Jon's Guide for Going to Japan - Part 4: Tokyo Tourism

Now that you're familiar with getting around Japan, it's time for the fun stuff: all the places to visit. In this post I'll go over some of my favorite spots located within Tokyo.

This is Part 4 of a multi-part series about traveling to Japan. Here are the other parts:

• Part 1: Planning Your Trip
• Part 2: Your Flight
• Part 3: Getting Around Japan
• Part 5: Outside Tokyo
• Part 6: About Eventing, and Your Trip Back Home

The Largest City in the World

There's so much to do in Tokyo, it's easy to spend your entire trip there. I typically do one district/area per day (except for 2-3 days set aside for Akihabara, of course), but you can plan things however you want.

Most of these places are easily accessible via train, with many of them accessible via the Yamanote line, which is the Tokyo loop.

Shinjuku

If you've decided to get a hotel here, you've made an excellent choice. Shinjuku is one of the major stations in Tokyo. It does not connect to the Shinkansen (Shinagawa and Tokyo Stations do), but it's super easy to get pretty much anywhere in Tokyo from here. Shinjuku is also full of arcades, pachinko, karaoke, bars, restaurants of all kinds, and other fun activities.

Shinjuku is great to stay in because of its nightlife. I recommend spending your daytimes in other areas, then coming back to Shinjuku for dinner and other fun stuff. Just walk around the town and you'll find tons of things to do. If you're a beer drinker, check out Yona Yona Beer Works for some delicious sausage and beer. The area is also filled to the brim with ramen, sushi, curry, and all other kinds of restaurants. If shopping is your thing, check out the underground mall near the station. There are also several department stores. The sky's the limit.

It's a bit of a tourist trap, but you might also want to check out namco TOKYO, which is a gigantic arcade, bar, and shop.

Harajuku

The fashion district of Tokyo. If you aren't into fashion, you might think there might not be a lot here for you, but there are still some great sights to see.

Take a walk down Takeshita Street and you'll see a bustling shopping center with clothing stores, cafes, and other shops. It's also where the (in)famous "stairs to idol hell" are.

If you're a fan of Love Live! Superstar!, check out this map for a list of locations, mostly in Harajuku, that are seen in the anime and related media.

Shibuya

I admittedly haven't spent much time in Shibuya so I can't speak much about it. I do know it's worth visiting for the Hachiko statue, the Shibuya Scramble crossing, and Shibuya 109, all of which have been seen in countless anime, manga, and video games.

Meiji Jingu

Resting in between Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Harajuku is a large shrine called Meiji Jingu, where you can easily spend a few hours exploring and taking in the gorgeous views. There is an optional flower garden you can pay extra to visit, and you absolutely should, especially if the flowers are in bloom.

Odaiba

The man-made island in Tokyo. Odaiba is a very western-style area, but don't let that keep you from going here. Here you will find a giant shopping mall (Tokyo Diver City), the life-size Gundam statue, and several museums and other attractions.

Inside Tokyo Diver City you will find a huge food court, a Round1 arcade (they're much better in Japan), and The Gundam Base.

Odaiba is also home to Tokyo Big Sight, where Comiket, a huge doujin comics convention, takes place twice a year. Recently, an "immersive theme park" opened in Odaiba. I haven't been there yet but I'll be sure to check it out on my next trip.

Odaiba has its very own Statue of Liberty, albeit much smaller than the New York one. You can also take a walk across the Rainbow Bridge, which is not actually rainbow colored, but it's great for photos and sightseeing.

Tokyo Skytree Tower & Sumida Aquarium

The Skytree is absolutely a tourist trap but one that's worth going to if you've never been. At 634 meters high, you can see all of Tokyo from the top. Try to get there early, or you might have to wait a bit to get in. At the foot of the tower sits a huge shopping mall with a Pokémon Store, a Kirby Cafe (you must make reservations if you plan to eat there!), tons of restaurants, gift shops, and much more.

Also connected to the shopping mall is the Sumida Aquarium. You'll see signs for it near the tower. It's a small aquarium, but it's cheap and they have some really cool exhibits, especially the penguins!

