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25 votes
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Is anyone here in or familiar with Tokyo? Going on a trip and have zero idea what to do as a non-tourist...
A new entry to go with my previous two posts in the same vein NYC and Denver, but this time in... TOKYO! The "Going on a trip and have zero idea what to do as a non-tourist..." isn't entirely true...
A new entry to go with my previous two posts in the same vein NYC and Denver, but this time in...
TOKYO!
The "Going on a trip and have zero idea what to do as a non-tourist..." isn't entirely true like it was in my post about NYC as anyone that has seen me talk about sumo can imagine, but everyone was extremely helpful and threw out suggestions I wouldn't have even thought about looking for in previous posts. So here I am again to bug you wonderful people for Tildes Travel Guide III: Tokyo Trilogy Part Minus One
The overarching details:
- 7 days in Tokyo from Friday, January 9th to Friday, January 16th.
- Except for Jan 9, I am completely solo for the entire trip.
- There are two specific events I will be attending, one is Friday the 9th, the other is TBD but can be nearly any day during the trip.
- I don't know where I'm staying yet. Where is kinda dependent on what I decide to do/be regularly near, am open for accommodation recommendations. I would prefer to stay in one place the entire trip, not real interested in packing up all of my things to move to another part of Tokyo (or another city) unless I can be convinced to do so.
- I'm not the sightseeing tourist-y type so there's little interest in the things that are on every "Tokyo Top 10" list.
And so I beseech you fellow Tilderinos, as someone that doesn't care about being a tourist and doesn't have a social media presence to feed I'm-here-and-you're-not selfies to, what should someone with nearly a week entirely alone with nothing but free time in Tokyo actually do?
If you're reading this and thinking there's not much to go on interest-wise...
...that's the point.
I know what I like.
I know what I don't like.
I don't know what I don't know about and experimenting and trying new things is paramount to life.30 votes -
An epic rail trip to Sweden's Arctic north ends with a surreal skiing experience – and waffles for breakfast while sitting out a snowstorm
8 votes -
Travel essentials: eight items to pack for your next trip – and what to leave at home
34 votes -
Iceland to propose higher tourist tax following record-breaking number of visitors – 1.7 million international tourists in the first seven months of 2025
23 votes -
Every summer, Spain's iconic Camino bakes under extreme heat – Norway's St Olav Ways offer pilgrims a quieter, cooler path to redemption
8 votes -
Spending the night on the Greenland Ice Sheet, where the sun never sets and the ice never stops moving, is an adventure unlike any other
17 votes -
Seeking recommendations for a solo journey to London
Some background: this trip was originally my 40th birthday present from my now ex-wife. We've since divorced and I'm insistent on going by myself, as something always seems to come up and ruin my...
Some background: this trip was originally my 40th birthday present from my now ex-wife. We've since divorced and I'm insistent on going by myself, as something always seems to come up and ruin my overseas travel plans. So, I want to treat this as a sort of growth/healing/looking forward trip.
About me: I've traveled quite a bit but I've never been outside of North America. Europe is completely new to me. I am very fond of football, food, beer, hiking, history, and new experiences. I prefer to stay away from tourist traps and I'd rather find hole in the wall type places that are recommended to me by locals. When I travel somewhere, I want to immerse myself.
I'll be there for ~9 days and I have the first 5 days fully worked out. What I need help with is figuring out what I want to do in London for the last 3 days of the trip before I head back to the airport. Other than going to a Fulham game next Saturday, I'm completely wide open. I would prefer to stay in the greater London area since the first half of the trip already involves quite a bit of travel.
I'd love to hear your recommendations do's/don'ts, or general guidance. I'm open to pretty much anything.
21 votes -
Nepal offers free climbs to ninety-seven peaks while raising the price to climb Everest
17 votes -
Thousands of hotels in Europe to sue Booking.com over ‘abusive’ pricing practices
26 votes -
The criminal enterprise run by monkeys
22 votes -
In Tokyo for a couple of days, inviting recommendations
My wife and I are in Tokyo for a couple of days, before moving on to Kyoto. We have a few restaurants booked already, and have a friend or two in the city who will show us around, but I wanted to...
My wife and I are in Tokyo for a couple of days, before moving on to Kyoto. We have a few restaurants booked already, and have a friend or two in the city who will show us around, but I wanted to solicit some recommendations from people here too. We are staying in Ginza area but happy to walk/use metro to explore other parts of the city.
Any recommendations for good shopping or good food? I’m interested in vintage/second hand clothes, kitchen equipment, etc but honestly open to any suggestions of things to check out!
EDIT:
Well, I’m back stateside now, and I want to avoid bumping this thread too much by going through and thanking people, but I found all of these comments really useful! We ended up having a great time and ate some great food, most of the time by popping in places that looked good when walking by. Did some nice shopping as well (I managed to pick up my dream watch from a small store in Omote-sando!) Thanks everyone for the great recommendations, it was useful to get my bearings, and now I just can’t wait to go back.
24 votes -
US will begin charging some tourists a $250 ‘visa integrity fee’
36 votes -
I went to America's road trip hell
14 votes -
European Union lawmakers approve new air travel rights to small luggage without fees - further approval from majority of countries is needed
27 votes -
The world’s most-visited museum shuts down, in response to mass tourism
55 votes -
Summer roadtrip in Scandinavia - need advice!
Hi all, we're planning an RV roadtrip to Scandinavia in July. We'll be taking off from France and so far we're clear on the route until we get to Denmark; the issue is picking between Sweden and...
Hi all, we're planning an RV roadtrip to Scandinavia in July. We'll be taking off from France and so far we're clear on the route until we get to Denmark; the issue is picking between Sweden and Norway for the main leg of the trip. We take off July 5th from Paris and need to be back the 26th. Ideally we would have done a bit of both countries in that time, but I don't think that's realistic (I'm the only driver) and we don't want to rush.
I've trawled the internet for information and advice (Reddit, Youtube roadtrip sites etc), but it's only made it harder to choose. There are so many cool places to visit, and things to see and do! We're leaning towards Norway, but I'm looking for others' thoughts before making our final choice. Here's what we've considered so far:
- We want to focus on being in nature and enjoying the outdoors. Other than spending a day or two in Copenhagen, we're not really looking to stay in the big cities.
- We (well, my wife and kids) are pretty active. We'll probably be looking to go hiking, cycling, swimming, climbing, kayaking/paddling, etc. Between the two, Norway seems to have the most opportunities to do this?
- The RV is fairly large, more than 7m in length, so I'd rather not find myself driving on very small, tight and winding roads. I understand Sweden's roads are more forgiving in this regard?
- We want to avoid places that are overly crowded in the summmer. While places like Trolltunga and Lofoten are beautiful, I expect there will be a lot of tourists there at that time. We dont want to contribute to clogging roads and overcrowding.
- I have downloaded a bunch of apps and maps that give us info on places to park and sleep overnight. I'm not opposed to wild camping, but my main priority will be my family's safety. Staying at paid campsites is not an issue, but we also want some degree of freedom to move around.
- It seems our best option would be to stay in the southern areas of either/both, but I confess I'm tempted to visit a glacier if we can (though it's not a deal-breaker).
- I'm a birdwatcher (I know, summer is not the best period for this), so if anyone knows interesting spots for that I'm all ears!
I know that's a lot of information, but we'd be grateful for any thoughts that could help us make a decision and plan out our itinerary. Any tips you may have are very welcome!
12 votes -
Norway to introduce tourist tax amid record visitor numbers and overtourism concerns – allows municipalities to introduce a 3% tax on overnight stays
19 votes