Visiting Tokyo for the First Time? Here’s What Couples Need to Know!
If you’re like me, Japan is on your travel bucket list! This week Angela Betancourt joins me to share all of her tips and insider info on visiting Japan for the first time.
Let’s dive into everything you need to know before planning your trip to Japan!
When is the best time to visit Japan?
Spring is a beautiful time to visit! Cherry blossom season is popular for a good reason!
What should I do during my visit?
Ride the Bullet Train! This incredibly fast train is a unique and fun experience.
Take walks around the city. There is so much to take in, especially at night! There are lots of alleyways with bright neon signs that are super fun to see.
Go to the top of the Tokyo Skytree! This building is so tall and will give you the best view of the entire city! You can sign up ahead of time online.
Look around the mall at the Tokyo Town Center. This is a great place to buy trinkets and souvenirs.
Visit the Senso-ji Temple. This is an amazing place to learn more about Japanese culture and see one of their beautiful temples.
The Meiji Jingu shrine is also a great place to visit for an authentic temple experience.
Shibuya Crossing is one of the busiest intersections in the world! It’s such a cool experience to walk around here.
Take a day trip to Mt. Fuji! There are lots of tour groups who will pick you up from Tokyo and help transport you to the mountain.
Tsukiji Fish Market is the most iconic and famous fish market in the city. It is such a cool experience to walk around the market and experience market life. You can also get fresh fish and sushi here.
Go to a sumo wrestling show!
Angela and her husband went to a Vampire Restaurant that she mentions is a super unique and fun experience.
What is the food like?
Tokyo is one of the best places ever to get sushi! If you’re a sushi lover, don’t miss this!
Restaurants, malls, and shops often have order-at-the-counter options, but there are plenty of sit down restaurants as well!
Angela’s child did not eat any raw fish, and there were still plenty of options! Every dietary preference can be met here.
Good food can be found all over the city! If you can’t make it to specific restaurants, don’t worry! Great food is everywhere.
How easy or hard is it to communicate?
The big, main attractions had people who spoke English. However, Angela mentions that there wasn’t as much English as she thought there would be.
Google Translate is super useful! Keep the app downloaded to be able to ask people questions.
Other tips to know
The city is very easy to navigate! Be prepared to walk and take subways a lot! The subways are very clean and easy to navigate.
Tokyo is huge! Be aware that things may be a bit spaced out, and that sometimes it takes a while to get between places.
Tokyo is very family friendly! Anglea noted so many little touches that she found throughout the city that made her experience with children so smooth.
You'll want a minimum of 5 days in Tokyo to get to all the main attractions.