Tokyo was sheer magic. To me, it had this LA-ease and gentleness. It was full of creative energy, but kind. I always thought Japan would be overwhelming, like the way I feel in Thailand and China, but that wasn't the case.
It's hard to put my finger on the calm I felt there, but I had no problem spending my days walking endless miles, wandering into coffee shops and little six-seat bars for ramen and sake. I could spend a month in a little apartment with a balcony painting in Shimokitazawa.
And that's my first tip - the hip neighborhood of Shimokitazawa is worth spending a day wandering. They have AMAZING vintage shops. My favorite is called Alaska and features American Films in Japanese with an incredible collection of tees and kimonos.
My favorite coffee shop in Tokyo is called Fuglen and is located in the Shibuya neighborhood. In that same neighborhood is the best coffee/lunch/happy hour spot I came across called Deux Ex Machina. It features two floors of open doors and benches and motorcycles. Sounds silly, but I had the best peanut butter and jelly there. They are known for their sandwiches.
On our second day, in the area of Ginza, I had the most serious coffee experience. Café de L' Ambré serves up strictly coffee, in a number of variations, and you can smoke inside. If you're a coffee geek like I am - this place is surely worth a walk in.
I didn't think I'd be back home in New York saying this, but I had the best pizza of my life in Tokyo. On the third night of our trip, Sean took me to Seirnkan - an incredible steam-punk pizza shop. They only serve up two kinds of pizza and a number of pastas, so we ordered both pizzas and two pastas. Together we drank a bottle of wine and soaked in the punk-luxe.
Our last dinner in Tokyo was skewers at Toriki. The chef was incredible, and I would for sure book ahead of time. We tried five different sakes and ordered the entire menu. I'm vegetarian, so they did special vegetable skewers for me. We had such a good time and must of stayed in the restaurant for five hours - drinking, eating, and talking with the other customers. It was a perfect last dinner.
Here's a round up of restaurants in Tokyo based on food type:
Soba: Kameya, Tamawarai, Itasoba Kaoriya, Kanda Matsuya
Tempura: Fukamachi, Motoyoshi, nihombashisonoji, Masaru
Tonkatsu: Tonta, Marugo, Pontahonke, Nomotoya, Ageduki, Ponchiken, Hasegawa, YOGORO
Yakitori: Torishiki, Toriki, Badorando, Takesan, Torie
Pizza: Seirinkan
Takemura (desert)
If you have any other questions about my trip, or recomendations you'd like - feel free to comment me here or on instagram!
xoxo