Tokyo Archives - Differentville

Booked to go to Tokyo in Golden Week? Don’t Panic

January 1, 2020February 16, 2019 by Helen from Differentville

Mirrored shop front creating image of a crowd in Tokyo during Golden Week

Don’t go to Japan in Golden Week – say, every article, website and person who lives in Japan ever. So, imagine my horror when last year I realised I’d managed to do exactly that. Considering how many times I’ve been to Tokyo, how much time I spend reading about Tokyo or planning trips to Tokyo, … Read more

47 Unique Things to Do in Tokyo

January 2, 2020December 2, 2018 by Helen from Differentville

When people ask me why I love Tokyo, the answer is simple ‘I love the fact that there are so many weird and unique things to do there,’ For example, that one day someone said ‘let’s put a giant Godzilla head on the top of a hotel in the middle of Shinjuku – and then … Read more

Where to Find The Banana Vending Machine, Tokyo

March 14, 2020November 19, 2018 by Helen from Differentville

Woman ordering from the banana vending machine in Tokyo

Vending machines in Japan are amazing. You can buy everything from them – cold drinks, soup, beer – and in one machine, bananas. Every time I’ve been to Tokyo, a trip to the banana vending machine has been on my must-do list – so here’s how to add it to yours. Why is there a … Read more

Where to See a Robot in Tokyo: 9 Places You Need to Visit

January 2, 2020October 13, 2018 by Helen from Differentville

There aren’t many places in the world where wanting to see a robot is on people’s lists of must-dos – but Tokyo isn’t like many places in the world. So, if you’re wondering exactly where to see a robot in Tokyo, we have the answer. Whether you want your robot cute and fluffy, slightly scary … Read more

Tokyo’s First Female-Run Sushi Bar (and 6 Other Unusual Sushi Bars You Must Visit)

March 14, 2020September 29, 2018 by Helen from Differentville

female chef making sushi at Nadeshico in Tokyo

A restaurant totally staffed by women shouldn’t really make it onto a blog about the slightly quirky things to see in the world – it sounds pretty normal; but when it comes to making sushi in Japan female chefs are extremely rare – which makes Nadeshico, Tokyo’s first all-female staffed sushi restaurant, worth a visit (and it’s not the only unique sushi bar we found).

A Beginners Guide to Gachapon in Tokyo

January 2, 2020September 16, 2018 by Helen from Differentville

I’m standing in a maze of bright orange plastic. In the last minute alone thousands of yen have disappeared into the machines around me. All hear is the change machine spitting out coins, the ‘gacha gacha’ sound of a handle being turned and the clonk of tiny plastic balls falling down into slots. No, I’m not … Read more

What to do in Asakusa: Find Tanuki (and 14 Other Fun Things to Try)

March 13, 2020September 8, 2018 by Helen from Differentville

Tanuki statue in box in Tanuki Street, one of the fun things to do in Asakusa, Tokyo

I’m wandering around Asakusa, Tokyo on a Sunday morning on the search of a small Japanese creature – it’s got a cute little face, a tubby tummy, a jaunty little straw hat – and erm, giant balls! I’m talking about a tanuki, and this part of Tokyo has an entire road devoted to them. And, … Read more

Getting Up Close and Personal With Godzilla in Tokyo

January 2, 2020July 22, 2018 by Helen from Differentville

View of Godzilla head over Tokyo in Shinjuku

If you’re wandering around the northern part of Tokyo’s Shinjuku and hear a roar, don’t panic, it’s just the giant Godzilla on top of the Shinjuku Gracery Hotel doing it’s thing (well, hopefully). If you happen to be within eyeline of the Godzilla head you might even see him breathe fire – but what you might not … Read more

Sugamo, Tokyo: A Unique Part of the City Not To Miss

May 22, 2020July 16, 2018 by Helen from Differentville

It’s Saturday afternoon in Tokyo. A few miles away from where I am now, hundreds of people are wending their way across the iconic Shibuya crossing, or queuing up for the latest rainbow cheese sandwich in Harajuku – but where I am, you’d never know any of that existed. I’m in a place where there’s … Read more

What The Heck is the Tokyo Trick Art Museum?

March 12, 2020July 1, 2018 by Helen from Differentville

Illusion of being stuck in a wine glass at the Tokyo Trick Art Museum

‘Take me somewhere really Tokyo-esque that I wouldn’t go to on my own,’ I said to my friend Jonelle who lives in Tokyo on my first day in Japan. I admit, I was expecting her to take me some old school neighbourhood full of little shops and restaurants so I was a bit surprised, when … Read more