Fun Things To Do In Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo is a fun-filled busy, crowded city. It is packed with so much to do and so many activities. Their food is always so amazing wherever you go. There are so many cute themed cafes all over Shibuya and Shinjuku, the railroads are easy once you get the hang of it, and Tokyo is so clean with no trash anywhere to be seen. I was surprised to learn how beautiful, cute, and clean Tokyo was, and also surprised that no one really spoke English. I had a hard time communicating with people in Tokyo, and had trouble finding my way around the cities. I walked an unimaginable amount I have ever walked in my life. I think my Iphone told me I walked almost 13 hours in one day and over 24,000 steps LOL. I also was so busy trying to fit all the activities in one day that I was walking around the whole day. This is my list of amazing things to do in while traveling in Tokyo.

1. Themed Cafes and Restaurants

I went to around three themed cafes and restaurants while in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The first one was the Zauo Fishing Restaurant, where you can fish for your own fish, crabs, lobsters, and eat it while it is still fresh (and moving). I go into more detail over here in my Zauo blog, if you want to check that out there. I was so amazed that I actually caught my own fish and that such a restaurant exists in this world. Another themed cafe I really enjoyed was the owl cafe in Harajuku! I thought that it would be inhumane, but after going there I learned that they give the owls walks and give them nap times all throughout the day. They also are very well fed (raw meat). They love head scratches and are friendly. If you want to know more about the themed cafes visit my themed cafe blog I also have written for you all. I went to the Hedgehog cafe, but the spaces were so small and it seemed inhumane that I had to leave. The people were just poking around at the hedgehogs (torturing them) and they looked so plumpy and miserable. I did not like how they were just stuck there and were being treated so poorly. I just turned around and left instantly after witnessing this. There are also a lot of themed cafes in Harajuku, Shinjuku, and Shibuya, mostly in Harajuku. There are various animal cafes like Shiba cafes, maid cafes (there are young girls serving food and drinks to people in cute maid outfits), Gudetama cafes, Star Wars cafes, Rilakkuma cafes, etc. An unlimited amount of cafes in Tokyo. A lot of the really cute ones are pop-up so they are not available all year round.

2. Tsukiji Market

For some reason, Tokyo is not enough to see all in 4 days. 4 days may seem long, but definitely not long enough to do everything you want. I was always running late and was rushing to my next activity while I was there. Therefore, when I went to Tsukiji Market, I was sad that I did not have enough time to go to all the stores I wanted to try their amazing food. I went on a guided market tour, and it was enjoyable. I was happy to learn about facts about the market I would not have found out on my own. Our tour guide Yuki told us facts about fish, the richest sushi man of Japan, the sizes of tuna, green tea, and how superstitious Japanese people were when we went to the temple next to the market. She showed us around the whole market, showing us different matcha green teas, the best udon they have at the market, the rice cakes, and all the expensive fruits they sell in Japan. Japanese fruits are ridiculously expensive by the way. I think one apple was like 5USD. We tried different types of beans and snacks, and learned about udon, sushi, and meats.

At the end of the tour, I went back to the market from the temple and bought a salmon and tuna set. I couldn't believe how fresh and tasty it was. Not to mention the size and thickness of the salmon! I sent a photo to my boyfriend and he said that it looked like steak!

It was so weird because it looks like those sushis you get from Albertsons and you eat it on the go, but the sushi was the best sushi I have ever tasted in my life. It was fresher than Zauo fishing restaurant, even though Zauo's you catch on the spot. I almost teared up eating this sushi, because it was that good. Next time I am going straight to Tsukiji right away for some amazing sushi. Love Love Love!

3. Shopping in Shibuya, Harajuku, And Tokyo Station Shops

The shops in Shibuya and Tokyo Station are amazingly cute. They have so many character shops, like Gudetama, Rilakkuma, Hello Kitty, and this new character line everybody there is obsessed with, called Sumikko Gurashi. Their characters consist of cute, round animals, like a cat, bear, dog, duck, and a whale. The line was so long at the Tokyo Station store that I could not even see what kind of plushies or merchandise they were selling. I was more into Rilakkumas, so I went there instead.

I have been obsessed with Rilakkumas since around 6 years ago, so I knew that I had to visit this store and maybe another Rilakkuma store if I had time (unfortunately I couldn't visit the other one next to Uguisuidani). I loved how this store at the station had a lot of limited Rilakkumas you could not buy on Ebay or other Rilakkuma stores in America. The quality was so much nicer for the fabric they made the plushies with, and just the amount of detail they put into each and every doll was amazing. I could tell that the real authentic Rilakkumas from Japan were much different than the ones you buy in America. I bought one wearing a Kimono standing on a cloud, and I fell in love with it! You definitely could not buy this anywhere else. Priceless!! The cat series one is one of my favorites also.

I got some stuff for my family as well. All of Japanese Merchandise not only Rilakkuma, wherever they sell it (souvenir shops, booths) are all very well made. They are a bit pricey, but they last long and are made of good fabric and materials. They are also very clean and sturdy. Even the toys inside the vending machines are about 4 USD (pretty expensive for a vending machine ball!) and are very cute and well made.

Another shop I really liked was the big Shiba store in Shibuya with the big statue of an orange Shiba in front of the store. The store is massive with like 5 levels, and has very interesting merchandise inside. The top floor has some vending machines that sell sexy merchandise for men. The bottom floor has very cute Shiba items like keychains and boxers with a Shiba drawing. It was cute how Shibas were symbolic of Shibuya and they sound the same.

4. Ghibli Museum (Totoro)

The cutest museum I have been to was the Ghibli Museum, which I really loved. It was very crowded and had many exhibits featuring all of Studio Ghibli movies. A statue of Totoro was inside the "Ticket Booth" and the museum was split into different sections. There was a storyboard section where all the drawings from the movies like "Totoro," "Howl's Moving Castle" and "Princess Mononoke" were printed on paper. The storyboard was immense and there were also some ideas that were set as a display in a room filled with furniture from the films themselves. There was also a movie screening room from a recent movie, which you could watch by turning in a paper that looked like a film. The line was way too long to watch, so I had to leave without watching. The souvenir shop was also very packed, and they had a lot of cute Totoro items.

I am not sure what this shrine is from but I guess it is from a famous movie of Miyazaki.

I have watched Miyazaki films since I was 15 and I fell in love with "Howl's Moving Castle," "Totoro," and "Kiki's Delivery Service." I love the films so much and I was so happy I could visit the land of Miyazaki. The Museum was so beautiful and was decorated in different colors. I am glad I came here in the evening because the lights make the colors more beautiful. The elevator up to the third floor in the museum was so cute and Miyazaki too. The decorated room filled with Christmas delights seemed like a scene from a Miyazaki film. I was however looking forward to a room where you can ride a train with No Face. I thought it was from the museum there but unfortunately, it was not. If anyone knows where that is please let me know!