Asakusa
Most flights head back to the US in the afternoon. Plenty of time to do something in the morning and get one last day of fun done in Japan. If you are flying out of Narita, there are several ways to get there: Bus, Taxi / Uber, or Train. Just make sure you plan on how long it takes to get back out there. If you are leaving from Haneda, then hurray! More time to enjoy (although Haneda airport has some fun stuff to see in its own right.
Omiyage (お土産)
Omiyage (お土産)
Omiyage is the Japanese custom of brining back gifts - usually food - for coworkers, family, and friends whenever you travel. It's a deeply ingrained social obligation, not optional.
How it works
- You buy individually wrapped sweets or snacks from wherever you traveled
- You bring them back and distribute to everyone at your workplace/home
- The packaging matters as much as the contents — presentation is part of the gift
- Each region of Japan has its own signature omiyage that you're expected to buy there
Classic/iconic
- Tokyo Banana (東京ばな奈) — the most famous Tokyo omiyage, banana cream-filled sponge cake, sold at train stations everywhere
- Ningyoyaki (人形焼) — small cakes shaped like traditional figures, from Asakusa
- Asakusa Rikyu rice crackers — beautifully packaged sembei
- Higashiya — beautiful wagashi (traditional sweets) from Ginza or Omotesando, stunning packaging
- Toraya (とらや) — the most prestigious yokan (sweet red bean jelly) maker, 500-year-old brand, sold at Ginza location
- Press Butter Sand — buttery caramel sandwich cookies, extremely popular right now, long lines at Tokyo Station
- Bake cheese tarts — from Ginza or station shops
- Shiseido Parlour cookies from Ginza — very giftable packaging
- Mariage Frères tea from their Tokyo location — actually a French brand but their Tokyo exclusive blends count
- Tokyo Station (Gransta) — the single best omiyage shopping destination in Japan, underground mall with every major brand
- Haneda Airport — good selection if you're short on time
- Isetan Shinjuku B1 — the food hall is extraordinary for premium omiyage
- Buy at the end of your trip — many items have short shelf lives (3–7 days)
- Individual wrapping is essential — each piece needs to be separately packaged so you can distribute one to each person
- Quantity matters — count your coworkers/family before you go
- Tokyo Station has the best variety and you're likely passing through it anyway
Press Butter Sand Cookies
A fancy gift, but really popular right now |
Tokyo Banana
This is really popular, but it's like a Twinky with banana filling. Not for everyone. Personally, the Mount Fuji Kit-Kats are cooler. |
Asakusa - Ueno - Akihabara - Shinjuku
Personally, I could spend a whole day in Asakusa, or at Ueno park. Akihabara isn't what it used to be in my mind (Shinjuku is more electric at night). When I was a kid, Akihabara was unreal because I felt like I was stepping into the future. Now, it's like every other tech town in Asia.
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Senso-ji
Senso-ji is the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo. It's pretty cool, and is dedicated to Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion. The large gates are pretty amazing and the pagodas are spectacular. It's worth a visit becuase then you are in Asakusa and you can see other cool stuff like the Sky-Tree and Pelican Cafe which has legendary toast. Really, toast. |
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Skytree
The Skytree is pretty cool. The views are great, and it's staggeringly tall and is the tallest tower in Japan (sorry Tokyo Tower) and the world. It's 2080 feet tall! It's the third tallest structure on earth next to the Burj Khalifa and the Merdeka. It also has a really cool shopping plaza attached to it. I just like shopping in Japan, or wandering through the shopping areas. I'm a simple creature. |
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Ueno Park
If you studied Japanese, every conversation seems to involve plans to go to Ueno park. Maybe because it has over 800 cherry blossom trees, or because you can buy beer and meat from random food stalls. I don't know, it's a great park. There are pandas at the zoo, lots of museums and galleries. It's a thing, Trust me. |
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Akihabara
This used to be the electronics mech of the earth. It still is in some ways, but there are lots of places like this is different cities in Asia. Yodobashi Multimedia is like a Best Buy on steroids. Tokyo Anime Center is great for video games, Radio Kaikan with ten floors of toys, trading cards, and collectibles. The maid cafes are always a weird place to have a snack. If geeking out is your thing, then this is worth your time. |
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Shinjuku
Shinjuku is actually pretty awesome at night. it gets overlooked a lot, but it has the Shinjuku Gyoen gardens, which are pretty great. Kabukicho - is super over the top neon lights, electric neighborhood. My favorite, of course, is the Tokyo Park Hyatt Hotel. Home to one of the best dinners I've ever had and the New York Bar, made famous by lost in translation. It was just renovated. It's spectacular. |
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Asakusa Food Recs
Asakusa (浅草) has Tokyo's most concentrated street food culture — this is where you eat walking, standing, and grazing rather than sitting down for long meals. Street Food — The Main Event
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natsukashii (懐かしい)
Goodbye Japan
There's a Japanese word, natsukashii (懐かしい), for that bittersweet ache of longing for something cherished. Somehow you feel it for Japan even before the skyline disappears beneath the clouds. Ever since the first time I slept in the Tokyo airport waiting for a connecting flight to Beijing when I was eleven years old, I have felt that draw to go back. I'm always grateful anytime I get to spend a moment in the land of the rising sun. 素晴らしい思い出をありがとうございました Subarashii omoide wo arigatou gozaimashita!
There's a Japanese word, natsukashii (懐かしい), for that bittersweet ache of longing for something cherished. Somehow you feel it for Japan even before the skyline disappears beneath the clouds. Ever since the first time I slept in the Tokyo airport waiting for a connecting flight to Beijing when I was eleven years old, I have felt that draw to go back. I'm always grateful anytime I get to spend a moment in the land of the rising sun. 素晴らしい思い出をありがとうございました Subarashii omoide wo arigatou gozaimashita!
The End