If you missed parts 1, 2 or 3 of our Japan Trip Report or parts 1, 2 or 3 of the Tokyo Disney Resort section, click on the corresponding number to catch up!

On our previous trip to Japan we had squeezed in a few days running around Tokyo before going to Tokyo Disney Resort. It felt rushed and overwhelming. On this trip, we decided to flip things around by doing a few days in Tokyo after our time in TDR. Now, having done both, I’m not sure which one I’d prefer. Being in Tokyo after our time at the theme parks was less of a culture shock and a tad more relaxing, if that’s possible in the world’s biggest city. That may have had more to do with our planning this time around than anything though.

Recovering from our last day in DisneySea, we slept in at Hotel MiraCosta before enjoying breakfast at Oceano in the hotel. The meal was good but not amazing. If you’re more curious about the restaurant, read our full review above. Even though we weren’t blown away by that particular restaurant, it was fun to stretch out our time at the hotel just a little bit longer before checking out.

We left our bags there for the day, as bell services graciously obliged. The Tokyo Disney hotels will store bags through the course of the day, whether you’re in the parks or elsewhere. In fact, they just had us leave our bags in the room and they collected and stored them after we checked out. From there, we caught the monorail to Maihama Station, rode a train for a little while and then walked the rest of the way to TeamLab Planets. The whole travel time took around half an hour.

You may have never heard of TeamLab Planets (or the other location called Borderless) but chances are that you’ve seen it. The interactive and immersive art museum is one of the most Instagram-ed places in the world. This description from their website is apt:

People go barefoot and immerse their entire bodies in the vast artworks together with others. The artworks change under the presence of people, blurring the perception of boundaries between the self and the works. Other people also create change in the artworks, blurring the boundaries between themselves and the works, and creating a continuity between the self, the art, and others.

I’ve never experienced anything like TeamLab Planets. Yes, it was crowded and very photogenic. This is an art museum but it’s not one where you’re going to stare at a Picasso or Van Gogh for minutes at a time. The interactivity rewards movement, whether it’s finding a different angle to see light displays or wading through water to see the (projected) fish react.

There were 5 or 6 rooms of different displays at TeamLab. The most photogenic was definitely the hanging lights that brightened and darkened over time, usually in a pattern. We spent a good amount of time in there and it didn’t disappoint. A few other rooms captured my attention even more though.

This was the aforementioned fish room! The photo above is much brighter than the room actually was. If a fish was poked it would momentarily turn into a blob of color before flowing away as flower petals in the water only to repeat the process. Of the inside rooms, that was among my favorites.

There was also a balloon room and another with a projected cascade of flowers flowing all around, which was extremely captivating. One of the first halls we went into was pitch black with flowing water coming down that guests walked through and it was followed by a dark padded room. These were both cool and readied my senses.

The last 2 exhibits were both open air, one with these weird metallic eggs and the other with hanging orchids. Pictures of orchids are better than words about orchids so here’s a few of those!

TeamLab was full of wonder, mystery and joy. I do think theme park fans will enjoy the experience thanks to how immersive, innovative and interactive (known as the 3 Big I’s) the museum is. TeamLab may be a little more high concept than some aspects of a theme park. While it’s not a traditional art museum, I think all of the exhibits could leave people with a different feeling and that’s a nice “art is subjective” moment.

More than anything, I think just about everyone will enjoy TeamLab Planets. It’s a new age art museum but stays away from being overly pretentious or exhausting. The whole experience took us around 90 minutes and, if there’s one minor complaint, I wish there was one or two more exhibits. More than that might have been overstimulation but I was sad when it was over. If memory serves, we paid around $25 for the experience and it was worth every penny and then some.

There was a coffee shop and cafe outside of the museum where we grabbed a drink and some Matcha Ice Cream. I regret not getting the ramen there but it’s just more of an excuse to go back! After we hung out outside for a little while, we walked back to the train station and rode back to MiraCosta to get our bags.

We bid farewell to the nicest hotel I’ve ever stayed in and then were off to Tokyo. It’s a very simple ride, around 30 minutes from the hotel to Tokyo Station. We then rode to our Airbnb that was just a couple of minutes away from the Komagome Station on the Yamanote Line. I won’t get into the weeds about transportation in Tokyo, I’ll just say that the Yamanote Line circles a good portion of the city and is really nice to stay by. If you have more questions about transportation and how it all fits together, leave me a comment!

