“Nantoka naru” or “なんとかなる.”
It’s one of Lee Kelfern’s favourite phrases in Japanese, meaning “it’ll work out somehow.” A reminder that even when you feel uncertain, you can still take the path forward. As he completes his third year at Toyo University, having moved from Malaysia to Japan — navigated years of challenges on his own — he’s finally built a place he can call a second home.
Living in Japan, indeed, worked out for him.
So, if you’re about to study in Tokyo and you’re looking for some recommendations on what to eat, what to do, where to go, Lee’s got you covered. This is how you can spend your first 24 hours in Tokyo.
The best way to spend your first 24 hours in Tokyo
Breakfast: Yayoi Ken
If you’re up as early as 5:00 a.m., you can seek out a traditional Japanese breakfast at Yayoi Ken, which Lee states is “a chain store, but good.” The restaurant now has over 600 branches worldwide, but there’s really no better place to give its food a go than its own home.
Serving authentic, nutritious Japanese food in “teishoku” style at affordable prices, you can start your day with set meals like the Natto Breakfast Teishoku, Mini Beef Sukiyaki Breakfast, Egg & Wiener Breakfast, and more. “Teishoku” refers to a fixed set meal consisting of a main dish, steamed rice, miso soup, pickles, and small side dishes, all served together on one tray.
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Activity 1: Shop ’til you drop
If you have 24 hours in Tokyo, you could probably spend the entire day shopping. In the worst-case scenario, like say you lose your suitcase at the airport, you’re not going to be in a shortage of clothes. As Lee says, if you like secondhand clothes, there are “lots of vintage shops all over Tokyo.” His recommendation, though: Shimokitazawa, described as a hip, bohemian district.
If you like your clothes brand new, these are two of Lee’s favourite brands:
- Remer – Known for its simple, refined, and oversized fashion
- thisisneverthat – a Seoul-based brand that W Magazine states is “South Korea’s answer to Supreme.”
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Lunch: Pizza Slice Cat Street
It may seem odd, trying out a New York-style pizza-by-the-slice in Harajuku or Shibuya, of all places, but hey, if New York’s got thousands of restaurants serving foods from all sorts of Asian cuisines, then Tokyo can certainly serve good pizza. The restaurant’s almost brutalist in design, filled with concrete, metal, and glass, but the highlight here is the pizza. You can go for the basic cheese or pepperoni pizza, or go for the jalapeño, Italian sausage, mushroom, and other options.
Oh, and they’ve got alcohol too if you need a little beer.
Activity 2: Café hopping
After a satisfying lunch, perhaps it’s time to wind down with a drink, light snack, or dessert. Café hopping is an extremely popular activity amongst the youngsters, and Tokyo is exceptionally good with its options. Lee’s got a few favourites. Good Town Doughnuts for, you guessed it, doughnuts of every flavour combo: Kyoto Uji Matcha, Maple Bacon, California Strawberry Lemonade. Andy Coffee, for more doughnuts and a café latte. Blue Bottle Coffee, for specialities roasted by hand.
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Dinner: Ootoya
Also in the “chain store but good” territory, and a satiating way to close the night: grab dinner at Ootoya; also home to delicious “teishoku” or set meals. It’s inexpensive and comes with the regular white rice, miso soup, side dish, and main dish formula. You can choose from different meats, seafood, and veggie dishes like the konbu-flavoured roast pork or char-grilled Alaskan salmon with green onion miso — and finish off your day with some green tea ice cream.