Cart Curator #59 - A Japan Travel Special
Where to stay, eat, and shop in Tokyo, the itinerary must-dos and a travel essential recommendation.
Hi CC friends,
A surprise travel special!
Did you know that for the first time in eight years, Bali is no longer the top international travel spot for summer for Australians? Tokyo has taken out the top spot, so if you’re like most of Australia and planning a trip then we’ve got you covered with the best places to stay, shop, eat and do.
I (Nic) spent just about two weeks in Japan back over Christmas and New Years, which involved just over a week in Tokyo, before jumping on the Shinkansen to go skiing in the Nagano area at Nozawa Onsen. To keep these issues concentrated I’ve just focused on my time in Tokyo but if you want recs to ski in Japan, let me know!
And lastly, before we jump into it, I do have a separate travel rec to share with you.
We have mentioned so many times that we are big disposable camera users, and we both got our hands on the 35mm Co camera at the end of last year. After shooting and having the film developed a few times over for practice we can confirm that these are such a fun way to capture your memories and are perfect for travel as you can just pack additional film and not extra cameras.
Here are some of my (Nic’s) Japan shots with the camera:
I’m now in the process of printing all my film and moving them into an old-school album, which is so nostalgic and a fun activity for quiet weekends.
And finally - if you love these travel specials, take a read of our past issues for Italy and Paris.
Ok, NOW let’s jump into it,
Nicole x
Stay
If I can give you one recommendation for Tokyo it is to split your stay into two locations. I don’t need to remind you the city is huge, but you could honestly spend HOURS daily on the trains if you don’t plan our your locations ahead of time.
We stayed in two areas across a week - Shibuya and Asakusa. This gave us the best of both worlds, with Shibuya feeling like the modern Tokyo - a hub for nightlife and shopping, whereas Asakusa retained the traditional vibe of older Tokyo.
Straight out going to say that this is not a hotel you MUST book, because this was more of a functional booking. It served as the perfect base for exploring this side of town and had everything we needed. Hotels in Tokyo are notoriously small, so don’t expect a spacious suite wherever you book.
A few minutes walk to the Shibuya crossing and train station, this location was perfect for exploring some of the key areas including: Shinjuku, Omote-Sando, Yoyogi Park, Meiji Jingu, Harajuku to name a few.
This on the other hand is one that I think you should 100% book. Just around the corner from the Senso-ji Temple, this is a traditional style Ryokan - a type of traditional Japanese inn that typically features tatami-matted rooms, communal baths, and other public areas where visitors may wear nemaki and talk with the owner.
We were served tea and mochi with the team when we arrived where they gave us tips for local sightseeing and eateries, explained what a Ryokan is and the tea room influences on the architecture of their building.
We booked a room with a private open air bath with views of the Tokyo Sky Tree, which was pretty special, especially soaking in the hot water with a plum wine in hard after a long day walking.
You also start your day with an included traditional breakfast, where you don your Yukata and sit down on the floor to eat.
Shop
The great thing about shopping in Tokyo is that there aren’t specific stores that I will need to send you too, just locations. Because of how large the city is Tokyo is broken up into districts that have their own unique vibe, and therefore, shopping experiences.
Here are my favourite areas to check out:
Omotesando
My favourite, Omotesando is a just a walk away from Harajuku but has a completely different vibe to the tourist favourite Takeshita Street. It’s such a pleasant shopping area, blended with luxury vintage resellers, streetwear brands and luxury stores. Take a stroll down Cat Street and put aside half a day to take the street at your own pace.
This is where you can find the famed Amore, a go-to destination for luxury vintage. My other big rec here would be to get a matcha (iced) from The Matcha Tokyo.
Ginza
Ginza has a CBD like feeling to it and houses stores for the biggest names in luxury. The main reason, however, that you have to go to Ginza is for the Uniqlo flagship which is 12 stories (!).
If you’re heading over in winter like we did, make this one of the first stops on your trip to stock up on thermals (Heat Tech supremacy) and layering pieces. I also purchased many pairs of socks as you know that we think Uniqlo have the best socks on the market.
Shimakotazawa
If you love thrifting or vintage then this area is for you. We spent the whole morning here, but you could easily spend an entire day wandering between the packed stores. From vintage sweatshirts, knitnwear, hats, sunglasses and more, I could have honestly spent hours going between all of the racks. Think the creme de la creme of Depop, but on a HUGE scale.
We also had probably the best coffee and matcha of our lives here at Ogawa Coffee Laboratory. If you’re into the science of coffee, this is a must do. The perfectly select, weigh, grind the beans and even had a dedicated team member just to froth the milk.
Kappabashi
Kappabashi Street is the kitchen shopping district of Tokyo where you can find back-to-back kitchenware stores, stocking everything from saké sets, frypans and Japanese knives.
If you’re like me and love buying kitchen knick-knacks and utensils, then take the time to check out this area, which is walking distance to the Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa.
Don-Quijote
Not a place, but a chain of discount stores spread across the city. I spent far too much time within the walls of these stores, which are a sensory overload to the eyes and ears (they play the theme song on repeat).
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I purchased a very random selection of products, but if I had to narrow it down here are my top picks:
Fino Hair Mask. I spoke in previous issue about just how insanely good this hair mask is.
Bioré Sunscreens. Are these the best on the market? No. But if you are a beauty fanatic like me, I get off on purchasing beauty products in other countries, so trying Japanese SPF was a non-negotiable for me.
