Spending some hours in Japan’s capital is easily done. I already had a look at Ginza, the most expensive place to rent in Tokyo. I ate Kaisen Chirashi at Tsukiji, the biggest fish market in the world and I visited Electronic City – Akihabara, with its visionary electronics and メドカフェ.

As I wrote on my last post, however, it was still early afternoon and there was more to discover!

五 We visited Asakusa district, famous for its temple, which is said to be the oldest buddhist temple in Tokyo. Even if you might not be interested in religion in general this is a place you shouldn’t miss. Furthermore the street between the Thunder Gate and the Temple is filled with shops selling traditional japanese crafts. Handmade Chopsticks; decorative reproductions of Katanas, the Japanese Swords or simply postcards; you’ll be amazed what you can find here.

六 On our way back we left the ancient site behind and enjoyed modern culture in one of the various coffeeshop chains in the city before we got on a boat for a Tokyo Cruise to Hamarikyu. We were quite lucky since we got the last boat of the day. Unfortunately, that also meant we had to walk a bit faster through this beautiful japanese garden to be able to get out before closing time.

七 It was 5.00 pm and we headed towards our last sight of the day. Tokyo Tower. Built about 50 years ago it’s a modern copy of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, but that’s not all. It’s higher, brighter and much more comfortable to be in. Even though, there are so many buildings nearby that it’s altitude seems less great than its brothers’ in Paris. I know it’s part of Paris to wait in the blizzering cold in a queue for over half an hour just to enter and I did it less than one month after Tokyo Tower, but I was glad to get into a lift and climb all those metres to be on the first plattform right away.

The view of Tokyo Tower is spectacular at night. All the shiny lights make you realize how small you are in this city. If you had a look at the Blogtograph of a previous entry you will know what I mean.

When you come here at daytime make sure it’s sunny and blue and you will have better odds to catch a glimpse of Mt. Fuji. I’ll still have to do that…

After a splendid day in Tokyo one must finish and worship this special trip: We had dinner at an Izakaya in Shinjuku and I really enjoyed this, too!

Tokyo being seen as one of the most expensive destinations to travel I think you might be curious how much you should calculate for a day like this. These are the prices per person:

I talked to some people and asked them if they think 9500¥ (about 75€) is expensive for one day and they said “well, it’s not cheap”. Ok. Let’s say you don’t want to eat fresh sushi, don’t care about drinking a coffee or eating like a god at an Izakaya. Is 20€ much to spend in such a great city like Tokyo? I don’t think so! How much would you spend in London? New York City or Paris?

I really love sightseeing and walking around to discover every place my feet take me to, even better if I can save some money. As a matter of fact, did you ever wondered why it’s called sightseeing and not sightpaying? Well every destination has much to show you for free, just grab your favourite Travel Guide and prepare your tour! Embrace the opportunity!

Best regards,

Andrés