Tokyo, Japan: Exploring the City
Hello Japan! John and I arrived in Tokyo late Sunday night and our only mission for the night was to get to our Airbnb. We booked an apartment in the Taito district which is only a one hour train ride from Narita International. With a little help from the information desk, we purchased a one-way train ticket into the city on the SkyLiner Express train. We arrived at our cute, tiny and clean apartment and fell right asleep.
Our first day in Japan we decided to explore our little area of Taito and walk down to the Ginza district which had a bunch of restaurants and good shopping. Browsing H&M and Zara, John reminded me that my suitcase was already ripping at the seams because of all the clothes I already had. We went to Hama-rikyu Gardens and saw amazing bonsai trees, a beautiful field of yellow flowers, a 300+ year old Pine Tree, and a Japanese tea house in the middle of a pond. It was so relaxing walking through this beautiful Japanese garden and it really makes you forget you’re in the middle of a bustling city.
After the gardens, we took the metro to Shinjuku to explore a little more. This popular district is mostly known for their fantastic shopping and bustling nightlife. We headed to Golden Gai, which is an neighborhood of 200+ tiny Japanese bars. The tiny bars are lined up side by side in a neighborhood of dimly-lit alleys. Usually, I wouldn’t recommend exploring dark alleys in foreign countries, but I promise this one is safe! (But always travel in groups for good measure!)
The Golden Gai is a popular nighttime spot for locals and tourists. Judging from the signs outside of their doors you can decide which bar suits which customer! Some bars advertise English Menus or have “Tourists Welcome” signs, while others strictly say Members Only or alternatively, show no English at all. As you walk down the different alleys, the atmosphere is buzzing with the murmur of people and low music coming from the dozens and dozens of doors.
The doorways are somewhat rundown and the owners care little about sign design. Seriously, most menus are written in pen with mis-spelt words and things crossed out. My design nightmare. John was more entertained by this, and appreciated the shop-owners’ efforts — I did appreciate the uniqueness!
Walking through the alleys of Golden Gai, you can peek inside to see if there’s seating. Most of the bars are super tiny and only have seating for five to six people, with only bar seating. Each bar is unique with their own personality and a different story the tell. The first bar we went to was a 60’s Style Japanese bar that had old memorabilia, magazine covers and post war signs on the walls.
The bartender, an old Japanese woman, greeted us with a cheerful ‘welcome’ as we walked in. She was so sweet and taught us a few words in Japanese.
John ordered us Peach Sake and as the woman was getting the glasses, the entire bottle of Peach Sake knocked over and broke on the ground. She was so visibly distraught and upset, and apologized endlessly. We told her it was fine and offered to help clean, but she immediately poured us Lemon Sake instead. It was delicious!
An Australian couple joined us inside the tiny bar, one was a play write and the other a circus performer. Can you believe that?! John and I felt pretty bland with our day jobs. We exchanged our travel stories and they told us not to waste our money at the claw machines like they had.
The next bar we went to was Bar Champion, which is a karaoke bar in Golden Gai. The bar was a little more spacious and allowed for 15-20 people inside. John and I enjoyed some local draft beer, while a Japanese man serenaded the bar with his rendition of Blink 182’s “All the Small Things.” We left promptly after.
We ended our night at Rashiri, which is a well-received Ramen restaurant in Shinjuku, especially for the late-night crowd. They have GIANT delicious bowls of mushroom based soup with home-made noodles. I'll be writing another post specifically about Tokyo's food so stay tuned for details and pictures!
The delicious meal at Rashiri was a perfect ending to a great first day in Japan. I’m looking forward to exploring more of Tokyo and getting to experience this unique culture.
