My Tokyo Story (Part 1)

The first visit... of many!

Jun 06, 2024

Tokyo 🇯🇵

I was able to steal away for about 5 days.

You have to understand that until 2018, Asia didn’t really interest me much. Don’t get me wrong, as a cook and chef I’ve loved learning about the ingredients, focus and precision of Japanese cuisine but it was never on my list to go.

Then life happens. I fell in love with Asia in general, after travelling, followed by many visits… relocated… and now seeing mentors who are cooking in Tokyo/Japan and friends who frequently visit: they all tell me, “there’s no place like it”.

Being mostly in HK it’s been so easy for me to hop over to Mainland China; Thailand is only an hour-so flight away. But Japan was now calling. Specifically Tokyo as a starting point.

So I hopped the ~4 hour flight and despite a few delays, made it over ready to eat and explore.

But before leaving… had to snag some delicious breakfast at the HK airport before departing. I had worked late the night before, went home and packed, crashed for 3 hours then had to be up.

Some cheung fun and wonton noodles hit the SPOT and had me comforted/satisfied to sleep on the upcoming flight.

Arrival

A few things to consider before traveling to Tokyo.

The city is huge. I had always thought Beijing was the largest city in the world with 26+ million ppl. Tokyo is now over 40 million people and the geography spread out making for a expansive and large metropolis to explore.

Just look at the subway system:

There’s no way to cover all of this in 5 days 😂 so it’s best to make a plan and hit things in order of priority. Luckily I had some industry friends who also used to live in Tokyo help me out which cut down on a lot of planning time.

Examples:

-Shinjuku is a major entertainment and shopping hub.

-Marunouchi is a high end district with hotels like Four Seasons that have some of top restaurants in Asia

-Ginza you go to for luxury brands and walking down the street to find Ferraris driving up and down. Tiffany & Co., Chanel, Tom Ford, Patek Phillipe and much more.

-Akasaka is cool neighborhood that has fantastic restaurants and a good nightlife for eating late at Izakaya’s etc.

-Tsukiji was home to the world famous fish market that now has a lot of street food stalls and markets. The new market, Toyosu, is nearby and that’s where you will find a world class setup where the seafood, fruits and vegetables come in daily with viewing areas above where the action takes place. On top of this there are sushi restaurants peppered all over the market you can sit down and grub out.

-Shibuya is home to the famous “Scramble Crossing” and (2) of the cities busiest railway stations. Yes it’s worth crossing the intersection so you can experience how something that looks so chaotic can be orderly. Only in Japan 😂

*Airport note: when flying in and out, Haneda will likely be much closer than Narita.

When I flew in I could only get a flight to Narita. It took over an hour (closer to 90mins) to get my hotel after landing vs just a 25-30 min ride to Haneda when I flew back home. Check proximity to your lodgings to be sure.

First Impressions:

The first thing upon arrival I noticed was cleanliness. I saw maybe 3 pieces of litter in 5 days. The streets, walkways etc are well kept and practically spotless.

On top of that there are no trash receptacles on the street. Maybe one at a major intersection but other than that there’s no trash cans on the streets. A friend of mine who lived in Tokyo told me this was because many years ago there was a bomb in trash can incident so they were just removed from the street. Add to that being in a shame based culture people are not going to just throw litter around.

The other jarring part of being in Tokyo was how polite people were.

Seriously, it was jarring. People old and young would stop to give me right of way when walking, entering the subway, entering restaurants… even though I was trying to give them the right of way.

In department stores, the elevator attendants bow every time the door begins to close to the customers inside.

The entire culture during my visit was polite, respectful and helpful. I realize no culture is perfect but this part was so widespread it made a large impression on me. I’ll balance this by saying that the culture is also very exclusive and gives locals preference. There are many restaurants who will not let foreigners entire and dine.

I saw no riots, looting, crime, felt safe the entire time and didnt fear getting stabbed when I was walking around at midnight after crushing a meal at a tasty izakaya.

With the YEN being very weak right now also made it a great time for me to pop over for a visit. The pricing really is insane. Hotels and restaurants are dirst cheap now. Quality ramen and tsukemen for $12USD. 16 course Yakitori omakase set for $50. 12 course sushi omakase with soup and tea service for $45 USE. Some of the really high end places are not as value driven but the YEN is still depressed making the USD conversion sick. Last I saw the YEN weakness to USD makes everything you pay for is getting a 35% discount vs 5 years ago.

Add to that there is a big tax free initiative now for tourists to bolster the economy. You fill out a paper, they bag up and seal your purchase and you open when you get home after your trip. Think about this for high end goods like watches and purses (not to mention kitchen knives! 🙌 ); you get the YEN to USD discount and on top, the 8-9% tax is given back to you just keep it sealed and take home.

I had a friend visiting Asia who went to Tokyo before returning to the US just so he could buy some luxury watches and take home. He’ll either keep them or flip them.

Between hotels, food, shopping and entertainment now is a great time to explore Japan.

Sights & Sounds to Visit:

Tokyo has a rich and interesting history with lots to see. I’m just dropping a few recs but it would be impossible to cover everything. Below are some places I visited, loved, and then we get to the food 🤤

Sensoji Temple

This is Tokyo's oldest-established temple, and one of its most significant. A temple for buddhist followers no matter my religious affiliation I love seeking these places out be it in Thailand, China or Japan because the architecture, history and respect that locals offer is truly humbling

If you visit Sensoji you’ll find that there are blocks of restaurants, purveyors of food stuffs and also souvenirs that is just lovely.

One note: the main thoroughfares do not allow you to eat on the streets so you will see signs if you buy food directing to where you can then eat.

I found some great yuzu (Japanese citrus that is one of my favorite falvors in the world) plus chili pastes, strawberries and mochi that were all tasty.

There’s a legend that if you put your hand up in the downhanging “chandelier” and you don’t get grabbed it means you will have a prosperous year.

You can also offer incense and there are fortune boothes where you deposit a nominal sum and pull out your fortune based on a number that you pull from a jar that is shaken.

You can then read your fortune. If it’s a bad fortune you can simply tie it to a wire beside the monument and leave your bad luck behind.

All very interesting and with the surrounding gardens, restaurants, street food and vendors… highly recommend

Kappabashi Street

This is a chefs dream. A collection of Japanese knife dealers, kitchen supply stores and even coffee specialty products.

I was in heaven here… spent many hours

Go here for the highest concentration of knives that will make you drool. Many famous Japanese makers but unfortunately some of the bigger shops are even carrying German knives which is NOT why I’m in Japan 😂

Ueno Park

This park is a huge outlay of ponds, walking paths, nature and also 4-5 big museums and tea gardens in Tokyo. My advice… take a whole day here if you want to explore thoroughly. You cant do it in one morning or afternoon but its really beautiful.

Also some really good restaurants close by that are easily accessible

Nezu Jinja

This smaller temple is known for a trail with birds fluttering all around, ponds with coi fish and turtles and being one of the most peaceful places I’ve ever visited.

It’s not showy… but also not flocked with tourists… I loved every minute walking and relaxing in this space

Tokyo Tower

This is also known as “Eiffel Tower” because of the resemblance. I can totally understand because Japan has an obsession with French cuisine. This is why when people say that in Tokyo it’s only sushi and bland tasting food they are just ignorant.

So many great restaurants in Tokyo hallow French cuisine… and this tower is a great spot to go up and view the city skyline. Pay a small fee to ride up and see the view. I enjoyed it a lot.