[Music] after traveling to almost 50 countries Tokyo is my new favorite city in the world I'm so excited to share it with you so let's waste no time and jump right into to number one exploring Shinjuku during my 5 days exploring Tokyo the Shinjuku neighborhood was by far the most fun and exciting spot I visited if I could recommend anything to you you should definitely visit Shinjuku on your first night in Tokyo because that's what I did and it was the perfect start to the trip I was actually in Japan for 10 days and the first five of those I was on a snowboarding trip with my dad uncle and brother up north in haido and it was unbelievable so I'll be sure to talk about that experience later in this video for now you're probably wondering what Shinjuku is all about well it's the entertainment capital of Tokyo and it has been one of the most unique places I have ever been to get here I took a 10-minute train ride from my capsu hotel in chabuya to the Shinjuku train station which is the world's busiest train station handling over 3 million passengers every single day immediately after leaving the train station you will be surrounded by endless streets filled with those iconic Tokyo Neon Lights the cherry on top was this 3D billboard of a cat just playing around it was hilarious the first place we visited in Shinjuku was a place called aoid yokoo also known as piss alley piss alley is a maze of narrow Alleyways filled with restaurant serving up a famous Japanese street food called yakatori which are these chicken skewers that are just so delicious I just love the Retro Vibe of this Alleyway with unique lanterns and lights hanging above you as you squeeze your way through looking into all these hole in the wall restaurants so you're probably asking yourself why is this Alleyway nicknamed piss alley well after World War II this alley was known to have cheap food and drinks so lots of people came here but the one problem there weren't a lot of bathrooms so inevitably people had to piss in the alleyway my brother's been to Tokyo before so he showed us around a little but if you want to go with a tour guide and a group of Travelers on a food tour of Shinjuku you could scan this QR code on the screen right here after piss alley we walk 10 minutes to another Maze of Alleyways called Golden guy which is a collection of over 200 bars that each have their own unique theme before we talk about the bars this is also a great area to get some delicious Ramen so that's exactly what we did we were recommended a place called Ramen Nagi from our friend Taylor that's been living in Japan for 4 years and it did not disappoint just like piss allei all the restaurants here can only fit 6 to 10 people so be ready to wait a little bit in line and don't forget to bring cash with you we waited in this line for around 20 minutes and when we entered we walked up these narrow stairs to Ramen Paradise immediately we ordered our ramen on this old school machine which was just awesome and then sat down at a small bar where they served you the most gigantic bulll of ramen I visited Tokyo in January so it was pretty chilly at night at around 1° C or 35° F for you Americans out there so this bowl of ramen was the perfect bowl of warmth we needed this bowl had two different types of noodles mixed together which I absolutely loved and the spice level couldn't have been more on point after dinner we explored the tiny Alleyways of bars and someone invited us into this tiny little place called open book where you are surrounded by bookcases this place was just so cool inside we tried some Japanese whiskey and an amazing drink called a sake sour for those of you that don't know sake is Japanese rice wine and is brewed just like beer through a process of fermenting rice it's the national alcoholic drink of Japan so be sure to try all the different kinds when you come here definitely spend some time here and bar hop a little because there's just so much to explore now let's move on to number two the Tokyo Sky Tree with a population of 37 million Tokyo has the most populated metropolitan area in the entire world which is something I can't even begin to comprehend the best way to see this massive City from above is by going up the Tokyo Sky Tree which is the tallest tower in the world and the third tallest structure on Earth it measures 634 M or 2,80 ft and the views you get from above are just spectacular even though it's one of the busiest times to go visiting at Sunset is a must up here tickets are scheduled for certain times throughout the day from 9:00 a.m. all the way up to 10:00 p.m. at night so so just pick what works best for you if you do want to go up for Sunset make sure to book the time slot for 1 hour before the sun actually sets so you have enough time to get up to the top you can scan this QR code on the screen to book in advance and make sure to check the weather before booking because you want a really clear day so you have the possibility of seeing Mount Fuji in the distance right when I arrived at the base I was stunned at how massive this Tower was and also the amount of people waiting in line for the time slot I waited around 30 minutes which wasn't too bad and then I took the elevator to the first deck which is 350 M or more than 1100 ft high up I got really lucky because right when I stepped off the elevator at the top the sun was setting right over Mount Fuji it was just unbelievable even though there's going to be a ton of people up there there's more than enough room on this deck because it has these huge Windows surrounding you with endless 360° views I really couldn't believe I could see