Tokyo

*The Grand Hyatt– We stayed here for a couple of days when we moved to Tokyo and it would be my number 1 recommendation.  It is such a beautiful hotel in a perfect location.  It is pricey and Japan charges per person for rooms; however, you get what you pay for in Japan and the service, the room decor, the modern architecture, the restaurants….are all well worth the money.  Its central location in Roppongi Hills is ideal, there is a park across the street for the kids, amazing shopping down the street and the best restaurants in town.  The Oak Door is a fun bar in the hotel and the sushi restaurant is very good.  The Park Hyatt in Shinjuku (think Lost In Translation movie) is more expensive than the Park Hyatt and Shinjuku doesn’t have that much to offer other than Shinjuku Gyoen, a beautiful park.

*ANA Intercontinental Hotel– This hotel is also centrally located and a bit less expensive than the Hyatt.

*The Capitol Hotel Tokyu-Another hotel that is centrally located in Akasaka, which is more of a Japanese area but walking distance to central Tokyo. This new hotel is modern with Japanese influence and beautiful amenities.

*The Palace Hotel Tokyo– Newly built in the Marunouchi area with great shopping streets and restaurants, this beautiful modern hotel overlooks the Imperial Palace moat and gardens.  Great place for a run (it is 3 miles around the palace and they hold many running events here in Tokyo).

*Westin Tokyo— In Ebisu, this family friendly hotel is next to Ebisu’s giant garden place development that houses a movie theater, restaurants, bars, etc..

*Hotel Ryumeikan– If you are not into big hotels as the aforementioned, this is a smaller hotel option that gives you the opportunity to stay in a Japanese/Western room which was fun with the kids!  Choose one of the suites which gives you  a western room with a bed or 2 beds where the parents can sleep and another room which is a tatami room.  A tatami room is a Japanese style bedroom where the kids/parents can sleep on futons on the floor.  Its a small clean establishment, next to Tokyo Station and also the bus to the airport.  The hotel is in Ginza, which is the famous shopping district, and from here you have access to all areas of Tokyo.   It received the 2016 Tripadvisor Traveler’s Choice Award.

SIGHTS:

• FOR KIDS…….

+Niko Niko park near meiji-jingumae (foreigners call this park “100 yen park” because it costs 100 yen, equivalent to $1 for children)

+ Disneyland and Disney Sea

+ Shinagawa Prince Hotel (great aquarium and also bowling alley)

+Ueno Park (tons of museums and the zoo)

+Kodomo-no-Kuni (childrens land)–great place about 45 min. drive or train from tokyo–huge park with boats, bikes, playgrounds, animals, rides–one can spend the entire day there.

+Showa Kinen Park–also about 45 min. from tokyo–is a massive park with fountains, bike trails, beautiful flower gardens and much more.

+Yokohama–visit the ferris wheel and have brunch at Bills

+Tokyo Toy Museum in Yotsuya

+Odaiba–play at the sand beach, shop in the Aqua City mall, eat brunch at Bills and visit the Legoland Discovery Center

+Hello Kitty Sanrio Puroland (A hello kitty themed park which is accessible by train)

+Kidzania Tokyo

+Tokyo Tower–Kids love riding to the top of the tower for a great view

+Cat Cafe (Hapineko)-Literally a cafe where you can play with cats in Ginza

+Kiddyland–famous toy store in Harajuku/Omotesando that has many floors filled with everything from snoopy to hello kitty to star wars to anime to ampaman…..this could be a treat for the kids at the end of the day!

