Japan Tips! — Fashimi

Are you ready for this?!?!

Firstly, I wrote this article on The Urban List a while back. It’s a bit outdated now but might be helpful.

My top three places are…

My fave place is Ukai Tei (but only go for lunch otherwise it's $$$). This place does insanely good steak but also other delicious dishes. They have waiters that speak English and I don’t want to give away too much but there is a dessert room. A DESSERT ROOM.

Also, take advantage of the all you can drink options at fancy hotels. They’re inexpensive, have great views and are lots of fun. Most nice hotels have it - check out Park Hyatt's Peak Of Joy menu (not the New York bar where all the tourists go) - it's one of my favourite places in Tokyo and I make sure to go every time I am there plus you can book it via email in English which is handy.

Michelin sushi

Kyubey is my pick because it's amazing sushi but it's also got a fun atmosphere. Some of the others are too stuffy and quiet so it can be a bit awkward.

And some more eats...

Japanese:

Shirube in Shimokitazawa for a fun izakaya
Yasube in Shibuya for tsukemen. They now have really cute “how to enjoy tsukemen” cards so you don’t look like a complete novice. I wrote this article for SBS Food all about tsukemen.
Ichiran Ramen – delicious, private booths, open at all hours. I tend to go after a big night out drinking/karaoking
Kaikaya for a seafood izakaya
Shima Steak for fancy pants steak (try and get them to make you the sandwich to take home after the meal)
Uobei in Shibuya for super cheap and fun sushi. ¥105~ for a plate and they zoom out at you on mini trains (insanely touristy now though)
Ishi no Hana – an amazing cocktail bar in Shibuya. Bourdain featured it but it’s not at all overrun by tourists (it’s hard to find). I am convinced they named a cocktail after me here.
Ume no Hana for a fancy tofu degustation (who knew they could do so much with tofu?!)
Afuri ramen (but not in Harajuku cos it's too busy) for lighter ramen

Western:

Shake Shack exists in Tokyo if you want reeeeaallllyy good burgers
Whoopi Goldburger is this cool, little burger bar run by skater-type guys and have burgers with puns for names
Great Burger is my usual burger place and I always make sure I go when in Tokyo
Golden Brown is also a great place for burgs
Dominique Ansel Bakery has really cool sweet treats like smores and cookie shots. Really, really good. He’s the guy that invented the cronut (but don’t hold that against him)
Esola in Yoyogi for all you can drink wine. It's a dangerous but fun thing.
Coffee: Blue Bottle Coffee, Frankie, Fuglen, Streamer, Sarutahiko, Camelback, Café Kitsune
Savoy for incredibly legit pizza

Shopping

The always-photographed staircase at Opening Ceremony.

NeWoman is a new, modern dept store in Shinjuku. Bad name, but a pretty good place to shop.
Isetan is an amazing Department store. All department stores need to take a leaf out of the Isetan book.
Loft is a wonderful place I can spend hours in. Stationery, homewares, gifts and lots of knick knacks.
Tokyu Hands for much the same reason as Loft.
Ginza on a weekend because they close the streets. It’s a bit high end and I rarely go there but it can be fun – Ginza 6 is nice and has a fancy pants Starbucks (which sounds silly, but you should see the bathrooms in this place)
Omotesando and Aoyama have lots of great shops. I’m often hanging around here. Also Cat Street nearby has a lot of great shops too. It’s super busy now though, unfortunately. The Opening Ceremony store is great!
Daikanyama is a cool spot with lots of small shops

Other activities

Mori Art Museum
Karaoke (duhhhh) – see if you can get an all you can drink, all you can sing deal. Pro-tip: all you can drink is called nomihoudai in Japanese. Say that and you’ll be fine.
Convenience stores (sounds silly but you’ll see why) – buy an onigiri and some chu hi while you’re there
Ride a shinkansen (the Joyful trains are themed trains and well worth looking into)
Video game arcades – seriously so fun. I’ve lost hours in there.

Outside of Tokyo

Yokohama: Cup Noodles museum was actually awesome. Design your own Cup Noodles! Can just go for an afternoon – it’s not far
Easy hiking in Mt Takao (you don't need proper gear). It's not far from Tokyo and a really pretty area. Don’t go on a weekend!
Fujikyu Highland – an epic theme park with insane rollercoasters AND a view of Mt Fuji. The ghost house is the stuff of nightmares.
Nikko – shrines including the three wise monkeys shrine. Really amazing station side snack – like a deep fried tempura red bean thing. I dream of this snack.
Hakone – famous onsen town near Tokyo (definitely try and stay at an onsen ryokan overnight if possible and do opt for the dinner option, it’s regional, seasonal and usually super beautiful) – I prefer to go off the beaten path with onsen because you get way less tourists and it’s just a lot nicer (Kyushu is the onsen island and worth getting down to if you have the time)

Where to stay

I’ve stayed in Granbell in Shibuya and Dormy Inn in Meiji-Jingumae (in between Harajuku and Shibuya).

Hotel Emit has just opened and is clean and modern – great spot too.

I would recommend staying around Shibuya, Harajuku, Yoyogi, Aoyama, Ebisu, Nakameguro area as it’s central to most of the things I love in Tokyo

Other (hopefully useful) things…

Be sure to get a SIM card or pocket wifi (either before you go or when you get to the airport) it will make your life a million times easier as wifi isn’t everywhere and you’ll need maps to get around without stress
Terrace House on Netflix is a strangely addictive show that’s set in Tokyo. Watch to get an insight into real Japanese life (sort of) in Japan.
JAL and ANA both have amazing tourist deals which allow you to fly all over Japan for cheap. It’s not really well known, but it’s seriously so good if you want to go up to Sapporo or down to Okinawa.
I just spent some time in Kyushu (onsen island!) which was incredible. Hiring a car is super easy in Japan and it’s really easy to drive around (even I could do it!). Highly recommended if you want to get off the tourist path. Takachiho Gorge is AMAZING.