15 Things Only Tourists in Tokyo Have Experienced

If you have ever been to Tokyo you’re sure to have experienced some of the below things! Haven’t quite made it out there yet? Then check out my 5 day Tokyo itinerary here, and my 3 day Kyoto itinerary here. Happy reading!

Got Lost in Shinjuku Station and Had A Blazing Row with Your Partner

A trip to Shinjuku station should come with a warning because it’s pretty much impossible to find your way around that jungle. Not only is it the world’s busiest station, but there are also over 200 exits in total! Staying at a hotel in Shinjuku and arriving into that station with all your luggage in tow is just asking for trouble!

Forgotten to Take Your Shoes Off Somewhere Before Entering

We’ve all done it at least once, sometimes even places where you don’t expect to take your shoes off, like certain restaurants or the changing rooms in clothing stores require you to remove your shoes before entering. That’s why it’s always essential that when in Japan, wear your best socks!

Got Excited to Use a Toto Toilet

I bet you even took photos the first time you saw a washlet toilet, right? It all seems so exciting, the mysterious buttons, the fountain-like jets of water, the flushing sounds that play over the speakers, the heated seats. Every country should have these delightful facilities.

Spent Ages Wandering Around the Convenience Store

You can do almost everything in a Japanese convenience store, from buying concert tickets to instant meals. Nothing is more fun when you first arrive in Tokyo than browsing the shelves of the nearest convenience store and looking at all the food. Fruit sandwiches! Familymart chicken! Pizza man! Before you realize it, you’ve spent an hour in there, and the staff are giving you suspicious looks.

Been Amazed by the Number of Vending Machines

Vending machines are everywhere in Tokyo, on the street, in train stations, hotels, and inside apartment buildings. And the drinks machines even have seasonal modes, so the canned coffee changes to hot instead of ice during the winter. AMAZING!

Accidentally Scared a Japanese Person Just by Being Foreign

You haven’t experienced the real Japan if you haven’t seen the flash of fear cross someone’s face when you approach them. However, once both parties realise it’s not the end of the world that you don’t both speak the same language fluently, things become a lot easier!

Ordered Something from a Menu Having No Clue What It Is

If you’ve ever been to a traditional Japanese restaurant or izakaya without an English menu, chances are you have just ended up pointing at some random menu item without having the faintest clue what it is. It makes eating out seem so much more adventurous! Fingers crossed you didn’t select the natto…

Tried to Speak Japanese but the Japanese Person Didn’t Understand

You’ve heard that English isn’t widely spoken in Japan so you thought you would make an effort to learn a few Japanese phrases, however, when you tried it out on a local, they just gave you a blank stare or replied in English. Language fail.

Got Drunk at Karaoke

You haven’t had a real night out in Tokyo unless you have sung karaoke until your throat hurts, stumbled out drunk, and missed the last train home. It hurts like hell the next day, but it was all worth the pain.

Bought a Load of Random Kit Kat Flavours

I mean, you don’t even like Kit Kats that much, but the opportunity to buy exotic flavors like yuzu or baked potato seemed too good to pass up at the time. Reality hits when you return home and have to spend the next few weeks actually eating them…

Bought an Extra Bag to Take Home All the Crap You Bought at Daiso

It’s hard not to get excited the first time you experience the wonders of Daiso and all the 100 yen treats it offers. The problem is before you realize it, you have bought too much stuff to fit in your suitcase and the price of an extra bag to fit in all your purchases kind of erases the fact that everything costs 100 yen.

Taken Photos of the Shinkansen as it Pulls into the Station

Ooh, ahh, it’s the famous Japanese bullet train, the best and fastest train in the world! Whilst the Japanese calmly board the trains without fuss, tourists stand on the platform, cameras poised, ready to snap photos of the train as it arrives.

Waited in Line for Ages to Take a Photo with Hachiko

The small statue outside Shibuya station ALWAYS has a line of tourists waiting to have their photo taken with Tokyo’s most famous pooch. Bet you waited for ages too, right?

Almost Got Crushed Walking Down Harajuku’s Takeshita Dori

Thought you’d spend some time browsing the shops in Harajuku, did you? Wrong! You arrive at Harajuku station and cross the road to Takeshita street only to be swept away in a sea of tourists, unable to move or stray from the herd. It takes you around 30 minutes to move 400 meters.

Tried and Failed to Get Video Footage Manouvering Shibuya’s Scramble Crossing

Shibuya. Home of the world’s most famous pedestrian crossing. Wouldn’t it be fun to take a bit of video footage as I make my way across the chaos? you thought to yourself. Think again, buddy. They don’t call it a scramble for nothing.

How many of these things have you done in Tokyo? Tell me your stories in the comments!