Things To Do in Tokyo

Tokyo, one of the major tourist destinations in the world and is the world's largest metropolis, with 37 million people in 2011. Planning to visit Tokyo? Make sure you know what you are going to do in the city. If you haven't figure it out already, here's some guide of Things To Do in Tokyo for you:

Tokyo Sights 

Japan's capital is a city like nowhere else. Shrines and gardens blended with a crowded streets and office buildings. Noodle houses share streets with Western-style chain restaurants and exquisite fine dining. Shop artsy craft and the latest electronic in the same place; enjoy nightlife with karaoke or sake, even techno clubs and more. Whether you seek traditional or cutting edge stuff, Tokyo will give it for you.

Tokyo Shopping 

 

Tokyo is Japan's showcase. The insane dress styles, dark hardware, and new recreations found here are fit for setting patterns for whatever remains of the nation and maybe other Asian countries, even Europe and America. 

A piece of the Tokyo shopping knowledge is interesting to watch, and on Saturday particularly, in districts like the Ginza and Shinjuku, you will recognize the Japanese shopping methodology, which could be downright hot. You'll likely need to fight the temptation to join in the brawl, particularly since a number of the uncontrollably stylish garments and adornments on offer will as of now be "uncool" when you return home. Anyhow shopping in Tokyo can likewise be an activity in tastefulness and refinement, particularly in the event that you look for things that are Japanese-made for Japanese individuals and sold in stores that don't indulge voyagers. With splendidly connected color, offset of structure, and great workmanship, makes things could be dazzling and well worth the cost you'll pay—and some might be truly costly. 

Note the care taken with items after you purchase them, especially in department stores and boutiques. Goods will be wrapped, wrapped again, bagged, and sealed. Sure, the packaging can be excessive—does anybody really need three plastic bags for one croissant?—but such a focus on presentation has deep roots in Japanese culture.

This focus on presentation also influences salespeople who are invariably helpful and polite. In the larger stores they greet you with a bow when you arrive, and many of them speak at least enough English to help you find what you're looking for. There's a saying in Japan: o-kyaku-sama wa kami-sama, "the customer is a god"—and since the competition for your business is fierce, people do take it to heart.

Horror stories abound about prices in Japan—and some of them are true. Yes, European labels can cost a fortune here, but did you really travel all the way to Tokyo to buy an outfit that would be cheaper in the designer mall at home? True, a gift-wrapped melon from a department-store gourmet counter can cost $150. But you can enjoy gawking even if you don’t want to spend like that. And if you shop around, you can find plenty of gifts and souvenirs at fair prices.

Japan has finally embraced the use of credit cards, although some smaller mom-and-pop shops may still take cash only. So when you go souvenir hunting, be prepared with a decent amount of cash; Tokyo's low crime rates make this a low-risk proposition. The dishonor associated with theft is so strong, in fact, that it's considered bad form to conspicuously count change in front of cashiers.

Japan has an across-the-board 5% value-added tax (V.A.T.) imposed on luxury goods. This tax can be avoided at some duty-free shops in the city (don't forget to bring your passport). It's also waived in the duty-free shops at the international airports, but because these places tend to have higher profit margins, your tax savings there are likely to be offset by the higher markups.

Stores in Tokyo generally open at 10 or 11 am and close at 8 or 9 pm.

Tokyo Nightlife

 

The sheer diversity of nightlife in Tokyo is breathtaking. Rickety street stands sit yards away from luxury hotels, and wallet-crunching hostess clubs can be found next to cheap and raucous rock bars. Whatever your style, you'll find yourself in good company if you venture out after dark.

Most bars and clubs in the main entertainment districts have printed price lists, often in English. Drinks generally cost ¥800–¥1,200, although some small exclusive bars and clubs will set you back a lot more. Be wary of establishments without visible price lists. Hostess clubs and small backstreet bars known as "snacks" or "pubs" can be particularly treacherous territory for the unprepared. That drink you've just ordered could set you back a reasonable ¥1,000; you might, on the other hand, have wandered unknowingly into a place that charges you ¥30,000 up front for a whole bottle—and slaps a ¥20,000 cover charge on top. If the bar has hostesses, it's often unclear what the companionship of one will cost you, but you can bet it will cost you a lot. Ignore the persuasive shills on the streets of Roppongi and Kabuki-cho, who will try to hook you into their establishment. There is, of course, plenty of safe ground: you’ll find hotel lounges, jazz clubs, Irish-themed pubs, sake bars, and sedate retreats where the social lubricant flows past millions of tonsils nightly.

Major nightlife districts in Tokyo include Aoyama, Ginza, Roppongi, Shibuya, Shinbashi, and Shinjuku. Each has a unique atmosphere, clientele, and price level.