Tokyo
Shibuya and the side streets
Cross the scramble once. Give the real time to one street further in, among the record shops and the small bars.
Asia
Japan
A city that runs on time, and the quiet that comes with an early start.
- Best time
- Late March–mid-April, November
- Daily budget
- 120–190 €
- Language
- Japanese
- Currency
- Japanese yen (¥)
Japan tires you less than you expect. What tires you is packing every neighborhood into the same day. In Tokyo, one neighborhood is a day. In Kyoto, a temple path walked before the crowd arrives is a different city.
Traveling as a group turns on opening time. Many places start to fill at ten. Leave at seven and you come back as if you had walked the same route in another country.
Cherry-blossom week is the loveliest time and the most expensive. November’s red leaves are spoken of less, and the walking can feel more open.
Places to see
Tokyo
The Meguro canal
In cherry-blossom week, go early. By afternoon the bridges turn into a queue for photographs.
Kyoto
Pagoda street
The lanes around Yasaka are the frame everyone describes in the late afternoon. Before eight in the morning, the same street is almost empty.
Things to do
An early temple
The first torii gates at Fushimi Inari can be walked before eight. At noon the same stairs are a different sport.
A convenience-store pause
Keep lunch from depending on a restaurant every day. An onigiri from the shop is cheap, and it keeps you moving.
Choosing one neighborhood
Shimokitazawa or Yanaka will give you a better conversation than Shibuya. Give one whole day to a single district.
An onsen evening
One ryokan night in Kyoto can be the luxury you share. Keep it to a single night.
Food
Ramen
A lunch queue in Tokyo is normal. Splitting the group tires you less than waiting for a table for eight.
Sushi, in the evening
A conveyor belt is fun, and it is enough for the first night. Save the second sushi night for seats at the counter, and order small.
A set menu, not kaiseki
A long kaiseki in Kyoto is beautiful and expensive. The lunch set is the same kitchen in a calmer mood.
Getting around
Getting around the city is surprisingly straightforward. The real decision is whether a nationwide rail pass earns its place on this route.
- Flights from Istanbul usually connect. Count that connection against the walking you had planned for the first day.
- Around Tokyo and Osaka, a Suica or a Pasmo can be loaded onto your phone. Small payments do not wait for cash.
- The shinkansen from Tokyo to Kyoto takes about two hours and fifteen minutes. For a single round trip, a JR Pass is often the weaker buy.
- Buses work in Kyoto, though the stops can blur together. Two temples in a day pass more calmly if you split a taxi.
Where to stay
Rooms in Tokyo are small. Expect that, and choose the address for the neighborhood you want.
Tokyo
Shinjuku sits in the middle of the scramble. Ueno and Yanaka fall quiet sooner. Stay in Shibuya and you are buying the night as well.
Kyoto
Near the station, you serve the train. Near Gion, you serve the evening. Halfway between the two, the walk grows longer.
A working travel budget
A convenience-store lunch brings the budget down. A ryokan night, and lodging in cherry-blossom week, push it up. A mid-range day: 120–190 €.
Budget
110 €
A business hotel, convenience-store lunches, one long train. Dinner, taking turns, somewhere good.
Comfortable
160 €
A good location, one sit-down meal a day, an IC card, and a taxi now and then.
Refined
260 €
One ryokan night, a reserved seat at the counter, and the cherry-blossom difference in the rate.
Sample routes
8 days · A first trip to Japan, 2–5 people
Tokyo and Kyoto, without hurry
- Days 1–3 Tokyo One day walking the east side, one day in a single neighborhood, one day free. Leave the third day free of another district.
- Day 4 The train Cross to Kyoto before noon. Keep the evening light around the station.
- Days 5–7 Kyoto One morning on a temple path, one midday in Arashiyama or at a market, one day in a neighborhood. Evenings stay early.
- Day 8 The return If the flight leaves from Tokyo, trust the midday train. Leave the morning temple off the plan.
5 days · One suitcase, one hotel
Tokyo alone
- Day 1 A soft landing A neighborhood walk and an early meal. No museum.
- Day 2 The east Asakusa early, then a quieter park or a museum in the afternoon.
- Day 3 One neighborhood Shimokitazawa or Yanaka. Finish the evening there.
- Days 4–5 Buffer and the return One day entirely free. On the last morning, only coffee.
Good to know
- A Turkish passport usually needs a visa for Japan. Appointments can take a long time. Check the official list before you fly.
- You carry your rubbish with you. Hunting for a bin on the street is not part of the plan.
- A quieter voice is a courtesy, especially on the train and in a ryokan.
- Some small shops still want cash. Keep a little yen on you.
- You take your shoes off in many places. Socks without holes are a small courtesy.
- A tip causes confusion. Leave none.
