I'm sure by now you have read about my blog regarding the rental of a taxi in Tokyo but if not, let me explain to you again. Tokyo Taxi has launched a Tokyo Sightseeing Taxi for foreign tourists who want to travel around Tokyo effortlessly

The benefits of using Tokyo Taxi are =

Considering that the Taxi in Tokyo is one of the most expensive taxis in the world, the deal is definitely worth to be noted about! I am a regular user of a taxi in Tokyo and it's very useful for short distance transportation with only 410 JPT as a first fare base. But for day trip in Tokyo, I totally recommend booking Sightseeing Taxi

Previously, I had my taxi in sedan type that can host up to 4 persons, but on the second day, I got myself an Alphard! You can't choose which car you want if you book normally, but if you insist on having a minivan-size which is bigger and can hold more luggage, you can upgrade the taxi for just 1080 yen! 

The taxi came to pick me up in front of my apartment at the scheduled time and greeted me in english

The best thing about having an Alphard or minivan-car, you can split the cost even further if you're with a big group of friends since it can accommodate up to 6 people!

It's really spacious and comfortable even for a long ride

And after I boarded, we departed to our first stop. The theme of the day is to explore Shitamachi which is the old town area to experience the traditional side of Tokyo!

TOKYO SAKURA TRAM

Tokyo Sakura Tram is the tram which enjoys the scenery and traditional atmosphere. It's an electrical rail vehicle, but maximum speed is 40km/hour. The difference is, the stations of the tram in Tokyo is friendly designed hence make it easier for elder people to ride it. The shape of the tram is pretty retro, and it only has one car instead of 6-8 cars like train or subway. The driver brought me to Oji Ekimae station to enjoy the touristy feeling of riding Tokyo Sakura Tram, and pick me up at the last stop, Minowabashi Station. Once I reached the last stop, Minowabashi Station, I was able to take a picture just and it's so cute! And I was so lucky to take a picture like this since Tokyo Sakura Tram is now quite famous among foreign tourists and full of passengers, especially on weekends. Depending on the season, you would be able to enjoy beautiful flowers from the window such as Sakura or Rose

NEZU JINJA

This jinja has received a lot of attention these days because of its red gate (toris) that looks similar like Fushimi Inari. And yes it's located in the middle of Tokyo. After the Tram experience, my driver brought me to Nezu Jinja and explained to me about the history of the jinja including how to wash my hand, how to pray, and unique hidden symbols 

Tons of Ema's. It's believed in Shintoism that you write your wish on the wood and pray to the God, your wish will come true ^^

And in fact, the tori in every shrine is the donation of each person whose pray has been fulfilled! That's why there are some kanjis engraven onto the tori, it's the name of the person who made a wish!

These toris are not just a symbol of the shrine, neither just for instagram picture. It holds deeper meaning, an answered pray

YANAKA GINZA

Finished with the shrine, we moved to Yanaka Ginza. It's the first time for me to visit this place, it's basically a shopping street filled with snacks, souvenirs shops, restaurants, and cafes. It has a retro vibe and I like it so much because it's less crowded, and has a lot of unique shops

I am so lucky because my driver knows a lot about Yanaka Ginza and able to introduce me a lot of tasty street snacks that I have to try or shouldn't try. Like this croquette he recommended to me and it's so gooooddd to the point I wanted to get another one 

And to my surprise, I found a hidden gem in Yanaka Ginza. A really really cheap supermarket that sells high quality strawberry box for 650 yen (usually I would have to pay around 2000-3000 yen for that kind of strawberries), fresh broccoli for 50 yen, and Kagome Tomatoes for 118 yen per 3 pcs. I love Yanaka Ginza!! 

The happy me shopping!

In fact I wanted to shop more BUT I was going for a trip outside Tokyo in 2 days hence I had to be mindful of my groceries inventory

And another point to mention, you can drop your shopping items in the car and continue doing other activities. I had another plan after shopping so I got my driver brought my shopping bags to the car after he walked me to my next stop. I'm so so happy T____T

YANESEN

TEA CEREMONY EXPERIENCE

My next stop is YANESEN. It's a tourism facility and cultural experience for foreign visitors. You can join caligraphy, kimono experience, ikebana, tea ceremony experience, etc. It's within walking distance from Yanaka Ginza so make sure to stop by here! 

On that day, I tried the Tea Ceremony Experience

Since they're catering to foreign visitors, worry not because the sensei can speak in english so you can understand when she's explaining :D 

There's an etiquette starting even before you start the tea ceremony. Before entering the room, there's a certain way how we open the door, how to enter, and how to put back our shoes in proper order. In case you wonder why the door is so small and we have to enter from that entrance, it's for 2 reasons. First is to show respect, when we're entering the room, no matter who you are, peasant or landlord, you have to bow down to show respect. Second is, to show that you're not bringing any weapons. Back then, samurai used to bring katana or weapons and if you bow down, your weapons will be seen through by them and you wont be able to enter the room

Tea ceremony experience is so relaxing. From the sounds made by the sensei when boiling the water, the gestures and movement that's done elegantly, the words spoken, the aroma of matcha, the taste of wagashi. Experiencing it in real life is always an amazing experience no matter how many times I've done this

After the ceremony performed by the Sensei, the sensei taught me how to make the tea on my own! She taught me attentively of how to perform the ceremony, and it's definitely really hard to replicate what the sensei did from just one time experience, but it's really fun! I asked a lot of questions and because of this experience, I feel like joining a real regular class to study it even further

LUNCH AT SAKURA HOTEL NIPPORI

Before going back home, I had a late lunch at Sakura Hotel Nippori. This hotel is famous for being cheap hotel for tourists but what I didnt know was they also offer their Sakura House Cafe for non hotel guests to dine in. It's pretty close to YANESEN Center so I went there for my late lunch

The lunch price is pretty affordable and they have a lot of international dishes including vegetarian options. I chose lamb shank for my lunch because it's been a while! And the taste is pretty good

So that concludes my half a day trip with Tokyo Taxi to downtown Shitamachi. It's really refreshing to explore the side of Tokyo that I haven't explored before, and besides, it's really good to just sit down and get informed when I've reached my destination. Sometimes my driver will also tell me interesting things about Tokyo and the areas we drove through. And all is done in English, which makes the whole trip easier for non Japanese speaker tourists

I really feel this is the best and most comfortable way to explore Tokyo in luxury, and you can always adjust your own itinerary and schedule because everything is done according to your own preference. If you don't like a certain area, you can always ask your driver to go to the next spot instead of waiting for the next departure time like a normal tour

And, if you come with your family or friends, the price for an individual transportation cost would be way cheaper. They don't only provide taxi tour all around Tokyo BUT they also offer 3 hours Tokyo sightseeing drive on the way to airport, and also a day trip to Hakone using taxi!