First Visit to Tokyo
Tokyo was the final destination that I would travel together with my brother in Japan. From here he was flying back to Australia while I would still have another three weeks to explore Japan. Together, we spent a few days in Tokyo, we went to a few of the famous places, some art exhibitions, and saw a Kabuki performance. I would visit Tokyo again a few more times during my stay, often while on the way to another part of Japan, but I was glad to have seen it first with my brother.
In this post are some of the photos I took on my first few days here. However, many of my experiences in Tokyo, such as the art exhibits and the Kabuki theater, were not places I wanted to take photos in and they are not included here.
Tokyo Tower as seen from the nearby Shiba Park.
I didn't have a chance to go up the Tokyo Tower on this visit but I would later. Instead I had a nice view of the tower from a nearby park.
The famous Shibuya Scramble Crossing.
We visited the scramble crossing in Shibuya that is famous for being one of the busiest in the world. One of the adjacent buildings had a roof-top cafe with a viewing platform. We had lunch nearby and crossed the intersection multiple times for the fun of it.
Imperial Palace Gardens
We visited the Imperial Palace Gardens on the afternoon of the first day in Tokyo.
These gardens were located next to the palace, to get to them we had to cross moats and pass old stone fortifications.
There was some old fortifications that we could walk up.
Some more pictures from the gardens.
Tokyo Skytree
On the morning of the second day we visited the Tokyo Skytree. I believe it is the tallest tower in the world. It soars above the surrounding city district, there is nothing nearby that comes close to a fraction of the tower's height. From the top we had fantastic views of the entire Tokyo metropolitan area.
The tower as seen form near the base. The first image is right outside the building complex at the base, the second is from a street over.
I was fascinated by the density and extent of this city, with tall buildings stacked together extending for kilometers on end and yet they all looked so tiny from afar. With these photos I tried to focus in on this feature, showcasing the city almost like a texture of urbanism that extends into infinity.
The observation deck and the highest point of the Skytree that is publicly accessible.
More photos from Tokyo
A couple of the streets we walked on in Tokyo. The first image would have been on our way to the Tokyo Skytree, the second sometime after.
A park I visited located near the hotel we were staying at. (Ueno Park)
Tokyo is a huge city, being one of the biggest in the world, and while not as pretty as some other cities I have visited, its sheer size is still interesting and a worthwhile experience.
I did like the public transit in Tokyo, we never had too much of a problem getting around, there was always a good train or metro or bus route available. Although, there was one time at Shinagawa station where I was turned around and hopped onto the train going in the wrong direction. So many of the stations in Tokyo are these huge hub stations with multiple lines all converging, it was convenient as it provided many options, but it could be confusing at times.
Probably the thing I liked most about Tokyo were the parks. I felt they were a welcome, and necessary, reprieve from the built up urban environment. I had been surprised when I had gone for a morning walk out of the hotel, to find a park quite nearby, and it provided a nice place to rest. I always thought that living in a giant city would be terrible due to the lack of access to nature, and while this might be true for some cities, I am glad that this isn't always the case for Tokyo and that there are some nature spots available here, even in such a large city.
Thanks for reading – Edward
Written 9th of April 2025