tl;dr Sushi, Electronics, and Baseball – 5 activities
Activity 1 – Airbnb in Shibuya
I booked an Airbnb for Tokyo as it was the cheapest and best option for my purposes. This was the first (and only) Airbnb of my trip. I opted to stay in Shibuya. I had actually visited Japan a few months before this trip, but was not able to complete every activity on my list. Thus, I purposefully had my return flight to the US running through Tokyo to give myself the opportunity to check-off the remaining items.
The Airbnb was nothing special, but it met all of my needs. The hosts were nice and even gave me a box of candy on my second day.
Activity 2 – Sushi (are you even surprised) at Uogashi Nihon-Ichi (standing Sushi Bar)
By the time I checked-in and got settled, it was time for lunch. Lunch in Japan = sushi (for me). Although I enjoy Ramen and other Japanese dishes, there is nothing better than sushi. First up, standing sushi!
It was so good! This was my favorite sushi place last time I was in Tokyo, so I had to make it back.
Activity 3 – Akihabara
While en route to Akihabara from Shibuya, I walked by a cool mural and MariCar vehicles. MariCar was one of the main reasons I planned on coming back to Tokyo. More on MariCar later, but I am so excited for it!
This area of Tokyo is an electronics paradise. There are a tremendous number of electronics stores and stores selling old video games. I saw shelves stacked with N64 cartridges, Playstation (original) discs, and even older games for systems like Atari, NES, and Sega.
This area is definitely cool and different. Different in that they have cafes with cats, maids, and other things.
Activity 4 – Yomiuri Giants Game
I really wanted to check out a baseball game in Japan, but last time I was in Tokyo, none of the teams were home when I was in the various cities. This time, however, I was able to catch the Yomiuri Giants against the Hanshin Tigers.
The game was a lot of fun and it was incredible to see the difference in baseball culture between the USA and Japan. The crowds in Japan were intense…chanting the whole game. Also, the away fans had their own sections within the stadium. Overall the Tokyo dome was very cool and the game was a lot of fun. I saw Shinnosuke Abe bat on his path towards 2000 career hits.
Activity 5 – Going out
For some reason, my phone stayed in my pocket for the duration of my two nights out in Tokyo. So no photo documentation besides one not great picture, but I made it out to a bunch of bars/clubs. I went to Club Camelot and Womb, but neither was all that crowded. This was most likely because it was early in the evening. I could see why people recommend these clubs. I was only planning on staying out for a very short time due to my super super early wake up to watch the Tuna auction, so I most likely left before it got really crowded.
Andrew's Activities 