Top 8 Things to do in Tokyo Holidays

Tokyo is the capital of Japan and a city that bustles with energy. The capital city of Japan is also the world’s largest metropolitan area with a population of over 13 million. Tokyo is also the world’s costliest city to live in. Japan’s administrative, political, and economic hub is also a city known for its rich culture, highly celebrated food scene, and delightful collection of art from the different periods of Japan including the contemporary art scene. Tokyo, despite being a concrete mix of buildings, has ample green spaces with historic Japanese temples that preserve believe in the concept of preserving nature and having a peaceful coexistence with the world.

Tokyo is also famous for its annual festival of cherry blossoms, which attracts millions of travellers worldwide and plenty of domestic travellers. Tokyo’s neon-lit streets with tall skyscrapers are like a maze. Each district has its own charm. Some are posh and commercial with trendy hotels, upmarket celebrity restaurants, and high-end shopping brands. Whereas some districts have quaint and hidden restaurants that serve noodles, ramen, and fresh seafood along with tattoo shops and pubs, bars, and cafes. In this article, TravelUp presents a list of the top 8 things to do in Tokyo Holidays!

Top 8 Things to do in Tokyo Holidays

1. Check out the pop culture in the Akihabara district

2. Taste the fresh seafood of the Pacific at Tokyo’s fish markets

3. Learn about the traditional Japanese art form

4. Enjoy a live sumo wrestling competition

5. Visit the Shibuya Crossing and get a panoramic view

6. Savour the delicious food in Michelin-Starred restaurants

7. See the beautiful gardens of Rikugi-en

8. See the beautiful cherry blossom in Yoyogi-koen

1. Check out the pop culture in the Akihabara district

Tokyo’s highly popular district of Akihabara is a mix of tall concrete buildings and colourful neon lights and signposts. The district is considered a must-visit for die-hard pop culture fans. It has stores selling second-hand video game consoles, old gaming arcades, flagship anime merchandise shops and cartoon comics, DVDs, CDs, and old-school electronic items like handheld video games, Walkman, iPods, etc. Visit the main avenue of Chou Dori which is lined with neon-lit bright electronic stores, retro arcades, cosplay cafes, go-kart rides through the streets and plenty of fun. You don’t have to be a fan of Japanese anime or manga to enjoy the district. Here, you will also find old-school and nostalgic items from the past at the Retro Game Camp and Super Potato Retro-Kan. This amazing district offers a unique experience of Tokyo’s pop culture and offers an interesting insight into Japan’s love for comics, anime, and manga art forms.

2. Taste the fresh seafood of the Pacific at Tokyo’s fish markets

Tokyo’s fish markets receive fresh catch of the day each morning. The catch includes tons of fish, crabs, scallops, squids, oysters, etc from the Pacific Ocean. These fish markets then supply fresh fish and seafood to the various restaurants in Japan in the morning, which then start its day of seasoning, marinating, and cooking fresh seafood to serve to the working force in the morning and throughout the day. One of the must-visit fish markets is Tsukiji which has the honorary title of ‘Japan’s Kitchen’. Tsukiji fish market used to be the city’s most famous fish market till 2018 when the bulk of the fish-selling business shifted to Toyosu Market in the Tokyo Bay area. Here, visitors can still visit the market which goes back to the early Showa Period. Here, visitors can try fresh seafood delicacies like pan-seared scallops, tamagoyaki (rolled omelette) and uni suchi (sea urchin). Check out the Toyosu fish market, the largest seafood market in the world that lies inside huge, ventilated hangers in Koto Ward.

3. Learn about the traditional Japanese art form

Tokyo became the capital of Japan in 1868 with the aim to adopt western technologies, ideas, and creative processes. Today, Tokyo is a city of design, and innovation as it bustles with contemporary art, music, and vibrant creative energy. However, Tokyo still has a deeply traditional soul which can be experienced through traditional art forms. One of the must-see traditional arts in Tokyo is the Kabuki (theatrical dance) at the Kabuki-za theatre in Ginza. Visitors can enjoy a delicious traditional Japanese multi-course kaiseki meal and watch the performing geisha in Asakusa. Another amazing option is to visit the Edo-Tokyo Museum which houses more than 7000-plus Japanese treasures on display and provides information about the art forms, their origins and about the practitioners.

