Final Day In Tokyo

I returned to Tokyo for the third, and last, time on this trip with only one full day left in Japan. My main destination was Kawagoe, also known as Little Edo. It is located to the north west of the city centre, and about an hour by train. It is known for having many old buildings dating back to the Edo period of Japan. I also heard about this place from a YouTube video and I wanted to check it out. In the late afternoon I returned to the city centre and visited the Tokyo Tower as my last tourist attraction in Japan.

This street, right outside my hotel, in Nippori looked really amazing but I only ever saw it either: early in the morning, before all the shops opened, or late in the evening, after all the shops closed. So despite staying in the area I never had a chance to truly experience this part of Tokyo.

On my way to Kawagoe I stopped at this park in Saitama and had breakfast at a local cafe. This park featured in the that YouTube show and I enjoyed seeing this place but now in real life. Most of the vegetation was brown due to the winter cold but it was still a nice place to walk through, a bit of nature, away from the busy built up areas.

The local line I was on was adjacent to the Shinkansen line and, while I waited for the local train, I would sometimes see a high speed Shinkansen zoom past. Outside Naka-Urawa station I could see the massive infrastructure of two railway lines crossing, one above the other.

I walked along this pedestrianized street from the Kawagoe station to get to the area with the historic buildings.

There was one street in particular, that had a number of old buildings, that I found particularly interesting. I believe they were once warehouses but now many are shops selling all sorts of items to tourists. All the building had a similar style, generally having a dark aesthetic: with dark brown or black wood and almost always with black or dark grey tiles for the roof.

I didn't stop to peruse in any of the stores, rather I just walked along the streets and admired the buildings. The area was fairly busy, with many people walking along both sidewalks. I did find a couple of temples in the area and one of them even had a tree with early blossoms!

I had a very late lunch in Kawagoe before taking the hour long train back to the city centre and the Tokyo Tower.

I arrived at the tower around 4:45 pm. I took the elevator up to the main (middle) viewing deck with just enough time to see the city in daylight, catching the afterglow of the sunset behind Mount Fuji.

While I could ascend to the main deck immediately, I had to wait for the 6:15 pm to 6:30 pm window to ascend to the top deck. Night had fully fallen by the time I arrived here, but the views were still amazing, of a city lit by a million lights. The walls and ceiling next to the windows were all decorated with mirrors in crazy geometric shapes and lit with ambient lighting.

I had a very late dinner at Ueno Station after walking past Akihabara. I did have a brief look inside the Yodobashi Akiba store, the biggest electronic store I have ever visited, they had entire floors dedicated to specific products, such as a floor for cameras, and one for video games. I perused some of the shelves but decided not to buy anything.

As I had my late dinner, a very simple affair of just a cheese toastie, I looked back on my time in Japan. I originally felt like I hadn't done enough, I had spent almost exactly four weeks in this country, and yet there was still so much left for me to see and do. Yet now, as I write these words, I realise that out of all the countries I have visited, Japan is likely the one I have uploaded the most photos from, that here I really had seen the most stuff. In reviewing these photos I am satisfied that I have spent my time well and that I really have seen so much of this beautiful country. That having been said, there is still so much I still want to see, and I would definitely jump at the opportunity to once again visit Japan.

Thanks for reading – Edward

Written 21st of June 2025