Disneyland is magical. Even in the midst of the crowds and lines and heat of the day, it still transports you to a series of fantastic, intricately designed “lands” where worries do not exist and dreams definitely do come true. From Fantasyland to Tomorrowland to Adventureland, there’s so much to do, eat, and enjoy. Now, Tokyo Disneyland is honestly very similar to California Disneyland, though there are a few differences that we’d like to point out.
Read MoreAlthough in actuality it is a classic Japanese garden, Rikugien Gardens felt like a gorgeous neighborhood park. It features walking paths, hills, and a pond system, and is a great example of a daimyo’s garden from the Edo era. It seemed less touristy than other parks we visited, though some parts of the park were still on the crowded side.
Read MoreWe first heard about this cat cafe from Simon and Martina, a YouTubing couple who live in Japan and chronicle their adventures for the enjoyment of the rest of us. It looked like a magical place with adorable cats, so we decided to check it out! Michelle LOVES cats. She was BEYOND excited to go to her first cat cafe.
Read MoreWe have enjoyed visiting many beautiful gardens on our trips to Japan, and Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is one of the largest and most diverse that we’ve visited. Its 144 acres of park space includes three distinct areas: a landscape garden, a Japanese traditional garden, and a formal garden. The paths through the park wend their way through these different gardens with many lovely highlights to enjoy along the way.
Read MoreThe neighborhood of Tsukiji is home to the famous Tsukiji Fish Market which is renowned for its tuna auctions and seafood wholesalers that took place within the Inner Market. As of October 6th, 2018 the Inner Market was shut down and relocated to Toyosu. Fortunately, the outer market around Tsukiji remained and still has much to offer.
Read MoreOn our first trip to Tokyo we got reservations at Sushi Tokami, a Michelin star restaurant in Ginza, where we were introduced to high end sushi. With the last day of our trip, we wanted to cap our time in Japan with a truly great meal. We managed to get reservations at Sushi Tokami after a recommendation and some help from the concierge at the Park Hotel.
Read MoreWe couldn’t visit Japan without trying some of its famous wagyu beef. We managed to get reservations for Shima Steak and were treated to the best steaks and sandwiches we’ve ever had.
Read MoreWhenever we’re visiting Tokyo we stay at the Park Hotel. The Park Hotel is a western-style hotel that features three restaurants, a cocktail lounge, bakery, business center, and has some great views of the city from the lobby and rooms.
Read MoreAs much as we love going to gardens, temples, and shrines throughout Japan, we wanted to see something different. Fortunately, we found out about an innovative interactive art exhibit called teamLab: Borderless, which is set up in Odaiba. All throughout the world teamLab has set up exhibits and shows. The permanent ones are in Asia, but other limited shows are popping up around the world from time to time.
Read MoreHave you ever wanted to ride in a Cat Bus? Live with a wizard in a mechanical traveling castle? Take part in a battle between the forces of nature and the encroaching, destructive reach of industrialization? Help sumo-wrestling mice gain weight and prestige? If this sounds like you, you might enjoy watching Studio Ghibli films and visiting the Ghibli Museum!
Read MoreRingo is a chain of small bakery shops that serve one delicious treat: small custard cream apple pies! The location we visited was in a large shopping mall in the Tokyo Midtown Hibiya building in Chiyoda City. When we approached the bakery, we could already see the line that wrapped around the side of the store.
Read MoreWe’re both fans of Mario Kart and thought it would be fun to experience the game in VR. So we traveled to Shinjuku to try it out at VR Zone Shinjuku.
Read MoreAfter seeing many scrumptious-looking photos of elaborate Japanese parfait desserts, we were determined to try some for ourselves. We chose to try them at Fruits de Saison, a cute cafe on a quiet side street in Akihabara. We were led to a table on the second floor, as the tables on the first floor had already filled with patrons.
Read MoreTokyo Tower is one of the most iconic landmarks in the city, and we plan to ascend to the top eventually even though it can be quite busy. On a recent trip, rather than go to the tower itself, we opted to go to the Sky Lounge Stellar Garden, which has a wonderful view of it instead.
Read MoreUnagi is one of our favorite Japanese foods, and we’ve had plenty of it from many restaurants both in Japan and outside of it. While in Tokyo, we wanted to go to a high-quality unagi restaurant and came across a Michelin-star rated unagi restaurant called Nodaiwa. We were not surprised that a restaurant that was established in 1850 would earn such a prestigious accolade.
Read MoreAfter we had finished walking through the beautiful Hamarikyu Gardens, we went to a small pier at the eastern end of the garden and purchased tickets to ride a waterbus up to Asakusa.
Read MoreThe Hamarikyu Gardens sits in the heart of Tokyo; nestled between Tsukiji, Ginza, Tokyo Tower, and Tokyo Bay. Though this peaceful park is located in the middle of the city, it’s large enough to be immersive. You don’t feel like you’re in the middle of a city - until you look up and notice the skyscrapers.
Read MoreInstead of having a traditional Japanese breakfast, we opted to have a sushi breakfast at Sushi Zanmai. We’d never had sushi for breakfast and thought we should definitely experience it.
Read MoreWhile in Tokyo, we wanted to have kushikatsu again, and when trying to find a restaurant we managed to come across Shinjuku Tatsukichi. Our first experience with kushikatsu was an inexpensive restaurant with a menu of about 20 different options. The food there was still amazing, but we wanted to try out what a higher end kushikatsu restaurant would be like. Shinjuku Tatsukichi is a moderately priced kushikatsu restaurant and the meal we had was one of the best we had our entire time in Tokyo.
Read MoreDown a side street off Chou Dori and in the basement beneath a ninja cafe is Roast Beef Ohno. This unique restaurant specializes in creating wagyu roast beef mountains that are supposed to resemble Mount Fuji. It might look weird, but it is definitely worth checking out if you want to eat something unique.
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We’re Taylor and Michelle and welcome to our blog documenting our travels and food we eat. We hope this inspires you to visit new places and try some delicious food!
Nom Nom the Adventure Cat