This was one of the few times we had trouble finding our Airbnb and I comically carried a heavy suitcase up several flights of stairs. If there was a time we embarrassingly embraced the ridiculous tourist persona, that was it! Eventually we found our spot and, well, we were pretty underwhelmed. The location was pretty good but the actual place was not well kept. I’ll count it as an outlier, as all other Airbnb’s we’ve booked in Japan are various shades of good to great.

After gathering ourselves and catching my breath from carrying a 100 pound suitcase (please don’t ask my wife if this is accurate) up stairs, we headed out the door for dinner. The night led us to Akihabara, one of Tokyo’s many neon lit districts. We had this wonderful bowl of ramen and then spent the night going through gigantic stores like Don Quijote (a random assortment of… everything!) and electronics stores.

Akihabara is known as Electric Town, known for video games, tech, electronics and anime. There were plenty of shops that fit that niche. It was certainly buzzing on that Saturday night and I really enjoyed walking around, looking in the different shops. There are other areas of Tokyo that I like a little bit more but I’m glad we experienced this one.

Being a few weeks before Christmas, it was fun to walk through different areas and enjoy the lights on the trees. Akihabara’s lights were especially fitting of the area, looking sleek and cool down the walkway. I’m sure that area would have been bustling until the early morning hours but we were running low on energy. I had come down with a nasty cold at this point in the trip and was skating by on cold medicine and trip adrenaline. After the shops started closing down, we went back to our Airbnb and enjoyed a good night of sleep.

Sleeping in felt very nice the next day, we had a lazy morning before grabbing an early lunch at a sushi place on the way to Shinjuku. Well, it was going to be an early lunch until we came up the elevator and saw the lobby of people waiting to get in. The wait didn’t turn out to be much over half an hour and then I promptly filled myself full of sushi. This was an impressive conveyor belt sushi spot but I wasn’t all that impressed with the actual food. It was good, don’t get me wrong! Just a step down from other sushi I’ve tried in Tokyo. You wouldn’t know it based on the amount I ate that day. Having a cold probably didn’t help things.

The next few hours were spent in Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. TeamLab quickly became a top Tokyo destination for me and these gardens weren’t far behind. Shinjuku has to be one of the most bustling metropolises in the world. It looks like Times Square, with skyscrapers every which way. That a beautiful park is just a few minutes away is mind blowing. Some of the coolest views included the skyscrapers in the back.

With a late autumn in Japan, the leaves were still hanging on to trees and added beautiful color to the park. There were also some water features, a large Starbucks in the middle and several gorgeous spots to sit and relax.

These aren’t the bright lights of Tokyo that you hear about. This isn’t the glitz of TeamLabs. But it is the precision of the temples and gardens inside of a city full of layers. So much of Tokyo is overwhelming whether it’s planning or simply looking around. Simply picking out a place to eat is complicated. But the calmness and beauty of the garden made me appreciate the city all the more.

I mentioned the precision of the garden but it really puts into frame how precise Tokyo, and all of Japan, is. Cities don’t usually strike me as precise, especially one as busy as Tokyo but the way it’s constructed all the way down to the transportation and cleanliness is amazing. This is a fairly elementary thought as precision is a hallmark of the culture. But I do think it’s easy to overlook with how overwhelming to the senses the city can be.

No matter what draws you to Tokyo, I recommend finding a calmer spot at least once or twice whether that’s a museum, garden or temple. The whole city is augmented by these sections!

After spending a few hours at the park, we left around sunset and were headed toward Shibuya. We could have taken a quick train ride there but were interested in seeing more of the city so we decided to walk for about an hour. Walking through Harajuku and running into absurd crowds was quite a contrast to where we’d just been but there was some beauty in that.

We happened upon a Christmas Market once we reached Shibuya! They had these brilliantly lit trees wrapped in blue lights and a tree at the end of the walkway. On the other end, there were a few food trucks and craft booths to look through. Again, the crowds were crazy but it was so fun to walk around and see! It was a nice reminder to leave some space in the itinerary for spontaneity.

