Tokyo Solo Female Travel Guide
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Two Days in Tokyo Solo Female Travel Guide:
Got two days in Tokyo and you’re wondering how to spend them? Well, look no further than this Tokyo Solo Female Travel Guide. Tokyo is a bustling city and all the districts, shopping centers, food options, temples, parks, and events that you have to choose from can be a bit overwhelming. What can I miss? What can’t I?! Hopefully, this guide will help you narrow things down so that you can make the most of your time in this city.
When To Go
March-May (Spring)
Daytime Temps: 56F-73F (13C-23C)
Nighttime Temps: 42F-60F (6C-15C)
September – November (Fall)
Daytime Temps: 62F-81F (17C-27C)
Nighttime Temps: 50F-70F (10C-21C)
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What To Wear
I visited Tokyo in early May while we were still smack dab in the Spring shoulder season and the temperatures were perfect. Not too hot, not too cold. It was Goldilocks right. I recommend a light jacket for the cooler nights but while you’re exploring during the day, you’ll be comfortable in whatever you like to wear. Jeans, shorts or dresses, pack them all and enjoy the pleasant, humidity-free days.
Accommodations
Hostels (Spring Season): Prices range from 3200 JPY to 3600 JPY per night.
Hostels (Fall Season): Prices range from 1635 JPY to 2160 JPY per night.
**Note: These are the prices for hostels with a rating of 8.0 or higher on Hostelworld.com.**
Hotels (Spring Season): Prices for budget hotels range from 3600 JPY to 9000 JPY per night.
Hotels (Fall Season): Prices for budget hotels range from 3000 JPY to 4800 JPY per night.
What To Spend
Daily Budget:
60 USD/ 80 AUD/ 80 CAD/ 50 EUR/ 40 GBP
*Assuming you’re on a backpacker’s budget. Making use of public transportation, staying in hostels or other budget accommodations and eating out about once a day. For the daily budgets of other destinations check out Round The World Trip Budget next.*
How To Get Around
By Metro
The subway makes getting around Tokyo a breeze. It’s frequent, quick and easy. You won’t have to worry about reading the signs in the stations because they are in Japanese, English and even Korean. To make life and getting around simple, you should purchase a Suica Travel Card.
A Suica Card can be used for all lines and all over Japan. Just load your card up with Yen and scan on through. It’s much easier than trying to figure which ticket to buy while the line of people behind you grows. You can buy a Suica Card from special machines in the stations or in the Narita or Haneda airport. You have to pay a 500 Yen deposit for the card but it will be refunded when you return your card at the end of your trip.
By Bus
If you are staying outside of the city or want to visit the places the subway doesn’t quite reach then you may want to look into the bus. The bus is a great alternative to crowded train stations but it may not be as quick or frequent as the subway. The Toei Buses are the main city buses and they cost 210 JPY to ride.
What To Do In Tokyo
Shibuya Crossing
The Shibuya Crossing is the busiest intersection in the world with hundreds, at times even over a thousand, people crossing the street at the same time in every direction. I don’t suggest going out of your way for the Shibuya Crossing because at the end of the day crossing the street isn’t something to get that excited about, but if you are in the area, join in and get a few pictures of life in the busy city of Tokyo.
Visit Harajuku
You’ve probably already heard of Harajuku and Harajuku fashion. Harajuku is a popular shopping area with loads of eclectic boutiques, cafes, cosplay shops, and restaurants. The famous Takeshita street draws visitors from all over the world and it gets crowded. When I visited, I couldn’t even twitch without bumping into someone and the police had to come out and handle crowd control. It was a little too much for me so I didn’t stay long but thankfully, I didn’t leave before stopping by Garret Popcorn Shop and grabbing a bag of their yummy gourmet popcorn. It was worth the trip just for that and I recommend dropping by while you’re in Harajuku.
Robot Restaurant
Now let’s be real. The Robot Restuarant is super touristy and expensive. It is, I admit it. But, if you’re looking to experience something you most likely never have before then you should give the Robot Restuarant a try. It’s hard to really describe this 90-minute show of robots, dancers, fight scenes, giant pandas, Micheal Jackson and flashing lights because all that comes to my mind are the words: weird, fun, and sensory overload.
Intrigued? Then head over to Shinjuku and check them out. The price at the door is 8000 Yen but you can get discount prices online.
Tsukiji Fish Market
The Tsukiji Fish Market will be changing locations late 2018 so you should take the chance to see it in Tokyo while you can. The highlight of the market is the Tuna Auction, which you have to get up pretty early (3am early) for. But the good news is even if you miss the Tuna Auction you can still enjoy the fish market as a foodie and sushi lover. I didn’t make the auction but I still visited Tsukiji for breakfast and ate some of the best sushi I’ve ever had. Fresh and delicious.
Kabukiza Theater
If you want to experience traditional Japanese Kabuki theater then stop by the Ginza district while you’re in Tokyo. For only 800 Yen, I purchased a standing-only ticket to see the first act. You can purchase a translator device so that you will be able to follow along and get the most out of the show. The Kabukiza theater is a fun and interesting way to experience Japanese culture.
Senso-ji Temple
The Senso-ji Temple is located in the Asakusa district and was built to honor the Goddess of Mercy. It’s a beautiful showcase of architecture and culture. The area surrounding the temple is full of cute little shops where you can find the perfect souvenir to commemorate your day at Senso-ji Temple. I suggest visiting the temple earlier in the morning because it does get pretty packed with locals and tourists.
Travel and Safety Tips
for Solo Travel in Tokyo
Tokyo is a safe city for solo female travel with theft and violent crime being pretty unlikely but there are two things you should keep in mind.
Wandering Hands On The Subway
Subways cars can get very crowded on popular routes and at peak times. There have been incidents when people have taken advantage of a packed subway car to grope and touch women inappropriately. To protect against this you can opt to travel in a female-only subway car.
Foreign Debit Cards
Many ATMs in Japan will not accept a foreign debit card and you don’t want to be caught out with no way to access your money. I suggest you carry cash or look for signs that say they accept IC cards.
For More Travel Safety Tips
Read Solo Travel Safety Tips and Solo Travel Safety Items next. I hope my Tokyo Solo Female Travel Guide helps you make the most of your trip and if you have any more questions feel free to ask.
Good luck and Happy Travels!