48 hours in Tokyo
If you read the other ‘Japan’ articles on the blog, you may know that I have made a roundtrip through the south of Japan in 2014. During the one week roundtrip, I visited Kyoto, Nara, Hakone and Tokyo. Unfortunately, I only stayed two days in Tokyo and there are so many places in this big city that I have not seen, but I want to share with you the places I did visit, my hotel stay and a special activity I did during my stay in Tokyo.
The Harajuku district (Shibuya)
Harajuku is the area around Tokyo’s Harajuku Station and is located in the district Shibuya. Harajuku is the centre of Japan’s most extreme teenage cultures and fashion styles. The area offers a lot of shopping and some historic sights. You can clearly recognize the extreme fashion styles of every shop. At one side you can find a shop where literally everything is pink, cute and doll-like and at the other side you can find a shop where everything is black and in gothic style. The most popular shopping street of Harajuku, is Takeshita Dori. Because this is a popular street, it mostly is very crowded. However, it is nice to take a look and explore all the unique shops.
Asakusa Kannon temple (Sensoji)
The Asakusa Kannon temple is located in Tokyo’s district Asakusa. It is a Buddhist temple and one of Tokyo’s most colourful and popular temples. The Kannon temple was built for the goddess of Kannon and was completed in 645. It is Tokyo’s oldest temple. At the temple, you can find the Thunder Gate (the Kaminarimon), the outer gate and the symbol of Asakusa.
Nakamise Shopping street
Right next to the Kannon temple, you can find the Nakamise shopping street. This street is over 200 meters and you can find all kinds of souvenir shops and other shops where you can buy some local snacks. The Nakamise shopping street is actually located in the area of the temple, because at the end of the street, you will find the second gate of the temple, namely the Hozomon.
Activity: sushi class
This is something you really have to do when you pay a visit to Japan. Sushi is the Japanese kitchen and you eat it for lunch, dinner and even (if you would like to) for breakfast. I got the possibility to make my own sushi for lunch at the last day of the trip and it was very interesting and educational. Something I now can definitely cross off my bucket list! For sure a must do when visiting Japan.
Hotel recommendation: Imperial Hotel Tokyo
During my stay in Tokyo, I stayed at the Imperial Hotel. This hotel is located in the district Chiyoda and close to the hotel you can find all kinds of restaurants, shops and karaoke bars, what makes it a great and central location. Thanks to the fact that I had a room at the 29th floor, I had a breathtaking view over the city. I just could not stop looking outside, it was very beautiful! I had a nice and big room and everything was great. For breakfast you could choose between buffet or from the menu, which both were great. In short, I had a nice stay in this hotel. However, it is not really ‘low-budget’, so take that into account when you would like to book a hotel in Tokyo. Click here for the official website of Imperial Hotel Tokyo.
Author: Tamara
This article is part of the GPSmyCity iOS app. You can download it, read this article offline and obtain travel directions (by foot, car or bicycle) to the places mentioned in this article. Click here to download it.
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