Unlocking Tokyo: A Four-Day Trip (Part 1)
After switching to Xiaohongshu, I feel that the fast-food style of expression can’t fully convey the ‘five senses’ of my travel experiences. People born in the 80s still like writing articles, right? Am I already unable to keep up with the times? Actually, I don’t care whether anyone reads this; I just want to record these memories. If others find it useful after seeing it, that’s also good. For myself, it serves as a brief record of the beautiful moments I constantly discover during life’s journeys.
This trip record is from the 2024 Spring Festival. I’ve actually wanted to write it for a while, but I was a bit lazy, busy with this and that, and never had time. After traveling with my kids in July during summer break, I suddenly felt that whether it’s this or Xiaohongshu, good travel tips are really important and thoughtful, which gave me some motivation to write it down.
The overall plan was to go to Tokyo first (Feb 2–Feb 7), then head to Furano, Hokkaido for skiing (Feb 7–Feb 17). I had been to Furano once before the pandemic, and I always thought it was great and wanted more, so this time I planned to ski my fill there—10 consecutive days of skiing (haha, I admire my good stamina, especially taking two kids alone for a 5-day Tokyo Citywalk, then switching to 10 days of skiing in Furano, Hokkaido. Without good exercise habits, I’d be exhausted, haha...).
Tokyo, actually I had been there before the pandemic in 2018. At that time, I went to Niseko, Hokkaido for skiing, transiting through Tokyo and doing some shopping along the way. This time, shopping was no longer the main focus; I wanted to get to know the city better. After all, it’s larger than Beijing, covering an area of 2,155 square kilometers! Although its population is less than Beijing’s, its GDP and overall strength surpass Beijing’s. The highly developed public transportation was also a major reason I wanted to experience the Tokyo subway this time.
This time, the hotel we stayed at was in Shinagawa Ward, mainly because it’s close to Haneda Airport. My two kids and I flew from Beijing to Tokyo first. Their father had to come a few days later due to work, so we stayed near the airport for those five days in Tokyo. The check-in dates in Tokyo were Feb 2–Feb 7, 2024, for five nights. The hotel name is Wires Hotel Shinagawa Seaside. I couldn’t find a suitable Airbnb this time; first, because it was close to the Spring Festival, Airbnbs weren’t cheap, and second, Shinagawa is a bit out of the way in Tokyo, so staying in a hotel felt safer. There were two kids—one older brother, already almost 14, considered an adult in Japan for hotel stays. A twin room cost 930 yen per night without breakfast. The hotel is about a seven- to eight-minute walk from Aomono-Yokocho Station (express station) or Jiaozhou Station (local station). (Be sure to check the walking distance and route from the hotel to the subway station in advance; otherwise, dragging several large suitcases to find the hotel is very tiring.) There’s a large supermarket near the hotel, which was also great—we bought a lot of food and drinks there. Of course, passing by a 7-Eleven was also convenient. And there are really many 7-Elevens in Japan, and their rice balls are delicious.
There are quite a few airlines flying from Beijing to Tokyo. Direct domestic flights include Air China and China Southern, while Japanese airlines include ANA and JAL. With similar prices, we chose the more comfortable ANA, because they give toys to children. Also, when we checked in our luggage at the airport, the airline automatically reserved three seats in the front row for families with children, and they were by the emergency exit, which gave the older brother’s long legs some comfort. I hope domestic airlines can learn from such thoughtful service details!
I’ve always heard that Tokyo’s subway system is very complicated. Actually, when we arrived, I found it wasn’t hard to understand. Tokyo has various travel guides available at hotels and stations, in multiple languages, all for free. I picked up a Chinese version of a Tokyo travel guide at the hotel, and I think the Japanese are really masters at writing these little guidebooks. After reading a few pages, I found the maps and subway classifications very clear at a glance.
After reading the little guidebook, a picture formed in my mind (such strong logical thinking, haha, I’m praising myself). The Tokyo rail transit system consists of three types: subways, JR lines, and private railways. The Tokyo subway is actually divided into two: Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway. There are also JR lines (Japan Railways). JR, or Japan Railways, is somewhat like our intercity high-speed rail in China. Tokyo is very large, and as I understand it, JR lines branch out around the periphery connecting various districts. JR connects multiple cities and regions inside and outside Tokyo, serving long-distance and cross-regional travel. The two major subway systems (Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway) serve the commuting and daily travel needs within Tokyo. There are also some private railways. Since we stayed in what could be considered the suburbs of Tokyo this time to be close to the airport, we had to take a private railway, the Rinkai Line, each time we went into the city. From this experience, next time I’ll choose a hotel near a Tokyo Metro station, so I only need to buy one type of subway pass for transportation. If I want to go to places like Disneyland, I’ll buy a separate ticket.
