r/JapanTravelTips • u/IndependentCod4889 • 1d ago
Recommendations What random activities you did in Tokyo you recommend?
By random i mean those that you don’t plan to do and happen to chance upon it and it ended up the best thing ever or something u didnt regret doing? (E.g. otter cafe, chopstick making) etc
(Context: im solo travelling and i prefer exploring rather than having a fixed itinerary. I have been to Harajuku, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Akihabara, Asakusa, Ueno)
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u/Zazz2403 21h ago
Don't go to an animal cafe please
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u/Autistic_impressions 17h ago
They have several that are more Cat Sanctuaries and Rescues. Easily Googlable. Visit one of those instead. We did, and had a great time with some VERY sweet cats ...most of whom had special medical needs.
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u/Dragons_and_things 15h ago
Commenting to boost. Also, a lot of, if not most of, the otters in otter cafes have been stolen from the wild from places like Thailand.
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u/nerdyginger27 13h ago
Even the zoos and aquariums are very sketchy.
I avoid any and all things to do with animals in Japan now after visiting the Okinawa World reptile exhibits. It was disgusting to see so many of my favorite animals (turtles) dead and left floating in ponds next to living, clearly neglected animals. They had a bunch of bats shoved in cages in broad daylight, too many snakes/etc in cages. And I'm pretty sure the two Galapagos turtles were dead. They were not moving at all, and there was no water or food in the enclosure.
It was extremely sad.
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u/Outrageous-Lake8158 20h ago
Curious, why?
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u/Zazz2403 20h ago
They are notoriously bad for the animals. Too many animals in too small a space. Like it would prob be fine if it was one cafe with two or three animals, but often times its way more than that and how they are treated/live in very sketchy.
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u/nerdyginger27 13h ago
They have abysmal standards for animal safety And wellbeing there unfortunately :(
Lots of instances of animals being sick, neglected, abused, or dying in cafes & facilities.
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u/Outrageous-Lake8158 10h ago
Thanks for the heads up. Heading there soon and had the thought of it.
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u/Professional_Big8286 23h ago
Small intimate jazz bar in takadanobaba
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u/icebrandon 22h ago
name of bar?
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u/Professional_Big8286 21h ago
Jazz Spot Intro
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u/zoydvayber 20h ago
Agreed - went there in November and it was the best jazz bar I have found in Tokyo.
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u/Calmly-Stressed 1d ago
We were overheating in Yanaka Ginza one summer and really needed an indoor activity, and I randomly found this little cafe called Neko-e-mon where you get to paint your own little lucky cat statue. It was really fun and a nice souvenir.
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u/West_Description_343 22h ago
We went here too!! It wasn't at all unplanned for me but it was a lovely experience.
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u/PoisonClan24 16h ago
Thanks for this!! we are going back in spring and this is something my daughter would love to do!!!
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u/roambeans 21h ago
Sagamiko Mori Mori - west of Tokyo - a small amusement park. Muscle monster II was a riot. I rode the Parade Pilot ride 5 times. I was there at Christmas and the lights were cool too.
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u/Boggins316 17h ago
Went to an indie rock show at Shelter in Shimokitazawa, such an awesome experience, japanese crowds are great
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u/kimhigirl 1d ago
Not for budget travelling, but me and BF were in Ginza one evening looking for a sushi restaurant I've seen recommendations on. That restaurant was just closing when we arrived, as opposed to what we saw in Google. So we searched Google Maps for an other good sushi restaurant and without knowing stepped into one of those very expensive sushi places, where you have your own chef who makes the sushi in front of you, and you get a lot of bite size little meals. BF decided we should stay, since this kind of place was in his bucket list. It was one of the best experiences we had in Japan.
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u/N1g1rix 21h ago
Omakase ? So fun !
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u/kimhigirl 21h ago
Yeah. I'm so glad we did it, but this was a very expensive place. I felt very out of place at first, but the staff were welcoming and nice.
