Strictly Tokyo
Japan guides coming in HOT! Probably my most requested & thorough city guide I’ve made thus far…ft. my strictest finds, map with 200+ saves, neighborhood cheat sheet & all the things I wish I knew!
Tokyo!!! This was such a bucket list trip and I’m already dreaming about when I can return to see it in different seasons. Gosh I could spend weeks here, eating my way through, definitely shopping my way through…and exploring every distinct neighborhood, immersing myself in the beautiful culture. It was hard to even scratch the surface with the four or so days I got, but here’s my hopefully first of many, round ups on where to eat, what to see, where to shop, what to pack, where to stay, and honestly the most important part, how to even begin to plan…
How to Prep
Ok let’s start before you even get there… the planning process! Planning a trip to Japan can be incredibly daunting. Let me tell you…I have so many learnings. I started planning WAY TOO LATE. And this is coming from someone who is (obviously) a big planner and endless researcher, but also someone who loves to last minute spontaneously pull plans together (normally on the flight there). In the case of this trip, I booked hotels and flights only two months before (and for one of the busiest / most expensive times of year I may add) and did not make a single dining reservation until I was on Japanese soil. I had hardly even curated my list before the flight from India… That being said, I still had a fabulous time and now am ready to share all my tips so you don’t have to worry about doing all the research.
My general tip is to save all the places you find on Google Maps and try to go neighborhood by neighborhood. You aren’t going to see it all, but prioritize based on what you are really trying to get of the trip. I have a neighborhood cheat sheet and map to save of 200+ spots for you later on in this post!
First things first, decide the best time to go — I would recommend Jan/Feb if you are big skier and definitely want to go to Niseko (too much was closed over New Years, I honestly wouldn’t recommend going for the Holidays). March/April for cherry blossom madness (although probably the peak busy season). And I would personally return in the fall for the foliage, ideal weather, and smaller crowds.
Secondly, plan the other cities you want to hit, Tokyo probably being the city you will fly in and out of. I’ll do another post about Kyoto and Niseko, and talk about all the other little adventures and side quests I’d prioritize on the next trip. We did two nights in Tokyo to start, then four nights in Kyoto, then three nights in Niseko, and closed out with two nights back in Tokyo. Book your flights! I had the BEST EXPERIENCE on ANA. Highly recommend.
Where to Stay
Thirdly, pick your accommodations! The most fun part!!!! In Tokyo, we stayed at Aman Tokyo on the first leg and Yuen Bettei Daita on the second leg. Both incredible for very different reasons and at wildly different price points. I’d recommend Aman Tokyo for a honeymoon, birthday, or special occasion stay (otherwise the price is not necessary)…it has the quintessential Aman serenity and is a true urban escape with the most stunningly spacious rooms. The view is unmatched and the concierge was able to get us into special places day of. With that being said, there are truly so many other incredible stays for fractions of the price. Before I get into those, I will say the newly renovated Park Hyatt was beautiful and another great option for a luxury stay — and definitely worth a visit for a drink.
If you want a modern ryokan experience in the city, definitely stay at Yuen Bettei Daita. It was SO well priced and has such an incredible onsen that really comes in clutch in the mornings where nothing is open and afternoons when you need to recover from the high step counts. I will flag it is on one edge of town, so while it is close to the trains and Shibuya and Shinjuku, it can take a second to get elsewhere. If you are spending a while in Tokyo, I’d recommend splitting your time in two different parts of the city and switch up the type of accommodation to get more of a feel!
A few notes on the others I included above…we went to dinner at Janu (Aman’s more accessible younger sibling) and it was not very good, but the hotel is lovely otherwise. It’s in a newer area and definitely a buzzy option. I’d probably stay at the iconic Okura or Trunk Hotel in the park the next time I visit… AND then head to Hakone for a night or two of bliss at Asaba Ryokan <3
What to Pack (& What I Actually Wore)
I was traveling for three weeks and knew we’d be on planes and trains (and I wanted to shop…), so I tried to be super efficient with my packing. What helped me the most was aligning on a color scheme and streamlining the shoes, bags, and jackets I was bringing. I was excited to lean into Japanese style with a lot of denim and baggy pants, and stuck to red, white, and blue as my color palette (with a few exceptions ofc).
Shoe wise, I think I either wore my chunky Prada boots or my cream loafers every single day. They both went with everything and passed the 20k step criteria.
Bag wise, my sparkly denim Chanel flap I rented from Vivrelle was the inspiration for the color palette and made every look cooler. I always love to rent a bag before a trip and swap it out monthly depending on what I have coming up. Use my code STRICTLYTHEGOODSTUFF!! I also brought my vintage Mui Mui tweed and my ride or die white east west Freja to pair with my other white accessories (leaning into my “engagement moon” lol).
Jacket wise, this under $200 cream dream was the real MVP of the trip. I also brought a few vintage ones, like my cropped puffer cape, JPG denim number, Dolce patchwork blazer for Christmas eve, and a fab lime green fur. Can’t say that part was super strategic, but necessary for stunting on a winter vacay.
Pant wise, I actually wanted to wear these Grover Rad printed ones daily. For such a statement piece, they go with SO MUCH. I bought like 4 pairs of jeans in Japan, but wore my Silverlake double waistband jeans (linking similar) a bunch of times (again made everything look cooler/edgier).
Accessory wise, it was honestly pretty cold, so I was glad I brought a few scarves and my favorite beanie.
What to Eat
Ok, now for the main event. EATING! First, let me say you can’t really go wrong here. Even if you just wandered into a random spot or went to 7/11 daily, you’d still be eating GOOD. But of course, I’ve curated Strictly the best for you here…
In the end, I probably did a total of 10+ hours of research just on food, maybe more honestly. Generally, I’d try to get matcha at least once or twice a day (Hatoya was my favorite), and if you are more of a coffee person there are such good options too (Fuglen). Go to the fish market to try all the delicacies (mochi strawberry, kobe beef stick, you know the drill), have some udon, a meat focused meal, sushi omakase meal, traditional Japanese breakfast (at your hotel), PIZZA!, raid 7/11 (duh), and promise me you’ll get a cone of cremia ice cream.
Below is my curation of the very best sips of matcha, bars I wish were open (but were closed for new years), and the best meal of my life, and where to get the best pizza in Tokyo (trust it’s a must)…ENJOY!
