• Documents – U.S. citizens need a valid passport for Japan, but not a visa for short stays (under 90 days) for tourism or business.
• Immigration and Customs – It is recommended to pre-register with the Visit Japan Web for streamlined immigration and customs. Download and complete the Mobile Passport Control (MPC) – It’s a free, easy-to-use app that helps you get through customs faster. Groups up to 12 can be processed together.
• Public transportation – We mostly used the train and walked. We walked close to 100 miles during our trip! For the train/busy, under 12 is half off price. 5 and under is free. We used contactless payment through a Suica Card (downloaded in Apple wallet) on the trains, buses, convenient stores and some establishments. Only one Suica Card is allowed per mobile device so we got the kids physical cards. You can get a Suica, Pasmo or ICOCA – they are all interchangeable. To load the physical cards, we found that only cash is accepted – so be sure to have cash handy. I found this video helpful to learn how to use the train system.
• Google Maps – Great for navigating public transportation and walking in Tokyo. Very accurate for the train/bus schedules and for walking.
• Ride Share/Taxi – Uber and Go!
• Getting to/from the airport – The local trains don’t run from 12am-5am. Our flights arrived late and left early so we had to be very strategic to make the first and last trains available to avoid hefty taxi fees for the long drive. To get to/from Narita to our apartment in Shinagawa (1.5hrs away) we took a combination of local trains and the Keisei Skyliner Narita Airport Express, which requires a reserved seating ticket. We purchased these in advance through Klook.

• Currency Converter – I recommend using the currency conversion option on the calculator app on the iPhone. The calculator app will not use mobile data/internet.
• Google Translate – English is not widely spoken. We used this often for conversations as well as the photo option to translate text (IE: ingredients, since our son is allergic to peanuts)
• Klook – Deals on local activities like DisneySea, TeamLABs Planets and Borderless, Sumo shows, Day Trips to Mt. Fuji and Hakone, Red Tokyo Tower, Joypolis, and so many more. (Get $5 off by using this referral link.)
• Airalo – for eSim – Since we knew we’d use all the high speed data offered by our carrier, T-mobile, we decided to get an additional eSim from Airalo. For 15 days, we received 5GB and paid $7.50, typically $10.50. You can also get $3 by using this referral code: Mary1189.

• Avoid ATM Fees – Charles Schwab has a debit card that does not charge foreign transaction fees. There is no fee to convert US dollars to local currency when making purchases or withdrawing cash abroad. We used this card strictly at ATMS and it worked great. The ATM fees are charged and they get refunded back to your account. You can earn up to $1,000 when you use my referral link.
• Earn Cash Back – Rakuten offers cash back on a ton of sites, including many travel sites. I have earned quite a bit of cash back since I’ve been using it the last few years.
• Free Flights and Lodging – We used Chase travel points for booking some of our lodging and airfare. The Chase Sapphire credit card has great bonuses. We were able to maximize travel points using the Chase booking portal, which had a 25% bonus special offer for Virgin Atlantic. 
• Petsitting – Trusted House Sitters – If you need a house-sitter while you are away to watch your pets and home. We have used them several times for up to 2 months at a time and had great experiences. The annual membership fee is less than $300, which is amazing compared to the cost of pet sitting. We have their Premium membership, which comes with free airport lounge passes – a very nice perk. We’ve taken full advantage of this! Highly recommended. Get 25% off with my referral link.

• Altra – Torin 8 Running Shoes – Best investment ever! These helped me walk in comfort for close to 100 miles during our two weeks visit to Tokyo.
• Cell Phone Anti-theft Lanyard – We weren’t concerned about cell phone theft in Tokyo. However, we did use a cell phones for all navigation/transportation so easy access was important.
• Laundry Sheets
• Shampoo & Conditioner Bars
• Four wheel carry-on luggage
• Compact travel backpack
• Activated Charcoal Pills
• Electrolyte Fastchews
• Dramamine – Non-Drowsy
• Inflatable travel pillow
• Compression bags
• Mini travel umbrella
• Sun hats
• Sun Block
• Travel beach mat
• Quick Dry Travel towels
• Steri-pen UV
• GoPro
• Allianz Travel Insurance – I am a travel agent and happy to help you with a quote. Reach out to me through this contact us form.

