Hi Everyone:

i find myself in Tokyo in a few days:
Dates:

• Flying in on March 25, 2023
• Fly out on April 2, 2023 (evening flight)

Accommodations and where I'l be

• On Saturday March 25 to Monday March 27th, I'm staying at the Oakwood Premier in Chiyoda City.
• March 27 to April 2 I'll be staying at the Tokyo Westin.
• My office is in Shibuya and I'll be there from Monday to Friday.
• I'll be able to sneak out 1-2 evenings by myself but since we have folks flying in from many destinations, I'm sure folks will want to hang out since we've not seen each other since before the pandemic started.

About me:

• Vegetarian but love good food that fits my palate
• I do not drink alcohol and prefer quieter settings.
• Love historical settings.
• I like to walk around cities taking in the vibe, history and culture.

What to do: Would love your recommendations on what I can do.

• I have 1 full Sunday an entire Saturday and perhaps half day Sunday (April 2).
• The day I land (March 25 3 PM) I was hoping to take a nice evening walk to keep myself awake and beat jet lag.
• I hear its Cherry blossom festival? What are some cool walks I can take to capture it all? Where to go? What to do?
• Must see things for first time Tokyo visitors?

What to buy

• Would love to buy gifts (sweet and savory) to take back home (for family and coworkers)
• Unique Japan items for home? Decorative, electronics, kitchenware - anything.
• Anything else that I may just be completely oblivious of?

What to eat

• Vegetarian recommendations? Hole in the wall + upscale recommendations please?

As always, thank you so much!

As you are only there for a very short time, you clear
y need to be very focused on identifying what it is you want to do, see and where to go. On a short visit to Tokyo at the very beginning of the pandemic, I found this website to be very useful https://trulytokyo.com/first-time-in-tokyo/ , possibly more so than the usual suspects like Japan guide.

As for what to buy, I collect kitchen knives and so headed for the Kappabashi area which is renowned for its kitchen supplies. High end Japanese knives are as much works of art as they are useful kitchen implements!

It's no secret that Asakusa is the top historic area of Tokyo, a city that has very little left of any kind of history. Other sites are far less interesting.

Japanese cuisine is hard on vegetarians because of the prominence of dashi, so it depends on what kind of vegetarian you are. I have a friend who is a lifelong vegetarian, but is pretty much ignorant of ingredients so he doesn't question too much.

Go to Shinjuku Gyoen for cherry blossoms. And to Ueno Park.
Meiji Jingu and maybe Harajuku.

Tokyo Westin is nice. A bit of a distance from Ebisu station but there are moving/covered walkways. There is a sushi place near the station that I really like, but not veg.

It is hard to say where you should visit as you have very little free time. Have no idea as to what you can eat as I do not know your restrictions. There is a Mitsukoishi department store across the street from the Westin and you could peruse their basement food hall. The Isetan department store in Shinjuku however has a much more extensive array of foods. The Westin is very nice and about a 10-15 minute walk to the train/subway station. Cherry blossoms can be viewed at Ueno, Shinjuku Gyoen or Imperial Palace. Anything related to cooking may be found at Kappabashi as Crellston suggests. I have been unfortunately banned from buying more kitchen knives after buying my last custom petty. Ahkihabara if you are interested in electronics or anime. I need to replace my cartridge for my turntable on my next visit. Asakusa is one of my favorite areas to explore mostly because it is easier to find traditional Japanese cooking in the area. other areas to consider are the area east of Shinjuku train station, Harajuku if you are young and maybe Ginza?

Kabuchiko, north of Shinjuku station to see Gojira-san.

FYI looks like Cherry blossoms start around March 14 in Tokyo so you might just see the tail end of the cherry blossoms

For purchasing gifts Tokyo department stores have good selection and are easy to shop even if you don't speak Japanese. They also have very nice available toilets. Someone recommended one above near the Westin for the food hall in the basement but the housewares sections on upper level may be good too.

And I agree about Asakusa, an area with traditional buildings and the temple. We stayed near there and enjoyed the atmosphere very much. It also has a lot of small stalls where you can purchase gift items like pretty chopsticks and small purses made of kimono silk repurposed.

Finally, if you are looking for culture consider the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. It is in the middle of Ueno Park which makes a lovely walk. From its website it is open late on Fridays if there is a special exhibit on. https://www.tobikan.jp/en/

Baseball (NPB) opening days are March 30 and 31. There are multiple teams in Tokyo, one in Yokohama, and another in Chiba.

The Ueno hoshino trees were approaching full bloom this morning (Japan Time). Rain/wind over the weekend won't be good for them. Other tree varieties are elsewhere in Tokyo (e,g, Shinjuku Gyoen), so maybe good for next weekend, April 1-2.

Lots of good cherry blossom viewing recommendations so far. Another very nice one, a short walk from the Westin is the Meguro river walk, lined with hundreds of cherry blossom trees up to Naka Meguro. In Naka Meguro there are more trees running parallel to the Naka Meguro station.

Unfortunately, the Mitsukoshi across the Westin closed down several years ago, but the facility has been refurbished and filled with new stores including a Foodies Garden market filling the entire basement. It’s turned from a rather staid, sparsely used space to a very lively area. Verve Coffee a place we frequent in Santa Cruz, CA opened a cafe there which was a pleasant surprise.

Next to the Westin is the Glass Square office tower. On the top is Konbuya, an excellent oden restaurant with delicious food. A plus is the beautiful night view of Tokyo. Very popular so reservations are strongly suggested.

Am sorry to hear the Mitsukoshi has closed. Was last at the Westin in 2019. My friends told me that department stores were struggling due to internet shopping and COVID probably was the last straw.

mjs, it was unfortunate Mitsukoshi closed. When we finally were able to visit Japan again, a few of our favorite neighborhood mom and pop restaurants and shops didn’t survive which was sad.

There was a service apartment in back of the Westin for 30-90 day rentals we liked. On a very quiet street with lots of greenery, comfortable one bedroom, one bath apartments with full kitchen and in unit washer dryer. It also didn’t survive the pandemic and was sold for condos.

Besides Konbuya for oden, about a 5 minute walk from Ebisu station is Chankobeya, serving wrestlers hot pot. They have a vegetarian option with non-meat choices of ingredients. In Shibuya, Shinbu Sakiya serves vegetarian and vegan ramen.