Tokyo, Japan

Welcome to Tokyo!

Tokyo is one of those cities that feels almost impossible to summarize. Once the small fishing village of Edo, it grew into the political heart of Japan during the Tokugawa shogunate before becoming Tokyo, the country’s capital, in 1868. Staying in Shibuya put me right in the middle of the city’s modern energy: bright screens, packed crossings, late-night food spots, fashion, music, and the constant flow of people around Shibuya Station. The area is known as one of Tokyo’s centers for youth culture, nightlife, shopping, and trends, with landmarks like Shibuya Crossing and the Hachikō statue making it one of the most recognizable places in the city. Tokyo and specifically Shibuya hits this unique intersection between ancient temples and neon lit crossings, bringing together old traditions with vibrant new energy.

Tokyo was the kind of city that immediately throws you into the deep end. We were staying in Shibuya, so from the moment we arrived, everything felt fast, bright, and busy. The first major challenge was simply figuring out the train station, which felt like a city within a city. After surviving that initial mayhem, we raided 7-Eleven for snacks. Ice cream sandwiches, rice triangles, and lemon sour drinks became the kind of treats that wouldn't get off my mind. I must say I was quite surprised at the quality of the convenience stores. The ice cream was without a doubt some of the best I've ever had, not to mention how fresh the onigiri (rice triangles) were, or even how ridiculous the 9% $1 lemon sours were that they sold.

That night, we made our way to Golden Gai, one of the coolest areas we visited in Tokyo. It is made up of tiny little bars, some with only about six seats, packed into narrow alleys that feel completely different from the giant neon streets around Shinjuku. One bar had DJ playing records from his collection, another had us sitting on the floor in a little loft, and at one point we ended up in a tiny paper-themed bar where Felix somehow ended up pouring steins behind the counter. It was the kind of night where every place felt like its own weird little world. We may have also gotten completely rinsed out of $100 each on beers, but that is part of the Golden Gai experience I guess. The night finished with a 4 AM ice cream run because those damn ice cream sandos just wouldn't stay off my mind.

The next day was our more classic sightseeing day. We started with Shibuya Crossing, which is famous for being one of the busiest crossings in the world. Standing there and watching hundreds of people move in every direction at once was one of those moments where Tokyo really felt like Tokyo. From there, we went to the Imperial Palace, which was a huge change of pace from Shibuya. It was quieter, more open, and gave us a bit of the older, more historic side of the city. It was cool to see the scale and frequency at which these beautiful parks were built. Although Tokyo is a huge bustling metropolitan, these massive shrines and palaces are everywhere and have tons of fauna surrounding them. We also stopped by a vintage watch store, quickly realized everything was way too expensive, and moved on. The rest of the day was built around food and recovery: katsu, wandering through a market, a much-needed midday nap, and then ramen to finish the night.

Day three started very early because jet lag was still fully in charge. We took Lime scooters over to Cat Street around 7 AM, only to realize that basically everything was closed. Still, it was nice seeing that area before it got busy. Later, we found a temple where a ceremony was being conducted, still not really sure what was going on but it was neat to observe. After that, we went for fluffy pancakes at Flipper’s, which were honestly worth the hype, then headed back to Cat Street later in the day for matcha once things had finally opened up.

At some point, practicality took over and we ended up at Uniqlo for underwear and pants, which was not exactly a cultural landmark but was definitely necessary. If there,s one thing to take away from this post it's that without a doubt the uniqlo underwear is the softest in the world and an absolute must purchase. Since we were already on a clothing kick we decidecd to check out the supposed first white t-shirt store in the world. Absolutely not worth the hype. We then made the questionable decision to Lime scooter back to the hostel during rush hour, which was both fun and slightly terrifying. That evening started off with cards and drinks at the hostel before heading out for gyoza, and then we ay downtown for yakitori in Memory Lane. This was one of the best food experiences of the trip, even if we were ordering things like spleen, intestines, heart, and tongue. Some were surprisingly good, some were more of a one-time experience, but the whole alley had an amazing atmosphere. I will say it was strange to see Chris Bosh walk by while we were eating. I wonder if he got in to the intestines too or if he's more an octopus guy.

The night continued through Shinjuku, where we saw the Godzilla head, walked through the neon streets, and passed through the red-light district. Tokyo at night feels like a movie set, especially in Shinjuku, with signs, lights, music, people, and restaurants stacked on top of each other in every direction. We finished the night at an unlimited lemon sour bar before finally calling it and heading home for bed.

Tokyo was busy, confusing, funny, and completely unforgettable. It was train station chaos, convenience store snacks, tiny bars, temples, scooters, ramen, gyoza, neon lights, and way too many moments where we had no idea what was going on but were having a great time anyway. Shibuya was the perfect home base because it kept us right in the middle of everything, and over three days, Tokyo gave us exactly what we wanted: a little culture, a lot of food, and complete chaos from start to finish.