I have already introduced many of the most popular places to visit in Tokyo, but here I would like to introduce some spots in Tokyo that are specifically unusual and might not be typical tourist attractions, and that I expect are unusual experiences for tourists, based on my overseas travel experience and the impressions of my foreign friends.
These places are filled with culture that is uniquely Japanese and that I as a local hold dear, so if you are at all interested in visiting these places, please do not hesitate to visit.
1. Sanrio Puroland🩷 (Tama City, suburb)
This indoor theme park features popular characters such as Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, My Melody, and Pom Pom Pudding. Visitors can take pictures and interact with them in shows and events.
Since all attractions and shows are housed indoors, visitors can enjoy them even on days when the weather is bad.
Limited-edition goods are also available, and a café featuring the characters offers original menus.
This place is popular among tourists from overseas.
This place is located far from the city center, about an hour’s train ride from Tokyo Station. However, access is easy as it is only a 10-minute walk from the station.
2. Gundam Base 🤖 (Odaiba)
There are probably Gundam fans among tourists; the Japanese robot anime began broadcasting in 1979, and Gundam fans exist not only in Japan, but all over the world.
There are two Gundam Bases in Japan, one of which is located in the Diver CityTokyo Plaza in Odaiba, where a large Gundam stands outside the building.
This Gundam Base is an official Gundam general facility. Inside the facility, in addition to the regular ones, visitors can purchase limited edition versions of Gundam models, browse exhibits of the latest as well as previous generations and limited edition Gundam models, assemble Gundam models, and enjoy workshops where they can learn the techniques of the Gundam model making process.
In addition, the Gundam Café is a great place for Gundam fans to enjoy drinks and sweets with Gundam motifs. This is one of many anime and gaming places around Japan that makes my foreign friends say that “travelling around Japan is like traveling around a huge amusement park”.
The Odaiba area is also a great place for families as there are many shopping malls and other amusement facilities.
3. Godzilla Statue🦖 (Shinjuku)
What is Godzilla? This monster was created in 1954 by a Japanese film production company, and this monster attacks Tokyo. The monster character is internationally known, with an American version of Godzilla being created.
You can see this Godzilla in Shinjuku.
Godzilla’s head protrudes from the roof of the TOHO Building in Shinjuku.
Godzilla’s head is not just sticking out; Godzilla is staged once an hour between 12:00 and 20:00.
When I happened to be passing by, the familiar music started playing and Godzilla started to smoke, glow, and howl. It was very powerful and well worth seeing.
There was also a Godzilla manhole in front of this TOHO building. Unlike the usual plain manholes, this was a special one with Godzilla printed on it. This is another characteristic of Japan’s thriving character and manga culture.
4. Maid cafes: ☕️ (Akihabara)
There are many stylish cafes and cute cafes collaborating with popular characters in Tokyo, but the most unique café in Japan is this “maid café.” I have been to many countries around the world, but I have never seen a café like this, and my foreign friends were surprised.
Maid cafés are completely different from ordinary cafés in that the staff wear maid’s clothes and treat customers as “masters” or “ladies” in a special way.
When you arrive, you are greeted with a “welcome home” and when you leave, you are told “see you later”, giving you the illusion that the café is your home away from home.
I have been there myself and enjoyed it more than I expected. I felt a sense of specialness that I don’t usually get to experience, and the maids treated me well as a “lady”. The maids would “make the drink you ordered taste good, moe moe moe kyun kyun”(moe:cuteness, kyun:a sound of prettiness) with you and cast “magic” on you, they would serve you in their own unique way, and they would sing and dance for you.
I took a cheki photo (instax, photo with an old/school style camera) with my favorite maid. After the photo shoot, I was pleased to receive a message written by the maid.
It is a place where you can have an extraordinary experience.
5. Kabukicho👗 (Shinjuku)
Kabukicho is considered a nightlife district. With its high concentration of host clubs and cabarets, one could say that it forms an aspect of Japan’s urban night entertainment culture.
Host clubs are where men join female customers for drinks and conversation. They entertain the women with their excellent talking skills. In cabarets, women serve male customers.
