NAME: Allison
CITY: Tokyo
COUNTRY: Japan
YEAR OF TRIP: Dec 2016-Jan 2017
HOW LONG WERE YOU THERE? 3 weeks
BEST TIME TO GO: spring, during the sakura blossoming (cherry-blossom); I went for the week leading up into the new year and for a couple weeks in January
GREATEST CHALLENGE: the language/culture barrier, especially in terms of restaurants and finding out what food to order, the correct way to eat it (I ended up just randomly pointing at things a lot and then doing my best with chopsticks)
WHAT MAKES THIS PLACE SPECIAL?
MUST EAT:
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Conveyor belt sushi, the sushi literally comes around on a conveyor belt on plates with one or two pieces at a time, so you get to try so many different kinds and they’re all delicious
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Taiyaki – it’s this custard filled, fish-shaped pastry that is best consumed straight off the taiyaki iron from tiny, hole in the wall vendors
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Takoyaki – they’re these fried octopus balls that come with some sort of delicious sauce and they’re incredibly wonderful
MUST SEE:
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Meiji shrine, we just don’t have anything so old or cool in the states
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The imperial palace, try to book a tour, they book months in advance and there are days of the year (like new year’s day and the emperor’s birthday) where the royal family comes out and all of Tokyo/japan goes and waves to them which is super cool
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Shinjuku – shopping and shopping and shopping galore, it’s exactly what you’d expect out of Tokyo but so much more overwhelming
MUST DO:
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Hike Mt Takao, it has shrines the whole hike up and it’s very neat
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Rent kimonos. It’s really cheap and you get to wander around all day in them and all the locals get really excited and take your pictures and talk to you.
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Hot sake!
Other Recommendations: If you like winter sports, take a trip to the northern island of Hokkaido and shred some serious pow on volcanoes.