Postcards and Stories from Tōkyo

After months and months of planning and anticipation, Eddie and I had the trip of a lifetime in South Korea and Japan. Japan is a bucket list destination for almost anybody you speak to, and for good reason. I’ve visited Tokyo before and it is the most amazing, vibrant city packed with things to do, worlds of culture, kind strangers and delicious food. Eddie and I travelled for two weeks in total, starting with a weekend in Seoul and a day in Busan before spending six days in Tokyo, and then hopping over to Osaka, Kyoto and Nara for the trip of a lifetime. Spoiler: we even got engaged at Mount Fuji! Although six days isn’t enough to see everything, you can still squeeze plenty in. I shared our itinerary recently, but here are some postcards and stories from our time in Tokyo, too.

Day 1

After arriving to Tokyo early afternoon, we headed straight to Hotel Rio to drop our bags off before check-in. Located in Shinjuku, a bustling area of the city that’s known for its density of restaurants, and in Koreatown, this was the perfect little retreat and base for us as we explored the city, with great-sized rooms and it’s surrounded by street food vendors and restaurants. You’ll never go hungry here, that’s for sure! We headed straight out to get our bearings and start another round of vending machine adventures. Vending machines are a dime a dozen out here, stocking everything from cold drinks to hot soup, coffee to cigarettes, ramen to ice-cream. It’s a great way to refuel – although it’s frowned upon to eat or drink on the go, so enjoy your beverages by the machine! – as well as to use up spare change, as tipping isn’t a thing here either.

We strolled around Shinjuku, checking off the Godzilla above Toto Cinema from our list, as well as the 3D cat billboard, and a mandatory peruse in Don Quixote, a store that stocks absolutely everything you can imagine. Afterwards, we met Eddie’s sister for dinner at FLOWER WALL MONE, which was pricier than imagined, but they served a delicious vegan tempura and also have a fun and sweet complimentary appetiser or flower arrangement service.

Day 2

After checking the Fuji-san tracker, we headed to Mount Fuji the next day. Since visibility changes often, it’s recommended to use this tracker to see whether you’ll get a view of the famous mountain before you head out. We picked tickets up at Shinjuku Station, grabbed our station eki stamp, and then hopped on our two-and-a-half hour train to Kawaguchiko. There’s a few other spots that you can disembark the train at: Mount Fuji for the town, or Shimoyoshida for the famous Chureito Pagoda view. We chose the lake view because I am besotted with bodies of water. Of course, by now, you know that we got engaged from a mountainside spot above the Panoramic Ropeway! Next time, I’d love to spend two or three days here to explore more of the area.

Since visibility of Mount Fuji waned by lunchtime, we grabbed lunch at Fuji Tempura Idaten, which has a few vegan options. The food was delicious, but expect to queue! Another station eki stamp later, we headed back to Tokyo in search of more views and a celebratory dinner spot.

For dinner, we went to Teppan Baby, a basement teppanyaki restaurant that also has vegan options. We absolutely loved this meal: okonomiyaki on the grill and Eddie even tried A5 wagyu, all cooked to perfection on show in front of us! They even had Kewpie baby details everywhere – adorable!

Day 3

In our blissful engagement bubble, the next day we enjoyed some breakfast in bed. Our hotel didn’t provide breakfast (next time we visit, I’ll be looking for a hotel with breakfast, as Tokyo’s cafés don’t open until 10.30am!) but we’d picked up some supplies at 7/Eleven the night before.

Eddie had booked us a Street Kart experience that started at 10.30am, so we headed for Shibuya, leaving plenty of time to collect our eki stamp en route. This is, of course, a touristy experience, but I thought it was a great way to see Shibuya and Harajuku! Our host was incredible! And, of course, I couldn’t help but take a photo of my ring.

Afterwards, we headed for Harajuku. The vibe was so different from when I was last here, but it’s still nice to browse all the street food and dessert. We stayed for lunch at Kyushu Jangara Ramen, which has four vegan ramen options.

Meiji Jingu was one of the highlights of my last trip to Tokyo, and I knew I wanted to take Eddie. This Shinto shrine is surrounded by forest, making it an unbelievably relaxing spot amidst one of the busiest parts of the city.

With yet more time on our hands, we decided to walk to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. It is absolutely stunning here, and I’m yet to see all of the park despite having visited three times! If you plan to come here, plot in plenty of time because you’ll want to soak up the vibe. There’s a café here, as well.

Dinner at Kakekomi Gyoza. Noticed there weren’t many locals here, but I needed a spot with vegan options!

Day 4

The next day, we’d booked onto an afternoon tour. Our feet were tired from days of endless walking so, after another konbini breakfast in our room, we nipped for foot massages.

My destination of choice for the morning was Jimbōchō, Tokyo’s book neighbourhood. As you can imagine, I loved it! There’s around 230 new and secondhand bookshops in this district. A complete paradise! Picked up a Japanese copy of Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami as my book souvenir. Already can’t wait to display it on our shelf in the living room.

Accidentally stumbled upon Koishikawa Korakuen Garden, which was stunning. These gardens are considered to be one of Tokyo’s oldest and most beautiful Japanese gardens, dating from the early Edo period. It is one of three surviving daimyō gardens from that era. (There’s an eki stamp here!)

En route to our tour pick-up spot, Eddie and I decided to have McDonald’s for lunch to try out the local menu. It was defiantly and hugely non-vegan friendly, but I did get some of my beloved Shake-Shake Fries!

Our afternoon tour provided a great respite for our aching feet. We booked this specific tour, which included a brief stop at the Imperial Palace Plaza (this is an in-use palace, so access is understandably limited), before a longer stop at the gorgeous Senso-ji Temple, and a trip up Tokyo Tower. I’d really recommend this four-hour tour!