This itinerary is perhaps the most hammered down because I've done it so many times with several different people. Depending on how adventurous you are you'll probably want to set out on the first or second train of the morning (5-6am) on your first or second day in Tokyo, Japan (東京). This day is one of the longest, but one of the most rewarding as you get to experience a wide swath of the eastern part of Tokyo capital in both sights, sounds, and tastes.
The morning begins at Tsukiji Fish Market (築地市場). Tsukiji is located on the Hibiya line (日比谷線)
that runs from the Northwest to the Southeast part of metropolitan Tokyo. You can transfer
from the Tozai line (東西線) at Kayabacho station (萱場町) (the Tozai line is an east-west
line). Exit at the backside of Tsukiji station (or south side).
Now you will need to walk past all the yummy restaurants, goods vendors to get to the smelly fish market. But don't worry. It's a sigth to behold. I must warn you that I did get a bit embarassed as a foreigner when I arrived later than usual, and when snapping pictures left and right. Be polite. The fish market and general goods warehouse is HUGE. It is easy to get lost in. Once you've had a gander you'll probably be starving. Eat at one of the many sashimi places. Take your time and browse around. Hopefully this takes you from 6am to around 8:30am.
After breakfast comes one of the downtimes of the whole day. From about 7:30am or 8am you'll have to wait til 9am for the Hama Rikyu Garden (浜離宮恩師庭園) to open up. So take your time to walk following the red line as shown. This should lead you through a rather boring auto-filled roadway interchange. Heading back east takes you into the Port district towards the ministry buildings. Don't stray too far but enter the park when it opens. This is one of the most beautiful gardens despite seasonal changes. You can watch the cherry and plum blossoms here. Take your time to walk around all the park as it offers a serene view inside the Tokyo megalopolis.
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When you're finished with the park it's time to head over to the dock area there. Wonderfully, or conveniently, there is a ferry that makes its stop here on its loop of the Sumida (墨田) river. This is the Sumida river tour, which takes you under all the Sumida bridges until Asakusa (浅草). It is another pleasent way to get where you want to go, and it helps your victims recuperate from their death marching. If you have been doing the death march properly you will have seen all this before noon! That means you will reach the big Asahi "shit" at that time, and be free to make your way to Sensou-ji (浅草寺, Asakusa Kannon Temple). If you're running a little late, then now would be a great time to stop in to one of the many restaurants a round this area. To get to the temple from the river just walk parallel to the bridge you arrive at AWAY from the Asahi "shit". You'll know you're heading in the right direction by the amount of foreigners you will see, and the rickshaw drivers will try to speak English to take your money. This big congregation place is called Kaminarimon (雷門, Thunder God Gate). Take some pictures. It's best to ignore the latter and follow the former down the promenade of tourist shops towards the actual temple. Asakusa is one of those wonderful tourist areas where you see foreigers and schoolchildren alike. Remember to pay your respects at the temple as it is still used by Japanese for Buddhist ritual. To the east of the promenade is another arcade full of shops. To the west is slightly upscale, and there are small shops that sell exquisite goods instead of the touristy stuff on the promenade. There is also a really nice soba shop several streets west of the main drag (can't remember). Okay, on to the next destination! |
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Head towards the Asakusa station of the Ginza Line (銀座線), which should be just outside of the Kaminarimon gate to the east. Take the train west from Asakusa three stops to Ueno (上野). Don't worry about which side to get on at Asakusa because it's the end of the line anyway. |
| Welcome to Ueno! It's the northern hub for travel to the Tohoku (東北) region of Japan! It is also full of small, cheap shops that sell Western hats to fish. It should now be early afternoon and the perfect time to continue our little death march out into Ueno park (上野公園). So exit from the north side of the station past all the museums. We won't stop at the museums today because they deserve a whole day to themselves. Instead, just take in the sights at Ueno making a full circle of the park until you're facing south again. The red line should be your guide on the following map: |  |
Now it's time to browse those shops. Just south of Ueno station is a small alley. It's usually packed on the weekends. Amble your way south until the shops disappear, and then turn right for a block to get back onto the main road. This next road is NOT so exciting, but it's part of the death march towards Akihabara (秋葉原). For me just walking around any place is important to get a feel of the atmosphere of a certain area in Japan. I have done this quite often in Tokyo and Osaka in areas that aren't in the guide books.
You know you're in Akihabara when all of the sudden the lights and the sounds start interesting you in the electronics around you. This is the famous "electric town". In 1999 when I first visited I was amazed and found many new things that the United States did not have. Since then however, I have noticed that there are only a few things that Japan is "better" at in the 21st century. You should look for yourself though. Cd Players, MD players, cellphones (Japan-only), video recorders, digital cameras, digital video recorders, etc etc ... So much cool stuff. It should be around 4pm when you start browsing. If you're really interested then you may not leave til 6 or 7pm. Check out the alleyways near Akihabara station for a glimpse at the variety of hardware being sold. I bought the cheapest electronic dictionary that allows writing input at 10,000 yen (an old PDA, but still cool).
Although Akihabara has been the traditional late 20th and early 21st century hub for electronics and geekery in Tokyo there are other places around Tokyo worth checking out for vintage goods such as Hachioji (八王子).
Congratulations! You have completed a tour of nearly all of the good sites on theNortheast side of
Tokyo in one day! Except for some museums there is nothing much to go to in this sector!
It's time for dinner. Tired? Maybe you ought to head back? If you're particularly
hungry why not stop in at my favorite restaurant: Mo Mo Paradise. This is a
tabehodai (食べ放題, all-you-can-eat) sukiyaki (すき焼き) and shabu shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ) restaurant.
1500 yen for 90 minutes of pure deliciousness. There are three locations, two of which I
know. The Takadanobaba (高田馬場, birthplace of Astroboy) location is two blocks in back of Big Box at the main
exit of the station or right outside the southeast exit of the station. The other
location is in Ikebukuro (池袋), which is a bit harder to get to. Enjoy! :d