JAPAN | Tokyo Part 1

Hey guys! Last summer we visited Japan for 19 days and it was such a great adventure! We hail from Canada and Japan to us was a whole another world with such a different yet interesting culture. And I tell you, it is different but it is so much worth discovering!! The whole country as a whole is filled with so much excitement, so much culture, and so many new things to discover. We visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Okinawa, but there are so much more to see in Japan. So here's the first part of our travel adventure in Tokyo, hope you enjoy!

The vending machines in front of our apartment

Since we were planning to stay in Tokyo for 10 days, we didn't want to stay in a hotel cause the prices were ridiculous!! So we decided to rent an Airbnb and found one priced at 70$ per night, located in the central area of Roppongi. It was in a very good location, had a Lawson convenience store downstairs, and vending machines right across the street from it. 

View in front of Shinjuku Station

The first day, we walked to Shinjuku passing by the little streets of Tokyo. We did this on purpose since we wanted to see the city up close and personal, beyond the big streets and extravagant stores. We were able to see the kinds of houses and apartments that people live in, and basically get a feel of a residential neighborhood in the middle of Tokyo. For us, that's exploring and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Since we were jet-lagged, we woke up too early and got to Shinjuku at 9 am. Stores weren't open yet, but do try to get in the Takashimaya Department Store at opening hour (10 am if I remember correctly). The way they greet customers at opening hour is definitely something else. It was really nice, almost too nice and different that it made us a bit awkward haha. And if you're planning to eat in Shinjuku, we recommend eating on the top floors of the Takashimaya Department Store. They have a lot of variety of restaurants and some of them have amazing views of the city (even the washrooms have great views).

View from Takashimaya Dept. Store top floor washrooms

The lunch set we ordered in a restaurant in Takashimaya Dept. Store

After long hours of shopping (really, it was more than 10 floors of shops) we walked by Shinjuku Central Park to eat and drink the stuff we bought at the vending machines. Then we proceeded to walk to Meiji Shrine. It was kinda hard to find, since we went in from the wrong entrance. We basically had to walk through a forest to find the shrine. But it was definitely worth it. The shrine reminded of typical shrines depicted in mangas or animes, and I definitely felt like I was in Japan. We also learned how to make a proper prayer in a shrine, like how many times you should clap and when you should put the money. 

After the Meiji Shrine, we walked back home and decided to eat in for dinner. The jet lag was pretty intense for both of us and we ended just buying instant noodles and sushi set from the convenience store downstairs. But honestly, even that was a very exciting dinner for us. The convenience store had so much to offer, we bought Japanese flans, ramen noodle snacks, and melon milk to go with our dinner. They also offer other prepared meals like pasta, onigiri (stuffed rice balls), and katsu among other things. So if you guys can't find a restaurant to eat in Japan (which I doubt) or are too tired to eat out, the convenience store is definitely a good place to buy your food!