20 things that will surprise first-time visitors to Tokyo

It doesn’t matter what you think you know about Tokyo – you will be surprised on your first visit.

This is a city of almost 40 million people across its greater limits, a megalopolis with infinite possibilities. You will be shocked. You will be baffled. You will be amazed by everything this extraordinary city has to offer, from its convenience stores to its history to its bonkers address system.

It’s huge. Like, huge

Tokyo: it’s huge.Credit: iStock

Get a window seat for your flight into Tokyo. It’s the only way you’ll begin to get your head around the sheer size of the city, with a complex urban sprawl that just goes on, and on, and on. Tokyo isn’t one city, but six – Tokyo, Yokohama, Kawasaki, Saitama, Chiba, Sagamihara – all of which have bled into each other to form one incredible and unknowable megalopolis.

But the neighbourhoods are small

Yes, Tokyo is huge. Viewed from the air, its size is breathtaking. But here’s the cool thing: on the ground, it feels quite small and cosy. Avoid the bustling areas of Ginza, Shinjuku, Shibuya and Roppongi, and you’ll find networks of cute neighbourhoods with low-rise buildings lining quiet streets.

Everything is clean. Everything works

You have to stop and remind yourself, every now and then, that 40 million people call this place home. Because Tokyo is unbelievably clean, from its pavements to its green spaces to its air. This is a meticulously planned and perfectly executed city, where everything works, and everyone obeys.

The address system is bonkers

You will get lost in Tokyo, without a doubt. The system of addressing used here is unlike anything you’ll have seen before. Tell me, where’s 2-24-12 Meguro-ku? Because that’s a real Tokyo address, in full. This is an extremely complex city to navigate for first-timers, and Google Maps – or a similar app – is an absolute necessity. Also bear in mind when you’re searching for a restaurant, bar or attraction, that you might need to look up, or even down. Tokyo addresses are multi-dimensional, piled high above the street or buried deep below it.

It’s cheap (or at least, it can be)

For a city that has a reputation for being expensive, Tokyo can actually be surprisingly affordable. Public transport is affordable. Food – if you get it from convenience stores, or even ramen shops, which charge about $10 a bowl – can be very affordable. And there are heaps of free or very cheap attractions to enjoy. Which is good, because most accommodation is eye-wateringly pricey.

There are parks

Yoyogi Park.Credit: iStock

Tokyo isn’t exactly known for its green spaces, but there are plenty of sprawling open areas, manicured gardens and extensive parklands, if you look out for them. In the Shibuya/Shinjuku area, there’s the 54-hectare Yoyogi Park, the 58-hectare Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, and Akasaka Estate, home to six imperial residences.

There is history

Tokyo rightly has a reputation for cutting-edge modernity and technology, but this is also a city with hundreds of years of history. Touristy historic favourites include the Imperial Palace, the residence of Japan’s Imperial Family; the century-old Meiji Jingu shrine; and the Buddhist shrine Senso-ji, which has an ancient history. It’s also worth exploring the “shotengai” – old-school shopping streets – in Ueno, Sugamo and Koenji for an experience of Japan’s pre-war past.

The number one sport is …

Fans watch baseball at the Tokyo Dome.Credit: Getty Images

The number one sport in Japan? It’s not sumo. Sumo is popular, for sure, but the sport that really gets Tokyo’s collective pulse racing is baseball. The city currently has five teams in Japan’s top baseball league, and every visitor should try to get to a game for a unique cultural experience.

The convenience stores are great

Convenience stores are a source of cheap, surprisingly good food.Credit: iStock

Ordinarily, you, the discerning traveller, wouldn’t even consider visiting a convenience store for a meal. Certainly not for a cultural experience. But in Tokyo, forget everything you know. Convenience stores – or konbini – here are seriously good, with cheap, tasty food (including the famous “tamago sando”, or egg salad sandwich), cheap beer, great local snacks, ATMs that take foreign cards, and sometimes even public toilets, power sockets for charging, and seats to rest and eat. Every traveller’s best friend.

You need a Pasmo or Suica

Tokyo’s public transport system is amazingly efficient and wide-ranging. To get the best of it, however – and to avoid having to constantly line up for tickets – you need either a Pasmo or Suica transport card, which can be loaded up with money and used for every form of transport, even taxis. Purchase one from any train or metro station.

The food is incredible

It’s impossible to overstate just how good the food is in Tokyo. You can arrive here expecting the absolute best, and yet you’ll still be surprised by just how fresh, tasty and thoughtfully presented literally every edible thing is here. Spend a lot, spend a little. Go to restaurants, eat at bars. Eat Japanese, Italian, French, Chinese, Spanish or even Australian. You won’t be disappointed.

But don’t forget the world-class bar scene

The obsession with Tokyo’s food is understandable, though it tends to make people forget that the city also has one of the world’s best bar scenes. From the cheapest tachinomi (standing bar) to the coolest listening bar, to the most exclusive cocktail lounge, Tokyo has your nightlife needs covered.

The depachika is your friend

The basement level of major department stores is always home to a “depachika”, or food hall, a sprawling venue selling the absolute best produce from Japan and around the world. Trust us: don’t arrive hungry. You will be tempted to spend a lot of money here.

The tuna auctions don’t exist anymore (for tourists)

The tuna auction at the famous Tsukiji fish market during its final week in 2018.Credit: AP

For so long, Tokyo was famous for the tuna auctions that took place at the Tsukiji fish market. So it might come as a surprise to some visitors to discover that the Tsukiji market has been shifted across to Toyosu, and the auctions now take place away from the public gaze. This isn’t a tourist attraction anymore.

You can go anywhere – but you shouldn’t

The greatness of the Tokyo public transport system means you can really go anywhere in the city you like. However, bear in mind: this is a huge place, and you could end up spending a lot of time sitting on trains. Try to limit your daily wanderings to a small area.

You need to get out of the Yamanote bubble

Koenji.Credit: iStock

The Yamanote line is an above-ground train that encircles much of the Tokyo we know and love: Ginza, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Roppongi, Ebisu, Meguro … they’re all in there. And this is where first-time visitors tend to stick. But if you break out of that bubble to visit Koenji, Kichijoji, Kuramae, Nakameguro, Shimokitazawa, Gakugei-Daigaku – to name just a few neighbourhoods – you’ll discover a whole different side to the city.

Certain things are frowned upon

In Tokyo, it’s considered very bad form to do the following: eat while walking; talk on your mobile phone while walking; talk on your mobile phone on public transport; eat on public transport; speak loudly in enclosed spaces; blow your nose in public; push in line.

There are tourists – but it doesn’t feel touristy

One of the great things about Tokyo is that because it’s so huge and busy, it very rarely feels touristy, even though it’s a popular tourist destination. Unless you’re spending all of your time at Meiji Jingu or Senso-ji, you’ll always be outnumbered by locals.

Americana is everywhere

In a country with such a strong, singular culture, it’s a surprise to find the influence of the USA everywhere you care to look. Note all the Starbucks stores (and their copycats), the bagel shops, the pancake houses, the rock bands, the baseball stadiums, the American vintage shops, the theme parks, the convenience stores … And more.

You will be back

You might think you’re going to “do” Tokyo on this first trip. But Tokyo is never done. You’ve never seen everything. You’ve never experienced everything you need. This city grabs you and it never lets go. You will be back.