Liberty Replica. Did you know there are and have been hundreds of replicas of the Statue of Liberty all over the world?

This one was first brought to Tokyo for one year (1998-1999) to commemorate the relationship between France and Japan and was brought back by popular demand more permanently in 2000. It is much smaller than the one in New York (40 feet tall vs 305 feet). There was a nice little path to follow by the water in this area.

Alongside this, we just explored the area and views.

Food: Soba/Tofu and Hello Kitty Soft Serve

Soon we decided we wanted more food. We went on the hunt through the various shopping areas and found a place to dine in one of the malls. We shared two meals which included vegetable tempura, tofu, and vegetarian soba. For dessert, we shared a soft serve from the Hello Kitty store.

Odaiba Beach

Odaiba is home to the only beach in Tokyo. Like the rest of the island, it is man-made. Though you can’t see it well in the photo below, there is some sand. I actually forgot to edit these photos before I uploaded them which I only realized as I started putting in photos I had planned to brighten or tilt a little. We decided oh well, they look good enough!

Note that you should not fish or go in the water here as it is not fit for that.

Rainbow Bridge

The rainbow bridge you see in view connects Odaiba to the rest of Tokyo. The Yirkamome line runs along here but it is also a pedestrian bridge (though it is closed sometimes).

The illumination colors change depending on the day and time.

I planned for us to see it rainbow and even found a schedule online so we tried to go along with that but it didn’t come through. Apparently it is pretty random whether or not it actually happens. It was a nice view regardless.

Skipped Activities

Odaiba felt pretty big and we did a lot of random wandering and passing the same areas but did skip a few things I had planned as potential options. In addition to the below activities, we had also considered walking across the rainbow bridge.

Odaiba Onsen

I really wanted to go to an onsen and this place is called an “onsen theme park”. Although they do seem to use the word theme park pretty liberally here, the place did sound nice. Odaiba Ōedo-onsen-monogatari is themed off of the Edo period. The price is around $25 (but it varies by time of day and day of the week) which includes the bath, a robe, and a towel (to use in the facility). 

Megaweb Toyota City Showcase

Another option we skipped is the Megaweb Toyota City Showcase. You can take a test drive for 300 yen (International DL required) or try out a self-driving electric car for 200 yen. (Double-check those prices before you go in case things have changed).

Fuji Television Building + VenusFort

Originally I had plans for us to go into the Fuji Television building which has an observation room for 550 yen but we did not do this for some reason. We also skipped the VenusFort shopping mall which I was kind of wanting to check out but we at least got some theming and games out of Anata No Warehouse but very different as VenusFort is supposed to have more of a European style.

Three Day Tokyo Itinerary: Third Full Day

Today started off with a visit to the bakery for a cinnamon roll. After that, we headed to Ueno Park.

Ueno Park

Ueno Park is the most popular park in Japan, with over 10 million visitors per year. Inside the park, you can find a pond, a garden, temples, shrines, and museums. The grounds originally were connected to the Kaneiji Temple. Note that some activities and attractions are not open Monday.

The park is a popular spot for viewing cherry blossoms during March and April.

Lotus Flowers

Ever since I discovered them, I’m a bit of a lotus fan. There is a large area with lotus flowers in Ueno Park. These flowers typically bloom in July and August so we just barely missed peak time by arriving in early September. Even so, the lotuses only open during certain hours (I read 7-9am) and are usually closed by noon.

Paddling Swan Boats in Shinobazu Pond

One activity we decided we’d do was a swan boat ride. I just remember doing a paddle boat in Germany as a kid and thinking it was fun which is also why we did it in Bangkok (which also was pleasant).

In Tokyo, you can rent these boats to ride in Shinobazu Pond. The pond was once known as the “Pond of Release” as Buddhists used to perform ceremonies of compassion there, releasing fish, turtles, and water birds.

