Ultimate TOKYO Travel Guide!

I love Tokyo! Tokyo is Japan's capital city and it is a bustling place with unlimited choices for food, shopping, traditional culture, including shrines and temples, as well as pop culture. I'm Sarah and I'm going to be taking you on an epic tour of the city's must-visit neighborhoods. Welcome to Shibuya Crossing, one of the busiest crossings in the entire world. There are so many people, sounds, lights, music, and I gotta get going because the lights are about to change, so let's go. Shibuya is the perfect place for shopping because they have absolutely everything you could ever want. From the Shibuya 109, which is an iconic building that has the trendiest Japanese clothing, accessories, all we have recently opened, Shibuya Paruko, Hikarie, as well as Shibuya Scramble Square. And I'm standing outside of the Sentagai Street, which is also another iconic spot here because they have so many food options. You have izakaya, you have sushi, ramen, udon, so there's lots to find here in Shibuya. Behind me is my favorite Japanese dog, Hachiko. And if you haven't heard, this is the story of a dog that waited for its owner for many years here in Shibuya. And it is now so popular, there's a line of so many people waiting to take a photo. Popular meetup spot if you have any friends to meet up with, but if you're traveling solo like me, you can just take a photo and get going. Time to get a perspective of Shibuya from above. Let me take you to Shibuya Sky. Welcome to Shibuya Sky. This is one of Tokyo's best observation decks because we've got 360 degree views of the entire city. Now, I want to show you what the top looks like. Right now we're 230 meters above ground, so when you get off this escalator, you've got the best views out the window. I can see Shinjuku, Harajuku, even a train zipping by. Check it out. This is the sky edge and a perfect place to take your photos. My recommendation is coming here at sunset because when the sun sets, you get golden hour. You can see Mount Fuji in the distance. It is amazing. The Tokyo experience you need. Not only can you get good views here, you can also chill. Even though we're in the middle of Tokyo, it's really quiet up here. I never knew that I would end up in Tokyo and take a nap in the clouds. I just have a tip for you guys. If you come here, make sure to stand in the corners because that's how you get those really cool Instagram shots. How good is that? Yay, Tokyo. Hey guys, don't mind me. I'm just enjoying my amazing view of Tokyo Tower, Skytree, and the rest of Tokyo at the Sky Bar. You can order drinks here during the summertime. It is closed during the winter, but downstairs there's an indoor bar. Don't worry, you can still get your drinks and enjoy this amazing view. Only a 15-minute walk from Shibuya or a short train ride away, you'll find yourself in Harajuku, a hub for youth culture and fashion. We're currently at Takeshita Street, one of Tokyo's busiest and most colorful places. Let's go take a walk and see what kind of unique food and shops we might find. Let's go. This isn't actually too busy for Harajuku. Sometimes it's so packed, you can't walk at all. I can spread my arms. That's pretty good. This is our first example of how colorful it can be here. Lots of fun accessories, pink, purple, red. You may have heard of Keri Pamyu Pamyu. She is one of Japan's big kawaii fashion icons, and she started her career right here in Harajuku. I'm also a big fan, and I love coming here because of her. So I'm really happy to be here. Look at this. Harajuku is known for its crazy food and snack, and that's why I've ended up with a massive fairy floss. Look at it. I've got six different flavors here. There were so many. There's like lemon, strawberry, plain, grape, and I'm going to dig right in because it's falling apart actually. How do I eat this? If you don't want something sweet, they also have giant potato sticks. They also have rainbow sandwiches and all kinds of stuff, and you'll get a lot of people looking at you because it's so big and colorful. Also, just a tip. Maybe eat yours faster than I did. I was taking too many photos, and now it's sad rainbow cotton candy fairy floss. If you've got a bit of a sweet tooth, check out all the crepe shops here in Harajuku. They're really popular here, and I've gone to one down here. There are so many flavors. They had 175 on the menu, and it included some tuna curry cheese. So if you're into that, go for it, but I went for a Nutella, strawberry, and whipped cream one. Japanese fruit is so damn good. It really hits the spot. But yeah, if you come here, you probably can't eat too much on the main street, so just come off to one of these smaller side streets, and then when you're done eating, you can give your rubbish back to the shop. There's more to Harajuku than just this busy street. Head to the back streets where you'll find Cat Street full of vintage shops and local designer clothing in boutiques as well as international brands along the entire street. If you want a bit of peace and quiet, Meiji Shrine or Yoyogi Park right behind Harajuku Station is full of green and very spacious. Don't be scared to walk down a small side street because you might discover a really cool secret shrine. I've walked down a small street, and I found myself at Togo Shrine, which is literally covered in green. You can hear the sounds of nature, and a lot of people actually commute along here to get to the busy part of Harajuku. But I'm going to just enjoy the beautiful, quiet sounds of nature here and meet you at our next location. We already saw one of the busiest crossings in the world. Now let's head to the busiest station in the world. This is Tokyo's