4 October 2026
Last day in Tokyo. None of us needed the alarm, we were awake long before. Breakfast at the hotel for 2,200 yen per person (about 12 €). For me not worth the money. Nothing good to eat and I’m not a savory eater in the morning. But we tried it.
Today’s goal is Little Edo, Kawagoe. That means first a fill-up of drinks at FamilyMart and then trains. 2 changes to get to the train to Kawagoe. One thing has to be said about the Japanese: they do not skip the line, they queue up everywhere automatically, they respect your space, and wait even if they seem to be in a hurry. Just leaving and entering the trains is something we could learn from.
Before we can board the last train, they have to turn all seats into the direction of driving. Nobody has to ride backwards. Also something one could learn from. 30 minutes to our station.
A small walking tour to the historic architecture center. We see our next shrine and are on one wavelength, we’ve seen enough shrines, at least until Kyoto. A little bit like seeing too many churches. It’s more of the same.
What is not more of the same is the small market where they sell a lot of snacks that are very fishy. They even have an eel-catching competition for children in two basins.
The historic architecture is there, but it’s a little underwhelming. On top of that, it’s Sunday and crowded. And they didn’t close the road, so there’s only a meter on each side to walk. Very touristy. And Japanese people are snacking all the time.
Doing the side route that takes me past a geocache and another 10-minute walk to the old castle. Great time for a break and then a visit to the castle. Reminds me a little bit of the villa yesterday but much smaller. A lot of empty rooms. Entrance fee 100 yen (0.55 €), that’s totally OK. But it’s time for lunch.
On the way here we saw a queue outside a restaurant, and it’s a wagyu restaurant that has A5 quality beef for a low price. This is the spot. Standing in line, writing our western names on the board. We had to wait long (40 minutes?) until we could enter. Shoes off and then a very simple room with tables and chairs. We’re placed at the entrance and it’s cold every time the door opens. Our order is the big stuff, sirloin steak and sake. The meal without drink is about 28 € per person, which is nothing for the meat we get. Very good, but I’m not getting used to all the Japanese stuff like seaweed under the steak, and there’s something in miso that I don’t really get warm with.
But amazing meat and we’re satisfied at the end. Now we have to walk more, back to the historic center. Candy Lane was in the guide, and this is a tourist trap, too. You have to get your own impressions, but we’re on the same page here. Back to Tokyo. This time avoiding the crowds and taking side roads.
Train to Ikebukuro. Seeing something else. Big station and looots of people. We follow the masses onto the main street. You must like arcade games and other stuff to get rid of your money here. And anime… not our world but again interesting to see.
I wanted to see Don Quijote, the shop selling everything. Yeah… you wouldn’t want to work there. Six floors of constant noise, music, and adverts. And how much stuff can we put on how low a number of square meters? Nope. Been there, seen that, and out we go.
Back to the hotel, change, and then find a bar and something to eat. There’s a Beer Club around the corner with 70 beers on tap. Not cheap but we do it anyway. Have to sit outside on very small chairs. The food is nothing special. And since it’s Tim’s time to feel knocked out, we go back to our room.
We have to pack and organize anyway for tomorrow. We send our luggage to Kyoto and take our backpack and overnight bag with us to Hakone. That, and some writing and doing our own stuff.
