In July, I finally had a nice-long summer vacation! I decided to head to Tokyo for the duration and meet up with my buddy Adam (who I hadn’t seen in 4 years). There is so much to share about my trip, so I’ll break it down day-by-day and fill you in on where I went, what I did, and most importantly–what I ate! First day – puttering around Asakusa and Akihabara.
Adam was not able to arrive on the same day as me, so my first full day allowed me to relax and bum around Asakusa and Akihabara. After sleeping in and enjoying breakfast at my Air BnB, I set off to do an Asakusa-Ueno-Akihabara walking route I mapped out. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, I just wanted to get a feel for the city and get my bearings a bit. The walk was nice and (at that time) I was glad that we chose to stay in the Asakusa area. We were just far enough out to have some peace and quiet, but close enough to touristy stuff and tons of food options.
The view from my front door – Tokyo Skytree!
Akihabara was cool (I was kinda tired by time I arrived), but I would have liked it much more if I was in to gaming or Anime. As you probably know, Akihabara is the place to go if you are in to anime or manga, or are in-need of electronics!
After finding a decent spot to have a salad for lunch, I took a nice leisurely walk back to the apartment to rest and research where I would go for dinner. After perusing Trip Advisor, I decided to hit up a ramen joint in Asakusa. Although Ramen Yoroiya wasn’t the absolute best ramen I’ve ever had, it was cheap, flavorful, and quite filling.
The first of many – Ramen in Asakusa.
I wasn’t quite ready to go back home yet, so I sought out the local Don Quixote and picked up some munchies and souvenirs.
A trip to Japan is never complete without a visit to DonQuijote!
I finished my shopping and went back to the apartment. I wanted to be well-rested for the day ahead! Stay tuned for next week’s post, where I’ll give you all the details on trinket shopping in Asakusa and my first impressions of Shibuya!
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I visited Tokyo at Lunar New Year 2 years ago, and I also loved just walking around the neighbourhoods and taking it all in! I’m a Lost in Translation freak. I don’t even know why I love that movie so much but when I finally got to Tokyo I was beyond buzzing! Akihabara was a pretty cool neighbourhood- I loved seeing all the anime stores, and I especially loved experiencing a maid cafe! Can’t wait to read your other posts!
Thanks so much for reading and for your comments! Yeah, Tokyo is QUITE the experience! I’m so glad I had the opportunity to soak it all up 🙂
Oh wow Japan!!! It’s in my bucket list but I haven’t been there just yet. It looks like you have more exciting stories to tell in your next post so we will definitely watch out for that. Your first day, despite the fact that you spent it all for yourself, was not that bad though. It’s pretty adventurous especially the walkathon part.
Thanks for reading! Yeah, it turned in to a 4hr adventure, but it was a great way to get my bearings! It was a great trip – definitely recommend it to anyone who likes city-vacations ^^
Short and sweet! Love the Ramen shot. I visited Don Quixote when I was in Osaka and it was unreal. Never had proper ramen, though – can you believe it?! Only Ramyeong in Korea LOL
Thanks for reading! I definitely prefer Japanese Ramen and will be hitting up a few spots in Osaka over Chuseok! Don Quixote blows my mind every time I step in to one – thankfully I never spend too much $$!
Japan is beautiful. I love it there. I have never been to Tokya but you made me want to visit now!
Looking forward to read your next post 🙂
Thanks for reading!! 🙂
I really like Tokyo. There are plenty things to see and so much great food. Sometimes though, it’s nice to get away from the really big, hyper modern cities. I think Kyoto is my favorite city in Japan (so far, I still have so many I’d like to visit!)
I’m definitely partial to Kyoto as well! I enjoyed the big city, but prefer a bit more scenery ^^
Huge fan of Japan, Ramen and everything in between! Don’t be shy, have it for breakfast, its that good 🙂 Don Quixote is also a fun location to window shop or just go all out.
Yes!! The first time I was in Japan, I had Ramen for breakfast-so so good!!
I have been to the same places in Tokyo, but just for 4 days. I really enjoyed it although I was a bit underwhelmed by Akihabara.
I’m glad I’m not the only person who wasn’t in love with Akihabara ^^ Thanks for reading!
Haha that’s how I prefer to travel! Get in and spend one day relaxing and lounging while preparing for what to do the next few days. Japanese ramen is delicious and getting to see friends after so long is the best feeling ever!
Yeah, its super nice to have the time to find my bearings before venturing out! Ramen….. one of the best things ever!
Nice choice in going to Japan. Being in Korea, we’re so close to Japan, and I feel like I need to get over there to check it out. My friends took their recent vacation there, and it sounded like a good time. I’ll be sure to stay up to date on your Japan posts!
Thanks for reading! My friends kept telling me how much I’d love Japan, but I never quite believed them until I took my first trip. Needless to say, I’ll be going back to Japan next week (3rd time in 13mos)! It’s a great country and well-worth a visit since we’re so close ^^
10 days! That would be something to look forward to! And Don Quixote looks magnificent at night. Haven’t really gone around Tokyo except for the Imperial Gardens and the shopping place around it so I always look forward to looking at photos.
Thanks for reading! The Imperial Gardens were lovely! Definitely a highlight of our trip 🙂
Seems cool. Oh how I wish to visit Japan!!
I look forward to hearin about tue rest of your stay there~
We’re planning to visit Japan this fall so I’m definitely looking forward to more recaps. I’ve never heard of Don Quixote as a store only the book, haha now I want to check it out!
Ohh, where are you going? I’m going back next week actually haha! Yeah, Don Quixote is a great place for interesting souvenirs or to buy things you forgot to pack 🙂