If you missed parts 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 of this trip report, click on the corresponding number to catch up!

The final installment from our June Tokyo Trip Report comes in the December. I’m no math wizard but I do believe that’s an entire half year! Maybe I was slowed by writing about other things, maybe I wanted to stretch the memory of this trip out as long as possible. Perhaps I was just a little lazy with this series. Who’s to say? What I will confirm is this installment finishes off a trip that I hold dearly.

After we wrapped up our last day at Tokyo DisneySea, we planned 2 and a half days in Tokyo. Mixing in Tokyo days in the beginning, middle and end of the trip was enjoyable for us. On our previous trips, we had kept them separated because of the half hour train ride between them. In reality, that’s not much time and mixing them made the theme parks feel like an essential part of the Tokyo experience.

Non theme park people may roll their eyes at that and I get it. Theme parks being considered an integral part of a city with so much history and culture is an uphill battle. But Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea exemplify the craft, grandeur and attention to detail that Tokyo offers. We were eager to explore more of the city even after some very long days exploring Fantasy Springs.

We did afford ourselves the luxury of sleeping in. After 3 straight 14 hour theme park days, that seemed necessary. Around 10 AM, we left the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay and boarded a series of trains to get to Yoshino Sushi Honten in Chuo City. We wanted to get there by the 11 AM opening. Rope dropping exists outside of theme parks too!

Yoshino Sushi Honten has been around since 1879 and is renowned in Tokyo. I was turned onto the restaurant thanks to a Time Out article and I’m glad to have stumbled upon that. Earlier in the trip (in part 1 of this report) we had an Omakase sushi meal, seated at a counter with 5 other guests. This was a less intimate experience that that but charming in a different way. The chefs, 4 slightly older men, made sushi in the kitchen and we were seated at a traditional table where we sat on pillows and removed our shoes. The fish was delicious and surprisingly affordable. I would highly recommend coming here for lunch! We had tea and ate more sushi than either of us planned on!

From there, we took a quick train ride to Tokyo Skytree. This was an area in the city that we’ve never explored. Tokyo is so big that it’s hard for me to grasp where everything is, especially places that are outside of the circular Yamanote Line. There were prefectures out by the Skytree that were much quieter and peaceful. I enjoyed walking around a few different areas, although it’s not as interesting to me as the heart of the city.

As for the Skytree, I enjoyed walking around the structure but can’t say it’s anything I’ll be back for. There’s a mall at the base of the skyscraper that was fun to walk though and several interesting restaurants and coffee shops. We didn’t go up in the Skytree and that may have swayed me one way or another. But there are more centrally located viewing decks in Tokyo, not to mention cheaper (or free) ones. This is one of those areas that will likely be one and done for me.

What I liked more than the Skytree itself was the area on street level known as the river walk. No, we didn’t teleport to San Antonio! We took off with the skyscraper in the background and followed a small river/canal that led into the giant Sumida. It was a little warm that day but the walk was beautiful and quiet.

That was especially true when we got to the Sumida. A long bridge connected the two sides and there was plenty of space to pause for photos. Melissa and I have talked about taking a ride on one of the many boat tours they do but didn’t this time around. It would be fun to get a view from the water of some different areas and the tour boats looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. Maybe next time!

The other side of the bridge offered a little garden and more places to walk alongside the water. While visiting the Skytree isn’t on my list of must-do’s for Tokyo, it does make for a cool backdrop. Other times we visited Tokyo, there may have been too much structured time. On this trip we gave ourselves space to be able to stop and enjoy whatever struck our fancy. That’s part of the reason we’re such big proponents of walking everywhere (within reason) in cities. We spent about 45 minutes on this walk when we could have taken a train but then we would have missed some beautiful sights.

After crossing the river and pausing to smell the literal flowers, we kept walking toward Akasuka to see Senso-Ji Temple. We adore many of the temples we’d seen in Kyoto (and elsewhere in Japan) but had never visited Tokyo’s most famous one. Like the rest of the day, this is in a less obvious part of Tokyo so it’s not the easiest spot to get to.

With the Kyoto favorites in mind, we came away very underwhelmed by the Senso-Ji experience. It felt more like a tourist trap than a thoughtful experience. I can’t really fault the temple and grounds for that though, more it’s just the biggest temple in one of the biggest city’s in the world. If you’re only visiting Tokyo while in Japan then it might still be worth seeing, just go at off hours.

