Our Asia Adventure 2026: Tokyo off the beaten path - a big cat, more cats, historic villages, a sweet potato, and ‘fine dining’ at the 7-11

We are, oh, so fortunate to have experienced Tokyo, Japan, for the second year in a row. It’s not just a ‘gateway’ for connecting flights to Asia, it also happens to be one of the most amazing cities in the world.

When you visit a major city for the first time, chances are that you will see the big sights. In Tokyo that might mean the Senso-ji Temple, the Shibuya Crossing, the cherry blossoms, the Imperial Palace, the Skytree, Ueno Park . . . but no matter if it’s your first visit or if you are a ‘regular’, it’s always good to go off the beaten path. That’s just what we did on our second visit to Tokyo. If you’d like to read about our first date with this energetic city, please read my blogposts “Our Asian Adventure:  Tokyo, Part 1 - sometimes the best sights are off the crowded path, especially with a local tour guide (and you might even find some vintage vinyl)” and  “Our Asian Adventure: Tokyo, Part 2 - Hanami, goshuin and finally, some taiyaki (and one last bowl of ramen)”.

Once again, we stayed at the Narita Tobu Airport Hotel, catching the fast Skyliner train into Tokyo from the Narita Airport. It’s not just convenient, it’s an affordable respite from the crowds and hustle of one of the world’s most populated megacities. I’ve got a blog for the little city of Narita from last year, too, if you’d like:  “Our Asian Adventure:  First up - Narita, Japan (don’t miss the bus)”. Speaking of Narita, the day after we arrived in Japan, we took our hotel shuttle bus into Narita hoping to stroll but it was raining (pouring) and windy, so we simply found a sweet little cafe with perfectly designed lattes and then returned to our hotel to rest up after 16 hours of jet lag. Maybe we are getting wiser with our advancing years.

And once again, we hired tour guide (and now our friend) Posh to show us parts of Tokyo not frequented by tourists.  We met Posh at the Shinjuku station, which happens to hold the Guinness World record for busiest train station in the world with some 200 exits that handle over three million passengers every day. Thank goodness for instant communication which helped us to find Posh, even though he had given us clear instructions.

First up, Posh wanted to show us the ‘3D cat’ or ‘Shinjuku Higashi-guchi no Neko’, the Cat of Shinjuku East Exit.  The 8.16 metre high cat was developed in 2021 with technology that I can’t even begin to understand that makes him (or her?) appear three-dimensional. It wakes up in the morning and stretches and meows at regular intervals before going to sleep at night. It’s not just a tourist attraction - I’m sure the cat serves as a meeting place: “I’ll see you at the 3D cat.”

There are several other 3D screens in Tokyo to research and check out, if you are interested.

Next up, Posh escorted us to an old Buddhist temple that is also directly related to a feline. The Gōtokuji Temple is known as the birthplace of the beckoning cat (Maneki-neko) - you know, the ornaments you see in many Asian stores and restaurants. The legend attached  says that a cat “beckoned” a 17th century lord into the temple which saved him from a storm. The temple has become synonymous  with good fortune.  If you are interested in this cat story, a good article  can be found at the official site of the Gotokuji Temple, gotokuji.jp.  People have apparently been leaving cat mementos at the temple for centuries and now cat statues are available for sale at the temple office. You can write your wishes or prayers on the ornament at the temple, later returning to offer thanks once the wish is granted. The  right paw lifted invites financial fortune and the left paw lifted invites people. A white cat symbolizes good fortune, a red cat is for health, a black cat wards off evil, gold is for wealth, and pink is for romance.  The temple is now home to thousands of white cat ornaments which lead to many social media posts - and spirituality and well-wishes, of course. (It was Posh’s  view that the social media craze has perhaps taken away from the true purpose of the temple.)

There’s plenty to know about the importance of cats in Japanese culture from positive vibes to heroic acts to a financial influence all their own. An intriguing  article is ‘Hello, little kitty - Japan’s $20 billion cat boom’ by Gearoid Reidy of the Japan Times at japantimes.co.jp, or there are lots of articles online.  All I can confirm is that there are odes to cats everywhere in Tokyo.

On our way to our next discovery, we had to sample baking from one of Japan’s over 10,000 bakeries which, in my opinion, rival bakeries anywhere.

We might have discovered the Gotokuji Temple on our own,  but we would have never thought of Posh’s next  trick, a little-known museum not technically in the city of Tokyo, the Japan Open-Air Folk House Museum in the Kanagawa Prefecture, south of central Tokyo.  The museum was established in 1967 to preserve  the history of the traditional houses of Japan. The museum is set on a forested hill and consists of 25 historic structures displaying the construction and artifacts  of time gone by. All of the houses  were relocated to this site before being rehabilitated, many dating to the 17th century. We were fascinated by the steep thatched roofs and the combination of timber and paste and stone construction. Many of the original owners from bygone eras were involved in silkworm and fire farming (“yakihata”- burning small patches of forest to ashes in a rotational, sustainable manner to be used as fertilizer for crops; it’s an interesting concept that you can read about online) or were wealthy merchants.

