Best Things To Do in Tokyo Japan 2023 4K
[Music] what's going on everybody this is Island Hopper TV and today we're going to talk about the best things to do while visiting Tokyo Japan that's right Island Hoppers I went all across Tokyo and found 51 things for you to do this is the largest city in the world with over 35 million people let's start out here at the Imperial Palace located here in Chiyoda ward of Tokyo it is the primary residence for the emperor of Japan and this has been the primary residence since 1868 before that it was down in Koto at the Imperial Palace for over 1,000 years down there the castle grounds actually used to be called the Edo Castle before it became the Imperial castle for the emperor now here we are at Kaminarimon which is actually a temple gate for Senso ji and you can see right here it's very popular with tourists taking selfies and other pictures and it actually leads to Nakamise-dori Street which you can find here just in between the temple gate and the senoi temple it is actually the oldest shopping street in Japan dating back to the Ido period the shopping Avenue is 250 M long and it leads straight up to the sensoji temple and by the way as we continue to show you around Tokyo here I want to remind you there are time stamps Below in the description for your convenience and by the way this whole District Here is known as Asakusa now we're actually headed to the senoji temple when I was here they were doing a festival and a show involving a dragon and several other cultural dances it is a 1400 Year old Buddhist temple making it one of the oldest in Japan and certainly here in Tokyo here you will find a five-story pagoda and the asakusa Shrine one thing to know is that the pagoda and several other structures are actually reconstruction of the old temples that were destroyed during World War II and when in Tokyo also check out a traditional dance or traditional show they're called Kabuki but you can find them often times at temples on holidays or even on the weekends so be on the lookout for those so you can actually see some of the traditional cultural stuff here in Tokyo while I'm here in Japan I'm actually going to go down to kyoto Osaka and Nagoya so do be on the lookout for those videos as well because they also have cultural significance here in Japan it's not just all about Tokyo there's also an interesting puppet show at the bonu Puppet Theater so consider checking that out now here we are at the Tokyo Sky Tree standing over 634 meters that's 280 feet making it the tallest tower in the world and second tallest freestanding structure after the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the price is 3,100 Yen for adults which comes out to around $20 just keep in mind 149 Yen equals 1 USD and if you're looking for something a little more relaxing consider a river boat tour along the sum river that flows right through Tokyo City into Tokyo bay depending on the river cruise that you choose prices start around $9 per person this one going from asakusa to odiba and what I considered to be a really Space Age looking watercraft as you can see now what we're going to do is head over to Shibuya District this is actually one of Tokyo's most famous vibrant neighborhoods known for bustling streets shopping nightlife really a fun place to go and famous for the shabuya crossing which was one of the most busy pedestrian Crossings in the world it is a must see attraction if you've never been here especially when the light turns green and people just flow right through the streets in all directions shabuya is also known for nightlife check out shabuya 109 if you're into shopping because it's a famous shopping complex for young ladies I would say try to visit here either in the late afternoon or early evenings for the best experience and just down the way is the Olympic Stadium a really cool architectural design if you can catch an event here watch a game definitely try to do so this is where the opening and closing ceremonies of the Tokyo 2020 games were held and just next to Yoyogi Olympic stadium is yoyogi park now here you're going to have 54 hect Acres that's 134 Acres of this city park which is the largest park in Central Tokyo with plenty of green spaces and walking pth along these saki barrels to escape the hustle and bustle of the city now here we are at Meiji Shrine let's go take a look and located inside of Yoyogi Park is Meiji Shrine which is considered one of Tokyo's finest Shinto shrines it's dedicated to the emperor Mei and empress shokin and the reason you'll see so many Saki and wine barrels around the shrine grounds is because it's a symbol of friendship between the emperor Mei and west Western countries and before you go into the actual Shrine it's recommended that you use those bamboo water fountains to wash your hands and mouth to purify yourself in Japan the emperor is considered the ruler of heaven or Heavenly Sovereign in charge of Harmony and unity in Japan next up is riding these Mario Karts drifting around shabuya area Harajuku that whole area getting on one of these carts for about an hour or so can be a a fun experience depending on the area you're in the prices vary from $50 all the way up to $115 now here we are at