We stayed at this AirBnB in Shinagawa. While most apartments in Tokyo are quite small, this apartment was very spacious with two bedrooms, separate kitchen/dining, shower/washing machine, and two toilets – with heated seats and bidets! It was within walking distance to two train stations, a few restaurants, convenient stores, and large grocery store. It was a quiet and less crowded (which we liked) and we could easily reach major sites by train and bus within 15-40 minutes.

ATTRACTIONS

• Gotenyama Garden 7am-7pm (Free)
• Shinagawa Shrine – 9am-5pm (Free)

DINING

• Wagyu Ramen Yoshi – Cash only. The ramen here is delicious. It’s the only placed we dined twice during our visit.
• Maruhachi – Tonkatsu. The tonkatsu was excellent and they have traditional tatami-mat floor seating with low tables upstairs.

SHOPPING

• Tokyo City Flea Market – Every Sat/Sun from 9:30-2:30pm (Cash only) Hundreds of vendors selling a variety of things. Our best finds were 100 yen clothing items, including brands names, low cost Pokemon cards, denim, and souvenirs. (Free)
• Jins – If you are in the market for affordable eye glasses that includes an exam. Jins and Zoffs chains throughout Tokyo.
• Daiso – Japanese variety-store chain featuring Japanese beauty products, housewares & snacks.

ATTRACTIONS

• Hachiko Statue – Located at Shibuya Station
• Shibuya Crossing – The busiest crosswalk in the world. Outside Shibuya Station. See the view from above from the Starbucks on the corner or Shibuya Mark City Walkway (2nd Floor).

DINING

• Moheji Shibuya Scramble – Tokyo-style monjayaki (savory pan-fried batter) and okonomiyaki (savory pancakes), cooked on a teppan grill at your table.
• Shibuichi Bakery – Curry pan, Melon pan, Classic nama donut

SHOPPING

• Miyashita Park – Modern complex with a rooftop park, cafes, and shops.
• Shibuya Parco – Nintendo store and Pokemon Center.
• Tokyu Hands – Multi-Level Variety Store

ATTRACTIONS

• Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden – Beautiful large grounds with ponds, bridges, cherry blossoms. 500 yen for adults. ($3.50) Free for 15 and under.
• 3D Cat Billboard – East exit of Shinjuku station
• Godzilla Head – Walk down a fun and bustling street to find a large Godzilla head perched on a hotel.
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building – Free views of the city. 45th floor observation deck. South Tower for daytime views of Mt. Fuji. (open 9:30 AM–10 PM, last entry 9:30 PM) Catch the “TOKYO Night & Light” projection mapping show nightly. Shows run every 15-30 minutes, generally from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM (varies seasonally) on the east side of Building No. 1.

DINING

• Sasayaiori Cafe – Located inside Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Scenic cafe with large windows that overlook the garden. We enjoyed a matcha latte, Matcha ice cream, and Japanese treats, in front of beautiful views of the garden.
• Omoide Yokocho Memory Lane – Bar district reminiscent of the old days.
• Asian Dining & Bar Jasmine – On the 8th floor of Shinjuku Mauri Anex. Asian fusion/Indian restaurant with horigotatsu style seating with a low table placed over a recessed floor space so your legs can stretch comfortably while sitting.

SHOPPING

• Shinjuku Marui Anex – Godzilla store and statue inside. Multi-level mall with Seria inside, their 100 yen store (great for crafts/household/souvenirs)

ATTRACTIONS

• Imperial Palace
• Hie Shrine
• Akasaka Station – Harry Potter themed train station
• Red Tokyo Tower – Went primarily to pilot a giant robot fight, but stayed for the fun arcade games. You can purchase tickets on Klook.
• TeamLAB Boarderless – We didn’t go, but it looks amazing. Be sure to purchase in advance because they sell out. Tickets available on Klook.

DINING

• Harry Potter Cafe – Near the Akasaka station. We didn’t go, but it looked nice.

SHOPPING

• Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi – We didnt’ go but the rooftop has a bonsai garden that sounds nice.

ATTRACTIONS

• Sumo Show – Although geared toward tourist, we enjoyed this sumo experience. Tickets available on Klook.
• Hakuhinkan Toy Park – Multi-level toy shop with slot car racing on top level.
• Hie Shrine
• Akasaka Station – Harry Potter themed train station
• Red Tokyo Tower – Went primarily to pilot a giant robot fight, but stayed for the fun arcade games. You can purchase tickets on Klook.
• TeamLAB Planets – Be sure to purchase in advance because they sell out. Tickets available on Klook.

