Tokyo | Kyoto | Nara | Nihon | Mt Fuji | Hakone | Nikko
Tokyo is the capital of the country and the world’s most populous metropolis. It offers seemingly unlimited choices of shopping, entertainment, culture, and dining to its visitors.
We planned our trip last December to celebrate the new year. We wanted to be the first ones to welcome the year 2018, as the sun rises first in this country, followed by other countries.
The country is so vibrant, organized, and technologically so forward that you really enjoy the different colors offered by the city.
We stayed here for 3 nights and the most interesting part about our stay was the famous Godzilla. The theme/subject on which so many Hollywood movies are made was the symbol of our hotel. And the iconic figure was just awesome.
In the sightseeing part, Days 1 & 3 were spent seeing nearby cities Mt Fuji, Hakone, and Nikko, respectively. We used to explore Tokyo streets at night. So, technically, we were left with only Day 2 for a full-day city tour from a tourist point of view. So here’s the itinerary for the day. We got ready early and went to the assigned meeting point from where more people joined in, and thereafter, we all left on a bus. The tour was divided into two parts: a morning tour and an afternoon tour.
Our first stop was Tokyo Tower, which was inspired by the Eiffel Tower. The observatory deck gave the best view of the entire city. Similar to Tokyo Tower, another monument, Tokyo Sky Tree, was built, which is currently the highest tower in the world.
The next stop was the Meiji Shrine. It is one of the most visited Shinto shrines. On the first three days of the new year, it is visited by more than 3 million people. It is also a very popular wedding place for the couples.
The final stop before lunch was the Imperial Palace (only for Photo stop). It is the main residence of the Imperial family. The entire landscape is very beautiful. It felt so good sitting in this area.
We didn’t continue further with the afternoon tour as our child was not feeling well. The missed spots include Hama Rikyu Garden, Sumida River Cruise, Asakusa Temple and Nakamise Street which i am sure would have been great.
Other than this, I really wanted to see the Sumo Wrestlers fight, but it was currently closed. We hope to catch up on all missed spots on our next visit.
The most exciting and best thing in the city was New Year’s Eve, which we celebrated at Shibuya Square. It is one of the busiest squares. The entire area was filled with people, and nobody was allowed to cross the road on the eve. It was so exciting to be on the roads of a foreign country at midnight, celebrating New Year with the special countdown. The best thing i liked, is the country is so safe even at night, nobody cares what you are wearing, no eyes on you, everyone is just enjoying. That made the celebration even more enjoyable.
The last day of our tour and the first day of the year were spent shopping in Shinjuku. In the second half, we bid goodbye to the beautiful country before boarding our flight.
Japan is a beautiful country, and it should definitely be on the bucket list of every tourist.