The highlight of this excursion was sitting on cushions at low tables slurping delicious soba noodle soup in a traditional restored restaurant in the Yamashita House. Posh said “it is alright to make noises” when you eat noodle soup.

What a delightful experience combining history with fresh air with forest smells with plenty  of exercise topped off with my favourite, noodle soup.  As they say, “highly recommend”.

We had to say goodbye to Posh although he wanted to spend more hours with us. He escorted us right to the waiting platform of the high speed train back to Narita, waving as the train pulled out. In our opinion, it’s a great idea to hire a private guide for some off-the-beaten-path wandering.

Big sights are must-sees, of course, but we love simply strolling around local neighbourhoods, so the four of us headed the next day to the Yanaka area of central Tokyo, getting off at the Nippori train station. Yanaka is a perfect community to experience more traditional Tokyo.  It is known as the old temple town (there’s over 70 in the area - too many to visit in one morning). The streets are small, some pedestrian only, dotted with small shops and cafes. The most popular is Yanaka Ginza that feels like you are stepping back in time.  A good site is www.yanakaginza.com which tells the story of this street and the efforts to maintain it as a part of Tokyo’s history. Yanaka is known to have one of the largest and oldest cemeteries in Tokyo. If you wanted, you could obtain a map and hunt down the gravesites of some of Tokyo’s  famous people. One of the most notable sites in Yanaka is the Nezu Shrine which we visited last year. It is known for its azalea blossoms that come out in full in the spring and also for its beautiful red Torii gates. Again, please read more about the Nezu Shrine in my 2025 Tokyo, Part 1 blog if you are interested.  In addition to the atmosphere of the Yanaka area, you might see a cat or two as Yanaka is also known as ‘cat town’ as the neighbourhood has traditionally embraced stray cats to give them a safe haven and also to promote the area as a cozy old town.  It’s a great place to spend a day wandering, sampling treats like rice crackers or fried buns, finding the perfect coffee stop, and peeking into shops. I just wonder how many more such neighbourhoods exist in this massive city that we will never know about?

Some scenes from the Yanaka neighbourhood:

Snapping a rice cracker:

I took this picture in 2025 of a beautiful young lady posing at the entrance to Yanaka Ginza Street:

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This 2025 photo is from the iconic Nezu Shrine complex and bank of azaleas not yet in bloom.

On our final day, on a recommendation from Posh, we took ourselves to the small town of Sawara about 20 kilometres northeast of the airport, historically a merchant town where sellers carried their wares down canals some 200 years ago. The town was a centre for rice distribution and is a preservation of history from the time period of 1603 to 1867.  The focal point is the canal (the Ono River) lined with preserved buildings such as old merchant houses and warehouses, shops, and cafes. It is a delightful stroll, especially in February when we were some of just a few visitors.  You could also visit several museums and shrines such as the Katori Jingu Shrine which dates to 643 BC and is one of the oldest in Japan, but we chose to wander the canal paths, crossing several delightful bridges, having coffee (and delicious parfaits), and peering into small craft shops. You could do a photo collage of the lamp post designs or the sewer covers or the miniature statues lining the canal, all intricate. It was well worth the $11.00 train fare.

Sometimes little spontaneous discoveries are the most memorable. Strolling along the canal, we noticed several cafes that sold every possible configuration of sweet potato treats. Sweet potatoes are one of my main food groups, so we were intrigued. (Later ‘research’ revealed that Sawara is an agricultural area with high-quality sweet potatoes being one of the primary crops.) Along the canal rolled a strange contraption, a cross between a motorcycle and a bicycle and a cart with smoke billowing out the back that just demanded attention. It was the sweet potato man who left the bustle of the city for a more sustainable and eco-friendly life. He was roasting sweet potatoes in the oven of his mobile contraption; and we can confirm that Sawara sweet potatoes are creamier and sweeter than our North American sweet potatoes due to production methods.

The sweet potato man posted this little thanks for our visit. You can see his instagram account below if you’d like to check it out.

Sawara is also known for it’s iris festival in the spring (the nearby Suigo Sawara Ayana park has some 1.5 million Japanese irises) and it’s twice yearly summer and fall Grand Festival which has been running for 300 years and celebrates Edo history. The festival involves towing huge intricate floats around the town accompanied by music. They say Sawara is one of the best places to experience Japanese history. I imagine it becomes extremely busy in the summer and during festival periods, but it makes for a super calm side trip in the off-season.

On our way back to the Sawara train station for the short trip back to our hotel, we crossed something off of my travelling partner Bev’s to do’ list - eat from a 7-11 convenience store. Yes, that is correct.  Japanese 7-11’s are quite different from our convenience stores, offering a wide array of good quality hot and cold food at affordable prices. We can confirm the pork Bao buns and Salmon Onigiri rice cakes were delicious.

Dining at the 7-11. The police cars are coincidental.

After our parfait, sweet potato, and 7-11 run, my travel partners declared me “a good snack finder”.

That was how we saw Tokyo off the beaten path in 2026. It was a delight, not feeling pressured to see or do anything but to simply enjoy lesser-known sights, but our two trips have barely scratched the surface.  I am sure you could live a lifetime here and not see it all.

Our next stop is Bangkok, Thailand.