Hi friends! I’m recently back from a culinary-focused visit to Tokyo and I wanted to share some tips that made the experience far more smooth than last time. Without question, the most effective thing was having a simple pocket-sized wifi router which provided unlimited internet for me and my friends at all times. What a life saver this was in terms of navigation, finding train routes and times tables, booking tickets and finding the best food in any area. Ninja WiFi is the brand I chose and they make it incredibly easy by letting customers pick up and drop off their wifi router at the hotel or in the airport. I now have a partnership with Ninja WiFi and they’ve extended a 10% discount to you when you click the banner here to reserve a wifi router:
Simple Travel Tips for Visiting Tokyo:
- Reserve a pocket wifi router for the duration of your stay whether you think you’ll need it or not. Get 10% off if you use Ninja WiFi.
- Rest on your long flight with the GoSleep eye mask before you land in the often-overwhelming city of Tokyo.
- Be aware of the two different train lines as passes for one do not carry over to the other. For planing the best train routes use the apps Rome2Rio or HyperDia available on both Android and Apple phones. Trains in Tokyo stop running at 1:00am sharp.
- Make your base in the Shibuya neighborhood. While AirBNBs are often cheaper than hotels, I don’t recommend it for first time visitors because you’ll appreciate the convenience of a front desk for travel assistance.
- Check out my frequently-updated list of crazy things to do in Tokyo. I promise this features things you’ve never heard of.
- Look up the calendar of festivals so you get a chance to experience any local celebrations while you’re there.
- Learn how to use Uber in Tokyo if that’s a service you like, though taxi cabs are the more common choice and they now typically accept credit cards.
- ATMs are easily accessed from inside 7-Eleven convenience stores (20,000 locations in Japan!).
- Plan only one main thing per day. Being ambitious will wear you down much quicker than you think. Take advantage of the natural areas which offer some peace and quiet to offset the busy-city chaos. Tokyo has at least a dozen large parks and gardens all very short walks from train stations, and another dozen or so shrines and temples located in beautiful natural surroundings.
- Slow down at one of the tea rooms of Tokyo; whether traditional or modern in style, you will thank yourself.
- Enjoy Tokyo’s Michelin star restaurants because they have more than any other city in the world. There are a number of great choices with meals priced at ¥1,000 or less, but I highly recommend the Michelin-starred ramen at Nakiryu. And yes, it is really fantastic.
- Get yourself a Japan guidebook and learn proper etiquette which can go a long way in Tokyo. I like the one called ‘Japan: The Essential Guide to Customs and Culture’.
Have fun in Tokyo and thank you for visiting Try Something Fun!
oOo