Maxell Aqua Park

A much bigger aquarium located in Shinagawa. They have a glass tunnel, a dolphin show, penguin feeding, and much more. A great place to spend a few hours, especially if you love aquariums.

Nakano Broadway

Get off the train at the Nakano station, walk down the road, and you'll find yourself in a gigantic shopping mall / flea market full of shops, arcades, food, and more.

If you are looking for second-hand anime merch, there are over a dozen Mandarake stores here, and they all sell different kinds of stuff, so be sure to check them all.

Akihabara

The otaku paradise. Akihabara is full of anime and video game shops, Kanda shrine, and of course lots of arcades. You can easily spend 2-3 days of your trip here alone. Here's a list of spots I recommend checking out:

• Gamers, animate, Kotobukiya, and AmiAmi - Huge stores full of anime merch and other related content.
• Mandarake - Giant second-hand store where you can find plenty of pre-owned merch at a decent price. They have many more locations in Nakano Broadway, as well as an online store.
• Melonbooks - This is the place for doujin fans and the like. Very NSFW.
• GiGO Arcades - Huge multi-floor arcades with tons of modern games of all genres. The collab cafe inside GiGO 3 often runs Love Live! cafes. Be sure to make reservations if you plan to go.
• Hirose Entertainment Yard (HEY) - A retro arcade full of classic cabinets, especially fighters and shooters.
• Super Potato - Retro game store full of Japanese games and consoles, plus a small cafe/arcade on the top floor.
• Final Fantasy XIV Eorzea Cafe - While I'm not personally an enjoyer of FFXIV, this cafe is amazing. Very unique and tasty foods. Make reservations!
• Maidreamin - You can't miss this, as their theme song plays all over Akihabara. This is a very forgeigner-friendly maid cafe chain. You will likely face a language barrier, but all the menus and policies are written out in English. Pay extra and the maids will dance to an anisong for you.
• MOGRA - An anisong DJ club and bar that opens at 11pm (23:00) with shows going on until 5am, right when the trains start running. Check out their schedule and Twitch streams.
• TwinBox Akihabara - A chika idol concert venue where you can pay a small price to check out some underground idol groups. Check out their X (Twitter) account to see what they're up to.
• Alchemist Bar - A hole-in-the-wall anisong bar located near the station. Take the elevator up and you'll walk into a small bar with friendly staff. Show a pic of your favorite anime character to the staff and they will turn that character into a drink! Check their site for locations and more info.
• Kanda Myojin - A shrine that's famous to Love Live! fans, as it's the shrine Nozomi works at and the stairs µ's is often seen on. There's a shop here, a fortune telling machine, and plenty of photo opportunities.

Akihabara is home to many locations famous to fans of Love Live! School Idol Project. For more info, check out this map and make sure to check the boxes for the "LL!" locations. This map also covers spots from Love Live! Sunshine!! so I will be linking to this again when I discuss Numazu and Uchiura.

This is definitely not an exhaustive list of things to do in Akihabara. Walk around down and see what else catches your eye. If you have any suggestions you think I should add, comment below to let me know.

Ikebukuro

Ikebukuro, like Akihabara, is also heavily anime-influenced, but more geared toward fujoshi (female anime fans who are interested in male-character-focused franchises, BL, and similar).

This district is home to a 10-story animate megastore, another Round1 arcade, and K-BOOKS stores for secondhand anime merch. If you have time, take a detour over to Wonder Parlour, a maid cafe with great tea and dessert options.

Other Areas in or near Tokyo

Some other places in or near Tokyo that are worth visiting:

• Tokyo Tower - Not as tall as the Skytree, but there's usually some fun shops here and a crepe stand.
• Yokohama - South of Tokyo and right by the water. Come for the beautiful sights, stay for the shopping malls, the Cup Noodle Museum, the Ramen Museum, and the many famous concert venues located here.
• Tokyo Station - Check out the beautiful architecture of the station, see the Imperial Palace, and visit Gyoko-dori where Snow halation takes place and crack some UOs.
• Asakusa - There's a big shrine here and a nakamise (shopping street), but it's also a huge tourist trap, so it might be busy. A good place to find Japanese street food such as takoyaki and yakisoba.

Next, head on over to Part 5, where I go over places outside Tokyo you might want to consider visiting.