10 Hours in Tokyo

Taking on Tokyo is no small task. Doing so on layover is next to impossible, though that didn’t stop me from trying. With 38 million residents, tokyo is among the largest cities in the world so I focused my explorations on Asakusa, a not-too-crazy-but-still-bustling neighborhood between downtown and Narita airport.

Long layovers are a great way to get a “sample” of a place and to also stretch the legs, a necessity when embarking on the 30-hour journey between the US and Jakarta, Indonesia. As a cherry on top, I was kindly bumped up to Business Class between Tokyo and Jakarta - for free! After getting plenty of rest in my spacious reclined seat (complete with a footrest, slippers and moisturizing eye mask), I was ready to explore Tokyo on my ten hour layover.

With a sense of determination and efficiency that would make any Japanese citizen swoon, I hit the main sites of the city. As the cherry on top of the first cherry, I only spent a total of $50 on transportation, food and activities, which is a feat that would make any poor budget traveler swoon just as hard.

the details

Getting there

After arriving in the city and having a near meltdown at the mere site of bus and train maps (how does anyone get anywhere in the confusing mayhem that is a Tokyo station!?), I finally made it on the right bus to get to Asakusa, mostly thanks to a guy who wrote a nice bilingual map for me. (Bus: ¥1000, $10 one-way)

The bus takes an hour each direction, which I used to catch up on sleep. Normally I would feel bad for missing a great view or taking in the landscape, however, Tokyo isn’t much of a looker and beautiful scenery isn’t its strong suit. Let’s just say that if the DMV were a large city it would look a lot like Tokyo; very grey, slightly austere, and full of people on a mission to avoid making any unnecessary eye contact.

getting around

Sticking to one neighborhood, I found that walking was the way to go. What better way to explore than by meandering down streets, stopping at every cafe that catches your eye, and people-watching along the way? The streets were a blur of gray and black, with people in suits, blazers, and crisp white collared shirts walking briskly between destinations, set on completing the journey in complete silence. It is a severe understatement to say that this city down to business, and after being in overly-friendly Indonesia for so long, Japan was a strange land.

when to layover

While layovers can be tempting, I always weigh the pros and cons of doing so. In this case, my layover was in the middle of the day, the destination was close to the airport, and the process of entering and exiting the airport was easy. Depending on the season, I may have skipped it altogether.

DEC - MAR | 45-55° F

While this is low season, Tokyo is a tourist destination year-round with busy streets and prices about the same. If you have cold clothes for a layover, go for it! If not, maybe save it for another time.

Apr - jun | 55-70° F

Catch the cherry blossoms blooming in early April or just relish in the city as it warms up. As the busiest time of the year you’ll want ample time to shuttle between the airport.

Jul - Aug | 80-90° F

If you are mentally and physically prepared to get sweaty and fight the crowds, then by all means, layover during a Tokyo summer! I can’t say I would though…

Sep - Nov | 65-80° F

Oh sweet, perfect fall, how I love thee. I stopped over in October and loved that the weather was ideal, and that the city was bustling but the crowds were still bearable.

things to do

kaminarimon gate

This highly crowded area of food stalls, souvenirs, and picture-takers is the entrance to Senso-Ji temple. While the gate was originally constructed in the year 942, the temple seen today was built in 1960. Its thousand-year past experienced an astounding number of fires and had been burned down over and over. The gate is protected on either side by the Buddhist gods of wind and thunder, Fujin and Raijin, respectively, although it would seem that they need a fire god to watch over it too.

senso-Ji temple

This is the main site in Asakusa, as confirmed by the large number of people visiting. In front of the temple yare fortune boxes where you can shake a can of sticks, pull one out and find its corresponding box to receive your fortune. All for the low price of for ¥100 ($1)! With gusto, I shook the can to be shown my glowing future, except when I found my paper, it read “Bad Fortune.” As one can imagine, this was quite dissatisfying.

Eager to have a Japanese paper tell me that I’m doing okay in life, I tried once more. On my second attempt I received “Bad Fortune Lack” (whatever that means). Irritated at these annoying pieces of paper, I tried once more and again got “Bad Fortune.“ In fact, my wise paper said, “Although you do your best and sincerity to others, it’s useless just like burning incense to the sky… You will spend a long, hard time working on many useless things.” Wonderful.

Luckily (pun-intended, just not for unlucky me), if you get a bad fortune you can tie it to a rack so that it won’t follow you home. I was happy to oblige. Three times. Basically, I spent $3 to find out that, according to the Japanese, my future is looking as grim as their skyline. Hopefully you’ll be far luckier than myself should you visit Senso-Ji Temple.

ashai beer headquarters

If you want to see a phenomenal view of the skyline, look no further. To get there, just look for the golden turd and complementary gold-faced building, until you’ve reached the doors of Asahi. From there, go up to the 22nd floor. You must buy something to enjoy the view, so I purchased a $5 pint of beer with a side of Tokyo skyline. (Side note: The view was far more impressive than the beer.)