Like most countries in the world, Tokyo has a rich and distinct culture that is worth learning and experiencing. You will be spoilt for choice when you visit Tokyo because of the amazing things the city offers; from sumo fighters, observatories, digital art museums, and famous foods like sushi. If you love beer or wine, you will taste marvellous Japanese beers in various restaurants in the city such as the New York Bar. Japanese people also love eating creative foods and snacks you have never seen before, so your taste buds will have a lot to savour. Here are 6 of the best things to do in Tokyo.
1. Visit Harajuku
Harajuku is a neighbourhood for young people in Tokyo. It is a lively and exciting place to visit. People throng the area on weekends, so the best days to go there are on weekdays. When you are there, you can eat from a crepe stand, shop at eccentric fashion stores and watch cosplay kids. A short distance from there, you can pop into other popular attractions such as Ota Museum, Yoyogi Park, Meiji shrine, and Omotesando.
2. Ghibli Museum
You will enjoy visiting the Ghibli Museum if you know the Japanese language. The museum showcases short animations and exhibits in Japanese. You will also see drawings and props from famous films such as My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. In November 2022, Ghibli Park was launched in Nagoya. If you love Studio Ghibli films, you can travel to the park by train, which will take three hours.
3. Attend the TeamLab Planets Digital Art Show
If you are artistic, you will love going to this museum and interacting with the art on display. The exhibits use sounds, projections, and lights creatively. The art is shocking, dreamlike, and colourful. This museum will stop operating at the end of 2023s, so you can visit it within the year and experience the beauty it offers. TeamLab Planets contains four large exhibition areas and two gardens. Visitors walk through water and merge with the flowers. Be ready to walk barefoot, so shorts are the best clothing to wear to this digital art museum. It is also good to know that some sections will have mirrored floors, so wearing shirts or dresses will be quite inconvenient. They have provided lockers for keeping shoes, and you can also eat inside the museum at the vegan ramen shop.
4. Visit the Tokyo DisneySea
This is a unique Disney park. It has a nautical theme and comprises seven ports that draw inspiration from real locations and legends such as Mysterious Island, Arabian Coast, Mediterranean Harbor, and American Waterfront. Even an active volcano in the Mysterious Island looks quite realistic. Unlike the nearby park Tokyo Disneyland, this one is more adult-centred. You can tour the sea on a cruise liner and drink a cocktail or watch a Broadway Show.
5. Watch Sumo fighters in action or a practice session
This national sport is entrenched in tradition. During matches, the fighters still do rituals that have accompanied this sport for centuries, according to the Shinto religion. The tournaments are held in September, May, and January in Tokyo and take fifteen days to complete. If you are in Japan during this period, look for a ticket and attend the matches. When there are no tournaments, you can still see the sumo fighters as they practise for the contests. If you attend the training sessions, you must be quiet and sit on the floor as you watch for a maximum of two hours.
6. Visit Sinjuku Gyeon National Garden
This park is breathtaking, especially when the leaves are red in Autumn or the cherry blossoms bloom. You can see English, French, and Japanese gardens and marvel at the plants growing there. You can also walk near the teahouse, pagodas, and ponds and take in the beauty of nature. You can run through the park in the morning or have a picnic with your loved ones under one of the beautiful cherry blossoms. Some of them bloom late so even if you go there towards the end of April you can see some blooming cherries. You will need to pay an entrance fee, but it will all be worth it due to the fantastic things you can see and do here.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for fun things to do, free things to do, foods to eat, cultural things to do, or things to do at night in Tokyo, you will definitely find them. The city is awash with activities for tourists that will interest anyone regardless of their likes, taste, and preferences. Planning is the key to having an enjoyable journey, especially in Tokyo, so find out where to buy tickets or find trustworthy tour guides and immerse yourself in the city’s culture.