Stepping off the plane in Narita airport was a truly humbling moment.
Tokyo is a fast paced city, tied together by an amazing subway system and local buses. You can pick up a PASSMO card at any subway stop, charge it up, and be on your way.
The map of the subway can be intimidating at first, but I recommend you take a day just jumping on and off the train to get the hang of things. I found the locals to be very helpful if I got turned around to help point me back in the right direction.
As a tip, circle your stop on the map. It helps since it’s inevitable that you will get mixed up.
The locals understand most people don’t speak Japanese, but something like the example below will get you a lot farther than “Do yoooou speak Ennnglish??”
A simple “Sumimasen” (excuse me), point to your circled location and say “Koko kudasai” (Improper grammar for “here please”).
Google translate says “Koko ni shite kudasai” is correct, but I’m not sure, either way, they will love the effort.
They may even walk you there personally.
One of my favorite parts of Tokyo was how readily available street food was. I gorged myself on ramen, takoyaki, yakitori, and Japanese BBQ.
Keep in mind that the Japanese don’t typically eat and drink food on the go, so even if you stop at a vending machine, drink or eat what you purchase before you move on if you don’t want funny looks. Plus all of the garbage cans are generally located by vending machines in my experience.
I stayed in Asakusa as my home base and branched out from there.
Shibuya was great for night life, Ueno for shopping, and my night in Roppongi was a shit show where I barely escaped a mob brawl and was stalked by a toothless hooker until drunkenly finding the subway to get back to my hostel.
I spent 4 days in Tokyo and easily could have stayed longer. There is something to do for everyone, but found Tokyo it’s best just to wander and people watch.
My biggest regrets were not seeing a Sumo match, as well baseball live in Tokyo, but there is so much to do that you are bound to miss something.
