Day 1 in Tokyo...

Tokyo Tower

We made it over to the tower for a full view of the city from the observation deck as our first tourist 'to do'. On route we passed through Zojoji Temple and park which was very grand and there were people praying and having a Sunday service and meditation in the temple.

The tower itself was quite cheap to visit, about £6 per adult. It was a nice thing to do however if we had paid more I would have been disappointed. The skyline of Tokyo from here was nothing out of the ordinary BUT being able to see Mt. Fuji from up there was pretty cool and definitely the highlight. I wonder whether it would have been more inspiring at night? Or if the view from the Sky Tree would have been better? Something to consider if you are going there.

Meiji Jingu Park and Temple

Meiji Jingu is a Shinto Shrine (Shinto is Japan's ancient original religion) and this shrine is dedicated to Emperor Meiji who passed away in 1912. When he died people wished to commemorate their virtues and to venerate them forever, so they donated 100,000 trees from across the world. This then established the forest and park that the Shrine resides in and it is beautiful to walk around to get to the temple itself. When we were there a wedding was taking place which was great to witness and also read all the wishes and hopes that people put around the ancient tree by the Meiji Jingu.

Animal Cafe's

Asia and particularly Japan are renowned for their animal cafe's ranging from cats to owls! We enjoyed a cat cafe 'Mocha' overlooking the bustling area of Harajuku, which was at the end of the park. You did have to pay for every 10 minutes we were in there, so it was not a leisurely drink but an enjoyable one with so many cute cats around!!

On the same street hidden away is a little hedgehog cafe! I never thought I would enjoy a cuppa with a hedgehog in my hand - but when in Japan! You could actually buy them from here and the family next to us were taking one home! 

Takeshita Street

A crazy busy street with lots of random sweet stores, candy floss stalls, crepe places and Japanese clothing and gift things. Just very busy and a place to experience the craziness of the little shops here there and everywhere. Lots of alleys and side streets with vintage shops and things along there so that's exciting too!

Shibuya Crossing

Supposedly this is one of the busiest and most chaotic crossings in the world! And I can confirm it is very busy and there are so many different crossings to go across in different directions it is all a bit crazy. We enjoyed it a lot though and probably crossed it 5 or 6 times haha!!

Shinbuya for Sushi: Uobei

Found in a little side street with hidden gems, you wait in a queue to get taken through to your seat which are in aisles, with your own personal iPad which you order your sushi from! It is the cheapest meal I have ever ordered and I love Sushi so I don't know how that happened!! But lots of dishes and sushi and 2 drinks was less than £7. And that is not even the best bit... once you have ordered your dish (up to 3 at a time), it whizzes along from the kitchen on an electric shute/runner and is delivered straight to where you are sat. I can't really do it justice talking about it and with photos, I do have some good boomerangs, but can't show them on here! Such a novelty and well worth the visit for tasty food and fun!

And a wine bar to finish...