Tokyo - East districts

Asakusa / Sumida City - Northern edge to the right, look for Senso-ji and Tokyo Skytree

One of the more famous temples in Tokyo, kitchenware shops, good eats, Tokyo Skytree. An area I frequently visit.

Tokyo Station / Ginza - Tokyo Station marked on the map, Ginza is south from there

Tokyo Station is a maze but many great shops underground. A Ghibli store, other cute character stores, shops great for souvenir snacks. Ginza has great department stores and the Uniqlo Flagship store (11 stories).

Akihabara - Just north of the marker, look for Akihabara JR icon

Need to explore more here. For fans of anime, manga, video games, trading card games.

Odaiba / DisneySea / Other - Odaiba is just under the word “Tower” in Tokyo Tower (to the south and left)

TeamLab Planets, places that seem great for kids that I have been meaning to check out. Tsukiji Outer Market is also in this list but not in Odaiba.

 

Asakusa / Sumida City

Katsukichi

Asakusa / Sumida City - Coffee

Recommended
Highly

Notes
Near Tokyo Skytree, really good coffee and vibe.

I don't remember this being here, maybe they moved? A little southwest from Asakusa Station (subway, not the train).

If time allows

Asakusa / Sumida City - Restaurants

Notes
Onigiri are rice balls with various fillings. English menu available. Oldest onigiri shop in Tokyo? May need to do wait list (check their hours). I got the 3 onigiri set and it was a decent amount of food + miso soup (they bring out 1 at a time).

Recommended
Highly

Tonkatsu is breaded pork but breading is much lighter than the US. SO good; also have English menu, nice staff, cash only.

Highly

Tempura restaurant I haven't been to yet. Tempura in Japan is so light, I would definitely check out a tempura place once.

If time allows

Haven't been here yet either, but someday!

If time allows

I love soba (buckwheat noodles) but haven’t been here yet. Gluten-free unless noodles are a blend, but sauce may have.

If time allows

Asakusa / Sumida City - Shopping

Recommended
Highly

Name
Mikura

Notes
Sells just chopsticks but super cool. Stairs are on the left side of the larger kitchen store on the 1st floor. Head south on the main street for lots of kitchen stores.

Small shop but amazing how good these plastic food samples look. Also have them as keychains and magnets. Check it out.

Highly

Tiny, narrow shop that sells well-made bento boxes. The people helping me were so welcoming! Please visit!

If time allows

Asakusa / Sumida City - Scenic

Recommended
Highly

Name
Sensō-ji

Notes
On every Tokyo list. Street leading up to it has shops; expect heavy crowds. Goshuin are in small building back left as you face the main temple.

15-min walk from Asakusa. Great views of Tokyo and shopping mall. Haven’t been to the Pokemon Center here yet.

Highly

Tokyo Station / Ginza

Rilakkuma Store

Tokyo Station / Ginza - Coffee

Recommended
If time allows

Notes
Short walk south of Ginza station. Old school, chill vibe. Years ago, smoking indoors was still allowed. Could be cash only.

Tokyo Station / Ginza - Restaurants

Recommended
Highly

Notes
1 of 2 major department stores. Listing as a restaurant as I browse the food stalls (basement). Great variety.

You don't have to visit both, pretty similar... I don't recall which one I typically go to, tbh.

Highly

Had good soba (buckwheat noodles) here. I don't remember if they have English menus.

Highly

Haven't been here yet, yakitori is grilled meat skewers. West of Ginza station.

If time allows

Mostly for reference; check maps when you get there for ramen alley. Haven’t eaten here yet!

If time allows

Tokyo Station / Ginza - Shopping

Recommended
Highly

Notes
Link is for reference to get to the massive underground shopping area. Wander around but try not to get lost!
Good area to browse for snack souvenirs.

If time allows

So much merch. No custom design tees at this location (see Shibuya Parco on Tokyo - West page).

If time allows

An 11-story Uniqlo... that either makes you excited to go there just to see it or pass.

Akihabara

Akihabara - Restaurants

Recommended
If time allows

Notes
- Bar with video games I've been meaning to check out, but it's far enough I run out of time

Akihabara - Shopping

Recommended
If time allows

Notes
Trading card store. Bring passport if looking to sell. You can order at a kiosk and pick up on the 3rd (?) floor right away.

Odaiba / DisneySea / Other

Rainbow Bridge

Odaiba / DisneySea / Other - Scenic

Recommended
If time allows

Notes
Research when the bridge is lit up with colors. I went when it was just white lights; still cool but was sad to miss it.

Odaiba / DisneySea / Other - Touristy

Recommended
If time allows

Notes
Buy tickets in advance for a specific time, very IG. More sensory experiential than Borderless (shoes off, walking through water in one exhibit, etc).

Haven’t been here yet, but looks pretty cool!

If time allows

Amusement park, arcade, VR. Haven’t been yet.

If time allows

Good for kids, I hear. Haven’t been yet.

If time allows

EV go-karts that look pretty fun. A tad on the pricey side. Haven’t been yet, haha.

If time allows

The famous tuna auction moved to Toyosu (didn’t want to wake up that early anyway), but the shops and restaurants are still here.

If time allows

Until I write a blog about it, I’ll try to summarize here.

  • Overall, I’m glad we went. My nephew is almost 13 and didn’t want to do Tower of Terror. Other rides we did were fairly mild and he ended up enjoying Universal more. Expect queues 60+ min for most rides and get FastPass whenever you can. Experienced park go-ers will likely have more fun!

  • If possible, avoid weekends, holidays, and special events.

  • Tokyo Disney app is handy. I forget if you can buy park tickets 1 or 2 months in advance.

  • You cannot buy FastPass in advance, you have to be in the park.

  • General advice says to get there an hour before opening to queue. We got there later and didn’t have much success getting FastPass for the rides we wanted.

  • Rides not unique to DisneySea: Soaring, Toy Story, Tower of Terror (but heard this has a slight difference).

  • We got FastPass for Toy Story so we went; was still fun!

  • Journey to the Center of the Earth… a 4-minute ride and didn’t feel it was worth a queue for 60 min, though it was fun. It was nice that the queue was underground / out of the sun.

  • 20K Leagues… slower ride for sure. Queue was also out of the sun. It was fine. :)

  • Indiana Jones… did not go but read you can use FastPass lane if you go as a single rider.

  • Mermaid Lagoon was indoors and air-conditioned… so we enjoyed it more than expected, haha.

  • Fantasy Springs is fairly new so time-limited entry when we went.

  • The ferry that runs through the park was a nice way to take a break and get out of the sun.

  • Gourmet popcorn with different flavors throughout the park. We wanted to try but didn’t get around to it.

  • Yucatan Base Camp Grill has the Toy Story alien mochi (3 different flavors in the set). Can order via the app!

If time allows