I am sitting in our hotel room, on the 22nd floor, looking down over Tokyo. It is the largest city in the world. The vista never ends and I feel very strong vibes of “Lost in Translation”, the movie. This moment has been years in the making: a Tokyo overnight stopover in 2001, followed by plans for a longer trip for cherry blossom season in 2020, only to be cancelled due to Covid. Japan has been that elusive destination we’ve dreamed about visiting for years. Until now.

When our daughter enrolled in an exchange program in Tokyo last year, she nonchalantly asked “why don’t you join me at the end and we can have a White Christmas in Japan?”. That was in July. At the time, we were travelling in the Kimberley, in the confines of WA. But somehow the idea was appealing and soon flights and accomodation were booked for the end of the year.

Fast forward to December and here we are. Welcome to Tokyo! This is where our 24-day family adventure in the Land of the Rising Sun starts.

Freshly landed from Sydney, we hopped in the shuttle bus ( Airport Limousine! ) and were driven directly to the hotel. Not without being stuck in traffic for 45 minutes,

We’re staying at the Hotel Metropolitan Tokyo in Ikebukuro for 4 nights. Accomodation is more luxurious than what we’re used to, but a deliberate choice from my part. Being first time travellers to Japan and unfamiliar with the language, I am prioritising convenience and comfort. The location is hard to beat. We are in the heart of Tokyo, adjacent to the railway station on the Yamanote line, with dozens of restaurants and shopping centres nearby…Our rooms have wonderful views of the city to the East  and Mount Fuji in the distance. They will feel like a peaceful haven at the end of 3 days wandering all over Tokyo. Indeed, there is nothing like picking up drinks and snacks from the “konbinis” (convenient stores ) or the vending machines and enjoying sundowners from your hotel room!

Anne meets us that first night. She’s been in Tokyo for a couple of weeks already and knows her way around. She takes us for a wander around Ikebukuro looking for drinks and dinner. Boy it’s cold! Freezing gusts of winds, afterwork crowds, bright neon lights and unfamiliar language make for sensory overload after a 10 hour flight. Too much for Mr T who retreats to the warmth of the hotel and lets the kids and I explore. It’s fascinating and overwhelming at the same time.

We end up in a steak house ( Steak Lodge ) for a cheap dinner ( 40,000JPY/A$40 ) of steak, rice, broccoli and miso soup. 

Day 1: 

First on the agenda is to learn to navigate the train system. Avoiding peak hours is a must, as that’s adding another unnecessary level of stress. So we linger until mid-morning then rug up for the day.

We explore the Meguro area, with trendy cafes, the tree lined river ( unfortunately we’ve missed the autumn foliage by a week, it’s rather grey looking )… Walking thru calm residential streets, everyday scenes provide enough visual simulations for Marc and me  ( we’re just happy to be in Japan! ) but Mr T finds it uninspiring. We have our first taste of Matcha and mochi at Ancolo Cafe, best cafe latte at Sidewalk, and an amazing visit at Starbucks Reserve Roastery. The Japanese do take their coffee very seriously! 

Our long walk takes us thru Nakameguro and its hipster vibes, community parks and ends up in a big loop to Shibuya.

Home of the famous Scramble Crossing, it is reportedly the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing with as many as 3,000 people crossing at any one time. Needless to say that is too fast paced for Mr T. We take the cue and catch  the train back to Ikebukuro before rush hour. Back at the hotel for sunset drinks and dinner at the steak house again ( we liked it enough last night to take Mr T there )

Day 2:

The city is still in a slumber when we leave to attend a Sumo training session at Tatsunami-beya at Hashiba. It’s dawn and a one hour train ride plus walk from the hotel to the Sumo stable, on the other side of town. We make sure we arrive early and are made aware of a few rules and etiquette: no talking, no moving, no pointing feet, to name a few. Just sit and watch.

What follows is an amazing 3 hours watching sumo wrestlers training for real ( this is not a show ). It doesn’t look like much at first, as the wrestlers warm up and stretch. The practise quickly intensifies however, as they go thru a rigorous routine of basic sumo movements, such as pushing, grappling, and throwing techniques. Then we watch them practise matches, when they repeatedly hit each others body,  and massive amount of muscles collide with tremendous force. 

By the end, they’re all sweating and panting. We’re in awe of the strength and agility of these athletes! But also in great need of a walk, after sitting cross legged all morning.

We head for the Sumida river, nearby. Marc is on a mission to try fancy/iconic/recommended japanese cafes, as part of his barista research. We’re looking for Single O Coffee Shop ( Ryogoku Roastworks & Cafe), an Australian coffee roaster who is making big moves in Tokyo. A friendly greeting from the team and a batch brew, makes us feel like home. 

Further along, we make another stop at Leaves Coffee Roasters. This is another recommended roastery/cafe in a  very unassuming neighborhood but with quite a queue for expensive coffee ( 2700JPY !) Marc is happy to try, I just sip and taste.

By lunch time, it is time for refreshments at Asahi Beer Headquarters. We head up to the Sky Room for superb views of the city, the Sumida river, Senso-Ji temple, looking all the way to the western hills.

The city looks peaceful from above, so we decide to explore Asakusa, across the river. It is supposed to be one of the more peaceful districts to stay in, but it is definitely crowded during the day.

We have found the tourists: they’re all over Senso-Ji, Tokyo’s oldest and most significant temples. People come not only to worship and pray, they also take part in traditional rituals and of course try the local delicacies on offer in nearby Nakamise Street. The experience is surreal: we’re immersed in incense smoke, and a sea of visitors, some dressed in kimono. Trying to buy street snacks is challenging. We’re eating standing up on the side of the alley, trying to stay out of the way. 

