I'll be visiting with my mom and some other manifoldians in January and would love any recs you've got!
1,000- Coffee -
Japan has an incredible coffee culture, and quite frankly you can get some next level experiences in Tokyo.
Top 3 coffee recommendations:
- Glitch Coffee: Specialty coffee, roasts their own beans and has unique competition roasts that you can only get here. Knowledgeable staff will help you choose from a wide variety of options based on what you like.
- Cokuun: (Reservations only) A multi-course coffee omakase experience . This was a real treat on our most recent trip, and you get something truly unique and special here. Seats only four people at a time in a unique cocoon art installation. Created by a world barista champion, you only get the address the day before your reservation (location is secret).
- Koffee Mameya Kakeru: (Reservations only) The other coffee omakase I recommend. You choose a high quality coffee (they will explain the options) and then proceed to get that coffee in all kinds of novel ways. They also have alcoholic coffee drinks and various ways of spicing things up.
- Ryokan / Onsen -
If traveling to Japan I think spending a night at a ryokan is ideal, and a good capstone on any Japan trip. The best way to do this is taking a train to Hakone, spending the night there, and then returning to Tokyo the next day. A really great ryokan in my experience is Gora Hanaogi.
The food is exceptional, and the onsen is A+. I also advise getting a room with a private bath as well if you can.
- Random Shopping / Exploring-
Some rapid fire areas to check out:
- Cat Street (trendy shopping area)
- Akihabara (old electronics and manga)
- Shinjuku (nightlife)
- Golden Gai (tons of micro bars right in Shinjuku)
I just came back a couple of months ago and absolutely loved every second. Tokyo has something for everyone. It was my first visit, and I wanted to see as much as possible while I was there, so I came up with this plan. The nice thing about this plan is that you can easily move things around.
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On Waking Tours / Sightseeing
After arriving, I discovered Tokyo Localized and participated in every single one of their tours. My favorites were the Shibuya Night Tour, Yanaka Walking Tour and Meiji Shrine Tour. These tours are conducted by very kind Japanese individuals who are well-educated in Japanese history and speak perfect English
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On Modern Art / Museums
If you are into modern art, then the Mori Art Museum is a must-visit. Last time they had a whole exhibition on dead languages from all over the world. It almost made me cry hearing all the different native tongues of this world. The museum itself is on the last floor of a huge tower, offering beautiful views over Tokyo.
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On Nature
In case you have good weather, I would also recommend a visit to a neighboring town to do a 2-4 hour hike in nature, climbing Mount Takao.
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On Food
For food, @patio11‘s word are 🎯: “You should have most of your meals at places which you don’t know the name of and which, ideally, see relatively few foreign guests. Almost every train station in Japanese cities has an almost arbitrary depth of restaurants around it. The ones closest to the station are not your best options, but go out any station gate and walk 2-3 blocks (a few hundred meters) and then just walk in anywhere.”
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My highlight was definitely the walking tours and learning about Japanese history, so if you only have a chance to do one thing, I would recommend the walking tours.
TeamLab Planet (interactive art gallery / exhibition)
Tsukiji market (site of old fish market)
Meiji Jingu shrine
Eat ramen in "Piss Alley" next to the Shinjuku station: https://thewanderbug.com/golden-gai-piss-alley-tokyo/
Try to find a Sumo wrestling place! I hear They are lots of fun and a unique experience. Also, go to an animal cafe. I have gone to a cat cafe before and It was super fun. The cats are always funny and not aggressive or mean. It's almost like living in a cat's YouTube compilation! pretty sure you can adopt cats from the cafes as well.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/harukor
There are sushi restaurants outside Japan, but the same cannot be said for Ainu cuisine.