Random Tokyo Tips

[joizy]

Today is my last day in Japan. I had a great trip. Lots of adventures and lots of fun with the boys.

I wanted to share some random tips for anyone coming for a visit. Each time I come here I love it more and I definitely will be back.

Suica Card - this is a lifesaver. If you have an iPhone, you have Suica on your phone already under transit cards in your Apple Wallet. There are others, but I use Suica and can recommend it. Just add it to your Apple Wallet and then you can link it to a credit or debit card. Add cash and use it for trains (just tap in and tap out), convenience stores and many other things. It will save you standing in lines at ticket machines and trying to figure out fares. You can add any amount of money to it up to 10,000 yen total. I highly recommend it.

Chichibu - one of my favorite places outside of Tokyo. I discovered it because I saw this train - LaView and wanted to ride it. It went to Chichibu. I didn’t know what Chichibu was, but absolutely fell in love with it. The train is absolutely beautiful. Designed by an architect with floor to ceiling windows it whisks you out of Tokyo into the mountains of Saitama prefecture in 80 minutes for about $10 one way (1600 yen). When you get to Chichibu, you can visit a few temples, Chichibu Shrine and then spend a few hours at a beautiful onsen/sento next to the station. I went twice on this trip and stayed overnight the second time.  I sat in an outdoor bath in the onsen with cherry blossom snow falling on me. It was absolutely gorgeous.

The Sakura Tram - speaking of cherry blossoms, there is this cute little street car that chugs along the backroads of Tokyo through small neighborhoods that is absolutely delightful. It was busy on this trip because of the name and the time of year - yes, it was cherry blossom season and Tokyo was packed. Last summer when I was here, the tram was less crowded on weekdays, used mostly by locals, and more crowded on weekends. One of my favorite stops is Koshinzuka. On the platform of the station is an old sweet shop called Ippukutei. It’s run by a mother and her son. They play US country music and you can sit and watch the tram come and go. They serve simple Japanese sweets and yaki soba with green tea or coffee. I sat there for an hour one day and had the whole place to myself. It is a really special place and I hope the influencers don’t discover it and ruin it.

From there, you can walk to Jizo Dori, another very special place. It’s called “Harajuku for Seniors” and is basically and old shopping street that grew up around a temple. The temple - Kogan-ji - is believed to house a deity that removes physical suffering or illness. There is a Kannon statue that people wash. They pour water over the part of the statue that corresponds to the body part that they want healed. It’s a very active temple and it has a deeply spiritual feeling - unlike the carnival atmosphere at some of the more touristy places like Asakusa (I would definitely skip Asakusa and go to Kogan-ji instead if I had limited time).

Jizo Dori is also just fun to walk down and browse. There are lots of traditioanl sweet shops, restaurants and a shop that sells red underwear, which is supposed to be good luck (for longevity). You can also reach Jizo Dori from Sugamo Station on the Yamanote Line, or hop on the Yamanote when you’re done wandering.

You can get a day pass from the conductor on the Sakura Tram and hop on and off at different stations - the three I have visited are - Kishibojim-mae - a beautiful old temple dedicated to children and childbirth, Koshinzuka (above) - sweet shop and Jizo Dori, and Oji Eki Mae - a beautiful park that you can reach by taking this cute little bubble monorail up the hill. 

Taking the Sakura Tram is one of the best days of sightseeing I ever spent in Tokyo - you get to see the real Tokyo away from the crowds.

A lot has been written about the sauna and gay venues, so I’ll just leave it at this for now.

Feel free to PM me if you want more information.