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  • Tokyo: The Short Layover Guide

    Tokyo: The Short Layover Guide

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The title of this post is a bit misleading – while we did make it to Tokyo on our way to Vietnam, our layover on the way home was only about 6 hours.  Not long – but enough to get out of the airport if you wish!

    We hopped on the train and in about 10 minutes we were in the town of Narita.

    What To Do:

      1. Wander down Narita’s Omotesando, or shopping street.  We didn’t have any sort of agenda besides getting some last tastes of authentic Japanese food so we slowly meandered down the 800 meter road.
      2. Visit Naritasan Shinshoji Temple and Naritasan Park.  The main road will lead you here and you’ll get to check out the temple and wander around the park.
    Narita Shinshoji Temple
    Narita Shinshoji Temple
    1. Buy custom chopsticks! Okay, this is definitely not a must, and does not have to be done in Narita, but we picked some of these up from one of the stores on the main road.
    2. Eat! There are lots of different street vendors or places where you order at the window, take your food and go.  We ordered some random things from a window until we eventually found a place serving ramen and beer.  I have no idea what the name of the restaurant was that we landed in, but I have to imagine you’ll get some pretty good ramen wherever you stop.
    Street food in Narita
    Street food in Narita

    And…that was it.  While Narita is nothing like Tokyo, if you want to get a tiny taste of Japan outside of the airport walls but don’t have the time to venture all the way into the city, Narita is definitely worth checking out!

    Have a longer layover at the Narita Airport? Make sure to read our blog post about actually heading into Tokyo for the night![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

  • Tokyo: The Long Layover Guide

    Tokyo: The Long Layover Guide

    [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]When we booked our flights to Vietnam we were lucky enough to build in a 21-hour layover in Tokyo into our itinerary.  I quickly started to research what we should do, where we should go, with less than 24 hours in such a large city.  Some people recommended just staying in Narita, much closer to the airport, but if you have 21 hours you have PLENTY of time to get yourself into the city, check out a few neighborhoods and eat a bunch of delicious food.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”306″ img_size=”500x” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded” css_animation=”top-to-bottom”][vc_column_text]

    Where to Stay

    We made the decision to stay in Shinjuku. Why? We could take the Narita Express directly from the airport to Shinjuku Station. We had read that there were lots of restaurants and nightlife, we were a stone’s throw from Golden Gai and a quick train ride to Shibuya.

    We used Chase Sapphire Preferred credit card points and stayed at Citadines Central Shinjuku Tokyo.  The hotel was nice and clean, included breakfast, and the rooms were tiny, as per Tokyo.

    What to Do

    1.     Eat! It was dinner time by the time we settled into the hotel (not that our bodies had any idea what time it really was) so we set out in Kabukicho and quickly found some sushi and beer.

    2.     Shibuya Crossing – the largest crosswalk in the world, it was a pretty crazy site to see.  It also happened to be Christmas Day and there seemed to be some sort of SantaCon going on which made everything that much more entertaining.  We wandered around, found Hachikō, checked out the giant Starbucks and then found ourselves a little ramen bar (perfect for 40-degree weather!)[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”302″ img_size=”500x” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded” css_animation=”top-to-bottom”][vc_column_text]3.     Golden Gai – a neighborhood of six alleyways lined with hundreds of tiny bars. Take your pick! Most were full and full of smokers, but a completely different experience nonetheless.

    4.     Meiji Shrine – after getting a few hours of sleep we hopped on the train again and got off at Harajuku and walked around the Meiji Shrine, which is actually quite a large area.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”292″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded” css_animation=”top-to-bottom”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”293″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_rounded” css_animation=”top-to-bottom”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]After spending the morning at the Meiji Shrine we made our way back to the hotel, grabbed our bags, and back to the airport we went. Our next destination, Vietnam.

    Have a shorter layover at the Tokyo Narita Airport?  Make sure to read our blog post about spending the afternoon in the nearby town of Narita-san![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]