• DAY ITINERARIES FOR EVERYONE……

+OMOTESANDO/HARAJUKU/YOYOGI PARK/MEIJI: (full day and should be a Sunday if possible)–Start at the Nezu Museum (my favorite museuem in Tokyo–opens at 10 am), stroll for an hour… all you need because it is small and then walk up the hill on Omotesando Dori.  Omotesando Dori (known as Tokyo’s Champs-Elysee)is a beautiful tree-lined street with high end shopping and souvenir shops, including Oriental Bazaar (reasonably priced and perfect for take home gifts & Japanese momentos), Kiddyland (toy store mentioned above) and the famous Heiroku Sushi (conveyor belt sushi). When you reach the top of Omotesando Dori, visit Yoyogi park directly in front of you across the street where you can catch a glimpse of the Japanese Elvis’s or some boy bands (only on Sundays). Then walk over to the Meiji Shrine which is one of the largest shrines in Tokyo and you may be lucky to spot a wedding.  After you’ve left the shrine walk towards the Harajuku station and across the street you will find Takeshita Dori, a famous pedestrian only narrow street filled with trendy clothing stores, crepe shops, Daiso (100 yen shop-similar to dollar stores but you can find everything here), Harajuku dolls, etc…..great people watching!!!

+TSUKIJI FISH MARKET/HAMARIKYU GARDENS/ASAKUSA & SENSO-JI TEMPLE/UENO :(one full day) Start the day by taking the subway to Tsukiji and visiting the fish market at 5:30 am.  They have made it difficult to view the tuna auction, it is first come first served and the line begins at 3 am, but the auction isn’t until 5/5:30 so you can see from afar and  get the feel of it .  After you have walked around the stalls viewing all the sea creatures, have breakfast right outside of the stalls.  My favorites are:  Daiwa ; Sushimaru; Sushi-dori; Takahashi & Okame. After breakfast walk to the Hamarikyu Gardens (just over the small bridge)–it opens at 9 am.  In these beautiful japanese gardens you can visit a tea house, try Ocha (green tea) and a cake, enjoy the gardens and walk to the back of the park to purchase a ticket to take the boat up the Sumida river to Asakusa.  Asakusa is one of the oldest areas in Tokyo due to surviving the air raids from WWII.  Here is the famous Sensoji Temple,a Buddhist temple built in the 7th century and one of the oldest in Tokyo. The temple is approached via the Nakamise, a shopping street that has been providing temple visitors with a variety of traditional, local snacks and tourist souvenirs for centuries.  The best way to see this area is to take a rickshaw through the streets and end on Kappabashi Dori. Kappabashi Dori is an almost one kilometer long street lined by shops catering to restaurant businesses.  Please read below under Shopping for a list of my favorite stores on this street.  If you have time you can take a 15 min walk or short subway to Ueno.  Ueno has a zoo, parks, museums and Ameyoko shopping street (the black market).

+ODAIBA/OEDO-ONSEN-MONOGATARI: :  (Full Day)  Start the day in Odaiba (an artificial man made island in Tokyo Bay across the rainbow bridge–can access by train or taxi) have breakfast at Bills (opens at 9 am) and following breakfast take a stroll along the sand (man made beach), visit the famous statue of liberty or Decks (a mall that houses Legoland Discovery Center).  Around noon take a taxi (very close)over to Oedo Onsen-Monogatari, an Edo era natural onsen theme park.  Onsen is a Japanese experience one does not want to miss!  It means a Japanese public hot springs bath house (female and males  are separated).  Visitors can experience 13 varieties of baths including indoor baths using water from natural hot springs that gush up from the source 1,400 meters under ground.  Children are welcomed and at the entrance, each individual can choose their own yukata, a japanese kimono.  You can spend a couple of hours here having lunch, enjoying spa services, relaxing in the hot springs, a doctor fish foot bath, etc..  http://www.ooedoonsen.jp/en/  Then make your way over to Palette town to ride the enormous ferris wheel: Daikanransha.  When it opened in 1999, it was the world’s tallest Ferris wheel (377 feet tall).