DINING

• Tsukiji Fish Market – We had standing sushi from Sushi Okame, amazing shrimp tempura, salmon/cheese meatball on a scewer, and a giant squid cracker from street food other vendors.

SHOPPING

• Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi – We didn’t go but the rooftop has a bonsai garden that sounds nice.

ATTRACTIONS

• Senso-ji Temple – Tokyo’s oldest temple.
• Bandai Namco Museum – Toy Manufacturer. Lobby corporate head quarter office that serves as a museum. (Free)
• Samurai Ninja Museum and Experience – Tickets available on Klook.
• Asakusa Batting Stadium – Batting cage and arcade. We didn’t go, but heard it’s fun.

DINING

• Nakamise-dori market street – Leading to Senso-ji Temple, streets lined with souvenir shops and street food.
• Butter Juwer Crepe and Bread – They serve delicious crepes and rolls filled with whipped garlic butter.
• Age.3 – Trending fried sandwiches. Wanted to try this but didn’t get a chance to.

SHOPPING

• Ganso Shokuhin Sample-ya – Located in the kitchen district with lots of stores nearby that sell kitchen supplies. This store life-like models for food displays and offers workshops as well.

ATTRACTIONS

• Akihabara – Electric town. We spent the day here and didn’t get to go to any of the attractions below despite being on our list.
• Ueno Park – Park with boat rentals, zoo and museums with cherry blossoms. We didn’t get a chance to go here.
• Tokyo National Museum – Closed Mondays.
• Origami Kaikan – Origami Museum. Closed Sundays (Free)

DINING

• Ameyoko Market – Street food and shopping
• Gyukatsu Ichinisan – Tonkatsu. We did not get a chance to go here.

SHOPPING

• Hard off & Hobby Off – Multi-level thrift store.

ATTRACTIONS

• Yoyogi Park – Large city park with lakes and cute dog park. Fun for picnics, people/dog watching, cherry blossoms and street performances.
• Meiji Jingu Shrine – Shinto shrine surrounded by forest. We didn’t get a chance to go
• WAKABAYASHI カワウソ Otter house – Otter experience in Harajuku. Monday – Sunday 11am-630pm. 25min ¥2500 ($15), 50min ¥4500 ($28)

DINING

• Takeshita Street – Shopping, street food and pet cafes in Harajuku.

SHOPPING

• Tokyu Plaza Harajuku Harakado – multi-story shopping mall with outdoor dining and public bath (Kosugiyu) in the basement

ATTRACTIONS

• National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation Closed Tuesdays. Very interesting and interactive museum.
• DiverCity Tokyo Plaza – Life-size gundam statue in front. Catch the 1-minute transformations at 11:00, 13:00, 15:00, and 17:00 and evening light/projection shows every 30 mins from 7:00pm-9:30pm
• Odaiba Seaside Park – Great day and evening views of Rainbow Bridge and small Statue of Liberty. Catch the “Tokyo Aqua Symphony” a massive, daily water and light show on the water featuring 150-meter-high water jets, lights, and music, playing hourly from 11 AM to 9 PM.
• Decks Tokyo Beach – mall with shops, restaurants, theme parks including Joypolis – Indoor amusement park. We enjoyed the rides here. Tickets available on Klook.

DINING

• DiverCity Tokyo Plaza – Mall with food court and a variety of restaurants.

SHOPPING

• The Gundam Base Tokyo Annex – Large gundam toy stop. When we went, timed-entry was required, expect on Wednesday. We arrived about half an hour before opening and there were already several dozen people in line.
• Daiba 1-chome Shopping Street

ATTRACTIONS

• Day trip to Mt Fuji & Hakon Day Trip – Best to purchase in advance because they sell out. Tickets available on Klook. Trip includes: Bus ride, Hakone Shrine, Pirate Ship ride (additional cost of 1,700 yen ($11), Ropeway, Black Egg, and Swan Lake.

DINING

• Freshness Burger – About a 10 min walk fro the Shin-Marunouchi Building meeting point for the Mt. Fuji/Hakone day trip.

SHOPPING

• The Black Egg store also has souvenirs.

