Bar crawling in Tokyo

I never know what I’m supposed to do in Tokyo.

With most places, I can do a few Google searches, browse the Airbnb Experiences on offer, check Google Maps for local museums, and get a good idea of the “must-dos” in a place and then decide if they’re a must-do for me.

Tokyo, though, is a choose-your-own-adventure city.

Do you want to do the culinary version? The anime/manga version? Nerd out on obscure electronics? Go wild in the stationery stores? Visit a bunch of animal cafes?

No matter what route you pick, it’s arguably going to be shopping-and-eating focused. There aren’t many famous activities. (Except maybe driving go-karts through Shibuya, but ya girl never learned to drive and Tokyo is probably not the place to start.)

Sure, there are the usual food tours, art museums, and temples, but none of them have the same level of notoriety you find in other parts of Japan.

The “must-dos” in Tokyo are arguably more based on personal preference than they are in other big cities.

Since I’m not a big shopper, and hotels are pricey, my instinct is to limit my time in Tokyo. And yet, I never do! Because it’s is the cocktail capital of Japan, and also where I have the most friends to visit.

Which means Tokyo is a city that really embodies “between drinks” for me.

I plan my days around friends’ work schedules, slot in the cafes/bars I want to hit up, and then go digging for things to do “between drinks.”

This time, it was a lot of wandering around various neighborhoods and popping into anything that looked interesting.

Was this worth the high hotel prices? No. But the bars and friends were!

And for that, I’ll put up with a communal bathroom for a few weeks.

My favorite spots in Tokyo

AKA the places I go to every time I visit

Museum: d47Omakase: Sushi RyutaStationery: Itoya (the Ginza location, specifically)Cocktails: Virtu, SG Club, Qwang

Links poured just for you

Winners of the Japanese Stationery Election 💌
I’m both mad and glad that a friend shared this after I left last week.Why airlines launch unexpected routes ✈️
Read this while on a flight from Beijing to Tijuana, a route that surely has its own unexpected backstory.How pickle lemonade took over the group chat 🥒
For my pickled friends

You know that moment when you’re checking a bag at the airport and they ask if you’re carrying any prohibited items?

You take a cursory glance at the laminated list but say no, of course not, as a formality, because who in their right mind is trying to fly with fireworks??

Well, let this be your reminder that lithium batteries are on that list! And lithium batteries are in everything! And if they do indeed perform a spot check, they will not just remove the battery but the whole device, and you will never get it back!

Coincidentally, this is how someone at the Beijing airport got a new camera (complete with all the accessories!) last weekend, and I am out ~$800 worth of gear. 🙈

Entirely my fault and, yet, a real kick in the ass.

xo,
Caro