These are my favorite Tokyo spots for 2022.
[Music]
So a lot happened in 2021 and
unfortunately a lot of you couldn't come
here because of the restrictions but I
still wanted to share some of my
favorite places so this video is for all
of you planning to come here in 2022 and
maybe 2023. Now you may have seen some of
these spots in other videos but i wanted
to kind of put it all together and make
one video so when you come here you can
just reference this video. But like
always before i start if you want to
help support the channel check out the
Tokyo merch if you guys want to see what
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questions about Japan or your Japan
travels check out my discord community.
All right! Let me show you the latest and
greatest of Tokyo!
Engine engine number nine on the
Yamanote line if this next stop is super
dope hit it up hit it up hit it up! JR
Takanawa gateway station. So this is the
newest train station on the Yamanote
line, in fact, it was opened in March of
2020 but a lot of you haven't seen it
because probably a lot of you haven't
been here so I definitely wanted to show
you around. It has some cool, let me say, features? Of this train station so it's
definitely worth checking out let me
show you around.
This station is located between
Shinigawa and Tamachi station on the JR
Yamanote line. It's the newest station in
Tokyo by 49 years and was constructed
and designed to be a functioning testbed
for new train station technologies such
as AI signage and automated robots. For
example they have six different kinds of
robots on trial performing various tasks
such as security, cleaning sanitation,
guiding, and baggage assistance. Wow! Check
out this guy!
They've got juice, and even some cute
scotch tape!
It's awesome this station even has its
own piano that people can play on!
[Music]
show me the restaurants around the station so this is pretty awesome this
information screen right here you don't
even need to touch it. It actually senses
your finger so it automatically goes to
the menu that you want to plus you can
actually talk to it as well
That's touch2go an unattended AI payment
style convenience store. It's 50 cameras
and sensors installed throughout the
store check out the products and
automatically calculate them at the
register. So convenient! So there you go I
got my drink you can come here you can
get whatever you want you get snacks or
whatever and there's no one here it's
all unattended. All you have to do is
choose whether you want to pay with my
credit card or buy your train card
pretty useful just to get in and go. This
station is also perfect for those who
are all about that train spotting life
as you can view all of the passing
trains through the floor-to-ceiling
glass walls.
So there's even a third floor deck
here where you can overlook the train
station and there's a starbucks here as
well. And for those of you getting a late
start back to Japan the area around the
station is still under development with
completion plans to be a global gateway
city in 2024.
Now let's move to one of my favorite
areas: Shimokitazawa. So there's actually
some other spots that I wanted to show
you include in this video but I featured
them already in my other videos so i'm
not going to show that like for example
I've taken you guys to Shibuya too many
times and one of my favorites is Miyashita
park but you know I've sewn it so I'm
not going to show it in this video so if
you want to see Miyashita park or any of
the other Shibuya locations then
definitely check out my Shibuya video
Reloading: Shimokitazawa. Whoa! The sun is
just coming in right now, that's amazing!
So this is one of the newest spots here
in Shimokitazawa it's called "Reload." They
have a lot of new shops and bars and
just a lot of different cool little
interesting shops. In fact it's so new
that they don't have all the shops fully
installed yet. But I still wanted to show
you around so that when you come here in
2022 or 2023 all the shops should be
here. Let me show you now!
Shimokitazawa has been one of the
fastest developing neighbors in recent
years and one of the latest and greatest
is "Reload" opened in June of 2021 on a
1.7 kilometer plot of land that was
previously used by the Oda Q train line
before it moved underground. Currently
with 18 shops and more tenants to come
in future plans. It maintains that trendy
hippie relaxed shimokita vibe that
residents have come to love but has also
added a hint of that Southern California
"by the beach" feel. They've got several
vintage apparel shops, a 100% vegan bakery,
born in Shimokitazawa, a protein cafe a,
meat sandwich shop produced by the
stabler, an old American style barbershop, and a Japanese eyewear shop with more than 100 years of history and even a cool
event space.
Now if you want to juice up your meat
battery I suggest hitting up sidewalk
coffee. Originally from Nakameguro this
is their second shop which won't
disappoint.
[Music]
Okay so we've made it to the end of
"Reload" this one is kind of like hidden
all the way back in fact there's a hotel
just right here but what's really nice
about this place is that they have some
coffee and if you want they have some
beer as well. Today I got the ice latte
you can see that they roast their beans
all the way in the back themselves.
