We returned to Tokyo and spent 2 nights in Asakusa. The first evening, we went shopping at Uniqlo flagship store in Ginza which has 12 floors. You can check out the reel here. The next afternoon was spent in Yanaka Ginza which is a very different Ginza. I love Yanaka Ginza with its traditional 173 meters shopping street from the 1950s. This street is lined with small locally owned shops, cafes and food stalls which explores the nostalgic side of Tokyo. It was so fun! You can check out the reel of the day here. We also visited the Tokyo Skytree in the morning and crossed the beautiful Sumida river from Asakusa.

Then it was time to visit Nikko. Nikko is a small city in Tochigi Prefecture north of Tokyo. We got on the new SPACIA X, a new-model limited express train linking Tokyo’s Asakusa district with the Nikko/Kinugawa area. The SPACIA X trains started running on the 12th of July 2023. Mind you that purchasing the tickets was not easy as the seats were sold out within 5 minutes from the start of the selling time. It’s so new that passengers were excitedly posing with the train for photos.

People are saying that a day trip to Nikko from Tokyo is sufficient enough. But if I have to do it again, I will stay longer in Nikko. We had a nice accommodation near the Kanmangafuchi Abyss, with an onsen that we can use privately. It was also in Nikko that I have tasted the best vegetarian meal ever called the Shojin Yyori (monk’s diet) which consists of rice, vegetable tempura, stewed yuba, yuba sashimi and a soup. Yuba are soy sheets and is a Nikko specialty. It was so delicious! Check out the reel for the day here.

We spent a night in Nikko and will definitely return to Nikko someday. Then we returned to Tokyo for our last night in Japan…