nightlife district, a city that never sleeps that's full of neon lights, tall buildings with endless izakaya and restaurants. Shinjuku Station has over 300 exits, but to get to our next location, we'll be using the central east exit. While walking, your eyes will have so much to enjoy, so keep them peeled because you never know what you might spot. We're at Shinjuku Station, the world's busiest station, and approximately 3.5 million people pass through daily. And I want to mention, it's such a confusing station. There are so many exits, entrances, shops, but it's fun madness. You can just get lost and find something cool. I like to remember south as the one to Shinjuku Gyoen, the beautiful park, or if you go to east, that's the one for Kabukicho. And then if you go west, it is where all the camera stores are, like the neon Yodobashi. So hopefully that will help you get a bit of your directions in order. Welcome to Kabukicho, the wild side of town. This place is a lot of fun, but you've got to be a bit careful because it can be a little interesting at times. But right behind me, we have Godzilla peeking out behind the Toho Cinema building. We have neon lights everywhere, and it's a great place to be because the nightlife here is incredible. Success. He's coming home with me. So fluffy, so soft. This is what you got to do when you come to Japan. Try a claw game. It's also started raining, but I got myself one of these cool clear umbrellas because Tokyo at looks really cool. Trust me. And I'm going to go for a wonder through the streets of Shinjuku and find something to eat because I'm starving. I'll see you there. Kanpai. Shinjuku is the perfect place to enjoy a night out. And I found myself in this tiny izakaya, and I've got my own private space. So I ordered myself a feast. I've got edamame, some egg omelette, some onigiri, yakitori, all sorts of stuff. Itadakimasu. If you come to Japan, make sure you eat your way through the entire country because every region, every corner has different kinds of food. And in Tokyo, because it's so diverse, you can find a whole variety of Japanese food. If you're a brave enough person, you can try raw egg here in Japan because it's delicious. So, so good. This might be where some people start their Japan journey at Tokyo Station, also known as Marunouchi area, a historical station with beautiful Western architecture. Tsukiji market is nearby as well with some of Japan's freshest seafood. During the winter, you can also find Christmas markets lining the high-end streets of Marunouchi. This central station is where every traveler will pass through. Tokyo Station is literally Tokyo's transportation hub. With Shinkansen, known as bullet trains, heading to the Northern end of Japan, as well as the most Southern end, you will literally be able to travel everywhere. And not only that, there are buses which head to the airports, as well as night buses that will take you across the country as well. But this station is incredibly complicated and you will definitely get lost. So don't listen to Google maps. It will lie to you. Give yourself a lot of time. If you decide to buy a JR pass, you can pick it up at that building over there in the corner. Make sure you give yourself enough time because there can be long lines. This station is also crammed with tons of shops and it has the famous character street where you can find things like Pokemon, jump, and all of that. But if you come above ground, there's actually the Imperial Palace with beautiful gardens so you can walk over there. It's only a short distance away. A short walk from Tokyo Station and you'll find yourself in the elegant high-end shopping district called Ginza. It was actually built back in the Edo era on the site of a silver coin mint and has a rich history. Among the endless luxury brands and upscale restaurants, there are still some affordable spots and it is also known to host several Kabuki performances here. If you want to spend a lot of money, head to places like Ginza 6 where they have lots of luxury brands. But today, I want to showcase some more local Japanese places which have a lot more affordable options. This is Uniqlo's flagship store and if you haven't heard, Uniqlo is one of the most popular Japanese fashion brands already loved worldwide. This place is actually 12 stories high. It's crazy. In here, you can find the viral bum bag as well as heat tech, a bunch of other stuff. One of my favorite things at Uniqlo are the anime collabs they have. We have Naruto, One Piece, and so many more and it's always changing so definitely check these out when you go shopping. I grabbed my cafe ore for 350 yen and it's a really nice little cafe space where you can relax. They have some snacks too and then just take a rest because shopping is hiring. Let me just enjoy this and then get back out and hit another shop. Another place to check out in Ginza is Muji. This is another flagship store and if you haven't heard of it, it is a lifestyle brand here that focuses on minimalism. My tip if you're shopping at Muji is buy some snacks to bring home as souvenirs. They have really cool stuff. They have things like chocolate coated strawberries with matcha as well as something a little more unique, squid snacks. I'm going to go for this one. If you need a suitcase, come here, get them. I own two of them and they're the best thing ever. They have a stopper so when you're on the train, they don't move. So good. If you're looking to have a snack, check out the Muji bakery. They have these really fun snacks and breads. I picked up an anko croissant which is a twist on the French classic which has some red bean paste inside. You can see they've filled it to the brim with