Mount Fuji from up here because it's 106 km away or 65 Mi but what blew my mind even more was how endless Tokyo was in every single direction another reason Sunset is the perfect time to visit is because you get to see the city in daylight watch the sunset and then see the city slowly light up in the night sky after taking in the views at the 350 M Sky Deck I hopped on the next elevator that took me all the way up to the 450 M Viewpoint in my opinion you get the same view on both and I actually preferred the first deck because it had way more room to take in the views it's still worth it to visit both though so maybe taking the sunset at at the first deck and then go watch the city light up at night at the second one now up next we have number three the senoji temple the two main religions that are practiced throughout Japan are Shinto and Buddhism with a lot of Japanese even practicing both because Buddhism is so widespread there are more than 75,000 Buddhist temples scattered all over the country and you need to visit at least one during your time here the temple I chose to visit is called sensoji Temple because it's the oldest and most famous temple in Tokyo dating back to the year 628 which makes this Temple 1,400 years old this Temple was founded in honor of Canon which is the Buddhist goddess of mercy and unlike many other temples Seno G is completely free to visit which is awesome because you could visit any time of day it's only a 15-minute walk from the Tokyo Sky Tree so I came here right after dinner and it was such a calming experience and in my opinion way more beautiful at night leading up to this Temple is a shopping street lined with over 90 shops sadly all the Stalls were closed at night but that was okay with me because it just meant less crowds right at the entrance of the temple is the thundergate which is one of Tokyo's most iconic landmarks I couldn't get over the beauty of this gate with the five-story pagota right to the left of it this pagota actually represents the five elements of Buddhism which are earth water fire wind and space this isn't just a tourist attraction it's a temple where millions of Buddhists come to pray make offerings and participate in rituals throughout the entire year before leaving the temple one fun thing you have to do here is is get your fortune R they have all these steel boxes sitting around so you just walk up and shake it a ton until a wooden stick pops out of the small hole the stick will have a small number on it and you will then open up the sliding door that has the number you picked inside you'll pick one piece of paper which either holds a good fortune or a bad fortune luckily I picked a good fortune so I kept the paper and took it home with me but if you get a bad fortune don't worry all you have to do is tie the paper to the clothes line and leave your bad luck behind I really L going to this Temple especially cuz it was so so close to the Sky Tree I couldn't recommend doing it enough up next we have number four experiencing a Sumo show sumo wrestling is Japan's national sport and has been going on for more than 1500 years there's only six major tournaments that happen during different months of the year so it's pretty hard to go to a real show during your trip thankfully they have clubs you can go to learn and watch Summa wrestlers so of course I had to go check it out for myself I went to the Saka Sumo club for a 2hour event and right when I sat down I was served some ice cold beer and a hot pot meal while the sumo wrestlers warmed up right in front of me these 10year Veterans of the sport were absolutely hilarious and each side of the Arena cheered for their specific sumo wrestler the entire time so it was just so much fun for the first hour they were warming up and showing you techniques but the real fun starts when they go up against each other for three rounds I'm not kidding you the first smack of their body sounds like a bomb going off it was just unbelievable I can't you woo Oh no just seeing these massive guys fighting in this ring is a sight to see their uniforms are ridiculous their jokes are crazy and it's just all around a good time at the end eight people from the crowd were picked out and they got to put on Sumo costumes and even got to fight the wrestler of their choice I mean some of these kids put up a strong fight it was just hilarious this was one of the most memorable things I did in Tokyo and it's probably because of their wardrobe because wow they did not hide anything here if you want to go to this exact same Sumo club that I did you could scan this QR code on the screen right here tickets are around $100 per person which was a steal because I don't think I've laughed like this in a long time cutting in real quick to thank the sponsor of this video gety guide these videos would not be possible without them get your guide is the number one place to book on forgettable travel experiences with more than 110,000 things to do in over 150 countries around the world during my time in Tokyo I booked so many things through gatee guide like that dance show or the sumo wrestling match which was hilarious and also even those entrance tickets to the sky tower which was just unbelievable best part is you got everything in the app like the QR code and meeting location and my favorite part about get your guide is you're able to cancel your tour or experience 24 hours up until it starts you get all your money back if you want to support an and so we can keep making videos just like this one all you have to do is book your tours through the links down in the description below or those QR codes that