Visiting Tokyo for the First Time? Here's What to Expect
- ashleydunlap
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
I traveled to Japan in March 2026 with my best friend from junior high, who had been trying to visit for 6 years. She was actually more prepared in terms of speaking the language but regardless, we had a blast! Before visiting, we did a lot of research on Japan in terms of etiquette, cultural information, and of course, food! If you’ve had sushi in America, I’ll remind you that NOTHING compares to actual Japanese sushi! However, the food I had in Japan will be in a separate article because there is too much to talk about. That’s not the end of the story, though. Let’s take a walk through everything to know before visiting Tokyo.
I used to call Tokyo the NYC of Asia, but it is much cleaner and people are quieter
That is because there are no trash cans on the street, littering is not allowed, and Japanese culture insists that people not be obnoxious and loud in public. There are also very few homeless people on the street. So, the exact opposite in terms of NYC behavior! Since there are no trash cans on the street, tourists and locals are encouraged to bring a plastic bag with them when walking around and once you reach a store or restaurant, throw it in the garbage! The Japanese also find talking loudly, especially on the phone, disrespectful in public.
Tokyo is home to multiple Pokemon Centers, and a Pokemon cafe!
I was that kid in elementary school that couldn’t shut up about Pokemon, so getting to see where it originated was a surreal experience. There are five Pokemon stores in Tokyo (Nihonbashi, Ikebukuro, Sky Tree Town, Shibuya, Tokyo Station) but only one Pokemon Cafe location (next to the Nihonbashi Center). Unfortunately, you need to make reservations at the Pokemon Cafe 1-2 months ahead of time because it is in high demand! I didn’t know this and that’s why I missed it. But, a mutual friend of ours was kind enough to send me pictures from the cafe!
Eating and Walking at the same time is considered rude
It is totally normal everywhere else in the world and that is why it was so hard for me to follow, but I did it! The reason this is, is because Japanese culture involves keeping their streets clean. So, anytime I bought something at a stand or fast food restaurant, I made sure I had the time to sit down and eat. There was also one man in Tokyo riding a bike and eating, but I guess he found a loophole!
Baseball is Japan’s biggest sport
I kind of knew this, Ichiro Suzuki exists, right? Lol. But walking around Tokyo, you will see a lot of stores with baseball products. Now my dad wants to see a baseball game in Japan, which might be interesting!
For the metro, the Suica Card is the best way to go and you need to scan your ticket when you go INTO and OUT OF the station
Funny story, on the first day when I didn’t have a Suica Card I used a paper ticket to get to my hotel and then I threw it away once I got to my destination station. This was allowed in Europe, so I thought it would be fine, but it wasn't! Without my paper ticket, I tried to sneak past the exit gate when my friend went through to avoid extra fees, but I got caught by a security guard! Oops! He just sent me back to the other side and had me pay extra money for an exit ticket, which was my only option after getting caught. But, with a Suica Card, you can download it on your phone or have a physical one and add however much money you want to it. To scan your digital Suica Card for entering and exiting, all you do is hold the screen with it pulled up on your phone to the gate just like Apple Pay.
Mt. Fuji is the perfect day trip from Tokyo
There are multiple options for guided day trips from Tokyo to Mt. Fuji, but the one I chose was from Get Your Guide. Let me tell you, I was glad I went with this rather than a self-guided tour! We met at Tokyo Gakuen in Shinjuku and then rode the bus to Mt. Fuji area where our first stop was at Lake Kawaguchi. Our guide also told us that we were lucky to be able to see Mt. Fuji as a lot of tourists complain it’s too cloudy to see. So it sounds like it’s pretty hit or miss! Our guide also took us to Arakurayama Park, the famous Fuji Lawson, Fuji Street, lunch, and Oshino Hakkai (Fuji Village). At every single one of these places, I could clearly see Mt. Fuji in the background! Definitely one of my favorite parts of the Japan trip.
The two main religions in Japan are Buddhism and Shintoism, and you can visit both kinds of temples and shrines
They are very interesting and the polite thing to do is bow anytime you enter either. Photography is okay in either place, as long as you don’t take photos of people praying. In addition, at a lot of these places, you will find wooden blocks you can buy, write a wish on, and then tie to a board with others. I didn’t because it didn’t feel right to me as a Christian, but they are still cool to observe!
The Cherry Blossoms start to bloom in March
This is how I was able to see them! The real cherry blossom festival isn’t until April when tourism starts booming in Japan, but if you get there in mid-March like I did, you can still see a lot of cherry blossoms! Sadly, Yoyogi Park didn’t have any quite yet but every other park I visited did. They started to grow at the Imperial Palace Gardens and were growing quickly at Ueno Park and the Shinjuku Gardens. In addition, cherry blossom flavored ICE CREAM is served during the season!
The Ginza is way too expensive
That being said, that is where you can find all the upscale stores including Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dior, etc… Since I can’t afford any of those, I found Ginza to be pretty underwhelming. There was one thing I enjoyed about Ginza, though! There was a building with a car showcase and a SONY store upstairs where we could test out fancy cameras and iPads, and see a robot dog!
The Imperial Palace is where the Emperor lives, but visitors are only allowed to walk outside
I didn’t know this until I had already ARRIVED there, but no wonder why there wasn’t a line to get in! Upon arrival, everyone is just seen walking around and looking at the outside of the imperial palace and everything that surrounds it, including a luscious green chill area and gardens. Security is also pretty strict there, so make sure you are going where they tell you to go!
Karaoke is how the Japanese unwind after a long day’s work
They drink too, but at least karaoke is way more productive than just flopping on the couch! Fittingly, karaoke originated in Japan and Tokyo has countless karaoke places. The one I recommend the most is BIG ECHO, a chain that can be found anywhere in Tokyo. My friend and I went there and the cool thing about it is that they provide you your own private booth and microphones!
TeamLabs Planets is a must!
It is literally like being in a virtual reality world but you are walking through it! I actually didn’t initially plan on visiting and booked the tickets the DAY before. It was totally worth it, I can’t believe I almost missed out! Here, you walk through various art exhibits with certain themes including forest, gardens, and water. For the water portion, you are required to remove your socks and shoes because you get to walk through water! Don’t fret though, the museum provides towels for visitors to dry their feet.
Last but not least, Tokyo is the perfect place to embrace your inner child!
Aside from the Pokemon Centers and Cafe I mentioned, there is also a store in Harajuku called KIDDYLAND which has multiple floors dedicated to Snoopy, Kirby, Mario Kart, Pokemon, Hello Kitty, Disney, etc… Other places include Harry Potter World, Akhihabara (for anime fans), the Disney store, a part of Shibuya Pokemon Center that includes characters like Sonic the Hedgehog, Dragon Ball Z, Godzilla, and character street at Tokyo Station-the largest of them all! This place is dedicated to the world of cartoons and sells related merchandise and characters. All the stores found in Kiddyland can be found here with the addition of Kawaii, Curious George, Legos, etc…
Even if you don’t like anime, I still recommend Tokyo! My friend was in it mostly for the anime, and I was in it mostly for the food and Pokemon. We still did everything we wanted to do even though we went there for different reasons, though! Despite the Japanese expecting tourists to behave, Tokyo is a very safe city compared to a lot of others. It is a place I would recommend to anyone who loves anime, likes to embrace their inner child, is a foodie, and loves the city.
Questions about visiting Tokyo or traveling in general? Feel free to contact me!
Comments