Japan - Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka Without Too Many Shrines

Day 1: Tokyo - Flight/Arrival 

• Arrive@ Nartia via Singapore Airlines
  • Our flight time was about 14 hours, so we went with Singapore Airlines. They had fun cocktails on board, good leg room, but the wifi was from the 1950s. We're readers so we didn't mind. 
• Picking up JRP, pocket wifi
  • We grabbed a pocket wifi for each person because we're extra, a theme you might notice moving forward. 
• Check into hotel in Shinjuku
  • Stayed at Shinjiku Granbell Hotel in Kabukicho. We stayed in the "Executive Mature Double" and it was the best hotel we stayed in on the trip. 10/10 would stay there again. 

Day 2: Tokyo - Odaiba & Golden Gai

• teamLab Borderless Mori digital art museum (buy tickets in advance)
  • This was a trip highlight 
• Walked around Odaiba and checked out: 
  • A Statue of Liberty replica 
  • A delicious lunch at Gonpachi in Odaiba 
  • Daikanransha, a huge ferris wheel that overlooks all of Tokyo Bay 
• In Golden Gai: 
  • Drank some handcrafted Japanese whiskey at ARAKU
  • Drank more at the secret "Not Suspicious" bar 
  • Drank more at other Golden Gai bars that are probably no longer open due to COVID
  • Chatted with various foreigners and locals 
• After Golden Gai: 
  • Walked around Shinjuku while drinking 
  • Encountered a young man in a nice suit sleeping on the sidewalk and were asked not to disturb him by locals because this is normal (taxi drivers don't take this type of customer home because of the risk of vomit in their taxis) 
  • Stayed up well into the morning because of jet lag 
  • Saw the large Godzilla statue as the sun was rising 

10/10 day, would repeat this itinerary

Day 3: Tokyo - Kayaking 

• Stopped at a Starbucks and wished we'd gone to a Japanese coffee place
• Took a Kayaking tour through Tokyo Great Tours where we: 
  • Tandem kayaked along the Sumida, Kanda, and Kamejima rivers
  • Maneuvered around small and large boats including floating restaurants 
  • Maneuvered around a bunch of dead, floating rats (a Typhoon hit Japan a few days before we arrived so this probably won't happen to most people who do this tour)
  • Saw the city from below
  • Learned a lot about Tokyo's river and bridge systes (especially the old ones)

10/10 would Kayak in Tokyo again

Day 3: Tokyo - Asakusa Shrine, Shimokitazawa, Tokyo Metropolitan Building

• We checked out Asakusa's temples and vendors  
  • This was a cool cultural experience but we were glad we didn't go crazy with temple bagging 
• We traveled to Shimo-Kitazawa 
  • We had heard this was sort of a hipster place for young people to hang out
  • It wasn't for us  
• Had Ramen at Ichiran Ramen 
  • This was a very fun and delicious meal 
• We visited Tokyo Metropolitan Building (heard it had a great city view)
  • We visited when it was dark out which we would not do again 

5/10 would not repeat our trips to Shimokitazawa or Tokyo Metropolitan Building

Day 4: Tokyo - Tsukiji Market, VR, and Meiji Shrine 

• Got up early to hit up the delicious Shou
  • Tsukiji Market was closed a month after our visit and relocated to Toyosu 
  • We had to wait in line while it was raining but it was very aesthetic and we weren't mad 
  • We couldn't eat Sushi in the US for years after this experience 
• Visited VR Zone Shinjuku because you can play VR Mario Kart in a kart with a steering wheel an everything 
  • need I say more 
• Tried to enter Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden but they are closed on Mondays in general 
• Saw Meiji shrine and walked around the park there 
  • This was cool because you can't really tell you're in one of the world's larkest cities when in the park 
• Had Katsu in Shibuya for dinner 

9/10 should have checked to see if everything was open that day