+SUMO: Sumo is such a staple in the Japanese culture.  It is fascinating to watch, a culture all its own.  Grand Sumo Tournaments are held in Tokyo only 3 months of the year (January, May & September).  I highly recommend getting tickets if you are visiting in one of those months.  There is box seating (Japanese style-sitting on the floor) or chair seating…I prefer the box seating.   The websites are in Japanese so have the hotel book for you.  If you are not in Japan during a grand sumo tournament, consider attending an open amateur sumo tournament or visiting a sumo stable to watch the wrestlers (rikishi) practice.  There are over 40 sumo training stables in Tokyo, where the sumo wrestlers sleep, train and eat.  Have your hotel book a visit, begins quite early (6 am) and lasts usually 3 hours.  You can meet the men, watch them practice and also have lunch with them.  You will be surprised to find out that many of them are not Japanese!

+ROPPPONGI HILLS/MIDTOWN/HINOKICHO PARK:  Start with Midtown, a modern complex that houses the Ritz, the Suntory museum and many shops and restaurants.  Take a break from shopping to stroll Hinokicho park, a beautiful quaint area with a small pond, playground and large grassy area (this was my neighborhood park and holds a special place in my heart).  In the winter there is an ice skating rink at the top of the park.  Near there is the National Art Center, which is my second favorite museum (after Nezu).  Also within walking distance is Roppongi hills, which is a city within a city.  This complex offers great restaurants (another conveyor belt sushi place called Pintokana), walk under the giant tarantula, play at Robot Park, home to the Mori Art Museum and Tokyo City View observatory (a great place to visit the observation deck and heli pad for amazing views of Tokyo, incredible shopping and much more!!!)

+IMPERIAL PALACE/MARUNOUCHI/HIBIYA PARK/GINZA: If you feel like a run or walk, one loop around the Imperial Palace is 3 miles.  There are many races held here because it is a beautiful run around the moat with a view of the palace .  Hibiya park is also within walking distance as is the Marunouchi area.  Marunouchi offers a variety of places where you can enjoy dining, shopping and art including the Shin building, Tokyo Station (train station) and cobble stone streets with fantastic stores.  If you have the energy, you can walk to Ginza from here which is the “Rodeo Drive” of Tokyo filled with high end stores and amazing restaurants.  Visit the basements of some of the department stores where you can find every type of produce, sweet, etc and if you are lucky they let you sample the food.

• OTHER FAVORITE AREAS/SIGHTS:

*Shibuya: Definitely visit this area to see the busiest crossing in the world, where as many as 2,500 people cross the street at the same time!  Great place for people watching…….I would suggest going here at night because then you can visit Nonbei Yokocho……”Drunkards Alley”–read below under Bars.

*Shinjuku Gyeon: This is by far my absolute favorite park in Tokyo.  If you are visiting during Sakura season (cherry blossoms), visit this park.  Sakura season typically runs 2 weeks and varies between March and April.  There is a small fee to enter the park but the grounds are immaculate with beautiful ponds, statues, a Japanese tea house and so much space to run around.

*Kagurazaka: One of my favorite areas of Tokyo!!!  Take the train to Idabashi station and exit B3 with the river behind you.  Walk down the main street and get lost on all of the cobblestone side streets filled with french cafes, bars, specialty stores and old geisha houses. The main street is closed to cars daily from 12-1 and on Sundays!

*Kichijoji walking tour: Take the train to Kichijoji station and exit south.  Visit Inokashira Park which houses the Ghibli Museum (Japanese animation); a zoo; a lake with swan boats; Inari Fox Shrine;  and much more.  Exit the park the same way you entered and head back to the train station.  Go behind the station to find Harmonica Yokocho, a narrow alley with various restaurants and bars.  Have lunch at En, a Japanese Izekaya, followed by a visit to Chiekurasen, a specialty snack shop and end the day at Ocharak Tea shop for some ocha(green tea) and a cake for dessert.

RESTAURANTS: I could write pages under this category because the food here is beyond belief.