you see pop up on the screen throughout our videos it really helps us we get a little bit of Kickback thank you let's get back to the video Woo now let's move on to number five shabuya just like the Shinjuku neighborhood shabuya is one of the liveliest places in the entire city and where majority of tourists stay during their time in Tokyo this is the area I stayed in for Five Nights at a capsule hotel which is around $100 a night Japan is notorious for using every inch of space possible and that's why capsu hotels were created here in 1979 so of course I had to try one out myself I stay at a place called The Millennials and I could not recommend it enough even though you get this small little capsule it was all I needed for the trip because I probably only slept 5 hours a night because I want to do as much as possible shabuya is home to the iconic shabuya Crossing where more than 500,000 people walk across every single day making it the busiest crosswalk in the entire world the energy here was mind-blowing and I couldn't believe this many people could cross without hitting each other this whole area is wild everyday but especially on the weekends where you'll find street performers and customized cars throwing dance parties right in the middle of the road The shabuya Crossing area will make you feel like you're in a fast and furious movie real quick and it was just amazing to be a part of it's definitely a sight to see any time of day but I definitely like the nighttime the most basically everything in Tokyo is more fun at night so be ready to stay up late if you do come to the shabuya crossing make sure to explore all the buildings surrounding it because you will find the most interesting stores like this Pokémon Center here you could pay around 1,700 yen to use a lounge filled with tables that have Pokémon mats inside you can live out your Pokemon dream as you sit with random opponents and face them in Pokémon while eating and drinking your hard away one thing I wish I knew more about is Japanese anime because the amount of anime stories and events going on was endless in this area I feel like I walked into so many different worlds I didn't know anything about but at least I got to see all the excitement that people were feeling because these people were so happy also I know watching people walk across the street doesn't sound that exciting but if you do have the extra time you can visit the magnet which is an observation deck high above the shabuya crossing you pay 1,600 Yen or around $10 to enter and that includes a beer or drink of your choice I only spent around 15 minutes up here so it was super quick but definitely spectacular to see all those tiny humans walking across the street another fun spot to visit in Shibuya is a massive store called Don kyot which is eight floors of every item you could ever imagine it's a famous discount chain that is open 24/7 and is just so much fun to walk around and explore I came here one day to get a suitcase because I bought way too many souvenirs and I ended up getting even more stuff including this cute cat stuffed animal for my wife and I's future baby that's not even born yet shabuya is filled to the brim with every type of store restaurant karaoke bar and anything else you could think of so be ready to have no plan and just let the night take you up next we have number six Takashi street right in between shabuya and Shinjuku is a 350 M shopping street that is filled to the brim with clothing stores the most unique food and even animal cafes which I I don't recommend doing but more on that later before getting to takash Street my brother showed me a vintage clothing street that was only a 5minute walk away called cat Street this is a perfect spot for those of you that are into vintage clothing of any kind because they seriously have it all here it was so fun seeing all the stores that were dropping limited edition items because the lines were down the street people take it really serious here but if there's one store you need to visit on this street it's the Vintage Ralph Lauren store it's probably one of the most impressive stores I have ever been in ever everything was such a vibe in here and you can even customize your clothing if you want after a minute walk from here you'll hit takasha Street and this will be another sensory overload moment in Tokyo there is just so many people and so much going on all around you the first thing I did here was try a traditional Japanese snack called Ichigo which is strawberries on a stick that are coated in a thin crunchy layer of glassy sugar I still don't know how I feel about this one but anything with sugar is good enough for my sweet tooth let's be honest there were so many places serving the the craziest food I have ever seen so definitely make sure to come on the street if you want to experience flavors you've never had in your entire life another thing I saw all over this street were animal cafes I saw a mini pig Cafe cat and dog cafes owl cafes and even an otter Cafe now I know it sounds fun but it definitely seemed off to me especially because all day and night people are paying to go inside these small cafes to interact with these animals and that just can't be good for them just try your best to stay away from these places but definitely come to the street because it will be one of the most interesting spots you'll experience in Tokyo now let's move on to number seven Japanese dance Cabaret I had a couple extra hours one day so I decided to book this random Japanese dance show and I seriously had no idea what I was getting myself into this show was by far one of the most