Tokyo, the sparkling big city & Mt. Fuji

We have spent 6 days in Tokyo and also visited a must-see observation point to legendary Mt. Fuji, the highest point of Japan. Concrete jungle, neon lights vs. beautiful nature. Completely different, yet so amazing in their own ways. Both culture and architecture are totally different than in Europe. We got our culture shock for sure but also loved every details (e.g. boulevards next to little alleys, kei cars, vending machines, traditional family homes neighboring skyscrapers). Besides our most memorable experiences, you can find our guide to Tokyo's public transport as well as the key details on our accommodations. Enjoy!

Accommodation

As we arrived 1 day earlier (due to flight reschedules) than we originally planned, we had a chance to try one of the famous Japanese capsule hostels for one night. We stayed at 9 hours hostel at Akasaka. The below pictures show how capsules hostel look like.

All capsules were air conditioned. Bathroom facilities including showers were in the basement floor. Lockers were also available to store your belongings, but they were too small for big luggage, therefore much luggage stood at the reception and next to the lockers as well.

There were separate floors for women and men. We even had separate elevators for boys and girls. So, there was no chance to see each other only in the reception area. It was obligatory to check-out every morning and check-in later on, even if you stay more than one night, but at least you could leave your luggage at the reception desk/lockers. Apart from these minor inconveniences, the capsule hostels' popularity is understandable. As you can guess these accommodations are way cheaper than a room in a traditional hotel. It was also clean, and the staff was very helpful. The coffee was also really good in the morning (for additional charge but still).

Next morning, we headed to our next accommodation, which were only 10 minutes' walk from the capsule hostel. As we prefer to stay in a separate double room, we chose to sleep in a traditional hotel. It was also very decent and also included breakfast. Unfortunately, I forgot to take any picture of the room. It was good, but nothing special.

Akasaka itself was a perfect location to explore Tokyo, it is highly recommended. It is close to the city center with good public transport connections yet has a unique Japanese atmosphere with great bars and restaurants.

All in all, I think it is worth to try to stay in a capsule hostel at least for one night like us. It will be beneficial for your budget and also a unique experience. My advice is to start looking for accommodation on time, so you can find good rooms for good prices. The prices per night/person were quite in line with European big cities like London, Barcelona etc.

Public transport

As you can imagine, Tokyo's public transport system is broad and complex. There were so many trains, subway and bus lines, which were operated by different companies. We have mainly used subways and trains to travel to different areas of the city. The whole system is well-planned and executed, you can find anything in English as well. It was a really good experience. Needless to say, that every train, every metro was departing on time.

Two companies operate the subways: Toei Subways and Tokyo Metro. Trains mainly operated by JR East company so you can easily use you JR train pass card (later will be detailed, as we used mainly, when we went to Osaka). (Source: Japan-guide.com)

Passes and tickets

A whole variety of day passes is available for the Tokyo area, however, most of them are overpriced and/or not very practical because they do not cover all of Tokyo's train and subway lines. (Source: Japan-guide.com)

Consequently, prepaid cards usually more affordable than the daily passes. Most of the Japanese people used IC cards (e.g. PASMO, Suica). It works exactly like Oyster in London or Viagem in Lisbon. You top it up first, then you can use it basically everywhere: subways, trains, buses, even in convenience stores and vending machines. In my opinion it is a really smart solution. It is also possible to use these cards via mobile app, which is even more convenient than the physical card. Since these cards are better deals, we used one of them as well (PASMO). The card was easy to use and recharge, as you can find recharge machines at every stations.

Pasmo & Suica card

The prices of the single tickets were in line with the length of the travel. The more your travel, the more you pay. During your budget planning you should consider that public transport is quite expensive in Japan, but at least it works properly.

Our most special experiences in Tokyo and its neighboring area

1. Mt.Fuji & Chureito pagoda

Our long-awaited and most memorable experience was seeing Mt. Fuji. from the Chureito pagoda. The site is located 2 hours away from Tokyo, so it is a perfect day trip from Tokyo. Mt. Fuji is the highest point in Japan with 3776 meters. Its last eruption was in 1707.

The Chureito pagoda is part of the Arakura Sengen Shrine and was built as a peace memorial in 1963 nearly 400 steps up the mountain from the shrine's main buildings. (Source: japan-guide.com)

Fun fact: Our Japanese friend and his parents were not familiar with Chureito pagoda. Based on our assumption, this sight is better known by foreigners than Japanese people.

Mt. Fuji is spectacular, monumental and pure gem of Japan. Fortunately, the weather was perfect, so we could enjoy the magnificent sights. The vibe of the place was amazing with the blooming cherry blossoms, the red wall of Chureito pagoda while the snow-covered Mt.Fuji was resting in the background. Lifelong memories for both of us.

2. Senso-Ji temple

Senso-Ji temple, located in Asakusa, Tokyo, is a famous Buddhist temple. Since it is a well-known place to visit, the site was packed with tourists. We have managed to get there in time, so we could enjoy it before the crowd arrived.

There is a legend about this temple, which says that in 628, two brothers fished a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, out of the Sumida River, and even though they put the statue back into the river, it always returned to them. Consequently, Sensoji was built nearby for the goddess of Kannon. The temple was built in 645, making it Tokyo's oldest temple. Besides its unique atmosphere, the architecture was also impressive for us.

3. Akihabara

Akihabara is mainly famous for its manga, anime and electronical stores as well as its gaming centers. We decided to let the vibe come to us and started wandering in the district without any prior research on specific place to go. The atmosphere and the buildings were very unique and so different from European style.

Manga shops

When we were child, we have watched some famous manga cartoons like Pokemon, Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball and also played with some iconic video games like Super Mario, so this was our time to buy souvenirs. We were stunned by the selection of the shops. They have got everything connected to manga and anime.

Game places

You can find several gaming centers in the district. Typically, these buildings have several floors (6 or more) full of all kinds of video games (e.g. prize games, arcades like SEGA rally, dance games, interactive horse race game (??), traditional gambling games and photo booths). Japanese people usually visit these centers after work/school to chill out, so these places are packed in the evenings. We have also tried the photo booths and a classic SEGA rally to while trying to blend in.

4. Shibuya-crossing

Shibuya-crossing is the most crowded intersection in Tokyo, where 1 million people are crossing over a day. This area is famous for shopping (e.g. big electronic stores such as Yodobashi or BIC Camera, so many shopping mall), restaurants.

We have also met the most famous dog of the country. Have you seen Hachi: A Dog's Tale movie with Richard Gere?

It is about a Japanese akita dog, Hachiko and it is a true story. Since I don't want to spoil it for you, I just recommend you do your research on this tale. His statue was located at the Shibuya station.

These were the main experiences for us in Tokyo in the first round. We were several other places in this big city. Next up: Tokyo part. 2

To be continued...