• ABSOLUTE FAVORITE HIGH END DINING:

*Narizawa –  Formally known as Le Creation De Narisawa, this is by far my favorite dining experience of my life.  Its on the Pellegrino list and has 2 Michelin stars.  Everything from the service to the food: the bread is made in front of you in a stone pot and served with what looks like a potted plant but is a type of butter with soil (olive tapenade).  The freshness of the ingredients and the display of each plate is an art form.  The menus tend to dedicate themselves to a season in a beautiful and unique way.

*Sushitsu – Best sushi i’ve had in Tokyo and there are hundreds of sushi places.  Small modern place in Roppongi

*Joël Robuchon Restaurant– Amazing Michelin star worthy french cuisine in a chateau style building in Ebisu

*Sant Pau– Spanish restaurant in Nihonbashi, various courses in a beautiful estate like setting-2 michelin stars

*Tapas Molecular Bar– I tend to steer away from Hotel restaurants but this one is worth the visit–molecular at its finest.  They have a fruit seed that is given at the end of the meal that makes everything taste sweet for 30 minutes.  Also, great views….

*Tateru Yoshino- Elegant and modern dining room in Ginza with nice views, the service and the wine list are top noth.  Japanese cuisine.

*La Bombance – This place was my go to with visitors because of the traditional 11 course cuisine, each course is uniquely served on a delicate, one of a kind ceramic dish and all for a reasonable price of 100 usd per person for a Michelin star restaurant!

*Ukai Tei– High end teppanyaki, 2 establishments (Ginza & Omotesando) both equally good.

• INFORMAL FAVORITE RESTAURANTS ACCORDING TO TYPES OF FOOD:

*French/Japanese/Italian Fushion: Amoroso-this place is probably my favorite local restaurant in Tokyo.  Only 12 seats and Chef Maeda serves various courses with wine pairings (he was a sommelier).  He is a one man show and you can see his passion for food and wine through his creative dishes and pairings.  He should have a Michelin star–hard to get a reservation!

*Mexican: Either Junkadelic (very informal tiny place in Akasaka)  or Hacienda Del Cielo (has terrace dining and is in Daikanyama)

*Italian: Elios Locanda Italiana (in Hanzomon area by the imperial palace) or Appia (in Hiroo)

*Fish: Hands down Kaikaya in Shibuya (order the tuna ribs)

*American: Casita (in Aoyoma and has rooftop deck);  TY Harbor (brewery on the water);  Crista  (in Shibuya) or Two Rooms Grill l Bar (in Aoyama- great bar!)

*Brunch: Ivy Place (in Daikanyama-cute area to walk around)

*Teppanyaki: Ten (various locations)

*Korean BBQ/Yakiniku: Toraji (in the Caretta Shiodome building on the 46th floor -amazing views, ask to sit next to window)

*Japanese: Higashi-Yama (in Meguro, very cool, modern interior and Meguro is a beautiful area to walk along the river) or Au Gamin (in Shironkanadai- the menu is in Japanese but its worth a “lost in translation” moment to experience the exquisite fresh food served in an open kitchen style.

*Yakitori: Jomon  (A small local place in Roppongi known for kushiyaki (grilled food on a stick)–fun and lively

*Robatayaki: Inakaya (west shop is a famous establishment where the chefs sit on a deck surrounded by fresh food and cook it in front of you–this place is quite an experience where you can experience mochi pounding, drinking sake out of masu(small wooden box) and much more–pricey but worth the experience.  The restaurant has an album of all the famous people that have visited.

*Spanish Tapas: Cicada (in Omotesando) or Bar Enrique (in Naka Meguro)

*French: La Petit Bedon (casual bistro style in Daikanyama) or Labyrinthe (in Shirokane)

*Japanese Lunch: Nobu–They have Nobu everyhwere in the world but the bento box lunch here in Tokyo is Oishi (good)!!!

• FOR KIDS:

*Ninja Akasaka– Japan loves themed restaurants and this place is no exception among families.  Soon you’re greeted by a ninja and given a secret password. Kids love this restaurant where everything is ninja magic…….