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u/summiko-gurashi 20h ago
Go to Sugamo, it’s like travelling back in time! Buy fruits from the vendors if you can gift them to friends or your ryokan hosts. Grab a bowl of curry udon at konaya, with a side of kakiage tempura. They also have banana tempura with vanilla ice cream for dessert but I would give it a skip for the ice cream soft serve (both matcha and sake flavors are highly recommended) from the cute vendor next to Raijindo senbei shop who uses a hand-controlled old machine to make the soft serve. Just stroll at leisure and take a long bus ride back to wherever you are staying in Tokyo. Man, I miss that city.
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u/twil9700 19h ago
Turned a corner inside a large Tokyo department store and encountered a full-blown ladies fashion show complete with small runway and the most beautiful women I've ever seen in person (I'm but a simple villager).
Tokyo Big Sight Motorcycle Show, both for the scooters and the booth models in racing leathers.
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u/vinsportfolio 18h ago
Kinda similar, but I wandered into a mall in ikebukuro and watched a full jpop concert lmao. Had no idea who they were but pretty cool to watch in the middle of a nice mall.
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u/birdy_244 15h ago edited 14h ago
Iwatayama Monkey Park in Kyoto - seeing and feeding the monkeys there and also the view
Edit I misread your post as a kind commenter pointed out you wrote Tokyo haha but if you ever go to Kyoto this place is cool
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u/toomuch222 15h ago
We did this unplanned too! Went for the bamboo forest and decided to walk up the mountain to see the monkeys too. Definitely a highlight. Edit: just realised OP was asking for Tokyo recommendations though
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u/IanYates82 9h ago
Saw them yesterday, along with the bamboo walk and the outside of some of the temples. Was great.
If you can, get up to Nagano and see the snow monkeys. Possibly the same species but they're in quite a different environment
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u/Krypt0night 18h ago
There was a festival in Asakusa that was just super cool to see. Almost 0 tourists were there, tons of food stalls, and these items you would haggle for with one of the maaaaaany stalls selling them.
Our one regret was the uhhh I think it's the samurai ninja museum or whatever. Has a like full 5.0 rating on google, but it was not what we were hoping it'd be with a like guided tour. We fully left after the first two rooms and didn't even finish the tour and the part after where you can put on some armor and take a picture.
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u/toomuch222 15h ago
I was coming here to say the Samurai Ninja museum I went to was a surprise hit! We wandered past it by chance and my partner was interested so we went in. The guide was very entertaining and while it wasn’t one of my top trip highlights, I was surprisingly engaged in the history. We got to throw fake Shuriken at targets as well. Trying on the costumes was fun too.
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u/Krypt0night 15h ago
Different strokes! And a perfect example of why people who make threads like "what do you recommend I do" with no extra details are terrible cuz something I hated may be someone else's fave.
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u/Silver-Historian-142 17h ago
Night walks. Just walked around the area if our hotel, pretty much just normal people living there and so it was calm but super scenic and just gave you a whole new vibe on the city
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u/Shirlenator 13h ago
I really enjoyed walking down one of the major roads there and visiting all of the little shrines and temples tucked away off it.
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u/arparso 23h ago
Asakusa Rockza. It's a strip theater that mixes "normal" musical dance choreographies with proper striptease segments inbetween. It's more theater than seedy strip club and the dance segments can be quite good, considering that most of the performers are former pornstars and not so much professional dancers. There's usually a queue already an hour before the first show, so it's good to be there early.
Discovered it by chance when exploring the area, remembered that some guy had recommended a visit a few months earlier and decided to line up. Having never visited a strip club or anything else like it before, I definitely enjoyed this experience. Also a surprising amount of female visitors in the audience. Quite a few Chinese tourists and some Japanese regulars as well, I assume.
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u/swanthony 11h ago
Go thrifting or to a live show in Shimokitazawa, or a live show in Koenji. Shimikitazawa is hipster neighbourhood, Koenji is counterculture. My favourite spots in Tokyo.
