The Tokyo Guide I Wish I'd Had!

Even the official cherry blossom forecasters have a hard time predicting the peak of the somei yoshino bloom, so you’re not alone if you guessed wrong. But missing the fluffy pink variety has a...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2024/04/15/the-other-cherry-blossom-seasons/

Everyone who comes to Japan for cherry blossom season flocks to the top spots in Tokyo for good reason—they’re spectacular. Which means they’re also spectacularly crowded. But guess what? L...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2024/04/08/bigtime-cherry-blossoms-small-town-crowds/

If you’re in Tokyo to see the cherry blossoms, there’s no place bigger and better and pinker than Shinjuku Gyōen National Garden. The problem is, everybody and their brother knows that, so n...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2024/03/22/how-to-shinjuku-gyoen-cherry-blossom-season/

Hi, it’s me, Jonelle. The TeamLab Borderless Digital Museum is the hottest ticket in Tokyo right now, but it’s also the great grandaddy of FOMO. There are no maps, and it’s designed to get ...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2024/03/05/tips-tricks-for-maximum-fun-at-the-new-teamlabborderless/

Here are seven ways to spend more time having fun and less time getting there Tokyo is huge. But if you plan your days wisely, you can minimize the travel time and maximize the great experiences....

https://jonellepatrick.com/2024/02/24/perfect-days-in-tokyo/

I’m not going to recommend specific hotels because your budget and travel plans are unique to you, but here’s how you should pick a place to stay in Tokyo. How to check out the options and bo...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2024/02/21/how-to-pick-hotel-tokyo/

As of August 2023, you can no longer buy Suica or PASMO transit cards at Tokyo train stations,* but you can buy a temporary visitor transit card when you arrive at the airport that can be reloade...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2023/10/09/how-do-i-get-a-visitor-transit-card-at-haneda-airport/

This is the easiest and most reliable way to buy a transit card. You can do it from home before you leave and use a credit card,* even if it’s not issued by a Japanese bank. *Important note: Fo...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2023/08/21/how-to-put-a-japanese-transit-card-on-your-phone/

If you’re flying into Osaka/Kyoto or points west, you can buy an ICOCA reloadable transit card at any train station and use it anywhere in Japan. But as of August 2023, you can no longer buy Su...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2023/08/21/how-and-where-to-buy-a-visitor-transit-card/

You can go anywhere in Tokyo with only a short walk at either end. Subways and trains are used by everyone from schoolchildren to corporate bosses because they’re by far the best way to get aro...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2023/08/21/important-2023-update-new-ways-to-buy-use-a-train-card/

🎏 Unexpectedly stumbling across a whole bunch of koi nobori fluttering in the wind is one of Japan’s great delights, but if you’d rather not be saying “Hey, wait, why didn’t I know abo...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2020/04/15/april-event-best-places-to-see-koi-nobori-in-tokyo/

⛩Travel planners are so obsessed with sending people to see the pink things, they overlook countless other fantastic Japan experiences that happen at other times of year, without the crowds. He...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2020/03/18/need-to-reschedule-your-trip-to-japan-good/

I like to keep things positive around here, but I just scanned the umpteenth itinerary forwarded to me by a coming-to-Japan friend, and I can’t believe that trip planners keep sending people to...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2020/02/29/what-not-to-do-in-tokyo-the-top-ten-overrated-experiences-and-what-to-do-instead/

Some-No-Komichi is a celebration held every February in Nakai, the Tokyo neighborhood that’s famous for kimono dyeing. Examples of the makers’ finest wares are strung along miles of the canal...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2020/02/19/february-festival-canals-festooned-with-miles-of-gorgeous-kimono-fabric/

The Setagaya Boroichi is the grand old lady of Tokyo flea markets. It’s so ancient and so revered, in fact, it holds Intangible Cultural Treasure status! On December 15-16 and again on January ...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2020/01/16/lets-go-to-setagaya-boroichi-the-most-legendary-flea-market-in-tokyo/

Shrines and temples aren’t just for snapping nice pix – there’s serious specialized goodness to be gotten from throwing a coin to the proper powers-that-be! Here’s how to take advantage o...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2020/01/01/how-to-shrine-and-temple-in-japan/

You’re craning your neck to see some gorgeous gold-leafed carving, and suddenly you’re overcome with traveler joy. “Isn’t this the most gorgeous…?” Uh oh. Shrine or temple? Because yo...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2020/01/01/shrine-or-temple-the-quickie-guide/

I used to drag everyone who came to visit me to Ito-ya, the legendary 9-floor stationery shop in Ginza. But when they renovated and got rid of 90% of their merchandise, turning it into an over-de...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2019/12/11/best-toyo-shopping-shimojima-stationery-paper-gift/

Thinking about taking an autumn trip to Japan? Dreaming of strolling through divine gardens bursting with red maples, and serene temples robed in fall leaves? I’m with you: it’s totally my f...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2019/11/01/hacking-leaf-season-how-to-beat-crowds-and-see-beautiful-fall-leaves-in-japan/

These are the festivals and events I would take you to see, if you were in town!

https://jonellepatrick.com/2019/10/18/festivals-events-whats-happening-while-youre-in-tokyo/

Japan is stuffed with (mostly) more and better goods than anywhere in the world, but there are a couple of things you should definitely bring with you, if you think you’ll need them: Deodorant/...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2019/10/14/stuff-you-should-bring-because-you-cant-get-it-in-japan/

Finding bathrooms in Tokyo is a lot easier than finding them in America, that’s for sure! Here are three surefire places to find them, wherever the urge makes itself known. Train Stations Scan ...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2019/10/07/find-public-bathroom-restroom-tokyo/

Yanaka is one of the quirkiest, undiscovered, Old Tokyo neighborhoods in town. Here, new generations of artisans from families that have plied their trades for centuries are finding fun and inven...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2019/10/06/yanaka-walking-tour/

People always ask me if they should get a guide in Japan or not, and it’s the one question that I can’t really answer for you! Here’s a quiz to help you figure out whether a Japanese-speaki...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2019/10/06/should-i-hire-a-guide-in-japan/

An interview with Mac of Maction Planet bespoke tours I know. The whole reason you’re on The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had is to figure out how to have fun in Tokyo without someone showing you ...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2019/10/04/should-i-use-a-tour-guide-in-japan/

I know. You think you’re not interested in this fusty old super-Japanese form of entertainment. But you’d be wrong. Here’s why. #1 The actors who play the women’s roles do it so well, you...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2019/09/28/should-i-see-a-kabuki-performance/

If you’re not convinced you need to see this only-in-Japan entertainment while you’re here, get thee over to Should I see a Kabuki performance? I think you’ll be back. There are three optio...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2019/09/26/kabuki-how-to-get-tickets-and-see-a-performance/

If you aren’t dashing from the plane to feed all your hundred yen coins into gachapon vending machines, you should be! And if you have to ask  why… You can only get them in Japan, and every...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2019/08/25/where-to-find-the-best-capsule-toy-vending-machines-in-tokyo/

How do you survive in a country where information about food ingredients is all in Japanese? The first time I lived in Japan, I had a friend who was deathly allergic—and I mean Epi-pen allergic...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2019/07/14/how-can-i-travel-in-japan-if-i-have-food-allergies/

How to use your phone in Japan without forking over all your savings We’ve all heard the horror stories about crippling phone bills after accidentally using a phone overseas. But if you want t...

https://jonellepatrick.com/2019/07/06/how-to-use-your-phone-in-japan-without-breaking-the-bank/