ETIQUETTE
Japanese culture is so respectful and polite, mirror that … just pay attention to how everyone around is acting and that’ll be your cue.
Don’t talk loudly (or on phone) on the train or restaurants. Don’t eat in the street. Don’t jaywalk. Pay attention to where everyone stands waiting for the train. Remove shoes indoors. Bow for greeting. Don't need to tip. Don’t blow nose in public. Learn a few basic phrases, don’t assume people speak English.

ATMS
Exchanging currency isn’t as easy in Japan as other places. Highly recommend getting Wise which allows you to withdraw money in local currency from ATMs for a tiny fee. You can also check where the smallest fees charged by the ATM itself will be (often the nearest 7-11).

PUBLIC TRANSPORT
The metro system is incredible and Google Maps gives detailed instructions down to which car on the train you should enter to be closest to the escalator from which you’ll exit. Trains run till about midnight/12:30am each night and start at 5am, so you’ll hear a lot of discussion about catching last train.

SUICA & PASMO
Register for a Suica or Pasmo and load it into your phone’s wallet. This will enable you to tap in and out of trains and buses with minimal effort.

TAXIS
There’s no rideshare so Uber simply calls a taxi for you with a slight surcharge. Go is a quicker and cheaper option, therefore.

E-SCOOTER
A great way to go short distances after hours or that don’t have direct routes by bus/train are e-scooters. Register for Luup and/or Lime, they’ll show you where the nearest scooter is. You’ll have to prove that you’ve brushed up on local traffic regulations, but it’s an easy way to get around that taps out at 20km/h.

WHERE TO STAY
Not Shinjuku.

CONBINIS
7-11, Family Mart and Lawson’s are 24hr convenience stores selling everything from surprisingly great sandwiches and bao to shots you can take to counteract a hangover to socks/white shirts if you’re out all night and have to go to work. Everyone has their favorite items. Mine is the creme brûlée ice cream.

TRASH
There are no trash cans anywhere. So you have to carry your trash with you.

THE FUN STUFF…

Okay the fun stuff. Tokyo is overwhelming. It’s spread out too, so the best way is to coordinate tackling a specific neighborhoods at a time. So I’m going to prioritize a few faves for each section.

DON’T MISS

A R T

Team Labs. The one all over socials, but it is great. Book way ahead of time. There are two: Planets is better than Borderless, I wouldn’t prioritize doing both because there’s some crossover and Borderless is a little more exclusively kid-focused.

Ghibli Museum. Miyazaki museum. Incredible. An hour from central Tokyo. You need reservations way ahead of time.

Mori Art Museum. Great contemporary exhibits changing all the time.

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (MOT).

Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum. Small but excellent collection, nice gift shop. In Minato.

Yayoi Kusama Museum. Small but mighty. Need reservations a day ahead usually.

What Museum.

Ancient Egyptian Museum. Central Shibuya. Small but highlight is a dark room you explore with a flashlight.

Gallery Ether. Rotating exhibit. Fun community events on Sundays.

Also check out: Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum - Japanese Garden, Nanzuka, Tokyo Note, Museum of Modern Art

FOOD

This is impossible. There are 175,000 restaurants, would take 150+ years to eat everywhere if you did a different resto for breakfast lunch and dinner each day. No way to have an exhaustive list and everyone’s different so Google what’s near you, look at the Michelin list but know it’ll be hard to get a res and/or there’ll be a line, but for the most part food’s great and more affordable than it should be. Here are some personal faves.

BARS

KARAOKE

CAFE

DISTILLERIES

TOURIST STUFF

Disney Sea is apparently unique

PARKS

MAGIC

MOVIES

SHOPPING
I default entirely to the definitive shopping guide by my friend Poppy Lissiman.

SEASONAL
There are so many incredible festivals.

OTHER CITIES

IF YOU KNOW ME
Hit me up: I have several recs that I gatekeep incl my favorite bar and a weekly pasta party hosting by DJs.