We spent about 10 days in Japan (Tokyo and Kyoto) in late March. From sushi and steak to vintage shops and animal cafés, here are some of the spots I recommend!

Nerd Stuff

The flight from Seattle to Tokyo started on a quirky and fun note. ANA Airlines played a Pokémon-themed video in place of airlines’ usual safety briefing. With an adorable yet stern expression, Jiggly Puff confronts a passenger for smoking on the plane. Pikachu saunters through the aisle to keep it free of baggage before takeoff. Visiting the Pokémon Centers and Nintendo stores in both Tokyo and Kyoto, we returned with a treasure trove of nostalgic nerd merch.

Architecture

As we cruised into Tokyo’s Shibuya district by taxi, the city’s verticality stood out. In game design, verticality means that a player has a reason to travel up and down, engaging stuff to do at each level. In Tokyo, subway tunnels led up to high-end marble shopping malls, which opened up to neon-lit pedestrian footbridges.

We took some time to recover from jet lag before exploring. If you’re looking for a Tokyo hotel that is spacious, comfortable, and centrally located, I recommend the Hyatt House in Shibuya. Automatic blackout curtains made for a restful sleep while the in-room washer-dryer kept our clothes fresh.

Fashion & Animals

Clothes were another defining feature of the city. In general, Tokyo street fashion included styles from the ‘80s (black leather), ‘90s (oversized pants and jackets), and cyberpunk (futuristic glasses). But many of the styles seemed too unique to categorize as we explored the Shibuya 109 mall and vintage shops in Ginza.

Apart from fashion, Tokyo is known for its animal cafés. For us, they were a hit and a miss. A samoyed café on Takeshita Street was a fun experience as cloud-like dogs jumped into our laps. Earlier in the day, we visited a “mico-pig” café where one of the pigs went nuts. He let loose an ear-piercing squeal and nearly bit my wife’s wrist. Luckily, he didn’t break the skin, but the bruise lasted days!

Eats

In the evenings, we visited local restaurants for ramen and sushi. My top three:

Sushi Fujimoto made us feel like we were stepping into a master chef’s home dining room. For most of our meal, we were alone with Chef Kenichi Fujimoto, a Michelin Star receipient for 14 years and running, and one server. The server showed us a notebook with hand-drawn illustrations for each course of nigiri. I loved the fatty tuna and Japanese prawns.
Hamburg Labo specialized in wagyu steak and hamburgers. The perfectly juicy, medium-rare steak was effortless to cut. The small kitchen crew was extremely attentive to guests’ needs. A family, including a young child, sat in the opposite corner. When the child started to get the zoomies and make noise, our host pulled out a box of table-top toys to entertain him.
Afuri offered succulent ramen in a relaxing yet lively atmosphere. It was a dimly lit, small restaurant with bar seating that encircled the kitchen area where diners watched chefs chopping fresh ingredients. I enjoyed the blend of spices, green onions, tender meat, and runny egg. The eggs in Japan were more flavorful.

Kyoto

After about a week in Tokyo, we caught the bullet train to Kyoto. Kyoto, population ~1.4 million, was a relaxing change of pace from the 14M in Tokyo proper.

I enjoyed learning about traditional Japanese architecture and history. At Niro Castle, the woodwork was incredibly intricate. Some pillars were interlocked in a Tetris-like formation without nails. The castle was the home of Japan’s last Shogun who ceded power in the midst of a bloody conflict between Japan’s imperial forces and the shogunate.

We concluded our time in Kyoto on a lighter note, with a visit to Iwatayama Monkey Park. After a ~20-minute hike up a mountain, you’ll see dozens of monkeys on hills with the city skyline as a backdrop. It’s not like a zoo. The animals roam freely, chasing and grooming each other. Sometimes they hop a low fence to walk among the crowd of people.

Looking Back

Splitting our ~10-day Japan adventure between Tokyo and Kyoto created a nice balance. We enjoyed the neon hustle and bustle of the larger city while Kyoto, a quieter historic destination, was a breath of fresh air. The Pokémon and Nintendo stores, along with vintage clothing shops, provided lots of souvenirs. To complete your experience, I recommend Kyoto’s monkey mountain and Tokyo’s animal cafés…except for the pigs.

10 days in Japan: animals, fashion, architecture, games