Planning for Tokyo | A Travel Foodie's Journey

Planning our first visit to Tokyo started a bit over a year ago when I booked a 7 day cruise with Princess. I honestly procrastinated with the details except for choosing a hotel in Tokyo which was stressful enough. I had no idea about neighborhoods and it all seemed overwhelming so I went on TripAdvisor and selected the options I wanted during our stay. Breakfast being included was a priority because I didn’t want to roam the streets when I was possibly jetlagged and confused. I also wanted air conditioning as I had read that Tokyo can be oppressive in August, a view of the city and possibly a fitness center to work off all the food I was planning on eating. I got 3 out of the 4 by choosing Asakusa View Hotel. It wasn’t the cheapest but also not the most expensive and come to find out months later, it’s in the older part of the city and close to a few of the sites we wanted to see.

Jump forward to May of this year and that’s when the real planning began. As I write this, we are two weeks away from leaving, I’ve read and bookmarked 90 articles on my iPad which doesn’t include the separate ones on my iPhone. I’ve watched countless hours of YouTube episodes about Tokyo. I’ve downloaded and deleted a few recommended apps. I’m finally nearly done with the planning and here’s a summary of our upcoming trip:

Staying connected:

I ordered the Ninja WiFi from GoVoyagin which offered a 30% discount for our 11 day stay in Japan. The Ninja WiFi at $69.57 for 11 days seems to be the most cost effective way for me to make sure I can receive and send work emails with attachments on my phone, iPad and laptop. I’ll also be transferring photos from my Canon to my phone which will indefinitely take forever and a day using the included WiFi at the hotel which does not guarantee its speed or effectiveness.

In addition, I called Verizon and got the $10/day Travel Pass which is only activated on usage. It is more costly and therefore is a backup plan should the router not work or be ineffective when needed.

Tokyo itinerary:

First day:

Dinner with a view of Tokyo Skytree at Makie which is a French teppanyaki restaurant at our hotel. As the first night will be our 13th wedding anniversary, I wanted to go someplace special with a view. I originally wanted to go to Tokyo Skytree’s restaurant thinking the entrance ticket would be included in the cost of the splurge dinner but it wasn’t and their last reservation was too early.

First full day:

Nakamise Shopping Street (street food and souvenirs)

Senso-jo Temple

Lunch at Mochizuki

Tokyo Boat Cruise to Hamarikyu Gardens

Tea ceremony at Hamarikyu Gardens

Dinner at Sushi Katsura

Walk along Sumida River and view

Kachidoka Bridge lit up at night

Second full day:

Ueno garden, shrines and outdoor market

Tokyo Metropolitan Government building for cheap cafeteria lunch at Tocho

Shokuin Shokudo and a free entrance to the observatory deck

Snack at Takashimaya department store basement food court and rooftop garden dining

Meiji Shrine

Dinner and drinks at Piss Alley

Shibuya Crossing

This list will likely shift once we are in town but after likely 50 hours of research and planning, becoming more intimidated with the complexity of the train system, my lack of understanding of the language and the realization that Tokyo is a huge sprawling city, I honed in on what was important to my family and me: seeing the sites, eating great food at a reasonable price and getting a feel of everyday life in Tokyo.

Ninja WiFi Router:

https://www.govoyagin.com/activities/japan-tokyo-ninja-wifi-router-rental-service-in-japan/8762

Asakusa View Hotel:

https://www.viewhotels.co.jp/asakusa/english/

Makie:

https://www.viewhotels.co.jp/asakusa/english/restaurants/thedining/

Nakamise:

http://asakusa-nakamise.jp/e-index.html

Senso-ji Shrine:

http://www.senso-ji.jp/

Mochizuki:

http://レストランアラスカ.jp/mochizuki/lunch.html