Overwhelmed, we look for a sit down restaurant but they are either full or cash-only (we haven’t learnt to load up with yens yet, as my Amex works everywhere so far). In the end, we pick up onigiris in a 7/11!! 

Now for a bit of afternoon fun  in “Kitchen St” ( Kappabashi ), browsing thru dozens of hospitality shops. I want to buy knives but they are quite pricey ( 20,000-100,000JPY),  so I turn to chopsticks and bowls as souvenirs instead. Marc loves it here. He buys mugs and chats up baristas ( they’re everywhere )…we could spend more hours but Mr T has had enough. Standing around in crowded shops isn’t his favourite past time. 

The train ride back to Ikebukuro is 40 minutes in peak hour, enough to dampen the mood a bit. So we stop at the Konbini for snacks and drinks to recharge in the room.

Dinner is Marc’s choice: the Ooedo sushi train, a short walk from the hotel. It’s a very modest looking establishment. We sit amongst salary men, taking their leads: you help yourself to the plates on the conveyor belt, the chef is constantly cooking fresh in front of you and the food is priced according to the colour of the plate.

We go for familiar tuna and salmon sushi first, then move on to new flavours ( for us ): whale, otoro ( fatty tuna ) , monkfish liver, oysters, natto, roe in the sac…The fish is so fresh, everything is delicious and reasonably priced. Each serve cost between 180JPY and 480JPY. After devouring 18 plates, a few beers for the boys, and plenty of green tea for me, the bill comes up to 10,000JPY ( approx $100 ) total. I could dine here again!

Day 3:

Free day for everyone. Marc has gone to Shinjuku to attend a Jiu Jitsu class and check out more cafes. Mr T and I are having a slow morning, waiting for Anne to check in  ( her exchange program now ended ).

We decide to explore the Tokyo Station and  Imperial Palace area, which means yet another crowded subway ride. When we arrive there, however, we find out that visits into the Palace garden needs either pre-booking or queuing one hour prior for tickets. It’s freezing cold and we’re not in the mood for standing in line. Luckily the park-like area is vast and makes for a pleasant stroll, while we wait for Marc to rejoin us (Anne left to do her own thing ).

I want to check out Shinjuku. It’s a 30 minute walk and subway ride. “You realise, I’ve just come from there” Marc says.( he’s such a good sport ).

We’re looking at expensive camera and electronic shops, then decide to buy some snacks for a picnic in the nearby Goyen National Gardens.

By then it’s 3pm, we have one hour before the gardens close and the sun sets. It costs 500JPY each to enter. The park is busy but spacious enough for all.  It’s quite an oasis of peace, a few people lay a rug, some throw a ball or take photos of what’s left of autumn foliage…It exudes vibes of Central Park with modern skyscrapers surrounding the open space.

Marc does a taste test of deep fried snacks from the Konbini: croquettes, chicken karaage and something else I forgot the name of. We leave just before sunset, and the contrast between the peacefulness of the gardens and the chaos of Saturday afternoon crowds in Shinjuku station is shocking! By the time we reach the hotel, we don’t want to go out again. 

“ Enough with the culture immersion “ Mr T says. We book a table at Hanamusashi, the in-house restaurant. Dinner is fancy. We are served the Kiwami menu. Kiwami means “ultimate” and translates into the restaurant offering the best food and service they can to guests.

This is our first taste of traditional Japanese cuisine and what a feast! We start with  home made tofu. Then an assortment of sushi and tempura, followed by beef hot pot and chef’s special dessert. Seated in a private room, I think Mr T is finally relaxed. “At least, we’re not waiting in line in the cold” he said. We all agree.

Our verdict on Tokyo?

It is a big city, with 37 million people who have to fit somewhere! Nowhere is it more overwhelming than in the train stations. Shinjuku, Shibuya and Ikebukuro are the worlds 3 busiest stations, each respectively seeing 3.5 millions, 2.9 millions, and 2.5 millions people transiting PER DAY. 

Are the crowds chaotic? Yes and no. We were prepared for them, but this is next level. In the past few years, tourists have been  coming in droves to Japan, thanks to/because of the weak yen. Unfortunately, being a great value destination, means more travellers than some of the country can cope with. You’d have to feel for the locals trying to go about their business. Saying that, in spite of the sheer numbers, traffic ( foot and vehicles ) is very quiet. There is a sense of (outwardly) calmness and consideration for others. Everybody is so polite. In public transport, no one speaks loud ( if at all ) and all phones appear  to be on silence. People walk in orderly fashion seemingly following some unspoken rules of behaviour in public. It feels like life happens smoothly. Somehow trains run on time. Everything works. The streets are spotlessly clean, and don’t get me started on the insane aesthetic perfection of the food!

So why do we feel so overwhelmed? 

Tokyo is a city of endless contrast. Made up of neighborhoods ( wards ), each with a specific atmosphere, it feels both overwhelmingly massive and quietly intimate. To visit them all in a few days is impossible. The city is so spread out that everything and everywhere seems to be 30-40 minutes train ride away. As a result, though the rail and bus system is very efficient, we spend so much time in transit, walking at least 15,000 steps a day. It’s exhausting. Reality has hit hard and reduced my “must-see” list  to “whatever we can fit in”. I was worried about missing out on “Instagramable moments” but as it turns out, we’re very happy with the random strolling of the past 3 days.At this point, acknowledging that Tokyo ( and Japan for that matter ) has too much to discover in a lifetime, let alone a shorter time, we decide to go with the flow for the rest of the trip…