COST

• For 4 tickets (2 adult and 2 junior), three DPA passes, lunch, dinner, snacks, small souvenirs, we spent $450 at DisneySea. Not bad, considering this would easily cost $800+ in the states.
• 1-Day Passes. Adult (18+): ¥7,900 – ¥10,900 ($51–$71 USD)Junior (Ages 12-17): ¥6,600 – ¥9,000 ($43–$59 USD)Child (Ages 4-11): ¥4,700 – ¥5,600 ($31–$36 USD)

ACCESS PASSES EXPLAINED

• Disney Premier Access – DPA (Paid) book every 1 hour or after your last pass time has arrived (do not need to wait for ticket to be scanned).
• Priority Pass – (Free) book every 2 hours or or immediately after using the previous one. 
• Entry Request – (Free) Show Passes – no waiting time between bookings
• Note – You can book all passes for all guests in your party on one phone or you can share your reservation through the app with others in your party to collaborate on reserving passes.

TIPS

• DisneySea App – Download the DisneySea app before arriving.
• DisneySea Website – Most days, the park opens at 9am – check here for hours, buy tickets and see what rides/attractions are open. Some rides are temporarily closed.
• What to pack – We brought portable sitting mats (for waiting at the front entrance and at shows). Surprisingly, they did not check our bags at the entrance. Snacks are allowed inside – just full meals/sandwiches.
• Arrival Time – Arrive at DisneySea entrance 1hr prior to opening. Lines where already ridiculously long. 1.5hr would be better.
• Order Meals – To save time, use the Disney Mobile Ordering through the app to order meals and pick up. They are very efficiently and often have very little wait time to pick up meals.
• Souvenirs – If you wait until the end of the day, the gift shops at the entrance open later; however, they are very crowded. Consider buying souvenirs earlier.

OUR GAME PLAN FOR THE DAY

• If you want to ride Journey to the Center of the Earth first like us, stand on the left side of the entrance. Location to stand. 
• Immediately after your tickets are scanned
  • 1. Walk to your first ride while booking your first DPA (we chose Soaring: Fantasic Flight). We chose between 2-5pm when lines would be longer.
  • 2. Reserve Priority Pass for ride available (we got Nemo)
  • 3. Reserve Entry Request for show
• Even after arriving 1hr prior and racing over to Journey to the Center of the Earth, we still waited two hours to ride.
• To avoid long wait times, we purchased DPA’s for: Soaring, Peter Pan (not worth it IMO), and Tower of Terror. Tower of Terror was our favorite.
• You don’t want to miss the Believe! Sea of Dreams show at 7:30pm. We arrived early and got great seats in this free seating area to watch the show at 6:30pm. While waiting, we sat and ate a picnic dinner. For a higher view, this spot on the bridge looked like a good viewing area as well.
• They cancelled the Sky Full of Colors fireworks show, which was a bummer.

• Tokyo City Flea Market – Located in Shinagawa. Open every Sat/Sun from 9:30-2:30pm (Cash only) Hundreds of vendors selling a variety of things. Our best finds were 100 yen clothing items, including lots of brands names, low cost Pokemon cards, denim, and souvenirs. (Free) I love thrifting and this was my favorite place to shop. My daughter and I spent $60 and got a dozen articles of clothing, portable duffle bag, backpack, Jelly Cat stuffed toy, and Coach clutch bag.
• Pokemon cards – you can go to the Pokemon Center inside Shibuya Parco, however, it’s busy and overpriced. Akihabara has lots of stores as well. While at the Tokyo City Flea Market, we found a vendor selling cards for much less than we found elsewhere.
• Daiso – is a chain throughout Tokyo, that is also available in the states. It’s their version of the dollar store, caring a variety of beauty products, housewares and snacks. Most items are 100 yen, while premium items are 200-500 yen.
• Seria – a chain throughout Tokyo that is also a dollar store. All items are 100 yen, nothing more. We found this to be a great store for souvenirs. I picked up dish towels and cute ceramic dishware, specific to Japan.
• 3Coins – a chain throughout Tokyo where everything is 300 yen. We didn’t get to go here.
• Nitori – a chain throughout Tokyo. Similar to IKEA, selling home goods and furnishings
• Don Quijote – a chain store throughout Tokyo. Multi-level variety store. Personally, this was too overly crowed with things and people for my taste.

• 7-11 – best known for their egg sandwiches/fruit sandwiches, coffee, and onigiri.
• FamilyMart – best known for it’s hot food items like “Famichiki” fried chicken.
• Lawson’s – best known for bakery items and desserts like Uchi Cafe and Roll Cakes.
• Typically have ATM’s inside and accept suica cards as payment