Overall, Tokyo’s rail transit is very developed, mainly consisting of JR lines, subways, and private railways, each operated by different companies with different prices and coverage areas. When we first left the airport and saw such a complicated map, I was a bit overwhelmed, but gradually you start to like and enjoy the convenience that this complexity brings. The more complex it is, the more points it covers, and the more intersections, the more transfer points, making it more convenient. And buying tickets is also easy. At each station, there is a map of the operating company’s lines above the ticket vending machines. You just look at the price corresponding to your destination, insert the money, and transfer according to the points on the map. There are various ways to reach your destination.
Toei Subway: Operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation, it runs 4 lines, covering 109 kilometers and 106 stations. These lines include the Asakusa Line, Mita Line, Shinjuku Line, and Oedo Line.
Tokyo Metro: Operated by Tokyo Metro Co., Ltd., it runs 9 lines, covering 195.1 kilometers and 179 stations. These lines include the Ginza Line, Marunouchi Line, Hibiya Line, Tozai Line, Chiyoda Line, Yurakucho Line, Hanzomon Line, Namboku Line, and Fukutoshin Line.
When the kids’ father arrived from Narita to Haneda Airport, it was very convenient to take the JR line. JR is suitable for long distances and short travel times.
Since we were staying in Shinagawa, we had to first take the suburban Rinkai Line or Keikyu Line to Sengakuji, then take the city subway. So we only bought the Toei Subway & Tokyo Metro combined 1-day pass. This way, after taking the Rinkai Line or Keikyu Line to Sengakuji from the city, we used the pass for the Toei Subway and Tokyo Metro. Otherwise, exiting each station would cost about 150–330 yen, making daily subway expenses quite high. Buying a 1-day pass pays off after three rides, so it’s very cost-effective to check the routes for the day’s attractions and buy the appropriate pass.
This subway pass is for tourists, so it can only be bought at Haneda or Narita Airport. We didn’t know that at first and thought we could buy it in the city, but we couldn’t find it. After getting off the plane and picking up luggage, we asked the service staff, and they said it’s sold at the airport exit. It covers all Toei Subway and Tokyo Metro lines for 24 hours for only 800 yen. It might also include the Yamanote JR line. I highly recommend buying this! (This 24-hour pass is calculated from the time you first use it when entering a station, while the 1-day pass mentioned above expires at midnight on the same day, so the 24-hour pass is really cost-effective.) Haha, whenever I travel to a city with my kids, I especially enjoy figuring out the city’s transportation and various passes. When you figure it out and realize it saves money and is convenient, it makes you very happy! I feel like a little local, adapting to local customs.
It’s not that I deliberately visit museums in every city, but because museums in Beijing are too crowded and hard to book, when I come to Japan, I’m really impressed by their friendly sense of order. So many aquariums, science museums, museums, and art galleries become must-visits when abroad.
On the first day, we went to Ueno. The reason was that the older brother wanted to buy badminton rackets and clothes in Tokyo. We checked and found that the YONEX store in Ueno was the most popular, so we got off at Ueno Station and walked there. On the way, we saw the National Museum of Nature and Science and went in to visit. There were very few people, very quiet, and many specimens.
If you go to Ueno Park, visiting the National Museum is a good choice.
Then we went to the YONEX store in Ueno. From the National Museum, we walked about ten minutes through a pedestrian street to reach the YONEX store. Only those who play badminton know how much we love it—Japanese-made YONEX, haha!
Later, we also went to a large flagship store in Shinbashi, but found that the Ueno store was cheaper. The flagship store is large and well-decorated but almost never offers discounts.
DAY 2: Shinagawa Aquarium
Similarly, because aquariums in Beijing are too crowded and the animal environments are not great, aquariums in Japan are also a must-visit. Kids love animals, and the animals in Japanese aquariums feel clean and happy living there because everyone is friendly to them and quiet when watching. This atmosphere is not found in China—you know the noise and chaos in public facilities back home.
Since we were staying in Shinagawa, we visited the nearby Shinagawa Aquarium. Although small, it has a variety of animals, enough to keep the kids entertained. We didn’t get to see the dolphin show in Osaka last time, so this time we specially set aside time to watch it.
After leaving the aquarium, we went to Ginza in Chuo Ward. The older brother wanted to go to the Nike store (boys’ hobby: shoes, shoes, shoes).
After the Nike store, we went to the YONEX store in Shinbashi—a favorite for badminton enthusiasts. Actually, all these stores can be found by searching on Baidu, which works well in Japan too.