Ahhhh, ice latte is so good. So definitely if
you guys want to come here there's a lot
of different shops as you saw like just
me walking around they have a bunch of
like tea shops and they just have a lot
of shops that are like still haven't
been installed so coming 2022 this will
be the spot I just wanted to get ahead
of the game and share with you what's
going on so that when you guys come here
you have a place to go in Shimokitazawa
Before I continue on I want to give a
quick shout out to my regular sponsor
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description. All right let's continue on
with this tour!
Giant 3d cat and Shinjuku. So this is one
of Shinjuku's latest additions it's a
120 square meter curved billboard I
don't know if it's like something you
would want to go to and just like just
do this but it's pretty cool nonetheless
just to stop by and see. The giant 3d
digital signage panel called "crash Shinjuku vision" is located just outside of
JR Shinjuku east exit. Since October 1st
2021 this cute calico has been making
its 3d like appearance once every 15
minutes in four unique two minute and
fifteen second episodes called "neko
channel." It was designed by Omnibus Japan
who gathered all the cat loving staff to
create this adorable feline that people
in Shinjuku couldn't help but stop and
watch. Originally launched in July it was
only one talking 15 second clip which
many people found to be difficult to
record on their phones so the company
made the longer clips and different
versions as you see today
"With Harajuku."
So one of the latest and greatest here in
Harajuku is "With Harajuku" it's a
shopping mall that has all sorts of
stores it has Uniqlo it has IKEA and it
has a lot more so let me show you inside.
"With Harajuku was opened in June of 2020
around the same time as Harajuku's train
station renewal as Harajuku's newest
landmark. It holds 18 stores with a wide
variety of shopping, sports shops, and even cafes.
It's a wide open outdoor style space
that has a chill vibe and a perfect view
of the station.
I just love how many stores they have
just right next to the station it's
pretty convenient.
Since I'm here let me show you one of
the best lunch spots with a view
The food just came I have my omelet rice
right here. Basically I wanted to show
you this spot not specifically for the
food even the food is pretty good here.
Basically I wanted to take you here and
show you kind of a place where you can
go and kind of overlook the train
station and get an awesome view, as you
can see that there's this open balcony
I think it may be a little bit too cold for some people but since the
sun is super bright right now and
shining down it is super warm. And to be
honest with you this omelette isn't that
bad as well look at that! The sauce that
they have for this omelet is pretty
awesome this is how omelettes are made
in Japan, or, this is how omelettes are
made here.
[Music]
That is a good omelette. I think adding
that sauce is just perfect. It's really
nice it gives it a lot of flavor a great
omelette and even a better view this is
awesome.
"Transparent toilets in Shibuya" As part
of the Tokyo toilet project by Nippon
Foundation this transparent toilet was
created at Yogi Fukamachi mini park just
next to Yoyogi park. The goal to reform
that everlasting image of Tokyo's dirty
dark smelly and scary public toilets to
ones that anyone would feel safe and
comfortable using. Alright so I've made
it inside of the toilet as you can see
it's pretty standard here if you look
around you have glass all around you and
when you flip the switch it turns from
transparent to kind of to like a cloudy
film but you know it's just nice having
a public toilet out in the open where
you can look inside make sure that it's clean. What's interesting about this
project is that they have 17 other
locations where other designers have
kind of designed the toilets so if you
guys are interested in me doing a video
on the other toilets that they've
designed in Tokyo let me know the
comments and I'll definitely do a video
or, well we'll see
"Jingumae Comichi."So if you're in
Harajuku and you want to grab a quick
drink or maybe get some food this hidden
spot is just a few minutes away from the
station and it's relatively new. Let me show you.
Open in September of 2020, this two-story
spot holds 18 unique modest sized
restaurants with a Japanese hachigo
theme: bar hopping. Hashigo literally
meaning ladder. The halls are
specifically designed to give customers
an outside street feel and with various
types of restaurants from all over Japan
like an Okinawa Izakaya Japanese tea
shop, a Hokkaido seafood restaurant, and
even a french bistro with some Michelin
cred. This spot is perfect for those one
style poppers and you'll probably
already know where I'm headed today! A
craft beer stand: Highline Liquid
So I got my beer, this place is amazing!
What I love about this place is it has
so many different kinds of foods and
drinks like this place right here has
all these different draft beers you can
get. But the entire complex has ramen,
seafood, katsu, hamburgers.... It has
everything you want so if you want so
get some Japanese food have some drinks
then definitely this is a great spot to
start and especially new. It's only been
around for less than a year. All right so
there you go those are my favorite spots
in Tokyo for 2022. If you guys like this
video like always help me out and hit
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catch you guys in the next one.