My first solo trip!

I recently embarked on my first solo trip – and the destination I had chosen was friendly Tokyo! Traveling alone throughout an entire trip is really different: It forces you to open up and talk to strangers, especially for someone like me who loves talking. I also enjoyed the flexible schedule – own time, own target. You’re fully responsible for the planning (of course, you can book the trip with a tour agency), getting to the destination, or getting lost and making the best out of the experience! You get to eat all the food on the table or have to stuff yourself. You decide where to stay – finally, I made it a capsule hotel! You get all the personal space you want.

But 5 days or at max, 7 days, was enough for me. I missed my mum’s nagging a little, but no way I would miss her cooking.

As always, Japan’s food, people and beauty never failed to impress. Almost everyone is always ready to help. I even got a free sake!

Getting there:

Direct limited express trains via the Sky Access Line connect Narita Airport and Asakusa about every 40 minutes except in the late afternoons and evenings. The one way journey takes 1 to 1.5 hours and costs about 1300 yen.

The thing about Japanese hotels is that generally, the check-in time is 4pm and check-out, is at 10am. Spent under $200 in all. No breakfast, but lots of great food around. After a few trips to Japan, I found breakfast set (local coffee +hard boiled egg +salad +buttered thick toast) at local coffee shops a yummy and great deal at under 500 yen. The coffee alone in these shops can easily cost 500 yen already.

Here’s to share my 5-day itinerary. For the how-to details, Wikitravel, tripadvisor and frommer’s are great references: I stayed at Asakusa Hotel Wasou(浅草ホテル和草) for 4 nights: 1 night capsule and 3 nights ryokan, all within the same building. A little old, but generally clean and comfortable- I slept (and sometimes overslept) like a baby all nights. It is right behind Senso-ji temple. I enjoyed taking the shortcut I picked up from a local granny. The temple area is filled with tourists in the day and becomes serene and almost poetic at night.

 

Day 1:

Hotel check-in in the afternoon. Go up to the rooftop (8/F) of the tourist information center in Asakusa for full view of the area. No admission fee. Can see the Asahi beer tower and Tokto skytree from there as well.

 

Asakusa is a great place for tempura and unagi.Went to Irokawa which is famous for its unagi, but I was already closed (sold out). Ended up in another, what locals said is equally good, place to satisfy my unagi craving.

Irokawa which was closed

 

Day 2:
Shibuya – to see the hachiko statue outside of the Sibuya station again. (If it’s your first visit, then go to Meiji Jinggu first.)

And to start to Daikanyama (more foreigner and cafe setting, small area) and by train to Harajuku. The shopping stretch Takeshita dori is fun to walk along for the crazy fashion, but the 100 yen Daiso shop was really where I spent most of my time. Then, a leisurely walk to Aoyama where all the impressive architecture is (prada, boss), passing through Ometesando dori where the nice cafes and boutiques are.

Harajuku Station

Ended the evening with great sushi (tuna belly is my favorite).

Day 3:
First to Shinjuku for 2 things I didn’t achieve, or rather, failed to do on my last trip:

• Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, observation deck on 45/F. Free admission. Closed the last time I came.

• Ate Fuunji tsukemen (dipped noodles). Go for the special one at 1000 yen. I came twice in October last year and it was closed. This was the top of my list this time.

The Q was already this long when it opened at 11am.

Then, took a one hour+ train from Shinjuku JR station to Kamakura for a sacred visit to the temples. I had targeted to cover 5, but only managed 3 due to the heavy rain. There’s a rain curtain in most of my Kamakura photos.

One of my rare photos on a solo trip. Some selfies.

Took the train back to Tokyo station to take some photos of the historical station building, and shopping at the largest muji store at nearby Yurakucho.

Ended the evening with a late shochu +BBQ shell fish dinner. Heavenly!

Day 4:
Started the day with Ueno Park, walking in the rain again. The greenery reminds me of NY’s Central park. I could imagine how breathtaking it would be during the cherry blossom season.

The famous golden gate of the Toshogu Shrine in Ueno Park

Statue of Saigo Takamori - a hero in Japan's history.

I went to the nearby Ameyoko bazaar nearby for some shopping. It is more like Temple Street in Hong Kong with all the hawking (and mainland Chinese selling stuff). However, the stretch of shops, mainly restaurants and cafes which housed themselves under the railway tracks, was amazing. And you don’t hear thing from the trains running above when you are inside the shop. Supposedly one of the most relaxing days, but I walked the most trying to locate St Mary’s cathedral after making a brief round in Tokyo University. All established universities seem to have historical buildings – this looks universal.

The iconic main building was unfortunately, under renovation.

Anyway, I had wanted to marvel at the magnificence of the cathedral, walked 4 hours and still couldn’t find the cathedral, not even with the help of locals. I figured I was better connected with temples those few days. I wandered into the Kagurazaka area by chance – this should have been in my itinerary! Such nice restaurants and cafes! I’d choose this over Daikanyama like what most websites would recommend.

Day 5:
On the final day of the trip, it was all about knowing my Asakusa neighborhood better – spending some time in a local cafe, ran out when the cigarette smoke became too heavy; loitering around kitchen town (Kappabashi), enjoying good coffee and cake at my favorite Doutor cafe (read as “dotoru, which is now at MBFC), not before I checked out the famous Akihabara to be amused by the AKB48 cafe cum retail shop, and alike. Then, it was back to Singapore.

Next, I hope to experience Japan in winter, and check out Hokkaido or Kobe area.

BTW, Delta Airlines is simply great – the latest movies, lighting etc was all on touchscreen (but of course, America is the home of apple). Stewardesses are still plain and caring. Food is on par with SQ. I paid only $70 for tax after redeeming my sky miles which don’t have an expiry date.