We had never had the opportunity to visit Japan, but given the option of Tokyo as a stopover on our way home, we jumped at the chance. Our flight from Frankfurt arrived into Tokyo, with amazing window views of the iconic Mt Fuji. What a treat. Given that we only had three days, we based ourselves in buzzing Ginza at a moderate hotel two streets off the main thoroughfare. A great choice to wander and explore, close to public transport and many delightful restaurants. Day one was spent getting to know the city and the very efficient train/subway system. We managed to cover quite a bit of ground, spotting shopping areas and iconic temples, investing in another suitcase to carry our shopping home in. UniQlo is a wonderful store to stock up on everything, and the Japanese stores offered “at checkout” Tax free buying.

Day two saw us taking a day trip via bus to Mt Fuji and Hakone lake, and then a Shinkansen (bullet train) back to the city. It was a good day out, nice to sit and rest our legs – we’ve done so much walking recently! Arriving at “the 5th station” on the slopes of Mount Fuji was a bit of a non-event – it was cold and quite windy, views of the mountain were average and we were herded into the souvenir shops selling lots of Mt Fuji shaped KitKat confectionery. The next stop – a cableway/gondola to catch views, was cancelled due to the wind and it was touch and go if we would get to do the boat tour either due to choppy lake waters. We did stop for some delightful autumn colours and then got onto the traditional shaped boat for a quick tour and then walk to see a lakeside “Tori Gate”.

We found the food in Japan wonderful, as long as we ate traditional Japanese fare. Sometimes it was overwhelming and we had no idea what we were looking for, and made a couple of rookie mistakes. What caught us unawares was the cover charge some, but not all, restaurants charge to eat there, and most bars charge to sit for a drink. It pays to ask first to discover how much additional you’ll find added to your bill to avoid nasty surprises. We wanted to experience a sushi train, and by good luck found a great one (Uobei Shibuya Dogenzaka) in Shibuya – it was all done via an tablet/touchscreen menu and then the plates you order come out on the conveyor belt directly to your spot. A great bit of fun, and very reasonably priced. Most food places we found to be very good value. We spent a good half day plus exploring Shibuya and a bit of Shinjuku – busy places and lots of shops, people and great Japanese vibe. I had researched must-see’s in Tokyo and one of them was the Teamlab Planets, and interactive experience. We needed to book at least a month out to be guaranteed a visit time, so I made sure we had this on our itinerary. Not knowing exactly what to expect, we arrived, took off our socks and shoes, rolled up our pants legs and started in… it was a wonderful sensory journey of water, lights, colour and mirrors. We wandered through spaces at our own pace, enjoying each room as long as we wanted… I would definitely recommend this to anyone visiting Tokyo.

We’d definitely revisit Japan, it was so clean and organised, the people were incredibly polite, helpful and friendly. The costs were far better than we expected, we had always heard that Japan was expensive, but it doesn’t have to be at all. The moderate hotels are fine, local food is excellent value for money, getting around using public transport isn’t too daunting. Now, after 7 months tripping around the world, it was time to head home, looking forward to a family Christmas. Thanks for taking this journey with us, we’re planning more adventures in the years ahead, so keep us on your radar.

***** this trip was taken May -November 2023, I’ve been very slow in finishing and publishing our blogs but hopefully I can catch up on more of our adventures soon.