Since we struck out the day before, we made it our mission to get into Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden bright and early. The trick? No reservations needed between 9:00–10:00 AM. Perfect… or so we thought.
We arrived feeling pretty proud of ourselves—only to find lines stretching two blocks long. Clearly, everyone else had the exact same idea. Thankfully, the lines moved quickly. Between people who had pre-purchased tickets and locals using annual passes, we were through in just a few minutes. Tickets were also super reasonable—500 yen for adults and 250 yen for seniors.
Once inside, it was completely worth it.
We spent over an hour wandering through one of the most beautiful parks we’ve seen—especially in the middle of a massive city like Tokyo. The cherry blossoms were in bloom, the gardens were peaceful, and despite the crowds, it felt calm and almost serene. Being a Sunday, families were out in full force, setting up blankets and enjoying picnics under the blossoms. It was one of those “this is why we came” moments.
Next up: the world-famous Shibuya Crossing—also known as the “Shibuya Scramble.”
If you’ve never seen it before, it’s hard to describe. When the lights turn red, people flood the intersection from every direction—straight, diagonal, everywhere—all at once. Hundreds (sometimes thousands) of people crossing at the same time… and somehow, no one crashes into each other. Of course, everyone is filming—including us.
Getting there, however, was its own little adventure. We got a bit turned around coming out of the train station, and Google Maps didn’t quite account for navigating above ground. But eventually, we found it and checked that must-do Tokyo experience off the list.
While in the area, I had one personal mission: find the Hachikō Statue. If you’ve ever seen Hachi: A Dog's Tale with Richard Gere, you know it’s a total tearjerker—and it’s based on a true story. I wasn’t leaving Shibuya without getting a photo there.
We spent some time wandering the neighborhood, taking in all the sights, before meeting up with my best friend’s son—who recently moved to Tokyo. And surprise to me… he had just gotten married a few days earlier! Such a fun and unexpected moment to celebrate.
With a local guide who speaks the language, everything got easier—especially when it came to finding food. One thing we quickly learned: restaurants in Tokyo aren’t always at street level. You might see a sign with pictures… but the actual place could be up an elevator, seven or eight floors above you.
Our first stop was a vegetarian spot, but the menu was pretty limited and the vibe didn’t quite do it for us. The second place—a sushi restaurant—had a waitlist 33 people deep. Not happening.
Third time was the charm.
We ended up at a small, hole-in-the-wall spot, sitting at a counter and ordering like locals. One of the coolest moments was watching our friend prepare tea—pouring matcha powder into a cup and adding hot water from a spigot. Definitely something we would have never figured out on our own.
We ordered sushi, grabbed some drinks, and spent a couple of hours catching up and hearing about life in Japan. It ended up being one of those unexpectedly perfect travel moments.
By the end of the afternoon, though, jet lag finally caught up with us. We realized you really can’t do everything in a day—and honestly, you shouldn’t try.
So we headed back to our hotel, ready for a shower, some downtime, and a much-needed reset before the next adventure.
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