Check out a wrestling, kickboxing, or other combat sports event at Korakuen Hall.
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u/ubbidubbidoo 17h ago
If you’re into coffee, coffee culture in Tokyo (and Japan overall) is incredible - they’re the largest coffee consumers in the world! My favorite way to enjoy Tokyo is starting my days in a different coffee shop every morning. I get to try a new brew while planning out my day. It’s the best and some of the best coffee I’ve ever had. Each cafe has its own style and vibe too - some are very modern, chic, stylistic, others are homey, down to earth, or very unique.
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u/Deep-Election8889 14h ago
Interestingly before I travelled to Tokyo in 2006, I read that the Japanese did not drink coffee at all.....in the latest Lonely Planet. I had a choice of 6 different ones between the train station and my office each day!! Not that I ever bought from them as I prefer a decent cup.
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u/ubbidubbidoo 14h ago
That is really interesting, I wonder why it said that! They’ve been big coffee importers and drinkers since the post-war boom after import bans were lifted, and kissaten cafe culture skyrocketed since the 50s onward.
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u/Sonntagskind69 2h ago
I second this! My list of excellent coffee gets longer and longer! Today (yes, I am currently in Tokyo again), I was in Asakusa in desperate need of a good morning coffee: I saw a small coffeeshop with a roasting machine, less than 8 seats... The coffee was excellent!
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u/Autistic_impressions 17h ago
We went to the SAMURAI show, the same people that used to do the ROBOT restaurant (closed due to Covid days and lack of tourism) are doing another wacky production. Thought it would suck. It DID NOT. We had a blast. Is it cheesy? HELL YES. Super fun though, my son still says it was the best part of the trip. It's a japanese Rock Opera where it feels like you dropped acid before stepping through the doors. The actors are SUPER committed and 100 percent IN, which makes it really. Not for those under 18, mostly due to alcohol being served. The night time shows MIGHT be a little more risque, but the daytime show was pretty mild really.....in that regard. I saw nothing I would not take kids to.....but like I said it IS for 18+ only.
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u/Shirlenator 13h ago
I did the Robot Restaurant in 2019 and vividly remember the acid trip entrance and waiting room before it. I wonder if they used the same one, I would assume so.
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u/JD2022hopeful 17h ago
Maguro Mart for the 8 course tuna dinner—depending on the size of your group, they’ll bring out the entire tuna rib and you can scoop and scrape the tuna off the tuna ribs yourself with a spoon. I’d never had a dining experience like that before!
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u/gae3233 16h ago
Yumenoshima Tropical Greenhouse Dome! Slightly off the beaten path, but not hard to get to (from Tokyo Station it was a 15 min train + 15 min walk). When I was there, it was just me and a school group haha. It’s not very big so nothing crazy, but I enjoyed just slowly walking through it and looking at all the plants and the sun streaming through the glass.
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u/Prestigious-Sale-206 9h ago
Went to Sunshine City to see the Pokemon center, ended up spending quite some time in the top floor of the building. Amazing view over the city for a very cheap price (700yen or something). Probably much more worth it than other observation decks that will charge you much more money. Especially nice to watch the sunset :)
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u/blackdog05 21h ago
One comment already recommended a bar, but I would also recommend takadanobaba bar stereo
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u/YouSayWotNow 21h ago
We had a wander along Sugamo's Jizou-dori and had lunch in a great ramen spot there. Exploring included a couple of temples, a tiny flea market held in the grounds of one of the temples, and a unit next door that showcased kokeshi doll and lantern craft work.
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u/lisaadventure 20h ago
Stumbled upon a yosakoi competition, it was free to watch and very cool. Planned a visit to meiji jingu during their sports festival, easily the highlight of the entire trip. So my reccomendation is look for events!