Shibuya! You know those (fake) colorful fish in TeamLab that morphed into color? That’s how I feel walking around Shibuya Crossing, the famous intersection where the masses, uhh forgive me, intersect. Do I want to turn into a color? I’m not sure. Do I feel fully alive like I’m morphing into my true self at this intersection? Absolutely. Does this metaphor work at all? Up for you to decide!

The district really is energetic and intoxicating. I already gave Shinjuku a Times Square comparison but that’s probably best used for Shibuya. Between the department stores, video billboards and more, this is the place in Tokyo that I like to shop the most. Provided that you have some sort of energy in you! After running across Shibuya Crossing like maniacs a few times and taking photos with the famous dog statue, we went to a little café above the intersection to get drinks and watch people pass by.

We did some shopping afterwards and grabbed some dinner around the area. I had the biggest shopping spree I’ve ever been on inside of a Uniqlo just moments before it was about to close. The Crossing energy I felt followed me into that store. By the time I was done in there I had bought about 8 new clothing items for around $100 and sweated in the middle of a cool December evening.

Our day was ended by going down one of Shibuya’s colorful alleyways. It was our last night all together, with Shelby and Ben (the two in the photo with the dog!) headed back to their New Zealand home and Melissa and I back to the states the next day. With that in mind, we ducked into an izakaya (think of it as a Japanese pub) to share a drink. Having done it once now, it’s the type of thing I wish we’d done all trip long. Next time!

Shibuya is everything people picture Tokyo to be. Loud, bright, overwhelming, incredible food and an undeniable energy. The city is vast and has so much to do but I can’t imagine not spending some time there. Once we had our fill, we went back to the Airbnb to hang out and eventually sleep.

The next, and final, morning was one of the most chaotic of the trip. We left the Airbnb, went to Tokyo Station, tried to find lockers to store our bags and were totally unsuccessful in that. Eventually we ended up storing our bags at a place in the station that was far more expensive but that’s fine, these things happen while traveling!

Once all of that was sorted and we mazed (not a word but definitely a verb?) our way out of Tokyo Station, we were off to Tsukiji Fish Market. Melissa and I had gone before and were blown away, so making it back was a point of emphasis.

Much of the reason for that was the street food offered! The swordfish skewer I had was fantastic but no match for the omelets and the flame grilled oysters.

Tsukiji is tight to the point of being a little claustrophobic for some. I don’t have much issue in there but completely get why others do. To me, it’s worth it for the seafood and atmosphere but it probably won’t be for everyone. Being one of the largest seafood markets in the world, it’s fun to explore everything that’s offered in there.

We were there for a couple of hours before walking back toward Tokyo Station. Shelby and Ben headed to the airport (Narita) while Melissa and I shopped around the area a little longer because we flew out a few hours later and from a different airport (Haneda) than them. That was a fun day but hard, with a tough goodbye looming. Having best friends halfway across the world is great because you get to go on amazing trips with them but it sucks because they’re usually halfway across the world.

As for the actual trip ending, it was a little easier to say goodbye knowing that we’ll be back in June. With how long I’ve dragged this trip report out, that’s only 2 months away now as we’ve been back stateside for 4 months! That Japan trip will just be in Tokyo and the Disney Resort, as we’ll be there to cover Fantasy Springs opening. I also know we’ll be back beyond that. Japan has captured a near and dear spot in our heart and I doubt the country will lose it’s grip on that anytime soon.

Waiting for years to take this trip released to a big payoff. It’s only furthered my belief in how much I love to travel. I know we’re lucky enough to go places as much as we do, Disney Parks or not. But part of that ‘luck’, if you will, is because it’s such a priority for us. And that’s where I’ll leave you, with a brief encouragement. Travel! Go with friends. Go with your partner. Go with family or even go by yourself. Shibuya’s bright lights, Fushimi Inari’s torii gates, Hiroshima’s haunting history and Chandu will reward you. So will other city, state and country landmarks.

We monorailed to Haneda Airport and dreamed of what will come next. Life has changed plenty since we returned from our first trip to Japan in 2018, for better and worse. But we made it back and can’t wait to do it all again!

Have you been to Tokyo? Let us know, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below! While this post didn’t have to do with Tokyo Disney Resort, we’ll get there soon and if you’re planning a trip there then check out our guide! If you enjoy what you’re reading please subscribe to the blog and like our social media pages which you can find on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!