Everything You Need To Do When In Tokyo
As a Hello Kitty obsessive, sushi fanatic and all-round kitsch lover, visiting Japan had always been high on my hit list and I finally got to go in October. I went during the Rugby World Cup, which meant far more loutish British chanting than expected, but still a solid 10/10 experience none the bloody less.
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The first thing to say about Tokyo is that it really is another world and the Japanese just do things a lot better than the rest of us. How so? Let’s just say, they’re living it up in 2090 and we’re still struggling in 2001, tbh.
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It’s also totally true that they are a super polite nation. This also goes hand in hand with the cleanliness of everything: streets, restaurants and bars. Yes, they have do have heated toilet seats everywhere you go but also, every single public bathroom I used was so incredibly clean. Like, think about going into a random pub or bar in the U.K. – fuckin rank.
Something I instantly fell in love with was Japan’s Kawaii culture: loveable cartoon characters, anime stores, overly kitsch accessories, puppy cafes and pink, pink, pink! At times, this became a little odd, but overall, it added to my deep fascination of Japanese culture.
So with 20kg worth of my own kawaii-ready luggage, I headed to the city of bright lights, sushi bars and used knickers vending machines...TOKYOOOOOO!
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Shopping in Tokyo
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Anyone who knows me knows I love treating myself. I mean, is it even treating yourself when it’s this relentless?
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And just like New York, Tokyo is packed full of the sickest stores imaginable. You’ll see it all: high fashion, luxury designer, pure vintage grails, luxury sportswear, collectible creps, quality denim and big fuck off platform boots. It differs from London and New York as the hypebeast wave is bigger than anywhere else I’ve ever seen: they are literally drippin.
Harajuku and Shibuya are the top spots for all the shops you’d ever want. Levi’s, Bape, Atmos, Opening Ceremony, Supreme…I could go on but you get it.
The reason I slightly preferred Tokyo’s shops, more than New York for example, is their wide range of region exclusives. I missed out on some sick Nike Tailwinds as they were only in men’s sizes, but I copped the flyest mini bag known to man. SUPER KAWAII.
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Things to do
The Shibuya Crossing. So, you obviously have to experience this as it’s so insane, but I would say go at night and don’t expect much than a load of people crossing the road LOL. I was personally over it pretty quickly. Luckily though, we were in Tokyo for Halloween – the Japanese go in for Halloween and the place to be to witness thousands of people in amazing fancy dress is Shibuya. It’s wild.
