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Tokyo in December

Posted on 10/3/25 at 5:07 am
Posted by 7empest
Member since Sep 2019
62 posts
Posted on 10/3/25 at 5:07 am
Headed to Tokyo on December 9th to see Tool.
We will be there until the 15th.
What are the must see do's and don'ts?
We are staying at the Hilton in Tokyo

Thanks in advance!!
Posted by Fun Bunch
New Orleans
Member since May 2008
127840 posts
Posted on 10/3/25 at 8:57 am to
Tool is my favorite band but that is far to travel to see them

I'll actually be there a short time before that.

Bro, what to see and do...Tokyo is the largest city in the world and you are flying up on those dates, it requires a massive amount of preparation

The Hilton is in Shinjuku, albeit on the "quieter" side of Shinjuku. Its possibly the busiest area in all of Tokyo (so therefore maybe the World) on the other side of the station. Shinjuku station is absolutely massive, and the busiest train station in the entire world. I'll be staying in that area too. Public transport is awesome. If you have an iPhone, you can add the Suica Card to use for it on your Apple Wallet. Very easy and convenient.

On the other side of the station in the eastern part of Shinjuku is the "party" area of Tokyo. You have the red light district (Kabukicho) there. Golden Gai is one of the famous areas/alley ways with tons of bars and little restaurants. As is "Piss Alley", super famous alley with bars and little grills.

Below Shinjuku is a massive park with Meiji Jingu shrine. Below that is Shibuya, the "other" super famous and crowded nightlife area of Tokyo, famous for the Shibuya Scramble Crossing, the busiest intersection in the world. You can get tickets to an overlook with an amazing view called Shibuya Sky.

To the East you have Asakusa famous for the most popular tourist destination in Tokyo, the Senso-Ji Temple. Neighborhood around it is filled with food stalls.

Below that a bit is the famous Tsukiji Outer Fish Market, with tons of things to eat, only open in the morning to early midday.

Ginza is the shopping district with glitzy stores. Closed to most car traffic on the weekends I think.

Some reservations I have made:

Sushi Hatsume Shinjuku (Omakase)
Pizza Marumo (Tokyo has a few of the best pizza restaurants in the world)
Tsukada Shabu Shabu Shibuya

Places I am going to without a reservation:

Tsujihan in Azbudai Hills (for Kaisen Don bowls)
Osaka Kitchen Honten for Okonomyaki
EDW Yellow for Omurice
Might try and make one at Hachigou for michelin ramen


There is SO fricking much going on in Tokyo that you really have to plan accordingly. You do not need to make reservations if you do not care about waiting in line (there WILL be lines, trust me) and you don't want anything high end.

Christmas Lights will be up in a lot of places.

I will also be going to Kyoto, but you don't appear to have time for that. You could take a day trip to Mount Fuji. It will be cold as frick in Tokyo, there could be snow at that time.

Get a guidebook like Lonely Planet.

Kanpai!
Posted by Fun Bunch
New Orleans
Member since May 2008
127840 posts
Posted on 10/3/25 at 9:01 am to
Also, if you are ARRIVING in Tokyo on the 9th...

You may have enough time to do Kyoto if you wanted to. It might be a little rushed, but 2 hours on the bullet train away.

Also they do not use Yelp there, and google reviews are unreliable.

They use Tabelog. You can read it in English. Its a 1-5 star system, but they think differently there. 5 stars is impossible. The best restaurant in Japan is like a 4.6 or something. Anything above 3 is very good, anything above 3.5 is amazing, anything above 4 is absolutely stunning world class food
This post was edited on 10/3/25 at 9:13 am
Posted by Teddy Ruxpin
Member since Oct 2006
40578 posts
Posted on 10/3/25 at 11:53 am to
quote:

Azbudai Hills


If you're in this area give these guys a shot.

Matsukan Azabujuban
Posted by 7empest
Member since Sep 2019
62 posts
Posted on 10/3/25 at 12:00 pm to
Thank you for the tips!! I've been saving a bunch of stuff from TikTok (don't judge), Including Restaurants, parks, and temples.

On the way home, our ladies are meeting us in Honolulu and we are seeing Tool again on the 19th... It should be a fantastic trip!!

Posted by Fun Bunch
New Orleans
Member since May 2008
127840 posts
Posted on 10/3/25 at 12:25 pm to
Yeah judging from the name you’re kinda a big fan

I used TikTok a lot for this trip but do remember TikTok tends to be about aesthetics a lot over other things.

If it’s a guy trip you’ll definitely want to spend time in Kabukicho (do NOT get suckered into going places by all the people approaching you with bar “deals”), Golden Gai, Omiode etc

If you guys are into Anime and that sort of thing, you’ll want to go to Akihabra, and maybe Harajuku/Takeshita Street
Posted by H2O Tiger
Delta Sky Club
Member since May 2021
7666 posts
Posted on 10/8/25 at 10:14 am to
I stayed at the Hilton Tokyo and really liked the location. Just starting to write up my trip report on it and will have it up on Tiger Droppings soon.

Japan Trip Report
Posted by Fun Bunch
New Orleans
Member since May 2008
127840 posts
Posted on 10/8/25 at 10:38 am to
I am very much looking forward to that. Your reports are always amazing

However 1 night in Kyoto? And its all the way in Arashiyama?
Posted by H2O Tiger
Delta Sky Club
Member since May 2021
7666 posts
Posted on 10/8/25 at 10:43 am to
We took the train to Kyoto early in the morning, spent the day in the city, stayed at the Onsen (car service) and then headed back into Kyoto the next morning and didn't leave for Osaka until dinner. So really 2 days in Kyoto. Honestly, we probably spent one day too many in Tokyo.
Posted by LemmyLives
Texas
Member since Mar 2019
13315 posts
Posted on 10/8/25 at 12:38 pm to
quote:

Christmas Lights will be up in a lot of places.





Probably not the Christmas lights you were expecting, lol.

Also, there are heavy metal bars around the city. This is an example. I was at a similar joint near Shinagawa that was even smaller, the owner would pick out random VHS tapes to introduce me to music I hadn't heard before.

ETA: When the trains stop running, they stop running. Most cabs, etc., will disappear too. Be very aware of how late you are out; Shinjuku may not be a problem, but you won't believe what a ghost town the streets turn into when everything closes, and it happens fast.
This post was edited on 10/8/25 at 12:45 pm
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