We started our trip at Narita International Airport Narita International Airport, Tokyo, where we caught the express train directly to Shinjuku Station. Navigating the station was a bit overwhelming at first, but we made it to Hotel Gracery Shinjuku Hotel Gracery Shinjuku, Tokyo to drop off our bags. The area is intense, with neon lights everywhere you look, even late at night.
For our first few evenings, we kept returning to Omoide Yokocho Omoide Yokocho, Tokyo. It is a narrow network of alleys filled with small yakitori stalls. It’s tight quarters, but it’s easy to grab a quick drink and some skewers after a long day of walking.
On the fourth day, we headed to Shibuya to see the crossing Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo. It is famous for a reason—seeing 3,000 people move across at once is impressive. We stopped for a photo with the Hachiko Statue nearby before grabbing a quick lunch at Afuri Ramen Afuri Ramen, Tokyo and later some conveyor belt sushi at Genki Sushi Shibuya Genki Sushi Shibuya, Tokyo.
“The Shibuya Crossing manages thousands of people at once without any chaos.”
We shifted gears the next day with a visit to the Imperial Palace East Garden Imperial Palace East Garden, Tokyo. Walking through the grounds felt like a quiet break from the city noise. Afterward, we spent several hours at the Tokyo National Museum Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo in Ueno Park to see the collection of historical artifacts.
We wrapped up the trip by heading to Asakusa for tempura at Daikokuya Tempura Daikokuya Tempura, Tokyo, which was worth the wait. Our final stop was Aqua City Odaiba Aqua City Odaiba, Tokyo to look back across the water at the skyline. It was a good way to see the scale of the city before heading home.