Tokyo, Japan

Tokyu Stay Shibuya Shin Minamiguchi

WHERE WE STAYED

Why we loved it:

I researched where to stay in Tokyo, Japan for hours upon hours before we left. I wanted somewhere central among the hustle and bustle (it is Tokyo we are talking about after all!) but I really didn’t want to be surrounded with partiers and craziness when we went back to the hotel to sleep at night. After a 12 hour flight and Max being up for 24 hours straight, we definitely needed a quiet stay where we could actually sleep at night!

  • Perfect location, yet quiet! This hotel was in the perfect location – a 7 minute walk to the JR lines in Shibuya station and a 3 minute walk to the metro. It was a 6 minute walk to the Shibuya Sky Tower and Shibuya Scramble. I was kind of shocked to be so close to everything but have such a quiet hotel. There wasn’t any loud music and the walls must have been super thick because we didn’t even hear anyone else talking while we were in our room (and yes, there were people on both sides of us – we met them in the elevator!).

  • Free coffee! They have free espresso in the lobby, which we absolutely needed to fuel our day after a 12 hour flight and waking up at 3am because of the time change!

  • Close to convenient stores! There’s a Lawson’s just a block away, which also came in handy for some late night chicken nuggets and onigiri!

  • There’s laundry facilities in the room! We stayed here right when we arrived to Japan so we didn’t have any laundry yet, but had we stayed a bit longer we would have loved to use the laundry.

Top 10 things we did in Tokyo.

1. teamLab: Planets, Tokyo

6 Chome-1-16 Toyosu, Koto City, Tokyo 135-0061, Japan

Why we loved it:

  • This was hands down the best interactive art museum we’ve ever been to. It’s a fully interactive experience that really engages all of your senses.

  • You take your shoes off at the beginning because you walk through water several times during the exhibition.

  • Our favorite room was the one with the twinkling lights – it was incredible!

  • Reservations are needed! You sign up for a specific hour-long time slot and you can show up / enter anytime within that hour. We used Klook to book our time slot.

  • Getting there: Know that it will take around 45 minutes to get to teamLab Planets from Shibuya and Shinjuku.

  • Notes:

    • Don’t wear a skirt to teamLab Planets – there are several rooms with mirrored floors.

2. Shibuya Sky

Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto, 604-8055, Japan

Why we loved it:

  • The views of Tokyo, Japan are absolutely incredible from Shibuya Sky!

  • The best time to go is thirty minutes before sunset so that you can enjoy the views during the day, during the night and also during sunset.

  • You do need to purchase tickets for a specific time slot on a specific day so make sure you look at the weather and try to plan to go on a day when the sky is clear (and no rain is in the forecast!)

  • We used Klook to book our tickets.

3. Senso-Ji Temple

2-chōme-3-1 Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0032, Japan

Why we loved it:

  • The Senso-Ji temple (also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple) is the a beautiful and colorful temple located in the Asakusa district of Tokyo, Japan. It’s Tokyo’s largest temple.

  • Make sure you walk around the entire thing. There’s a beautiful little garden to the left-hand side (if you’re looking at the temple from the shops)

  • You can also pay 100 Yen to get a fortune at a couple of different places scattered around the temple. Once you pay, you pick up the hexagon shaped metal box and shake it. A stick with a number will come out. You then locate that number on one of the drawers placed in front of the fortune table. Pull out the drawer and the piece of paper in there with your fortune on it! Just know, if you get a bad luck fortune, you’re supposed to tie it to the “bad fortune” post sitting outside the temple as to leave your bad luck behind!

Pro tip:

  • Go early! If you want to experience the temple with less crowds, plan to get there around 8:00am. By the time you walk around the temple and take it all in, the shops will begin opening (around 9:00am).

4. Cosme Cosmetics Store | Harajuku

1-chōme-14-27 Jingūmae, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0001, Japan

Why we loved it:

  • Cosme is one of Japan’s best cosmetic stores! They carry all of the top Japanese beauty products and they even have an awards wall to help you decide what to get in case you’re utterly overwhelmed (like I was!). And getting on the award wall for J-beauty is a pretty huge deal in Japan, so anything up there is pretty sure to be incredible!

Here’s what I got and have been LOVING (for someone with dry-ish skin):

  • Kosé - Softymo Oil Cleanser (this takes all my make up including mascara off in like a second!)

  • SANA water based cleanser (great for dry skin! & this is something I just picked up, I hadn’t seen anyone recommend it yet, but it NEEDS to be shared)

  • Hada Labo hydration milk (the one with the orange seal)

  • Anessa sensitive sunscreen (the one in the pink bottle) I GIVE IT 10000 stars. PS. This is available in the United States on Amazon, but it is $50. In Japan, it’s $20 – STOCK UP!

  • Hada Labo Gel Moisturizer

  • Keana Rice Mask (sheets and wash off mask)

  • Fino hair mask (just get it, I promise you won’t regret this one!!)

Notes:

  • Have your Google translate ready! It’s really hard to know what everything is if you don’t use your translator.

  • Do some research on what you want to buy before you go – this will help you tremendously because you’ll be able to recognize the packaging of what you are looking for.

5. Golden Gai | Drinks + Bars

1 Chome-1-6 Kabukicho, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0021, Japan

Why we loved it:

  • Golden Gai is located in Shinjuku and it’s made up of six small ally ways filled with tons and tons of super tiny bars (and some restaurants). Each place only has room for 5-7 or so people so it’s a super intimate experience!

  • Half the fun is just wandering around the streets and peeking into some of the bars to see which one fits your style! Some are more like dive bars, some have super cute decor and fancier cocktails, and be careful, because some are for locals only (although these ones should be clearly labeled!).

Notes: There are no reservations and no “waiting to be seated” or lines to get in at these bars. You’re expected to find one with room for you have a seat or move on to the next.