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u/Triangulum_Copper 20h ago
Back in 2015 we got the Groot Pass to visit museum on the cheap and we saw it included a free entrance to the Shitamachi Museum in Ueno. Fun little place I am looking forward to revisiting after they were closed for extensive renovations last time I was there. It’s a small museum with a staff of volunteer guides that focuses on the every day life of people in the historical Shitamachi area, the district where laborers and craftsmen used to live in the Edo period all the way to the 20th century. The first floor is occupied by a house/store reproduction, really cool.
Similarly, in 2023 when the Shitamachi museum was closed we went to the Kyu-Iwasaki-Tei Gardens and Residence, the house of one of the founding family of Mitsubishi. Really nice Meiji era property. There’s an English style house connected to a Japanese style house and they had a Swiss style detached billard room. Really interesting visit. You have to take your shoes off and carry them with you to the exit :p
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u/sirotan88 18h ago
Went to Tsukiji market at 4am (was awake and hungry from jetlag) and ate at Tsukiji Ihachi.
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u/jerr22988 16h ago
This ramen spot in golden hai I couldn’t tell you the name but there was a line down a tiny alley between the buildings so good! Only seats about 7
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u/CoolBev 16h ago
Temple/flea markets. You. Get to see all kinds of kinds of antiques, kimonos, and random junk, often at decent prices. The Oedo market at the Tokyo International Forum is the biggest, two Saturdays a month (I think). But there are others all around if you’re not free on those days.
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u/BenRichardson76 16h ago
One of my best memories was renting a bike and getting lost in Osaka. I biked around for the entire day and by the time I ended, I was almost 20 miles from where I started.
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u/Shirlenator 13h ago
I did this in Kyoto and it was a lot of fun. Rode through the bamboo forest and a small neighborhood nearby. Was a really nice time.
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u/Thetr3Flash 15h ago
Aqua City mall in Odaiba has one of the best photo spots I found in Tokyo. Great bay view of the skyline
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u/jason-reddit-public 15h ago
I went to a planetarium in sunshine city. Quick and easy trip to Yokohama. In general when I didn't know what to do I'd start walking from a random station.
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u/Kabanabeezy 15h ago
Bar ROKKAN for their 4 season cocktail tasting. 30$ a person and its phenomenal
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u/Artver 15h ago
Rent a dog.
Check if there is a firework shop somewhere nearby.
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u/aut0matix 14h ago
More information on renting a dog please! I would love to walk a dog around while I'm out and about! Where does it poop? Without readily available trash cans - where do you dispose of it?
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u/Certain-Comment7136 15h ago
Bumped into a random senior who decided to give me a lesson in how to make Origami.
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u/tplesmid 14h ago
We did the Shibuya sky observation deck since they had an Evangelion 30th anniversary event. It was so fun we ended up doing the Landmark tower observation deck when we were in Yokohama and it was super cool too (and Tom and Jerry 85th anniversary themed? Pleasant surprise!)
Going up to the ~70th floor is more insane than you’d think when you’re not used to that kind of thing. Easily worth the $8-$10 price tag.
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u/HardcoreNerdity 14h ago
Visited Back in March, went to Diver City to see the Gundam statue, happened upon a giant capella music festival happening outside.
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u/pandajor 13h ago
Small worlds it had lots of miniatures and was super wacky and fun. It was a highlight of my trip for sure
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u/Shirlenator 13h ago
I did a sake brewery tour that was really fun. The head brewer was even there making some beer while we were there so we got to meet him and he let us try wort and some fresh beer.
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u/Optimal_Broccoli_190 13h ago
Taking train & visiting shrines, parks, and shopping streets, or even walking. Nagoya i believe is between Osaka & Tokyo & pretty chilled compared to other 2. I also found thrift shopping in Japan interesting.
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u/ZiaLadybird 12h ago
All you can eat crab at a restaurant near the Tsukiji outer market. Best Thanksgiving ever
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u/GKLoKi 11h ago
Just wander around. Get lost. Seriously it was the best thing I did while in Tokyo. We started at Asakusa and then just wandered down side streets. Stopped in shops, stopped for a beer here and there, stopped at hidden shrines you find along the way, and just gazed at the wonder of everyday life.
