Last March, I was given the opportunity to visit Tokyo right into the peak of its hanami season, which means sakura everywhere! This entry takes you through my first day.
Day 1 — March 30
Check-In
We stayed for 3 nights at GRIDS Hostel & Lounge Nihombashi East, which is pretty close to three stations: Bakurocho (JR Sobu Line), Bakuro-yokoyama (Toei Shinjuku Line), and Higashi-Nihombashi (Toei Asakusa Line).
We paid for our stay and dropped our bags to start exploring at 2PM, since check-in is at 4PM.
Asakusa
Our first stop is the closest temple to the hostel, Asakusa Kannon, a.k.a. Senso-ji. I’ve only been here once in December 2014, and it’s my first time seeing it this packed with tourists. That’s a peak season for you.
We took the side alleys along Nakamise-dori to the temple proper, and spotted this Melon Pan store. I remembered seeing it on the news before, and checked it out after offering prayers.
Asakusa Kagetsudou is along the alleyway to the right of Nakamise-dori after you go through the Kaminarimon.
Odaiba
Near Asakusa is Tokyo Bay’s manmade island, Odaiba. Odaiba houses major monuments and buildings like the full-scale Gundam Statue, Tokyo Big Sight, Miraikan, and Fuji Television HQ.
Gundam Front Tokyo
There’s a small Gundam Front store right behind the Gundam statue, but there’s a larger store inside DiverCity Tokyo. In addition to the store is a huge display room full of completed Gunpla kits.
I also happened to watch my first Mobile Suit Gundam series, which is the recently aired Iron Blooded Orphans. I loved it!
Akihabara
If you’re an anime fan, you’ll know that districts like Akihabara is always up to the latest trends. At this time, two major titles are booming: Osomatsu-san and Love Live!
These two titles are plastered all over Tokyo. Fans of Love Live! from Japan and abroad were everywhere in Tokyo as µ’s Final LoveLive! ~µ’sic Forever ~ was ongoing in Tokyo Dome.
Return to Home Base
At roughly 9PM, we made it back to our hostel and finally brought up our stuff to the dorm room. Had dinner at a nearby Matsuya, then settled down by midnight.
One thing I like about staying at a hostel instead of an AirBnb is I get to order stuff online (i.e. Mandarake, Amazon, etc.) ahead of the trip and have them delivered there. I just get it from the lobby when I check-in.
End of Day
Thank you for reading! Here’s the links to the rest of the trip. (COMING SOON)
- Tokyo Spring 2016 (Day 2)
- Tokyo Spring 2016 (Day 3)
- Tokyo Spring 2016 (Day 4)