Shinjuku, Shibuya and Harajuku offer the best of Tokyo and then some! I was going to write about all 3 in one post but quickly realised that it would end up being extremely long so here I am starting with Shinjuku.
Shinjuku is home to the busiest train station in the world and boy can you tell! As soon as you step off the train, you gravitate from one place to another with your feet barely touching the floor and you then have to find the right exit! The last bit is very important due to the size of the station. If you take a wrong exit, you could end up miles away from where you want to be and on a tight schedule, this is the last thing you need.
Being an entertainment and shopping hub, you have plenty of options to pass the time in Shinjuku. You can head to the Metropolitan Government Offices and shoot up to the free observation deck on the 45th floor for fantastic views on a clear day. Or if the business district doesn’t tickle your fancy, you can wander on over to the Golden Gai which is a small nightlife district full to the brim with over 200 tiny bars and eateries. If you don’t fancy trying a local one, don’t worry as you can at least go in one that has English signage outside and enjoy a beer. Shoppers can also delight in the massive department stores here and spend hours wandering around the extravagant clothes and bags as well as the ever impressive food floors. I still love the fact that KitKats have their own department in a lot them too!
If you like sardines then look no further than Nakajima. It is a Michelin starred restaurant and does an amazing lunch deal for 800 Yen. We shared 2 meals (there’s only a choice of 4) between us and opted for the sardine sashimi and the yanagawa nabe which is basically fried sardines stewed with egg and onion. Just typing this is making my mouth water and it stands as one of the best meals I’ve ever had! Get there early (it opens at 11:30am) as you will have to queue (we queued for about 20mins) but it is totally worth it!
For movie fans, you’ll probably already know that Lost in Translation was shot in Tokyo and the Park Hyatt Tokyo Hotel is the hotel where Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson are staying and where they spend a fair bit of time in the bar! The New York Bar is on the top floor and looks to offer fantastic views but at 1000 Yen (£7) for the cheapest thing on the menu and a 2000 Yen cover charge after 8pm, we decided to give it a miss this time. We did however go to another bar in Shinjuku that is a setting in one of our favourite Haruki Murakami novels, Norwegian Wood. It is in the basement of an old building and is a perfect underground jazz bar where you chill out with a drink and listen a wide variety of jazz music. A perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle for a while!
If you have time, jump on a 5min train to Nakano and take a look at Nakano Broadway. 2 of its 4 levels are where you can find lots of merchandise for anime, manga and video games and we got lucky with some original Gameboy games so it’s definitely worth a visit. Think Afflecks Palace but way cooler!
Finally, don’t forget to pop in an arcade whilst you’re here. It’d be rude not to 😉