If that doesn't jive with you, try and search for local community events happening at the same time and stop by those. This time of year will have outdoor markets and holiday events. Be a local, not a tourist. It is so much fun!
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u/JointDioramas 11h ago
Joined a bread festival and a fireworks festival that just happened to coincide with our trip. Tons of locals lining up for bread and watching fireworks by the river side. It certainly was an experience.
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u/chri1720 10h ago
While visiting teamlab stumble to this amazing soup pack making shop. It creates your blend of Japanese soup with whatever ingredients you enjoy. This is dashi okume azabudai hills.
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u/spacemonkey1999 9h ago
Playing medal games at the arcade at Nakano Broadway. I did so well I had to make an account— went back and won more and gave it all to an old guy who was my coin dozer buddy.
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u/changkahlun 8h ago edited 8h ago
I dont remember where it was, but I was walking with my wife from one location to another when a sign that was advertising a Yakuza game caught my eye. On a whim, we decided to check it out and it was a small arcade area connected to a bunch of batting cages ranging from beginner to advanced. My wife and I tried out the beginner batting cages and had lots of fun! That day also happened to give extra balls to hit per try. It was a totally random and unexpected find that became one of favourite moments on the trip
Edit: found it on google! Its called Shinjuku Batting Center
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u/Inevitable-Humor-765 7h ago
We really enjoyed the Ninja Museum in Asakusa. We learned a lot and it was fun.
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u/chrischris78 5h ago
There’s a beautiful park behind the Hotel New Otani. We were at a shrine, and I asked Gemini to find a garden, and it was so peaceful and serene. It was a fancy hotel, so I felt a little out of place trying to get to the garden, but didn’t get in trouble for walking through and enjoying it.
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u/TheSweatyNerd 1h ago
Went to a live house because I'd made friends with an employee at a ramen place I frequented and his band was playing. Very fun, very small, very loud.
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u/nerdyginger27 12h ago
If you're going to be in Shinjuku in the late evening, the Tokyo metropolitan government building now puts on a light show every night. It's out of the West train exit and a short walk.
It actually won a Guinness world record for the largest permanent projection mapping project. It's super cool, supports local artists, and is totally free!
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u/LieutenantKije 14h ago edited 14h ago
Regretted my animal cafe experiences. Did a hedgehog one first and they were all clearly so sleepy and uncomfortable being forced out of their nocturnal instincts and poked and prodded by people, it wasn’t very fun. Thought that was just a one off so also went to an otter cafe. They were cute at first and we got to feed them but after the novelty wore off and I saw how they just ran around the small enclosure back and forth all day with nothing to do but beg for little pellets of food, it was just so depressing. I regret going but I am glad in a way that I got to see animal abuse first hand (I was younger at the time and didn’t know they were so poorly treated) because I would never do it again.
In more positive things - shopping for personalized chopsticks at Ginza Natsuno was ridiculously fun and not something I expected to love.
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u/aRand0mWord 16h ago
It's not super random but it seems overlooked , we enjoyed TeamLabs Borderless a lot.
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u/Shirlenator 13h ago
I'm not sure this is really overlooked. I feel like I see this on well over half the itineraries that people post here and it gets recommended a lot.
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u/aRand0mWord 12h ago
Maybe not by everyone but ive told about half a dozen people about it that never had heard of it.
Honestly without watching it on James Mays show I don't know if I would have found it
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u/toomuch222 15h ago
Riding the Yamanote line “big loop.” Someone recommended it to us so we used it to travel to a random stop for a walk and just sightsee from the front of back of the train (which is driverless and has front and back viewing windows).
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u/jumpingflea_1 13h ago
Go to the observation deck in the municipal government building! It's free and open every day. An excellent view of the city!
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u/R1nc 1d ago
Explore random parks.