surprising and impactful things I experienced in Tokyo and I could not recommend it enough I'm not kidding you when I say this I full on cried during this show it was not prepared at all for the storyline it's a 2-hour experience where you show up an hour before to meet the cast that are all dressed up in traditional clothing and everyone was so nice and welcoming during the first hour before the show starts you get served unlimited drinks so be sure to get there on time so you get your money's worth I don't really want to give anything away but they basically storytelling so there's no talking and it's all music the entire time the costume changes were phenomenal and don't get me wrong even though I cried it was still a lot of fun and excitement if you want to go to this exact same show you could scan this QR code on the screen right here and I cannot wait to hear what you think about it make sure to leave a small Brief Review down in the comment section after you go now up next is number eight team lab planets if there's one thing I have seen constantly on social media it's this immersive art installation I decided to go at one of the last time slots around 8:00 p.m. at night hoping it would be a little less crowded but I was dead wrong of course it's probably a little less crowded than midday but I don't want any of you thinking you'll have this place to yourself it's just too popular now make sure to scan the QR code on the screen right here to purchase tickets in advance because they do sell out and I just want you to get the time slot that you want there are three different sections to explore in this place you have water garden and open air the first one up for me was water so you actually have to take off your shoes and put them in a locker because you'll definitely be getting wet throughout this entire time in this section you'll walk through dark hallways leading to a waterfall and then enter into a mirrored room filled with water in this room lights from above are projecting colorful koi fish swimming all around you and the mirrors make this room appear so much larger than it actually was which was super trippy next up was the infinite Crystal Universe which creates a sensation of floating in space in my opinion this was definitely the most impressive room because everything is mirrored and there are thousands of LED light strands hanging from the ceiling and changing color to the music playing I definitely got lost in this area quite a bit because it was much larger than I thought there's also this pretty large open space area in here I can't really explain this room it was just an extraordinary feeling and I just hope all of you enjoy it as much much as I did right after the crystal Universe you head into this room with huge colorful Spears was super interesting to duck and crawl around to be honest I have never experienced art like this before but I definitely enjoyed it way more than going to a traditional Art Museum that's for sure last up was the garden section starting with an area where you lay on your back and are surrounded by projections of flowers blooming all around you right after this was my second favorite room which is called the floating flower garden in this room you are surrounded by over 13,000 real living orchids that are moving up and down as you crouch and walk through there's actually sensors on the flowers so when you walk through the sensors create a bubble of space around you giving the impression that the flowers are responding to your movements even though this place is kind of a tourist trap it's definitely a must do because it only takes around 1 to 2 hours depending how fast you go and let me tell you it was all mindblowing now let's move on to Number Nine kabashi Street kabashi Street also known as kitchen town is by far the best place to go for souvenirs in all of Tokyo there are endless stores selling all sorts of kitchen wear like sushi rolling mats high-end pots and pans and of course Japanese knives this Street's only a 10-minute walk away from senoji Temple but all the stores close around 6:00 p.m. so if you're wanting to go to the temple at night make sure to come to this street beforehand I went to a place called Suzuki knife and right when I walked in I couldn't believe the amount of different knives in the wall the guys in here spent 30 minutes explaining all sorts of different styles and price points which made me super confident and excited about what I pck picked you can get a really nice Japanese knife for around $170 but they can go all the way up to $5,000 which is so wild to me I ended up getting a knife for my wife Anna because she is obsessed with cooking and let me tell you this knife is unbelievably sharp and beautiful you can get an engraved here too which is a great gift option if you're buying for someone else there are so many different stores lining up the street so don't feel the need to go to this exact one you should go look around talk to the teams and find a knife at a price point that works for you this street is also filled with tons of handmade ceramic shops and you wouldn't believe how amazing some these pieces were I actually blame this street for me needing to buy another suitcase because I ended up buying way too many things but I think I did it because we just moved down to our new home in Florida so I got a little excited huge tip is to bring your passport with you whenever you go shopping around Tokyo especially on this street if you bring your passport you don't need to pay taxes on the things you buy which ended up saving me hundreds of dollars throughout my trip another major tip