Well, it’s been about a year now since I first stood in the doorway of a bathroom stall at Tokyo’s Narita Airport, gazing down at the narrow trough in the ground and wondering “What the heck am I supposed to do with that?”

For many first-time visitors (and wallets), Tokyo can be a real culture shock.  Below are some tips on where to go, what to eat, and how to behave so that your stay in Tokyo will be truly memorable and relatively faux pas-free.

Where to Crash

If you want to experience real Japanese culture, stay at a ryokan – a traditional Japanese inn.  Ryokans are clean & comfy and often less expensive than western style hotels.  Sleep on futons on tatami mat floors, and be prepared to share bathroom facilities with the other ryokan guests.  Breakfast is usually served for a small fee.

Sunrise Sushi

If you prefer, you can skip the ryokan breakfast and wake up early (5 a.m.) to head to the Tsukiji Market, the largest wholesale seafood market in the world, for a fresh sushi breakfast!  Yum!

Foot Bath in Hakone

Serenity Now

Best place to go to escape the big city: Hakone.  If the big city gets too overwhelming and you decide you need to slow down, hop a Shinkansen to Hakone.  The trip will take less than 2 hours.  Rest peacefully for a night or two in a local ryokan. Spend time in the onsen (hot springs), take in the scenic beauty, and become one with nature.  Don’t forget your Japan Rail Pass!

History Lesson

Best place to observe real Japanese history for free: Senso-ji Temple at Asakusa.  Completed in 645 AD, Senso-ji is Tokyo’s oldest Temple.  Unfortunately, it was mostly destroyed by bombing during World War 2.  So, the temple and five-storied pagoda that are currently standing on this site have actually been reconstructed.  But they are amazing and will help you remember you are in an ancient land…something that can easily be forgotten in a city that is so modern!

Made in China?

Coincidentally, you can also find some of the city’s best souvenir shopping outside of the Senso-ji Temple at the Asakusa Market.  100% authentic Japanese souvenirs?  Maybe not.  100% Fun?  Definitely!!

If you are looking for more authentic souvenirs to bring home, check out a Sunday shrine sale or flea market.  This is where you can find authentic Japanese treasures…for a steal!  My favorite find was a genuine Japanese Shibori silk Kimono for $10 USD!  (Shibori is an ancient form of tie-die.)

Sake

A bottle of Sake also makes a fantastic souvenir!  Here are some tips for buying quality sake:

• Every bottle of Sake is marked with a percentage…usually somewhere between 40-70%.  No, this is not the % alcohol content.  Instead, this percentage indicates the amount of pure rice remaining after the undesirable fats and proteins have been “polished off” before steaming.  The lower the percentage, the better the quality.  For example, a bottle of Sake marked as 40% means that 60% of the rice was polished off, and only 40% of the rice was remaining before fermentation… meaning that it is a more pure sake.
• If you buy a high quality Sake, do not serve it hot!  Heating good quality sake will mask its flavors and aromas.  Low quality sake is usually served heated, just for this reason.

Counter Culture

Girls in Harajuku

Best free afternoon activity?  People-watching in Harajuku.  Check out what the cool kids are wearing.

Warning: At the time, it may seem like a good idea to purchase your own Harajuku outfit to wear back in the states and impress your friends.  It’s not.  Tokyo street fashion is best left on the street …in Tokyo.

Cheap Beer

Where can you find cheap beer in Tokyo?  In a vending machine, of course!  In Tokyo there are vending machines on every corner – and most of them have beer.  The legal drinking age in Japan is 20, however, vending machines don’t check IDs.  Gotta love it!  (Of course, we would never encourage underage drinking in any country.)

Cheap Chow

Where to find a cheap bite to eat – Takashimaya!  Yes, that’s right!  The basement level of this high-end department store holds the best food court you could ever imagine!  A smorgasbord of Japanese (and other) deliciousness.  Dumplings, pot-stickers, yakitori, and anything you could possibly dream of tempura-fried and on a stick!  (My personal favorites are the tempura-fried crab claws and the tempura-fried lotus roots!)  Go here when you don’t feel like paying for a sit-down restaurant. Choose as little or as much as you want, take it back to your ryokan, and wash it down with a vending machine brew.  Ahhhh, Asahi!

Cheap Thrills

You think you know karaoke?  Think again.  The Japanese take their karaoke seriously, and karaoke clubs can be found everywhere in the big city!  Conveniently, drinks in most karaoke bars are also pretty cheap.  Reserve a private box for you and your friends or sing along with the locals in the snack bar.  I would highly recommend singing with the locals.  There will be nothing more memorable than your heart-felt rendition of “Hey Jude,” accompanied a group of Japanese businessmen letting off steam after a hard day’s work.