Tokyo: Notes from a Recent Trip

A loose set of notes from a few days in Tokyo, mostly food and neighbourhoods.

Neighbourhoods

Yanaka � old shitamachi feel, temples, small shops, cats. Good for a slow morning walk.

Shimokitazawa � vintage shops, small live music venues, good coffee. Young crowd but not overwhelming.

Koenji � similar vibe to Shimokitazawa but quieter. Worth an afternoon.

Food

Ramen at a counter at 11am before the queue builds. Tonkatsu set lunch � absurdly good value. Depachika basement food halls for everything else.

The 7-Eleven egg salad sandwich is not a meme, it is genuinely excellent.

Practical

IC card (Suica) handles all transit. Download Google Maps offline before landing. Most places still cash-preferred outside the tourist areas.