Coin Faux Paus

At first, we had some issues with payment. We had been noticing some weird things with coins but here the guy let us know we could not pay with 1 and 5 yen coins. Though we didn’t realize it until this experience, I guess people do not want these coins, and some people will even consider it rude if you try to use them to pay. We still ended up with them as change sometimes, though.

Boat Troubles

Our boat was okay but we had some issues. Ours was a little wonky with sticky peddles and did not seem as good as other boats. Maybe it was because we tried to pay with that coin?? Probably not. It was still okay all in all.

Street Stalls

We left the pond and headed toward Bentendo Temple. Along the way, we stopped at an area with street food to get Kyle yakitori. We also got some tea out of a vending machine.

Shinobazunoike Bentendo Temple

Bentendo Temple is a small, but pretty Buddhist temple near Shinobazu pond. The temple is dedicated to goddess Benzaiten (one of Japan’s seven lucky gods) and was part of the larger Kaneiji Temple. The island the temple is on was only accessible via boat until 1672 when a bridge was added. The original temple was destroyed in WWII and the current version was built in 1958.
It was pretty crowded when we went. You may find less crowds at night.

Former Iwasaki Family’s Mansion & Garden

This is the former mansion for the founder of the Mitsubishi group/the Iwasaki Family. It costs 400 yen for general admission but there are additional charges if you would like to visit the back or the peony gardens. 

We actually did not enter, but just walked up to it. We probably wouldn’t have been able to do Tokyo National Museum if we did this but we do think it would have been a nice activity.

There are some informative plaques leading up to the house. The house is in a park-like setting which is nice.

Ueno Toshogu Shrine

We didn’t plan to make a point to see Ueno Toshogu Shrine, but the glimmering gold structure looked like an attractive stop when we saw it. Built in 1627 and renovated in 1651, this shrine is a good example of Shinto architecture with some features from the Edo period. It is free to observe (which is what we did), but if you want to go inside it will cost 500 yen (just under $5) for adults.

Some people visit to pray for good fortune.

Copper Lanterns

There are 50 large copper lanterns that lead up to Ueno Toshugo Shrine. These were made as offerings by daimyo (Japanese feudal lords) and are sometimes used in religious ceremonies.

Flame of Hiroshima & Nagasaki

Sometime after the 1945 bombings in Hiroshima and Nagaski, a man named Tatsuo Yamamoto went looking for his uncle in Hiroshima. In the ruins under his uncle’s house he found a flame of the atomic bomb. He brought it back to Fukuoka and kept it burning in his house. It was transferred to a torch in 1968 and villagers kept it going.

In 1988 a flame from the torch was taken to NYC to a UN General Assembly for Disarmament. In 1989, an organization was founded around it: the “Association for the Flame of Hiroshima & Nagasaki Lit at the Ueno Toshugu”. After some fundraising, the monument was completed in 1990.

Tatsuo Yamamoto and the people and organizations who have kept it since see it as a symbol for their desire to eliminate all nuclear weapons.

Vermilion Torii Gates

This was another unplanned stop that we happened across in Ueno Park. It is a bath, or Sando which leads to Hanazonoinari Shrine.

After this we also saw a street performance which we stopped briefly to watch.

Tokyo National Musem

Tokyo National Museum is the oldest national museum in Japan. We decided to go and ended up spending a quite a bit of time, staying until close. We thought this was a good museum but there are also quite a few other museums in Ueno Park including the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and the National Science Museum.

Technically Tokyo National Museum is an art museum and is actually one of the largest art museums in the world (it’s the largest art museum in Japan). I didn’t really feel like it was a typical art museum, at least compared to other art museums I have been in but more of a general museum. It does have art but there seems to be more emphasis on culture and history than other art museums including things like scrolls, Buddhist statues, armor, weapons, etc. It was also pretty English-friendly.

There are multiple buildings (six, actually) with a variety of different collections and displays. It does not focus only on Japan, but also includes objects and art from other parts of Asia as well.