this red bean. It's a great combination. If you want something that's more western, this is a pretzel and it's got butter inside. So something for everyone. On the top floor, there's a cafe but if you want to get more Muji, they even have a Muji hotel which is the first of its kind where you can immerse yourself in the world of Muji. Akihabara is home to Japan's otaku culture, namely anime, manga and idol culture. Fans of these genres travel to Akiba, as it's known for short, to find the best merchandise, figurines and goods. There is another side to the area which is the huge maid cafe culture. While walking the street, you'll probably come across Japanese women dressed in cute maid outfits handing out flies if you're interested in checking that out. If you're looking for retro games, check out Super Potato. They have literally everything you could want. Down this hard to spot little alleyway, so it's hidden in here and we've got one, two, three floors of goodness. Yeah, I lost. I don't even know what this game is. Look how cute this Pikachu is and it's only 250 yen. There's also lots of other Pokemon cards. Some of them are 50 yen, 80 yen. They go up to 600 yen in this shop, so it's pretty budget-friendly. Before you buy it, you can check the condition. Being someone who doesn't collect them, it looks good to me. All right, let's see what else we can find. Oh, there's Pokemon. Wait, I know this face. Is that Kim? What are you doing here? Pokemon. Oh my gosh. Yeah, we're getting Pokemon. We literally just bumped into Kim in Akihabara. Are you here a lot? I mean, no. No? Sometimes, just once a week. I spend a lot of money here. Oh my gosh. Okay, we got a Pomo. Oh, cute. It's a little ring. Let's see. My baby, Link. I love you. Oh, it's the one with him shooting the arrows. Very cute, the guardian arrow. My recommendation when coming to Akiba is getting one of these magic cup taiyaki and if you've never heard of taiyaki, it's this like custard filled dessert. The custard is super warm inside, super sweet, and it's perfect on like a chilly day. Usually, these taiyaki are in the shape of like fish, but this one is in the shape of magic cup. I think that's a fun little twist on the classic taiyaki. Only a short walk away from Akihabara and you'll find yourself at Kanda Myojin Shrine. It's my first time here and I'm pleasantly surprised by how beautiful, modern, and large it is. It's kind of like a secret place, so if you're visiting, check it out. Guys, I've discovered the coolest like vending machine for amulets. Here we go. How cute. It says here that this vending machine was created so that people who come at night time can still get their, you know, amulets. One of my favorite things is checking out the ema, which are these kind of like wooden blocks where people will write their wishes and because we're in the anime area, people are drawing anime characters. So cute. So basically, they're hoping that the anime industry still stays peaceful in the future. It's a very sweet message. A fun fact about this shrine is because it's so close to Akihabara, they do celebrate things here related to that industry. So PS5 actually launched here, which Shah, the cameraman, let me know. One of Tokyo's hippest neighborhoods is Shimokitazawa, frequented by Tokyo's fashionable youth. The narrow back streets are lined with secondhand vintage clothing stores known as furugiya in Japanese, as well as antique and record stores, independent cafes, izakaya, and live houses. Only six minutes by train from Shibuya. It's super accessible too. And they have lots of high end vintage clothing shops, but I'm going to try and find something fashionable and also budget friendly. Let's get shopping. Trafalk style right here behind me is one of my absolute favorite shops to go thrifting at because it's super budget. They have like high end clothing as well as like budget ones, but it's all super reasonable. I even thrifted this here. They even have a rack where everything's 280 yen. That's like $2. Look how cute this skirt is. And this is only like 20 bucks. If you want to try out like a new fashion style, this is the perfect place to do it. Cause like you don't have to spend a lot. And I love this boot. It's like a Dr. Martin, like exclusive one. Wow. In Japan, it's really popular to buy like American university hoodies and sweaters, as well as varsity ones. So if you're here and thrifting, you might even come across your hometown's like university outfit. There's no Australian ones. I feel a bit hurt. Las Vegas, hard rock cafe. Second street is another popular chain here with lots of secondhand clothing, and you can find it all throughout the country. So if you want budget finds that are also reasonable, this is your shop to check out. You can even find brands like Prada. Now this costs five, 50,000 yen. And originally I'd say it's a lot more pricey. So yeah. And it's always one of each item because, you know, secondhand clothing. So you've got to come all the time to find the best deals. Even found a pair of Levi's for 3000 yen. Like the legit deal made in the US. So a lot of stuff here. 1,500. Why is Tommy Hilfiger 800 yen? It looks like really good condition too. Oh my goodness. In Shimokitazawa, there's a huge cafe culture as well as little sweet shops. So I've come to enjoy a snack. This is captain's doughnuts and they specialize in doing soy doughnuts. I've never had a soy doughnut as well as soy soft serve. Let's dig in. Super tasty. And I love that I can sit on this bench and just like watch the people go by and feel the atmosphere of the area. So delicious and very budget friendly. Only about 500 yen. Asakusa Sensoji temple is Tokyo's oldest Buddhist temple. It's