*Gonpachi– An izekaya that is a replica from a “Kill Bill” movie scene.  Izekaya is a restaurant that serves small dishes (apps/tapas) and everyone shares.  The ambience is loud and friendly.

*Pintokana– Conveyor belt sushi in Roppongi hills

*Savoy- Best pizza in Tokyo! In Azabu-Juban

*Bento.com is a great website for more information on food in Tokyo*

BARS:
*Gen Yamamoto– This tiny bar is in the Anniversary building in Azabu Juban. Going for the zen minimalist approach, this bar has only 8 seats and serves a 6 course drink experience, each one unique in taste and presentation

*The Oak Door– This bar in the Grand Hyatt is a favorite among expats

*Nonbei Yokocho……”Drunkards Alley”-is a small alley across the street from the subway station in shibuya (directly across from a police box). This place is everything I love about Japan, warm, rustic, unique, family style eateries and bars. My favorite two bars are Tight (can only fit up to 6 people and bartender is super friendly) & the Piano Bar (bizarre place filled with red velvet, chandeliers and animal heads-crazy)!

*Hollow Point– Tucked away in a basement in Roppongi, this theme bar has a shooting range where you can choose any type of gun to shoot from a menu

*The Robot Bar-The name speaks for itself…..a robot themed bar with a crazy lazer light robot show in Shinjuku

*Alcatraz ER– Tokyo loves its themed bars…..In Shibuya, this bar has you sit in a cell, serves drinks from test tubes & syringes and kidnaps a guest (happened to be a friend of mine), put a mask on her and whisked her off in a wheel chair to be part of the show–CRAZY!

*Karaoke–It wouldn’t be right to visit Japan and not experience karaoke!! There are endless places for Karaoke, most in small highrise buildings where you reserve your own room for your group.  We loved Fiesta in Roppongi–where there are over 200 costumes to use while you sing away.  Lovenet is another famous place because of its themed karaoke rooms, including a candy room, hot tub room and others.  Karaoke-kan, Shidax and Big Echo are other popular places.

• SHOPPING: 

*Laforet– One of my favorite one stop shopping buildings for fashion. There are 6 floors with over 100 independently owned boutiques selling unique clothing, bags, shoes, etc…..there are some random stores so you really need to look, but I always would find some unique pieces.

*Daikanyama- Definitely worth a stop to this area…..visit the famous T-site—where 3 buildings are connected by “magazine street” where you can buy a coffee, and spend the day browsing books (its claimed as one of the 20 most beautiful book stores in the world) follow that by lunch at the Ivy (read above-its next to T-site) and shopping in the afternoon: Okura (indigo textiles); Hollywood Ranch Market (flea market style); Loveless (stylish clothing boutique) and much more!

*Dirty Dish– This place is difficult to find and only expats living there for a while find it. It is a warehouse filled with japanese dishes/cups/bowls/platters, etc. Very inexpensive and its a great place to buy in bulk for a party because you can find more than a dozen of each item, which is rare in Japan. Take the 246 to Futo goto Tamagawa, then left at Futakobashi Intersection, then right at Paisan Keihin sign. At 6th light turn left (small blue shed). At the T turn left then right at Yugenji Intersection, then left at Zeruji Intersection. At 3rd light take right, go through 1 light and take next left. Warehouse is on left

*Itoya– famous stationary store in Ginza

*Haibara & Ozu– 2 famous stores that have an amazing selection of the finest washi paper, both in Nihonbashi. At Ozu you can make your own washi paper

*Kappabashi Dori–My favorite stores include: Okuda (for bamboo); Kamata (for knives); Hashito (for chopsticks) & Tanaka (for lacquerware). It is very japanese to have specialty shops for every item vs. a one stop shop.

*Akihabura is Tokyo’s hub for electronics

*Oriental Bazar-Mentioned above, best place for japanese mementos & take home gifts