Terrific Tokyo

Tokyo is so vast, you could easily spend three months exploring and still not see everything. I only had 2 days to explore the city so I limited myself to three districts within easy travelling distance from my hotel in Shinjuku.

Staying in Tokyo over the weekend had one bonus, it would be busy. This goes against everything I want when travelling but if you’re visiting Shibuya scramble, it needs to be crowded. I travelled on the green JR line from Shinjuku to Shibuya with the aim of reaching my destination by lunchtime. I was a bit delayed with this plan because you need a degree in map reading to find the right exit at Shibuya Station, I ended up using the first exit I found and walking around the outside of the building.

Getting lost has its perks, I managed to find the statue of Hachiko without even trying. He sits in the middle of a small square park area which although crowded, everyone queues nicely to get a photograph with the famous dog (I did too).

Hachiko sits a short way from the scramble crossing, something I’d been both excited to see and simply terrified of experiencing. Five crossings spanning 44 metres, makes up the scramble crossing, with up to 3000 humans crossing at a time in busy periods. The fear of being stood on is very real here, it is organised chaos but Japanese style so everyone is polite about it. I walked over three of the scramble crossings because it was thrilling to weave in and out of the crowds. However, I didn’t feel as though I got the full view of the crossing from ground level.

There are a few places where you can view the crossing from above, some are free others require payment. The window from Shibuya station provides a great view as does Starbucks, if you can get anywhere near to the window. Instead of fighting my way through the crowds, I headed up Shibuya Sky, one of Tokyo’s less popular tourist sites. Located in the Scramble tower, I headed for the lift to take me to the 45th floor and I couldn’t believe how quiet it was. I had prebooked my tickets because I thought it would be sold out on a Saturday but I could have bought my ticket when I arrived. It took 5 minutes to get through ticket checks, security and finally into the lift to the roof. I was rather sad about this because I had a great view of the crossing from the window.

I am very sad to say I had to sit in a locker whilst my photographer went up to the viewing platform. You can only take a phone or camera if it has a strap to hold on to. Because it is a different level of windy on Shibuya Sky and I really didn’t fancy flying across Shibuya. My photographer agreed to do this piece of exploring alone and report back to me after taking lots of photographs.

360 degree views of Tokyo are seen from 230 metres above the city, the highest point in Shibuya. Though the star of the show is the escalator into the sky, a really unique idea and is perfect for the Instagram shots. The outdoor area is set across two floors and is laid out in a square shape, my photographer followed the glass around the outside to find the best views of the city. Sadly, the day was a bit overcast and Mount Fuji was hiding but this allowed the billboards to stand out amidst all the grey hues of the city. Looking back over the photographs, we both agree the best views were over towards Shinjuku and Tokyo Tower because the building shapes were more unique. The other side appeared to be more office and residential buildings with helicopter landing pads and rooftop football pitches. Tokyo spans out for miles, I thought I would spot the coast but it remained hidden.

Shibuya Scramble was an incredible sight from above, the humans looked like ants walking across giant striped paths. From above, I finally managed to experience the sheer number of humans using the crossing at one time. It amuses me to think Japan is the only country in the world where this would work so well, in Europe it would be a standstill filled with road rage and angry humans.

It only takes about 45 minutes to do a loop of the outside area, depending on how many times you stop to take a photo. My photographer kept stopping to read the signs which informed you about some of the buildings you could see. There is also a seating area in the middle, we both would have loved to lounge in the hammocks but it was beginning to rain so the outside adventure was cut short.

Inside where it was nice and dry, I was recharged from my nap in the locker and ready to explore. Turns out there is another floor consisting of a gift shop, a restaurant and an indoor viewing platform. I headed straight there to see what the city looked like from above and was shocked to spot Ikea, the least Japanese thing I could think of. Shibuya station was visible below and I spent a while watching the trains zooming in all directions, though sadly there were no shinkansen. We spent a short while planning out where to visit next because looking at the buildings is far easier than trying to use a map in Tokyo. I simply love how walkable the city is, most of the time it is no faster to use the train or a bus.

Sadly, it was still raining when I got back to ground level so I caved and let my photographer look around a beautiful pop up market which was filled with flowers (not for eating) and jewellery. Feeling as though I had seen the best parts of Shibuya, and really not wanting to spend the day shopping. I walked towards Miyashita Park, a new installation which combines shopping, food and recreation. It is worth visiting to see some of the weirdly named shops, the nose shop was my favourite.

As the rain was easing, I decided to walk to Harajuku to see whether it was as fashionable as people say it is. Cat Street is quite fun to walk along and you can find the odd designer bargain in the second hand shops. But if you aren’t there for shopping, there isn’t much to see. I found a great coffee shop but found the prices to be rather expensive simply because of the location. The majority of Harajuku is tree lined boulevards with rows of designer shops, it reminded me of Paris. I was disappointed because Tokyo has a great, eclectic feel but Harajuku is soulless and boring.

Hungry and sad that my adventure had taken a turn for the worst, I headed off in search of ramen by following the crowds. The crowds were heading for Takeshita Street, yes they make it sound more naughty by moving the “a” to the middle (I’ll let you say it aloud). I spent a long while here laughing at the name before heading off to discover some of the most incredible shops I have ever seen.

Harajuku Girls shop here and also just wander the streets looking incredible. I would have loved to go inside the shops but my photographer and I were too scared that we didn’t look fashionable enough.

The humidity was increasing and I could feel my blue fur getting bigger as I was walking down the road, so I decided to head into a restaurant for lunch before I became a fashion disaster. Much to my delight I found a ramen bar with vegan options (happy dance). I like to push myself when I travel and visiting an eatery which is popular with locals is my favourite activity. This involved successfully ordering food and paying by only communicating in very bad, broken Japanese. Sadly, I can’t recommend this ramen bar because I couldn’t read the name, it was in Japanese. But, turn right out of Harajuku station and head past the Ikea until you walk round a corner, the ramen bar is a door up a small flight of stairs, in between a sign for a hedgehog café and Family Mart. If you manage to find this tiny ramen bar, it is worth queuing to eat here because it is one of the best ramen dishes I had in Japan, second only to the tomato one in Shin Osaka station.

My plan was to walk from here to the Meiji Jingu Shrine but I didn’t realise the only entrance to the park was on the other side. Instead I wandered the streets of Harajuku until I found the coolest coffee shop ever. Anakuma Café is unique because you are served coffee by a bear! You order from a screen and then the bear gives you the coffee through a hole in the wall, it’s not a quick coffee pick up but it is something you will only experience in Japan.

I had maximised my time exploring Tokyo but I feel as though I should have extended my stay by a few days to experience more of the city. From Harajuku I made my way back to my hotel via the green JR line. I’d like to say my trip back was uneventful but I managed to get caught up in a Mario Kart race around the streets of Tokyo. I picked up my suitcase and made my way back to Shinjuku Station to jump on the Narita Express train to the airport. 12 days in Japan was an incredible introduction but I wish I had stayed for longer, my only regret is not bringing a spare suitcase for all of the unique flavoured KitKats I bought during my trip.