takash Street here in Harajuku known for the electric fashion scene popular with young people and tourist and a center for youth culture right here in Tokyo check out the fashion boutiques cosplay and costumes cafes food stalls and some street performers Harajuku is the neighborhood in between Shinjuku and Shibuya and I would say Takeshita street is definitely a must visit while in Tokyo now one of the things you'll see down here is capsule toy shops but they're actually all across Tokyo and Japan Collectibles and these hobbies are very popular so take a look at these capsule toy shops if you have some loose change maybe put it in one of the machines and see what comes out but you'll see these everywhere in Japan in particular right here in takasha Street and because because there's so much youth culture down here you're also going to see lots of candy stores and you know I'm not big on sugar you know how the youth are when it comes to getting a sugar Buzz another beautiful garden is Shinjuku gon National Garden they're going to have a Japanese garden and several other flat areas for you to picnic hang out walk around again another way to escape the hustle and bustle of Tokyo going around the Lakes especially in the fall or in the springtime you're going to see a booming colorful experience right now I'm here in October and the leaves are just starting to change around Halloween in the spring months it's cherry blossom season so this is like a National Treasure to see the cherry blossoms going off now here we are in Ginza this is actually the high-end District of Tokyo very expensive area renowned for its luxury shopping you'll find Flagship stores for high-end inter International and Japanese brands they're also going to have theaters and entertainment some dining architectural modern historic as well Ginza Crossing which is like a Time Square right here in Tokyo similar to shabuya Crossing I would say and then you have the Ginza 6 which is a shopping mall that combines luxury with art and cultural events during holidays like Christmas this is where you want to go for lighting now we're going to Shinjuku this area is known as the Golden Gai it's a very unique set of Alleyways with hole-in-the-wall bars and they have some rules that you need to follow if you plan to visit here but where locals and tourists can kind of get to know each other again the name is golden Gai here in Shinjuku it comes to life in the evening time around just after dusk some of the rules include don't drink and smoke on the streets don't throw any cigarettes or trash on the ground don't do any loud shouting or blocking people from passing through the streets and then just down the way is going to be the modern area of Shinjuku where they have the Godzilla statue you can go to the hotel gracery and see that up close or take a picture from down below you'll notice there's a lot of electric energy down here in Shinjuku they also have a department store called donot which is like a Halloween costume store during the Halloween season or cosplay when it's not Halloween but still a play you can check out donke hot is actually a department store that's all across Tokyo and even Japan I found a couple down here in Osaka as well remember Japan is really popular with Collectibles cosplay anime Hobbies all of that really popular here unlike in other countries you'll find a lot of that here so this is why I keep pointing out the hobbies and collectible stores then you have Shinjuku nighlife so right next to the golden guy you have the Shinjuku U NTI and this is probably the craziest nighrlife you're going to find in all of Japan especially here in Tokyo most of Tokyo is very clean but you'll notice that down here in Shinjuku especially after a Friday or Saturday night you wake up in the morning and there's going to be litter and trash everywhere so if you're not big on loud noises and a bunch of debauchery then probably avoid coming down here in the night time for the party action and I highly recommend riding the bullet train from Tokyo you can get to Osaka in 2 and 1/2 hours you could also get to nagoya in an hour and 20 minutes it is the fastest train in the world called the Shinkansen next up is taking a trip to Mount Fuji again this is something you can ride the high-speed train down to Fuji and then you can actually do a trekking experience up into the mountain and here we are at Team lab planets this is an indoor electric show if you guys like cool lighting they have to do reservation only because it is quite popular but remember team lab planets Tokyo something to check out here we are at Tsukji Market it's actually one of the world's largest and most famous fish markets located here in Tokyo although in January 2022 they did move the inner wholesale Market to another area of Toyosu so nowadays you come down here you're still going to find plenty of fish in this market area and street food but it's not what it once was although it's still a place that you want to visit for fresh sushi and again if you wanted one of those traditional shows do check out the kabukiza theater and you can watch Kabuki on demand which is a traditional Japanese drama with singing and dancing where there's actors dressed up in