Outside of the museum we found some nice green space.

Walking to Sensoji

Next, we walked the nearly 2 miles to Sensoji Temple, a pleasant walk which gave us a view of Tokyo Tower some of the time. We also passed little things like the Stars Plaza.

Sensoji Temple

Sensoji Temple is the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo.

History

The story behind Sensoji Temple is basically that in 628, two brothers went fishing and caught a statue of their goddess of mercy, a bodhisattva named Kannon. Even though they returned the statue back to the Sumida River where they got it, it kept coming back to them. The brothers showed the local chief, Haji no Matsuchi who recognized Kannon and together, the men made a hut for the statue. The temple was built for Kannon in 645.

Over the years Senosji has faced various natural disasters and parts of it were rebuilt various times. The Main Hall survived many disasters after it was rebuilt in 1649 until the 20th century. In World War II, the entire temple was destroyed but it has since been rebuilt.

Kaminarimon Gate

Kaminarimon, also known as Thunder Gate is the outer gate of the temple. It is also the symbol of Tokyo.

Two statues guard the gate, the god of wind, Fujin-sama, and the god of thunder and lightning, Raijin-sama. This explains why the gate is known as Thunder Gate (Kaminarimon).

Hozomon

Hozomon is the inner gate to Sensoji. Both gates were originally built in the 10th century but have since been rebuilt.

Five Storied Pagoda of Kan’ei-ji

This pagoda was originally built in 942 but like many other buildings, it has since been reconstructed. It allegedly contains some remains of Buddha.

I thought the Five-Storied Pagoda was especially pretty at night.

Nakamise (Shops)

Leading out from Hozomon is a long shopping street. Various stalls line this area with traditional snacks and some souvenirs. We tried to get a snack at one of these but they were all out of the flavors we wanted. Many shops were closed or closing while we were there as we didn’t get there until the evening (most close around 5pm allegedly). I think we definitely would have gotten some food and gifts or souvenirs if more had been open. We did end up going the next day but you’ll see why we didn’t get anything then later.

You can see more about Nakamise here.

This shopping area is actually not new but has been around for a few hundred years and some of the specific shops have even been there for over 100 years.

Asakusa Jinja Shinto Shrine

Asakusa Jinja is a Shinto shrine which located close to Sensoji. We don’t know for certain when it was originally built, but it’s believed that it was sometime in the 12th century. The current version was rebuilt in the mid-17th century. This shrine is actually one of the oldest structures in Tokyo as it survived neighborhood fires, a large earthquake in 1923, and the WWII firebombing which destroyed most of the surrounding structures.

It was created to honor the three men responsible for creating Sensoji Temple. The shrine is also known as Sanja-sama (Shrine of the Three Gods) as the three men (see history of Sensoji above) are enshrined as local gods.

Every May there is also a festival to celebrate these men.

Asakusa Shopping Area

After exploring Sensoji, we wandered into an area with malls, shops and restaurants.

Don Quixote

One store we opted to try was Don Quixote.

It is another discount store, kind of like a Daiso, but different. Prices varied more, though and there were more grocery foods. We ended up grabbing some chips as a snack for me as well as a basil seed drink which turned out to be delicious! We also picked up some treats for our cats after watching a video of some cats enjoying the treat. It wasn’t this exact one but looked something like this.

Food

While wandering Asakusa shopping area, we also grabbed food. Kyle got some ramen, I had some pancakes. Neither of these was exceptional but they were fine.

On our way back we grabbed more food from the convenience store and I also had some fries.

Skipped: Roppongi Hills Area

I had additional activities planned around the Roppongi Hills Area that I was really looking forward to. Unfortunately, it was already getting late and we were just feeling too tired at this point to do them. This area was kind of far from both the other activities of the day and our hotel.