Collagen. Collagen is much more accessible and way cheaper in Japan. You can buy it in powder, jelly (like a little treat) or liquid form. I recommend anything from Shiseido.
Snacks. The best part of exploring Japanese stores is buying and trying all the different snacks. My favourite was these choccy mushrooms in the pic, which are like Hello Panda (anyone else remember these?), and widly addictive.
Sheet Masks. These rice ones were my favourite.
Eat/Drink
Just like shopping, giving specific restaurant or bar recommendations is almost redundant for Japan as they best places we went too were ones we discovered just wandering the streets. We only booked one restaurant ahead of time, and preferred to find them when and where we wanted to eat as opposed to feeling like we had to be places at a certain time.
That being said, I’m not going to leave this section bare, so I’ve tried to offer some assistance and specifics where possible.
Sushi
I found this 26 (yes, TWENTY SIX) course Omakase online, and it was such a fun experience. Matensushi have two branches across Tokyo, we went to the Marunouchi location, and for the price for lunch when we booked - about $78 AUD (YES) - it was 1000% worth it, both for the experience and the array of courses we tried that we never would have ordered otherwise. Come with an empty stomach…
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Sushi Bar Nigirite in Shinjuku
The second sushi recommendation I can give you is for a place that we literally stumbled across, and managed to nab a place at the front of the line 10 minutes before it opened. Luckily we did, because this was clearly some sought after location and we managed to get the only walk in table available for the sitting. Everything was in Japanese (duh, but I mean like no English menus) so we just pointed and ordered - which was fun, and tasty.
Izakaya
Omoide Yokocho
Affectionately known as Piss Alley, this a v tight alleyway in Shinjuku that is packed with izakaya and drink spots. We stopped in at one during a food tour we did (more on that later in the issue), but all of these looked v good, and there something actually quite fun about being squished into a small restaurant (I’m talking, like sardined).
Ramen
Ichiran
Despite the fact this is a chain, it was one of the best ramens we had in Tokyo (and we had lots).
When you make it to the front of the line (expect big queues so go early) you will be handed a form to complete to customise your ramen - think spiciness, texture of noodles, broth flavour. You’re then led into an individual booth, where you ramen is passed to you direct from kitchen. You have your own tap for water and can order additional food/drink with the tap of a button.
Novelty of it all aside, this is such a unique experience and the ramen was top tier.
Family Mart
I couldn’t not include Family Mart in here, considering about 70% of our meals came from these convenience stores. Available on almost every street or corner, you could easily eat every meal out of a FamilyMart. The must tries are the sandwiches (I loved the egg and the fruit [don’t knock it to you try it], the onigiri, the hashbrowns and chicken from the hot counter and the aforementioned chocolate mushrooms which are v v v addictive.
Do
I’m not going to give you a guys a list of things to see in Tokyo - Google can help you with that. Here were my highlights, and things that I would tell people to do on top of the typical tourist spots (which, OFC, we did and loved).
There are a few vantage points in Tokyo, but without a doubt the semi new Shibuya Sky would be my rec. It’s a 360° open-air observation deck on the roof of the Shibuya Scramble Square skyscraper, which means you get a complete look at the sheer scale of the city and a really close view of the Shibuya Crossing from above.
Make sure to look ahead of time what hour the sun goes down, and do we do did and book about 30 mins before so you get daylight, dusk and night - which was unreal. Be warned - tickets sell FAST for this slot for obvious reasons so make sure you set your calendar to book 1-month ahead which is when they open for new bookings.
As an alternative, also go up the Tokyo Metropolitan Building, which we did in the morning for a daytime view. It’s 100% free and another great way to take in the vastness of the city.
This was such a random one for us, as these types of experiences aren’t usually on my radar for holiday as we much prefer to navigate a city on our own accord.
After a suggestion I went ahead and booked this Airbnb experience for our second night. Led by local Yoshi we were guided to three spots favourited by locals, before ending up bar-hopping/drinking far too much Plum Win in the Golden Gai - our favourite night of the whole trip (much better than the one where I got a stomach bug that lasted four days anyway).
The best part of this was how personable Yoshi was, he gave us many recommendations and insider advice for the city which set us up to explore on our own for the rest of the trip.
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Head to the Temples in the early AM
There are many temples dotted around Tokyo, but my favourites are the tourist favourites - the Sensoji Temple and the Meiji Jingu Shrine.
My advice for any temple is GO EARLY. The Japanese aren’t early risers whatsoever, so by hitting these early, you get to experience this so differently because of how calm and quiet the temples feel. Sensoji sits within Yoyogi Park, which in itself is such an incredible part of the city, especially in the early morning light.
A notable mention for Gotokuji Temple, which is the “cat temple” named for its thousands of waving cats.
Ski
I couldn’t not include skiing in here, as it was our favourite part of the trip. We chose to head on the Shinkansen to Nozawa-Onsen, in the Nagano area. A more traditional alternative to Niseko or Hakuba, we opted for Nozawa to experience the traditional vibe of the onsen town, but also because it was extremely easy to get too from Tokyo.
We did four days, but would have happily spent 5+ days skiing if our thighs weren’t going to explode from whizzing down the runs back to back to back.
I could have written about 10 of these issues with all my recs, so if you’re after any more spots to eat/drink/explore, shoot me a DM, @nicoleharn.
If you’re new to Cart Curator, take a read of some of other travel editions.
Cart Curator #17 Euro Special - Paris the City of Love (and Pharmacies)
Cart Curator #16 Euro Special - When In Rome (or Italy in general)