traditional clothing at some point it was actually outlawed and banned because it was considered immoral drama and acting but nowadays it's considered a UNESCO cultural heritage now here we are at the Tokyo Tower right here let's go up there if the Tokyo Sky Tree isn't quite your thing because it's a little bit too expensive or maybe it's a bit too high you can come over here to the Tokyo Tower and find some amazing views in fact Some people prefer this one over the Tokyo Sky Tree but remember the Tokyo Sky Tree is so famous and popular because it's the tallest tower in the world tickets up here if you just want to go to the main deck which is 150m that's around 1,200 Yen per person it's cheaper for the children of course if you want to go to the top deck that's 250 M that's around 3,000 yen per person I just did the main deck and I found it to be a nice experience it's something you do for about a half hour to an hour and get some great views when you go to a Japanese noodle house be sure to do some slurping of the noodle this is a thing and it's said that when you slurp the noodles it makes it taste tastes better but it's also considered a gesture of saying hey this is really good ramen noodle so a compliment to the chef and the Noodle House you'll see many people at these noodle houses slurping and when you order you actually go to one of these computer screens here and just print out a ticket and give it to the chef it's that easy and then voila there you have your miso ramen noodle however you like it now let's talk about local food in addition to Ramen you're also going to have plenty of sushi then you have Waygu beef Kobe beef regular Japanese beef so if you really love steak barbecue this is definitely the best quality steaks and beef you're going to find anywhere also they have tempura which is going to include shrimp tempera veggie tempera and then a variety of different Japanese noodles that you can try throughout your time in Tokyo for me a big part of going to Japan is the food so I definitely try to indulge in both restaurants and street food and trying to find new foods along the way uh obviously they have your regular favorites like pot stickers and katsu chicken curry trying out these Kebab sticks and meatballs but finding new foods along the way whether it be at a restaurant or wherever you're at definitely fun and worthwhile it's like a hobby of mine trying new food in Japan right and then you have Japanese drinks you obviously have the beer Kirin they have Ashhi dry snake or Cobra saki which is not for the faint of heart now here we are at the zozoji temple let's go take a look as with many of the temples across Tokyo they're all free for the entrance for the most part in fact if you guys are interested I can make a video about the top free things to do in Tokyo or things to do for under $10 if you guys are interested drop a comment below and I'll try try to make that video soon the zooi temple is actually right next to the Tokyo Tower so you can easily do both when you're in the area Japan really is known for its shrines and temples and here we are at the Tokyo Center for the Arts this is right here in rongi let's go take a look this is for all you art lovers the good news about this particular museum is it is free admission but they do have special exhibits and when those special exhibits are going can range anywhere between 1,000 yen on up to 3,000 yen on this day they had a special exhibit it was 2500 Yen so keep that in mind depending on the time that you're visiting here it seems like they always have some sort of special exhibit but overall if you just want to go up the levels free and that's a great thing right now for those of you who are coming to Japan for the first time Tokyo rongi is one of the most popular places in Tokyo and that's what we're going to look at at now is the rongi area like rongi Hills here you have the Mory Art Museum another Art Museum to check out this one's more of a modern art experience at the rongi hills rongi is more of a high-end Shinjuku and the nighlife here is a lot more tame you're not going to see the streets all tore up like in Shinjuku and you have more high-end dining experiences around this area for getting around Tokyo you're going to want one of these pmos and you top up every time you need to put more money on it I would say start with 1,000 or 2,000 Yen depending on how long you're going to be here I would say 1,000 yen can last anywhere between 2 to 3 days especially if you're using it quite consistently even including the bus but yeah I would say 2,000 Yen and you should be in the game I think this card right here uh costs around 2,000 Yen and it comes with some balance on it now let's talk about the Tokyo Metro so there's nine different lines in 18 0 stations remember Tokyo is one of the biggest cities in the world so lots of uh Subway installation tracks going on around here and if you want to recharge your card you just hit English here all information will be in English you recharge your card with 1,000 y or whatever you have this you go easy and then you wait now don't get me wrong Uber can be really fast and efficient in some cases but if you want to save some money you're definitely going to want