These activities included:

• Getting shaved ice at “Yelo“. It reminded me of ice floss and looked really good. By this time I wasn’t in the mood for more sweets, though.
• Mori/Mohri Garden. This is supposed to be a small/simple garden in the traditional Edo-style. We just planned to stroll around.
• Mori Tower.
  • We planned the possibility of checking out the Tokyo City View observation deck. In the end we weren’t as motivated to go there for this as we had already gotten great views at the Tokyo Metropolitan Building for free and this one cost $15-$20 per person.
  • Mori Art Museum. This is the number one thing that I wish we did that we didn’t do. The exhibits change but they look so intriguing!
• Afuri. This place has vegan ramen and it was a place I saw many people recommend for ramen.
• Ishio no onsen. This is a local onsen or public bath.

Day Five: Our Final Partial Day in Tokyo

Since it was our final day and we would be flying, we opted to play things by ear.

Cafe + Revisiting Sensoji

In the end, we decided to go get some coffee at a cafe near our hotel and then hop on the metro heading toward the airport. We decided we could get off at a station which was on the way to the airport so things would go smoothly and we could just get back on and head there. If we hadn’t been carrying all of our stuff and wanting a simple morning we would have done the Roppongi Hills Area mentioned above. Still, we wouldn’t have had time to do too much anyway.

We ended up deciding to get off near Sensoji because we thought it was nice and had only seen it at night.

I will tell you that I definitely preferred it at night. Nakamise Shopping Street in the day was one of our most crowded experiences. Because it was warm, crowded, and we were carrying all of our things, we didn’t get to shop here as we’d hoped.

I saw a sign for a snack I really wanted and we just couldn’t find that either. I did end up getting a weird, but pretty good bean snack because I was so hungry, though.

Airport Time

We got to the airport early and got some more food. Narita is fine, not a bad airport, but we probably wouldn’t call it our favorite either.

Other Details From Our Tokyo Trip

I definitely could have written more about individual activities but this is a long post! While this post is a pretty comprehensive overview of our time in Tokyo (in order), there may be tiny things I left out plus I didn’t focus on making sure I mentioned all the food since that is in another post.

How Much Did Our Tokyo Activities Cost?

Most of the activities we did in Tokyo were free. However, we definitely would have spent money on an onsen (there were other reasons we didn’t do one), the Mori Museum, and other parts of activities we did do if we only had more time. Keep in mind that I was also a bit sick the whole time we were there.

I mentioned throughout this post some of the activities we had planned but skipped, but there were also some activities I really considered but didn’t end up making the cut for our official itinerary. We strongly considered doing the Mario Kart in Tokyo Tour. I kind of wish we did as that is really a unique experience but I am okay with having not done it. We also considered Studio Ghibli Stuff (you don’t have to do a tour like in the link but it is an option if you want extra info).

Here is what we spent on activities:

• $1.81 (200 yen) on games at Anata No Warehouse. We think maybe we should have done more. Aside from just wandering the place, Kyle played a sitting game and we played darts together.
• $6.33 (700 yen) on the swan paddle boat rental for 30 min
• $11 (1,200 yen) on the entrance to Tokyo National Museum ($5.50 each)

Total: $19.14

That’s it! This doesn’t include the cost to get around in Tokyo on the metro. We also considered eating to be like an activity for us there.

Thoughts for a Return Trip

If we returned to Tokyo I think we would definitely go to the Roppongi area which we skipped and would consider the Mario Kart Tour again. We would possibly revisit some areas more in-depth as well. Finally, we would eat more sushi.

There may be some I don’t know about (maybe we’d check out a sumo show or training session?), but outside of this, there isn’t anything else we currently feel we would need to do within Tokyo. We would like to try an onsen, but could do that anywhere in Japan. In such a big city there is an endless number of things to do but as far as we know, the primary additional things we are interested in in Japan are actually outside of Tokyo. So we feel that if we ever went back to Japan, we could feel okay with skipping Tokyo and visiting other areas. Feel free to comment if you have suggestions for something cool we missed, though!

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