is to visit this restaurant that I can't pronounce only a 4minute walk away from this knife Street you walk in take off your shoes and sit on the ground at a table with a hot plate right in the middle this place has been specializing in Oki nyaki which is a traditional Japanese pancake that is filled with cabbage egg flour and assortment of other ingredients based on what you like I ended up ordering one with scallops pork and shrimp and it was absolutely phenomenal and one of my favorite dishes I had during my 10 days in Japan they give you a bowl of ingredients and you dump it on the hot plate for 5 minutes on both sides when it's done cooking you add some special sauces and a dash of seaweed and wow was it delicious this place has been serving this dish for more than 80 years and I couldn't recommend eating here enough especially after all that tiring shopping you did now let's move on to number 10 Sky Lounge Rooftop Bar Tokyo has so many amazing rooftop bars you need to at least visit one on your trip the one I went to was called Sky Lounge Stellar Garden which had unbeatable panoramic views of the Tokyo Tower and the rest of the city this is a rooftop Lounge on the top floor of the Prince Park Tower Hotel and all you have to do is show up and you are seated on some comfy couches where you take in the endless views of the city next let's move on to number 11 taking a Mount Fuji day trip if you have the time going on a Daye trip to see Mount Fuji up close and personal is 1,000% worth it but there's one caveat you should only ever book a day trip if the weather is clear with no clouds or rain Mount Fuji is notorious for having its own weather pattern so even if it's a sunny day out it may still be covered in clouds that's why I suggest really keeping an eye on the weather not putting pressure on it and only go if you have enough time I want to be clear the day trip I took to Mount Fuji worked out because we ended up seeing the mountain for more than an hour without clouds but I think the experience would have sucked if we didn't get to see it at all if you have the time I recommend staying out near Mount Fuji for 2 days at some of the awesome hotels in the area and get up early for Sunrise which is the best time to see Mount Fuji without clouds I ended up hiring a driver from Tokyo for the day brought some random strangers I met in my capsule hotel and he took us to a couple different locations surrounding Mount Fuji it was actually a really fun day because I had no expectations or really knew where we were going at all it's around a 2-hour drive from Tokyo and a 2-hour drive back so it ended up being a long 10-hour day if you want to go on the highest rated Day Tour from Tokyo make sure to scan the QR code on the screen right here and book a day that's clear like I said no clouds No Rain one of my favorite stuffs on this trip was at this Shrine in the forest surrounded by the biggest trees I have ever seen in my life these massive cedar trees are more than 1,000 years old they're wrapped in bows and they're there to actually protect the shrine of course during this day trip we visited the famous pagoto which has some of the best views of Mount Fuji right when you get there you'll have to walk up 400 stairs to the top where the pagota is but be careful because you might run into some bears or monkeys we didn't end up seeing any when we were there but I was actually super surprised to see these signs up here so be careful no matter what we visited during the middle of the day so of course it was unbelievably crowded but still the views were definitely worth it from up here Mount Fuji is a UNESCO world heritage site and the highest mountain in Japan standing at more than 3700 M high or 12,400 ft it's almost a perfectly symmetrical cone shape making it one of the most picturesque mountains in the entire world of course the best time to come up here would be for cherry blossom season which hits right at the end of March or the beginning of April I have heard heard crazy things about the crowds and prices during cherry blossom season so just be ready I was in Japan during mid January and one of the pluses of wintertime is Mount Fuji is supposed to be the clearest during the months of December January and February last but not least you can actually hike up Mount Fuji from early July through September and it can take anywhere from 5 to 8 hours depending on the trail and speed you go now let's move on to number 12 snowboarding in haido the reason I visited Japan in the first place was to go on a ski trip with my dad brother and Uncle for those of you that didn't know Japan has the most snowfall in the world with some ski resorts getting 15 M or more than 600 Ines of snow from Tokyo we flew into saporo airport which is on haido Japan's northernmost Island after an hour drive we stayed in a small coastal town called atoru and over the next 4 days we snowboarded at kiroro Resort let me tell you I have never seen more snow in my entire life it pretty much snowed non-stop for All 4 days we were there which made snowboarding unbelievable especially in the back country compared to the US Japan is extremely cheap to go snowboarding with lift tickets averaging around $55 per day and Rental gear averaging around $50 for boots a snowboard and helmet the food the mountain the snow the Japanese ons suns were all just phenomenal and I cannot wait to go back next year to try out another Resort I'm here to tell you visiting Japan in the winter for a ski trip and pairing it with a couple other locations like Tokyo will be one of your favorite trips you go on because it was definitely mine