14 Things You Can Do Only, or Best, in Tokyo

I did this series on Instagram last year after I went with Jasmin and her family on a trip to Tokyo, which if I'm not mistaken numbers around my 10th visit. I've never lived there, but I perhaps know Tokyo better than I know any other large metropolitan city I've ever been to, and enjoy acting as Interpreter-in-Chief for friends and family looking to have a good time. Though we're not experts, Jasmin and I are happy to oblige on making suggestions for places to go and food to eat in the capitol of the land of the rising sun. So instead of making you visit my Instagram account and scrolling through to the pictures from last year, I'll go ahead and list them all here:

14 Things You Can Do Only, or Best, in Tokyo

1. #BESTINTOKYO // We spent our time in Tokyo with Jasmin's family, a family meetup vacation of sorts between the states, Guam, and the Philippines. At the most there were 14 of us, including 4 young kids who were a handful in a bustling foreign city. In the picture are all of us except for Jasmin's brother Will's family. We went to the famous Tsukiji Fish Market, the largest and busiest fish market on the planet for some world-class, Best-In-Tokyo seafood. My mouth is watering just thinking of the fatty tuna sashimi bowl I got at this restaurant, Tsukiji Sushi Ichiban.

2. #ONLYINTOKYO // After 2-3 visits, Jasmin and I are Tokyo Disney Land (TDR) veterans. So we were excited to try something new and see Tokyo DisneySea with the fam, the one and only nautical-themed Disney park. And we were joined by my Japanese bro Yuuki and our friend Xochitl! If only we had timed our visit not to coincide with a Japanese holiday and Spring Break... Note to self: Always check line wait times via websites BEFORE looking for rides to line up for. -.-

3. #BESTINTOKYO // All 14 of us together on the mountain! Technically it's not Tokyo, but if you're in Tokyo one of the best places to go for snowboarding or skiing is going to be Naeba Ski Resort, near Nagano where the 1998 Winter Olympics were held. Major props to our teenage niece and nephew who were not only seeing snow for the first time, but learned to shred it on a board from day 1. And the best part is, even at the end of March, we managed to get some decent snow!

4. #BESTINTOKYO // Forget Tokyo, here's how to get the best sushi of your LIFE: 1. Go to Tsukiji Fish Market on a weekday when trains start at 5am (lesson learned: not holidays), 2. Walk into the heart of the market, past the initial street bustle, 3. If the line for no. 1 寿司大 (Sushi Dai) is unbelievable and the much shorter line for no. 2 大和 (Daiwa) is an hour and a half wait, you can find a place like おかめ (Okame) with no line that will still give you the most amazing sushi you have ever tasted.

5. #BESTINTOKYO // When the 桜 / sakura / cherry blossoms bloom in late March through early April, this is where you want to be. The Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is a large park that offers the most beautiful scenes in the city. Then you'll just need to rely on the beauty of your subject. ;) It's open from 9:00-4:30 and admission is around $2. We went right when the sakura were just starting to bloom, so we didn't get the full experience - but we did get to taste some sakura ice cream!

6. #BESTINTOKYO #ONLYINTOKYO // This is it, folks. Tsuta is the only Michelin Star ramen (as of 2016). Their shoyu (soy sauce) and shio (salt) ramen will make you question the validity of every other ramen you've had. For me, this is #bestshoyuramen #besttokyoramen #top3ramen. Be prepared to wait, though. You need to put a ¥1,000 deposit on seat tickets for their 9-seat restaurant between 8-9am with EVERYONE who will be eating. Then come back at the allotted time to wait for an hour before finally going into the restaurant. It's worth it.

7. #ONLYINTOKYO ? // Daily Chico offers a cool treat, if you can manage not to drop it! Head to the basement of the Broadway Center in Nakano for an 8-scoop soft serve ice cream cone. Winona recommends the purple flavor! I think the blue ramune flavor is worth a try too. :D

8. #ONLYINTOKYO // An Otaku's dream come true. Tokyo is the only place you can go to see a 1/1 18 meter #GundamStatue (note the guy on the left for scale), which lights up from 5-11pm with steam spewing from its chest, and short video protections at 7:30pm, 8:30pm and 9:30pm. To get there head to Odaiba island, and it will be waiting outside the 2nd floor cafeteria of the Diver City mall.

9. #ONLYINTOKYO // At 634 meters, Tokyo #Skytree became the tallest tower in the world in 2011. This is where you want to go to get the best view of the city. If you're looking to spend less than 2,000 yen you may want to check out the classic TokyoTower, or you can go to the 25th floor of the Bunkyo Civic Center free of charge and see Mt. Fuji on a clear day.

10. #ONLYINTOKYO // Sunshine City in Ikebukuro was one of my favorite places to go in Tokyo for one reason: #NamjaTown. Think of an inside theme park, but with food as the main attraction: tons of gyoza (pan-fried dumplings) stands, weird ice cream flavors (snake, fried chicken, etc.), and games. But when we went a couple years ago, it seemed a little watered down with the opening of a new theme park next door: #JWorldTokyo. They cover everything Shonen Jump from the #OnePiece Sunny-Go ship, to the #DragonballZ Saiya-jin ship, to #Naruto ramen, to #HunterXHunter life-size manga, and more! If you love the Shonen Jump stores in Japan, you have to check this place out.

11. #BESTINTOKYO // Every year in September (just in time for my birthday!), Tokyo hosts one of the biggest gaming conventions in the world: #TokyoGameShow. I went solo my first year in 2008, and with @jasmin671 and family/friends again in 2010. This con is massive (between 200,000 to 300,000 attendants) and has everything you'd expect from a Japan-scale expo: superb cosplay, game testing, giant robots, and of course lots and lots of Sega.

12. #ONLYINTOKYO // We have been down #TakeshitaStreet more times than we can count, so there must be a good reason right? #Harajuku is the fashion capital of Tokyo and a must-see for anyone looking to do some serious shopping (ladies?). And for others who may not be so interested (guys?), it's still got some of the coolest shirts I've found (like my Ronald McDonald Joker shirt). Sundays seem to be "Cosplay Day," and everyday is "Packed Liked Sardines Day."

13. #BESTINTOKYO // #UenoZoo is the biggest (and only?) zoo in Tokyo, and a great place to bring kids. Of note are the panda bears and the petting zoo, but beware of paying money to ride the train in the zoo unless you really don't feel like walking up/down a small hill. And it might not be the best place to go when the kids are frightened of any type of bear. #learningthehardway

14. #ONLYINTOKYO // I've saved one of the best places for the 14th and final recommendation in Tokyo: the #GhibliMuseum. This museum is heaven for anyone who appreciates #Miyazaki movies like #PrincessMononoke, #SpiritedAway, and #MyNeighborTotoro. You do have to book tickets months in advance, and when you arrive photos inside are strictly prohibited. But this museum is packed with goodies and games and exhibits that are worth experiencing once in your life.

And with that, I've concluded my Tokyo recommendations. If you're planning a trip, there are tons more places to check out than I've mentioned, like Akihabara, Ginza, and Asakusa. And no trip to Japan would be complete without seeing a maid cafe, eating okonomiyaki, and entering a Tokyu Hands. But over my 10 or so trips to Tokyo I've been to the 14 places I've shown (often multiple times), and can vet that they are cool experiences that may fall under the radar when planning a trip. Good luck and enjoy!