7 free things to do in Tokyo, Japan

With a population of about 13 million tokyo is the largest city and with it the capital of Japan. Due to the fact that Japan is one of the more expensive countries to travel, tokyo is hard to discover on a budget. I came to meet Richi, a videoblogger from Tokyo, on his tour through Germany when he couchsurfed my place – he told me a lot about the japanese culture and was willing to write the following list of free things to do (not all of them are free, but those where you have to pay are pretty cheap) in of the three “command centers” for the world economy.

1. NEW CULTURE: Maid Cafe in Akihabara

In Japan, we have some places called Maid-Cafes, and here you can meet many cute girls dressed in maid dresses, waiting for you. They will welcome you by saying “Welcome back, my master!” Inside, you can play some games or take some photos with the girls. It is not an adult place, but it is mostly for the Japanese Otaku-Nerds. You must go there to experience the culture of Japanese modern!!

2. NATURE: Hanami at Inokashira park in spring

In spring when the cherry blossom flowers bloom, Japanese people go to park after school/work to eat and drink under the trees of cherry blossom. There are so many people in the weekends! If you want to enjoy the cherry trees also at night, I would recommend the Inokashira park near Kichijoji station. There is a pond, and the combination of light, water, and cherry flowers is just so amazing! Be careful not to miss the last train, and you must not have party in the park after 22 O’clock at night!

3. FASHION: Harajuku

Where are the most fashionable people in Japan? Definitely, the Omotesando road in Harajuku! Many of these people are on fashion magazines because of there sense of fashion. It is changing day by day. If you go for a walk in Omotesando road on the weekends, you will see a lot of people in many different kinds of fashions!

4. CITY: Shibuya, the coolest ward in Tokyo

Shibuya is definitely one of the coolest parts in Japan! In Shibuya, you can see many fashionable shops, restaurants, where many young people go to. So many people go to Shibuya every day, and you can even see hundreds of people crossing the same road in one minute. The crossing is called Scramble Crossing and it is right in front of the Shibuya station, you can’t miss it. Shibuya is called The City That Never Sleeps. If you want to experience the nightlife in Tokyo, why not go to a Karaoke box with your friends? It is the place where you have privacy and can sing whatever and however you want to!!

5. POPULATION: Yamanote train

Get on the Yamanote train on 8:00 am to experience the tough morning.
I have already told you that you can see many people in Shibuya. But if you really want to see the fact, I will recommend you to go to the Shinbashi station, and get on the Yamanote line on 8:00 in the morning to see so many people gathered in one train! This is something not written in Guide books. Some people from abroad even feel scared to get on the train because there is so many people, and I have even seen foreign people crying because they are scared to be in the train. Maybe… the best way is just to see how it is from the platform. And you won’t believe your eyes!

6. SPORT: Sumo

Go watch the national sport of Japan!
If you want to see the Sumo wrestling, Kokugikan is the place to go! Sumo is the one and only national sport in Japan. You can get a ticket in a price from cheep to expensive depending on which seat you will buy. The atmosphere in the stadium is so excited when it comes to the strongest wrestlers, and you can hear the sound when the wrestlers bump against each other! You can also see them on TV, but you would never feel the atmosphere if you don’t really go there.

7. TRADITION: Asakusa Temple

Asakusa Temple is one of the tourist’s spot in Tokyo, but I believe this place is the Must to visit if you want to buy a good souvenir. In Asakusa, you can get any kinds of Japanese traditional goods from key chains to fans, dolls, snacks, masks…etc! There are hundred of these shops in one road. If you want to tour around the city, you might want to take the rikshaw. Why not bite some Japanese sweets while riding? This rikshaw is not the one that you have to bargain like in India! You will find a very nice view for your photos here in front of the Kaminarimon-gate as well!!

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Featured image taken from Flickr (c) by foilman

Tags | Japan