The different buildings were the highlight of Senso-Ji. I especially liked the pagoda. Off to one side of the main hall was a little garden to walk through that had some interesting landscape and water features. The rest of the grounds weren’t nearly as sculpted. There are some beautiful spots here but it’s overrun with people to the point where the experience was tainted. Maybe others would strongly disagree but this spot was also probably a one-and-done for us.

Wanting to relax some, we opted to keep the day a little shorter and not stay out to late. We trained back to Tokyo Disney Resort and had dinner at Ippudo before exploring all of the floors of Ikspiari, the resort’s entertainment and dining district. There’s a nice grocery store on the bottom level that’s fun to grab snacks from and a few decent restaurants throughout. Ippudo is the best of them, if you haven’t read our review! Eventually we made it back to our hotel for some relaxing and writing time. Not writing this trip report, mind you, since this is 6 months later!

We enjoyed another morning of sleeping in and relaxing before checking out of our hotel, moving next door to the Hilton and then heading out for a lunch reservation we made in Tokyo. We had a wonderful lunch at a modern Japanese restaurant named Ukiyo. The price was around $35 apiece for a 4-course lunch and this ended up being one of my favorite travel experiences ever.

The food itself was spectacular. Ingredients were somewhat humble but incredibly fresh and taken from different regions in Japan. The service was very personal and interested, keeping conversation with the different patrons of the restaurant. It’s a first world problem but Tokyo has so many great restaurants that it’s hard to make time to go back to any. Ukiyo might be an exception to that though, that’s how much we enjoyed eating there.

Being our last full day in Tokyo, we set off on a walking adventure. Much of that walking adventure was filled with food and coffee. The first of those stops was this Instram-able spot in Harajuku where a bear, or a bear’s paw at least, serves you. While the drink is being made, the bear holds up signs with words or pictures to make conversation. It’s incredibly cute and heart warming. It also might be a little bit of a tourist trap and is terribly overpriced. But we had a lovely 15 minutes there, watching the bear interact with others before getting our turn. If you’re in the area, this is worth seeking out.

Melissa got something to drink from the friendly bear, but I passed and walked another half hour to a different coffee shop that I’d read about. It just so happened that they also served doughnuts and had a bear logo. We know how to pick them! This is a different branch but the same company we got doughnuts from on part 1 of the trip report. Higuma is so worth checking out that we did it twice.

Our last stop of the drink-filled afternoon came at Oslo Brewing Co. There are two Oslo Brewing Co. locations in the world. One is in Oslo. The other is in Tokyo. I can’t explain it but I do know that I really enjoyed the vibe and the drinks I had there!

Night was setting in as we strode into Shibuya and then Shinjuku. The latter has become my favorite spot in Tokyo. While it’s certainly crowded and a lot to take in, the narrow pedestrian alleys have character. There are businessmen in suits and people out on dates and the most fashionable people in the world and others out exercising. That’s all in front of an arcade and restaurant-filled neon backdrop that Godzilla hovers over. It’s a Tokyo experience through and through.

We ducked into the Disney store and a few others before having dinner at a little ramen shop. The restaurant choices are overwhelming so it’s better to either come in with a plan or know that you’re just going to eat at the first place you see. Some spots look nicer than others but I haven’t had a bad meal anywhere in Shinjuku yet. After dinner we walked around the Golden Gai, which are even tighter streets filled with tiny bars. We didn’t partake in anything but the place is incredibly cool.

After walking throughout the city on that last full day, we were tired and ready for bed. The train ride back took just over half an hour and we settled into our new room at the Hilton before falling asleep.

The next day was pretty lowkey. We opted to go to Tokyo Station and then walk over to the Imperial Gardens for about an hour before heading back to have lunch in Ikspiari. The Imperial Gardens were an incredible and bright shade of green. I’d like to devote more time to that area next time we’re in Kyoto. The palace wasn’t open on that particular day so I’d like a closer, and longer, look.

After a meal at Tonkatsu Wako, we made our way back to the hotel to catch our limousine bus (it’s just a charter bus) to the airport. Neither of us were ready to go home and we adored every aspect of the trip.

Looking back 6 months later, I really appreciate the time we took getting to know both the city and Tokyo Disney Resort. We did things differently in Japan that time around, not purchasing a JR Pass, walking more and not venturing outside of Tokyo. We saw the incredible Fantasy Springs, ate the best food we’ve ever had, fell in love with the city and met some incredible people. I’m already itching to get back. Maybe I shouldn’t say already since it has been 6 months.

Thank you for following along with this trip report! If you have any questions or thoughts, let us know in the comments below! Planning a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort? Check out our guide to help you along the way! For those interested in going to Tokyo Disney Resort and Japan with us, fill out this form! If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!