TOKYO BUCKET LIST: FIVE THINGS YOU MUST SEE AND DO IN TOKYO

The title post says it all and as promised, the favorite part of my trip while in Japan was Tokyo. I have rounded up my top 5 things to do and see if you plan on visiting this beautiful destination. First of all, if you plan on visiting Japan, Tokyo is a must ok. Going to Japan and not going to Tokyo is like having a pool party without the pool. Its that serious people😀.

Tokyo is huge and it was just not humanly possible to go every in just two weeks. However, I did manage to make it to a few bucket list worthy spots.  

 I am going to start off with one of the most popular of all and that is the Shibuya Crossing. Yes, that same crossing from the Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift movie.This is the busiest crossing in the world which is always jam packed with people. All the lights at this intersection changes to red at the same time which I like to call "people time", hundreds of people scramble across in every direction and then it goes back to green for what I call "vehicle time" and this goes on like clock work. It is one of those things you have to see for yourself; tourist and locals literally go there just to cross the street. Here is a tip, if you really want  see the crossing in full action go into one of the buildings  surrounding the crossing to get a good overhead view. I went into Starbucks which had a pretty good view of it especially since the building housing Starbucks had transparent glass and seating right next to the windows. Talk about coffee with a view. I went both in night and at day time; PS..the night view was epic.

PS- I didn't get a good picture of the entire crossing, this is only one side of it with Pedestrian waiting to cross. FYI this is " Vehicle time".

Second on my list is Akihabara aka Electric Town, which is a highly vibrant area with tons and tons of Electronic Stores and if you're an Anime fan, well lets just say it doesn't get better than this. And Pro Bono, most of the stores offer tax free shopping to tourist; just remember to walk with your passport to show.

Japan has so many hidden gems and I found the Shrines to be one of the most fascinating part of the Japanese culture. I was beyond elated when I found this Miniature Tori Gates at the Hie Shrine tucked away in Akasaka, Tokyo. And since I didn't get the chance to go to Kyoto, I think this was a good alternative. The Tori gates are usually found at entrance of or within the Shinto Shrine and they symbolize the entry into a sacred place.

The Imperial Palace in Chiyoda is fourth on the list, my friend and I wonder out of the busy city center and for a few minutes I was sure we were lost, we ended up in Chiyoda and was wondering if we were still in Tokyo. This areas was so different with lots of corporate buildings and green spaces. Then boom! smacked in the middle of all this is the Imperial Palace which is huge with miles of garden and open spaces most of which is surrounded by massive stones walls.

I saved my favorite place for last and that is Shinjuku which is a massive shopping area in Tokyo. It houses a lot of  the high end stores from Channel to Hermes, Rolex and Gucci to stores more fitting my bank account like H&M, Zara and Forever 21 Haha! And of course there is a restaurant or food spot at every corner. I love Sushi and since Japan is the Mecca of Sushi it was a must have. Also, if you ever visit this area, be sure to go to the Isetan Mall which has loads of stores and a huge food court minus the seating; you might get a little confused with the wide selection of food to choose from. 

Japan is a long way for those living on the Western side of the world, but I guarantee you its worth the coins and the 2Days Flight. 

JAPAN- KAMAKURA KOTOKUIN TEMPLE

They say if we were meant to stay in one place we would have roots instead of feet. Since the start of 2017 I made a decision to start being more adventurous, so I set out to do more travelling both locally, as you might have seen from my Island Trekking category hear on the blog and also internationally. Call it a case of wanderlust; by the way I see that term being used loosely across social media, must be a trend; we all know how people love to hop on trends. Anyhow; since my sister lives in Japan it became one of the first places to tick off my bucket list. I am not sure why the majority of people in Jamaica are of the notion that America, Canada and UK are the only foreign countries worth visiting; that's crazy right? My exactly sentiments. Don't get me wrong America is great and Canada and UK are on my bucket list, but there are so many other unique places to see as well and Japan is definitely one of them.

Where do I begin, Japan is nothing short of amazing; from the culture, its people to the amazing cities; I knew I was in for a treat the moment I got there. The people are so organized and orderly, I was amazed by how people actually line up to get on a train and how they stand to one side of the escalator to allow way. One of the things that was quite interesting for me is how they don't toot there car horns; I mean tooting your horn is a language in Jamaica, we toot to say thank you, hello, get out the way, go ahead... you get the gist. I think its safe to say that Japan has one of the best customer service in the world; well,it is the best I have ever experienced and did I mention how clean the place is? It is really something to truly appreciate. How they fuse modern infrastructure along with  ancient monuments is simply AMAZING. From huge high rise buildings  that scrape the sky with dazzling city lights at night to Imperial Palaces and Shrines that take you back in  time. This doesn't begin to sums up the aura of this spectacular place.

First stop was Kamakura, where my sister and I visited the Kotokuin Temple and what a sight to behold. Here sits the Great  Big Buddha statue towering over us with such overwhelming presence;  a true celebrity having been hounded by camera lens from across the world time and time again. I definitely recommend anyone planning on visiting Japan to add this to their list of things to see.

Sneakers were the order for the day and these Vans are very comfortable and easy to move around in. I paired them with my now favorite butt rip jeans and this grey bodysuit. You can just call me the denim gal cause I am seriously addicted to jeans people.  I topped off the look with these frames from quayaustralia which has been perfect especially since  I have been going very light on makeup due to this humid Japan weather.

There are so many things to see and do in Japan, it can be a bit overwhelming. I was able to cover some of the main areas in the  Kanagawa and Tokyo Prefectures as they call it in Japan; which in layman terms is similar to a State or City depending on where you are in the world.  Up next is my favorite place I visited while in Japan. So stay tuned for the next blog post. Xo Sher.