01
Tokyo
5 + 3 days
We split up our stay in Tokyo with a 4-day hike on the Michinoku Coastal Trail in the north of Tanohata. We go to the beautiful museums in Ueno park, the secondhand bookshops in Chiyoda and the Oedo antique market near Ginza. The Japanese are masters in displaying every little trinket in a way that makes it look like a treasure. We spend a day in upscale Daikanyama and walking the banks of the Meguro River. We go shopping in Omotesando and buy kitchenware in Kappabashi street.
Our budget did not allow for fancy meals but we are just as happy with a bowl of gyudon at Sukiya. Our favourite meals were the tsukemen in Rokurinsha’s Ueno branch and the small ramen shops we found on Ramen Beast. Because we booked late, we stayed at 4 different accommodations. Our favourite and the cheapest is Business Hotel Fukudaya. Nothing fancy but the interior decor looks straight out of an eighties movie. I’ll gladly endure the shared bathroom situation for a good unchanged interior.
Tokyo is overwhelming to say the least. Too much good food, too many shopping malls, too many vintage shops. It does not take long before we need to carry an extra bag for the souvenirs. Woops. If I thought travelling would make me less of a materialist, I have the souvenirs to prove me wrong.