Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
JAPAN — Tokyo is a city of superlatives. Simply pick up any guidebook for the city, and you'll see an array of boisterous claims:
- World's most-populated city.
- World's busiest train station.
- World's busiest intersection.
- World's tallest tower.
- World's biggest fish market.
On the calmer side, Tokyo is rated one of the world's safest cities. And, despite all the people living and fishing there, it's also among the world's cleanest. And, while the phrase "world's busiest train station" might not sound appealing to travelers, it's got one of the world's best public transportation systems.
Whatever you're looking for, it's probably in Tokyo. Foodies will appreciate more Michelin-starred restaurants in Tokyo than any other city. Rail buffs will love the bullet trains. And manga and anime fans can discover museums, bookstores and even entire neighborhoods dedicated to these art forms.
Now is an excellent time to visit Tokyo (and the rest of Japan), with autumn weather and a favorable exchange rate. Here are 10 quick tips to help you get the most from your time in this one-of-a-kind city:
1. Fly from the coast. While round-trip flights from Utah can be expensive, you'll often find excellent deals from coastal cities. I booked round-trip airfare to Tokyo from Los Angeles for half of what it would've cost from Salt Lake City, then found a cheap flight to Los Angeles. If you use this strategy, be sure to give yourself a good amount of time between flights in case of any delays on the first leg of your journey.
2. Get a Suica card: You can pay for trains, buses, meals, shopping and more with one of these prepaid cards. Simply add the card to your phone, and you'll be able to pay with just a tap. I didn't get a Suica card on my trip, but life would've been much easier if I had.
3. Get a coin purse. While Suica cards are amazing, there are plenty of cash-only places in Japan. So you'll often collect a lot of change over a day of sightseeing. Bring a coin purse or something else to help you manage these coins — then be sure to put them to use whenever possible (like paying bus fares).
4. Visit the 7-Eleven. These classic convenience stores are everywhere in Tokyo, so their ATMs are the perfect place to grab extra cash when necessary. More importantly, they also have delicious food for really cheap. I stopped by 7-Eleven daily to grab snacks. Other times, I bought full meals there for less than $4. My favorite item was the onigiri — a rice ball filled with salmon or other deliciousness.
5. Carry a garbage bag. Public trash cans are rare in Tokyo, so keep a bag handy to collect any garbage until you find a place to dispose of it.
6. Recharge in a park. Exploring Tokyo can be an intense experience, so carve out time for the city's amazing parks. I spent a morning strolling through beautiful Yoyogi Park, and it was so peaceful that it became the most enlightening part of my trip.
7. Go to teamLab Planets. Looking for another place in Tokyo to recharge your senses? I can't recommend teamLab Planets highly enough. It's an interactive art museum where you become one with the art with exhibits where visitors can wade through water teeming with lifelike fish or wander through a mesmerizing room of lights and mirrors. I'm not normally the type to seek out art museums on vacation, but this was an incredible experience.
8. Bring your comfiest walking shoes. Speaking of strolling through parks and museums, you're going to need an exceptional pair of walking shoes in Tokyo. Even when using public transportation, you'll be on your feet a lot. I easily surpassed 20,000 steps each day during my time in the city.
9. Rent a portable Wi-Fi router. With all the navigating you'll be doing in Tokyo, it's imperative to have a reliable internet connection. For as little as $5 a day, you can get a router that fits in your backpack or pocket. Sure, it's nice to be able to upload photos to Instagram anytime you want. But what really matters is that you'll be connected to things like navigational and translating apps.
10. Catch the view from Tokyo SKYTREE. If you could somehow stack six football fields vertically, end-to-end, they wouldn't quite be as tall as Tokyo SKYTREE (the tallest tower in the world). Head to the upper observatory deck for stunning views of the city. Getting an amazing perspective of Tokyo's various districts and landmarks helped me get around the city afterward.
