I, like everyone else you know, went to Japan. And now I’m going to tell you alllllll about it! For my trip, I spent time in Tokyo, Hakone, Osaka and Kyoto. It was such a fantastic trip and I could definitely see going back there at some point. But first, let’s chat about some of the things I did in Tokyo.

Imperial Palace

The Imperial Palace is the main residence of the emperor of Japan, and has been since 1868. We booked the tour when we visited and it was really interesting. But about halfway through the tour, our tour guide’s mic went out. After that, it was pretty impossible to hear what she was saying. But it was still a nice walk and we had an app that gave us details about the site, so we could sort of follow along.

If you do go, I would suggest getting a ticket ahead of time. There was a very long line of people waiting to enter and they only allow a certain number of people to visit at a time. So if you don’t have a ticket, you may not get in.

After the tour, we went to visit the garden next door. It was really nice to walk around and see the koi and plants.

The National Museum of Modern Art

This art museum has around 14,000 works of modern and contemporary art and has special exhibitions as well. When I visited, there was a special exhibition that featured art created post-WWII. It was such an interesting exhbition and shows just how detrimental war is on communities and mental health.

Tickets were ¥500 per person (around $3.16 USD).

Tsukiji Fish Market

This former seafood market has become a major tourist attraction in Tokyo. It’s located in Tsukiji in central Tokyo and still contains real stalls and restaurants, but you can tell there is really a strong tourist drive here. It was really fun to walk around and see the different types of seafood. There were a few things we definitely had never heard of before. And look how huge those oysters are!

One thing I love about Japanese signs is how big they are. This fish sign really catches your eye as you’re walking into the market.

Meiji Jingu

This Shinto shrine is located in Shibuya, and it was like a breath of fresh air when we stepped onto the grounds. Shibuya is a very busy spot, so finding a bit of peace so close to the noise was really special. Meiji Jungu was built in 1920 to commemorate Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken.

At the shrines, you’ll often see sake barrels. At this shrine, they also have omikuji (yellow paper below), which feature Waka, a beloved poetry style of the emperor and empress. Waka are poems with 31 syllables in 5-7-5-7-7 pattern. Another common fixture here is the Ema (tablets below), which visitors can use to write down wishes or thanks.

Sensō-ji

Sensō-ji is the oldest temple in Tokyo. It’s a Buddhist temple located in Asakusa and is the “temple of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Sho Kanzeon Bosatsu), who embodies the mercy of all Buddhas.” It’s a very popular destination for tourists, so it’s worth getting there VERY early. Because a friend gave us this advice, we got there around 6:30 in the morning. At that time of day, there were still quite a few people there, but by the time we were leaving, it was getting very packed.

Outside of the temple, there are lots of little shops. They were closed at the time we were there, but the shutters in front of the shops had beautiful paintings on them. I’m sure it gets very hectic once those are open, so definitely worth considering if you plan to visit this temple.

The Tokyo National Museum

Located in Taito City, the Tokyo National Museum is full of incredible artifacts from around Japan. We spent hours walking around and enjoying all the interesting items throughout the museum and on the grounds. This museum has quite a lot of the information translated into English, so if you don’t speak Japanese, you’ll be able to follow along very easily.

The entrance fee for this museum is ¥1000, which is the equivalent of $6.32 USD.

Escape Room

On our last night in Tokyo, we decided to give an escape room a try. Is that a wild thing to do when you can only slightly speak the language? 100%. But luckily, we checked this specific place and they had translators available for tourists who want to join and can’t communicate easily with the other Japanese people.

The one we did was Ring themed and it was terrifying. I was selected and put in a room with a “dead body” by myself. Unluckily for me, right at that moment, my translator went out and I had to communicate with the others using elementary Japanese. Luckily, it worked out and we understood each other!

It really helped that our group was super friendly and open to working with everyone. It was really fun and I had a great time. If you’re shy and afraid of looking like a bit of a dummy, maybe not the right thing for you to try — especially in another language.

Asahi Brewery

Before the Escape Room, we hit up the Asahi Brewery’s Sky Room. I discovered that I’m a big Asahi beer fan while here. It’s a very easy drinking beer and the views definitely didn’t hurt!

Next up, I’ll share some of the things we ate and drank while in Tokyo! So stay tuned for more fun stuff from my Japan trip.