Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo, Japan is an utterly beautiful, pristine city, unlike any other Asian destination I’d had the privilege to visit prior to this trip. Everything about Tokyo is truly lovely, from the stunning Imperial Palace to the sweet little shops my mother and I happened upon while wandering about. Though it’s no Paris (but what place is?), I did leave an itty bitty piece of my heart here… oh, who could depart from Japan without feeling the same way?

My family and I spent a total of two days in Japan this past May, following our lengthier April stay in Thailand. We packed as much as we possibly could into that all-too-short weekend… An itinerary, of sorts, can be found below, along with a few little recommendations of mine. I am far from a Tokyo expert, of course, but if it’s standard, tourist-y stops you’re after – well, you’ve come to the right inter web space. Shall we begin? (Yes, of course!)

The following list of Tokyo attractions are the ones I myself visited while in the city. There are quite a few more (and by ‘quite a few’ I mean tons) points of interest here, but I, unfortunately, did not have time to see them all. This is an excellent starting point, however, ideal for travelers with a limited number of hours in the metropolis.

• Sensō-ji Temple – An entirely incredible Buddhist Temple; an architectural masterpiece.
• Nakamise Shopping Street – Though it could be fairly described as a ‘tourist trap’, I enjoyed this spot immensely. Ooh, purchase (& devour) an ice cream cone, okay? (And please don’t be like my unimaginative younger brothers – they selected chocolate & vanilla swirl cones. There was cherry blossom soft serve! And blueberry yogurt, and green tea, and black sesame, and almond… don’t. be. lame.)
• Tokyo Imperial Palace – The grandeur & gorgeousness blew me away.
• Tokyo Skytree – A brilliant sight from afar.
• Ginza – Upscale, luxurious shopping. It’s worth a peek.
• Places to Shop – Shinjuku, Shibuya, & Harajuku.

(In the photographs above: the lovely temple, and Jake’s swirly ice cream cone)

Now, these are the places I’ll be returning to Tokyo in the (hopefully near) future for… Areas and sites I wasn’t able to fully appreciate or make it to at all last month.

• Meiji Shrine – A Shinto shrine in Shibuya, Tokyo. According to Google, it is dedicated to ‘the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken’.
• Shinjuku Gyoen – As you’ll soon come to realize, I’m a wee bit garden-obsessed. This park is oh-so-pretty.
• Yoyogi Park – I did warn you about the parks thing, no?
• Yasukuni Shrine – A Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo.
• Hamarikyu Gardens – Gardens… (You’re not surprised, are you?)
• Edo Castle – Did somebody say ‘castle’?
• Takeshita Street – Shopping. All. The. Shopping.
• Rikugi-en – Would you look at that, yet another park! It’s magnificent, of course.
• Koishikawa Kōrakuen Garden – No words.
• Tokyo Tower – Ooh, just like the emoji!
• Tsukiji Market – I was so looking forward to spending a morn here, but of course they happened to be on holiday while I was in Japan. Such is my life.

So… yes. I have just barely scratched the surface.

(In the above & below photographs: The imperial palace, Jack being adorable, the Tokyo Skytree, and more scenes from Japan.)

I suppose this is all I have to share on Tokyo today… is it painfully obvious that I’m not too familiar with the city? I think so. (Insert nervous smiling emoji here)

I do hope you enjoyed the post, however… Sending ♥s!

– Abby