these you're definitely going to want to ride the Tokyo Metro because Uber can get expensive taxis can get expensive I mean just to go from Shinjuku to Ginza you're looking at $30 if you just take the metro you might be looking at around a150 now we're here at Shosen books which is a multi-level bookstore with these stairs going up and down these escalators here and it's really a cool place to check out even if you're not into reading books still a interesting experience and the whole area we're at right now is actually called Akihabara electric town and you'll see why you need to come out to this area here in a moment now here we are in Akihabara this is the electric town of Tokyo so if you're into the so if you're looking for electronics cameras or sim cards for your cell phone or whatever you need Wi-Fi hotspots this is where you're going to go to get that and it's known for a bit more than just Electronics because there's also an anime experience all around here which you'll be seeing so really Akihabara is an interesting place for technology and Modern Life I actually came here to look at the new GoPro and some DJI cameras now we're here at animate which is one of several different anime places I'm not big on anime but I know that in Japan anime is very popular and I know that some of you in the audience are also into it I just didn't grow up in that generation but if you're looking for anime this is where you need to go electric town akihabara a neighborhood in between Ueno and Ginza speaking of Ueno here we are at Ueno Park this is the Lotus Pond but they've also got a shrine here and a zoo which we'll be showing you along with several other activities to do here in wayo how about riding a swan boat on the wayo lake here on a beautiful day in the spring or in the fall going out here and enjoying a swan boat with your girlfriend can be a good experience right 700 Yen for 30 minutes and it can hold up to three people if you're coming here with your family you may consider going to the weno zoo admission for adults is around 600 Yen and 200 yen for kids if they're under 12 it's free so this is definitely a very budget friendly zoo and you're going to see everything from polar bears to gorillas lions and tigers big cats for me hands down the highlight of this zoo is the gorillas I mean you could sit there and Marvel at those big primates for quite some time and staying in weno here we're at the Tokyo National Museum the price to get in here is around 620 Yen that's about $6 for adults open from 9:30 to 5:00 p.m. here you're going to find out everything you need to know about Japan's history including the samurai the Ninjas the emperor the Shogun all of that history is going to be here in the museum and really if there's any part of Tokyo where they're going to have the most museums and historical stuff it's really going to be here in weno so if you're looking for one of those kind of days luckily you're going to have several different museums side by side this here is the Museum of Nature and Science and here again the price is around 630 Yen and if you're a university student you're going to get a benefit maybe even free so do check the prices on that before arrival but here you're going to find a lot of different natural history facts and Exhibits really a nice museum to discover just like many other National museums for Nature and Science across the world but here in Tokyo definitely worth checking out if you want the kids to see some cool stuff and then you have the wayo Royal Museum this is actually an art museum right down the road from all the other museums so again Museum day right here in weno they had a Monae Exhibit while I was here and the lines were all the way wrapping around the park a short 5-minute walkway from the Royal Museum is the moon Pine Shrine it's this unique looking shaped pine tree that you can see the moon through so they say but it's a shrine and uh people go here just to take the picture and right next to there is going to be the saigo takamori statue he was a famous Samurai and you could see his dog there and then you have a shopping district called Ameyoko and if you're looking for good deals on pretty much anything backpacks or souvenirs come on down here it's literally right next to ueno Park also for those of you who plan to visit Japan I want to let you know I'm right now in Kyoto just about to finish a video for Osaka so I'm going to do Kyoto Osaka Tokyo and then nagoya so if you're planning to visit Japan definitely watch all of these videos so you can share them with your friends and let them know what there is to do out here I'm really doing a lot of things to do here and here's Kabukichō this is a hour in Shinjuku famous arcade Mall nice area to hang out definitely check it out also do try snacks and treats out of the Japanese vending machines uh you never know what kind of drinks you can try for the first time but I always try to try something new at least once or twice when I get here you never know all right guys and on that note that's going to conclude this episode Island Hopper TV from Tokyo we will see you on the next one from Osaka and Kyoto some must see destinations while visiting Japan click the links next
2023-11-03 20:08