one of the most popular spots to experience Tokyo's historic side, where you can pray at the temple and engulf yourself in some mysterious smoke. The smoke actually comes from a large earthenware called Jokoro. And it's said that it can heal your head and you'll become smarter. So I'm happy with that. And it sounds good to me. So let's try it. Asakusa is a must visit if you want to do something traditional or historic while you're visiting Japan. And I forgot to mention, they're really, really famous for their street food. And I have a favorite spot right in there where they sell kibidango, which are these like mochi balls of goodness. I'm really hungry. So let's go eat. On the way to the dango shop, you are found in this street called Nakamise. And they literally have so many souvenirs on left and the right side. And it's kind of overwhelming because there's so many people. But I'm going to try and navigate my way to the shop without getting distracted because there's literally so much here. One thing I really like as well is that they have these seasonal leaves. They'll be sakura in the spring. Right now it's autumn. So they've got autumn leaves. And it just kind of adds a touch of that Japan seasonality. It smells so good. You can smell all the like snacks that they're making. This is kibidango. And if you're not familiar with dango, it's kind of, it's made from rice and it's usually really chewy. But these are like mini ones. And I have a whole bunch inside here. So many. And it only costs 400 yen. So these are perfect to share with friends. And it's covered in kinako powder, which is soybean. Since I can see them making it right behind me, I know it's really fresh and it's really warm. And I love how chewy and like covered in that sugary coated kinako it is. These are really addictive. And I have a matcha cold green tea to go with it. Street food culture in Japan is really big, but there are literally like all kinds of foods. You can get senbei, which are like rice crackers. You can get ice cream. You can also get like drinks, donuts, like curry pun. There is literally endless opportunities to try Japanese food here. And it's also at not such a high risk because it's like a small little thing. You're only paying like two, 300 yen. So come here if you want to try lots of different Japanese food. If you want to avoid the crowds, come down to the side streets because look how much space I have now. Plus there's lots of cool shops here. This is where my favorite melon pon shop is. So discover lots of cool things down the side street. Also, this is what the shops look like from behind. Kind of surprising. Oh, I have a secret to tell you guys. If you come here before or after hours, all the shutters here have like wall art. So if you do want to wake up early or stay up late, that is something to check out. Right behind me is Sensō-ji temple, which you'll find yourself at if you walk all the way down the shopping street. And it's really popular at New Year's Eve time of year in Japan, because everyone will come here and pray for good fortune. And although it's not the end of the year, I kind of need some luck. So I'm going to take you over to do some omikuji. For a mere 100 yen, you can get your fortune. So I'm going to put it in here. You have to read the characters. It says 20. You put it back in and you've got to open the drawer. Here it is. Do you guys know what it is? Amazing. Amazing. There's English at the back. But if you go to a really local shrine, you're probably only going to have Japanese. And because I didn't get a bad fortune, I don't need to tie it up. Because if you do, you've got to come here and tie it up to get rid of the bad vibes. But I'm pretty happy with that. If you're wondering what good fortune means, well, it means my wishes will be realized. A sick person will recover. Making a trip is good and building a new house and renovating is also good. So some pretty insightful stuff. Thank you, Japan. Asakusa is home to many kimono rental stores where you can dress up for the day and stroll around. A short walk away is Katawashi, the best neighborhood in Tokyo to go knife shopping or pick up some kitchenware. You can also find the iconic plastic food samples here and even make some at a workshop. While walking around, be sure to keep your eyes peeled because Tokyo Skytree can be found if you look closely enough. Don't miss out on an awesome view of Skytree when you're here. Look at that. If you come at nighttime, it also lights up. There's more than street food here in Asakusa and I've come to Hoppy Street to escape the rain and it's still hitting me. But it's a great place to take shelter and enjoy some of these traditional beverages. So Hoppy, which is named after, is not alcoholic itself. You mix it with shochu and I'm going to give it a go. I don't get this very often. If you come here, you get to experience real Tokyo life. This is where all the salarymen come after work, have a good beverage and share some fun, wild nights. So kanpai. There's one thing you should try when you're here. It's monja. I don't know how to describe it to you, but it's not visually the most appetizing looking dish, but it's a mix of like all these things like on this hot plate and it looks like ****, but please try it. It's a local specialty, but I'm gonna stick with edamame. That's everything for our Tokyo guide. Let us know what your favorite spots were and we'll see you in another guide next time. Subscribe and like for more and see you. Bye. That guy is so strong. Where's level one? He hit my nuts. This is so cute. This little Nike sweater. I only wear sports clothing now. Lululemon. Sponsor me. What do you want from me? It's so thick. Moody.