4. Enjoy a live sumo wrestling competition

Sumo wrestling is one of the key components of Japan’s cultural iconography. Sumo wrestling originated in the early Nara Period when bouts between wrestlers were offered to entertain the Shinto gods. In the modern era, Sumo wrestling is a sport, but the religious practices continue to thrive along with a deep respect for the Yokozuna (grand champions in sumo wrestling sport). In Japan there are six live annual events of Sumo wrestling. Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kukugikan hosts live Sumo wrestling events in January, May, and September. Buy a ticket in advance and be ready to visit the place and mingle with the locals. Catch the exhilarating sport of Sumo wrestling in which heavily overweight wrestlers have the one aim to push or topple the opponents out of the ring to become the ultimate grand champion, the Yokozuna. Don’t forget to enjoy the rice wine and support your favourite candidates along with the locals.

5. Visit the Shibuya Crossing and get a panoramic view

The city of Tokyo has a frenetic pace as seen in the movies. It also has an enormous crowd, glowing lights, and giant video screens showing celebrities endorsing products at the main intersections. One such intersection is the famous Shibuya’s ‘Scramble” Crossing. The intersection is the busiest in Tokyo with millions of people crossing the streets as soon as the signals turn green. One of the most iconic sights in Tokyo, Shibuya Crossing has also been featured extensively in movies and tv series. Visit the Shibuya Crossing and mingle with the gigantic stream of crowd as you cross the intersection dotted with towering skyscrapers and giant screens. Another option is to go up the Shibuya Scramble Square Tower and see the Sky Rooftop Observatory for a panoramic view of Shibuya Scramble Square. This is also the spot to take some pictures of the frenetic Shibuya Scramble Square Crossing.

6. Savour the delicious food in Michelin-Starred restaurants

Japan’s food has become a globally recognised cuisine that is known for its fine refinements, detailed presentations, and the freshness of its ingredients. Washoku is the traditional Japanese Cuisine that has been designated as an intangible element of cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2013. When it comes to celebrating traditional Japanese cuisine, Tokyo leads the country with more than 200 Michelin stars that have been awarded to its restaurants. Some of these Michelin-starred restaurants are simple ramen shops to 11-course haute cuisine menus that have redefined Japanese fine dining. Some of the highly recommended restaurants are Sushi Saito which is an elegant restaurant with an immense local fan following. Ramen lovers must eat at Tsuta in Sugamo which has a reputation for serving delicious ramen noodles. Florilege is a two-starred restaurant that has a unique menu of French Japanese fusion and is prepared in an open kitchen.

7. See the beautiful gardens of Rikugi-en

Once upon a time in Japan powerful feudal lords known as Daimyos used to rule the lands between the 10th and the 19th century. Tokyo, which became the capital of the country in the later nineteenth century, used to be a city with historic architecture much of which suffered great damage due to rampaging fires, earthquakes, and bombing raids in the Second World War. However, there is one part of the old feudal-era Tokyo that survives and continues to enchant the visitors. The Rikugi-en garden in Bunkyo Ward was designed by Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, the lord of the Kawagoe estate in the 17th century. This beautiful garden lies in a city that has a frenetic pace of life and provides respite to visitors and locals alike from the sensory overloads. The garden has charming footpaths, beautiful ponds, cobblestone bridges, autumn foliage that looks splendid and a special cherry tree that blooms in the spring and gives it a magical old-world look and feel.

8. See the beautiful cherry blossom in Yoyogi-koen

Tokyo is a highly popular destination in the world known for its annual spring festival which is when the cherry trees across the country bloom. This is the time when Tokyo looks enchanting with soft sunlight and magical gardens, forests, hillsides, and countryside filled with cherry trees blooming into various shades of white, pink, lilac, and purple. The springtime is also known for its annual cherry blossom festival where locals and international travellers gather and visit the city’s parks, temples, and countryside to bask in the beauty of cherry blossom season. In Tokyo, the most popular spot to enjoy the magical cherry blossom festival is the Yoyogi-Koen Park which is one of the city’s largest parks. Here, visitors can mingle with the locals enjoying barbecues, sipping, and revelling with sake and dancing to the popular international dance songs.