In the evening, you may see stylish men in suits and fancy hairstyles and women dressed in nice dresses walking the streets. They are hostesses working in these stores.
Hostesses earn their income from customers’ nomination fees and high-class drink charges. On large billboards in town, you can see the faces of many popular hostesses who attract many nominations, and since they are all good-looking and beautiful, it is very enjoyable just to look at the billboards.
Their sales are also listed on those billboards. My foreign friend wondered, “Why do they have such big faces printed on the billboards and their salaries are also published?” He wondered. I think this is a kind of advertising for the stores and hostesses.
Walking through the streets of Tokyo, you will probably see trucks with large faces printed on them. These are trucks used to advertise host clubs and cabarets.
This unique world has attracted the interest of many people and is popular among foreign tourists, and recently some of the hostesses speak English and Chinese. However, the pricing is quite different from that of a regular bar, so it is important to check the prices before entering.
6. RED° TOKYO TOWER 🎮
This is the largest esports park in Japan, located inside the Tokyo Tower, with e-motorsports, puzzle solving, projection mapping, and lots of games to get into using your body.
I actually visited here myself and saw mostly foreigners and hardly any Japanese. The games are fun enough even if you don’t understand Japanese, and the staff here speaks English very fluently, so there are no problems.
I entered with a Night Passport, which allows you to enjoy the park for any hours after 5:00 p.m. (17:00) The price was only 1,300 yen. (The price changes depending on the day, please check here).
Since it was a weekday night, it was not too crowded and I was able to enjoy the show with almost no waiting time.
The gun shooting game where you actually carry a gun and shoot the enemy, the game where you attack the opponent using VR equipment, and the escape game where you have to go through an approaching gate with a hole in it were all very exciting. Numbered tickets are required for some popular games.
This video was taken at a different facility, but the same one was found here.
Every time we went through the approaching gate, we were photographed, and we could enjoy our funny appearance even after the game was over!
7. Sona Area Tokyo🫨 (Odaiba)
Are earthquakes familiar to you in your country? Japan is an earthquake-prone country, so Japanese citizens have experienced earthquakes many times.
My foreign friend told me that he experienced his first earthquake at the age of 25 because he grew up in a country where earthquakes do not occur, and I was very surprised to learn that there are people in the world who have never experienced an earthquake.
In Japan, there are several facilities where you can experience the shaking of a big earthquake, but this facility is a place that makes you think after the experience, “How can I survive after an earthquake?” This is the perfect place to learn about disaster prevention.
In the immediate aftermath of an earthquake, there is inevitably little support, and survivors are forced to make appropriate decisions in order to survive. The “72h TOUR” is a disaster prevention experience learning facility that focuses on the “72h TOUR directly under Tokyo”.
Visitors can learn about the characteristics of tsunamis and self-help wisdom that has actually been useful in the 72 hours after an earthquake.
Admission to this facility is free, and foreign-language audio guides are also available free of charge. Nowadays, it is easy to travel abroad, and there is no guarantee that an earthquake will not occur during your trip. I believe this will be a good learning experience for everyone.
8. 3D electronic billboard advertisement 📺
The 3D electronic billboard advertisement that can be found in Times Square in New York and Broadway in London is now, to our surprise, also in Shinjuku, Tokyo.
This ad, showing popular characters and animals, will make everyone stop and look. They seem to be ready to jump out at any moment.
You may have to wait a while to see it, as the 3D ad is not always running.
9.Hen na Cafe 🤖 (Shibuya)
Known as a cafe where a robot arm brews coffee. Customers order drinks via a touch panel. After receiving the order, the robot performs a series of tasks from grinding the beans and extracting the espresso to pouring it into a cup, making this café a strange and different kind of café from the usual ones.
This café is located on the basement floor of Shibuya Modi. It is located close to the scramble crossing, so please stop by when you visit the scramble crossing.
Conclusion
Japanese characters, anime, unique entertainment culture, geography, and technology provide you with fun and educational experiences that can only be found in Japan. We hope you will have a different and unique experience in Tokyo.
