The video above is official receipts presented so you can keep reading. The video says all it needs to say. First, there has always been Black in Japan so none of you showing up is brand new, so stop acting brand new. Second notice that I’m the only guy at that end of the section and there is nothing but international Black women from around the African Diaspora, all of them are MBAs and PhDs – this is what I love to be surrounded by and now you seeing the true global citizen life. Video not even staged, yall caught me spitting rizz and this is Tokyo, Japan.

Now I was looking at some cornball Japan visit videos social influencers and they were just running around – Tokyo is too massive of a city to not knowing where you going. Also, look at me hanging out with the sistas in Japan while the Passport Bros be filming themselves asking Japanese women do they like Black guys – these cornballs could have just ask them out on a quick date but instead, they asking them stupid vlogger questions for their goofy audience watching them on social media.

The purpose of this article is to give you a pure guide how to move about in Japan as a brotha/sista from how to plan, when you arrive, where to go, how to eat. I have been moving back and forth from Japan for over 15 years on this blog any many of my followers can attest to this. But I don’t need to prove anything, I’m here to teach and hopefully make the trip better for others.

This article will explain how I get to Japan and get around because I know the area.

Booking

I recommend you use Expedia because they have the best Japanese perks for VIP members. In Japan, they do upgrade you nice if they have a nicer room available for you, never had a problem. I’m going to discuss where I stay and what I buy during my booking.

The place I go and this is the recommended location among Black expats is Shimbashi and Shiodome. Center yourself around the Shimbashi station. The map of Japan I want to explain why this is where you want to stay.

Noticed you have a lot around you to move around. You can go to Ginza where you will find me as Mos Café Ginza Nine having lunch or brunch. There is a nice place I covered on Dream and Hustle where the train station underneath has been converted to a shopping area. But you have the Fish Marketplace that is also in walking distance and you can walk to both Tokyo Tower (the walk is awesome) or to the Imperial Castle. The Shimbashi train station take you to where you need to go and there are connecting lines underground that get you quickly to other places like Skytree, Roppongi, Shibuya quickly as well. You also have the connecting point to take the elevated train into Odaiba where they have the beachfront and shopping and things to see as well.

I’m in Atlanta so I take a direct flight from Atlanta to Haneda. Even if you go into Narita, there is one train that is not expensive that goes directly to the Shimbashi station so you don’t have to do things like change over.

Now for Hotels, I recommend first and foremost on the map, the Royal Iconic Shiodome because you get beautiful views of Mt. Fuji and Tokyo tower as well as if you have Expedia VIP, you get free breakfast or lunch and this is an excellent food perk for you. The second place is where I stay at and if you are a single woman, they have women only floors and that is The B Shimbashi. It is a no-frills hotel with an awesome shower and I make that place my base then I’m always going out.

There is one more critical piece to order in my book – the JR Pass that gives you unlimited travel on all JR lines in Japan as well as the bullet trains. The JR Pass has to be booked in advanced while you are still here in the USA and they send it to you next-day. It quickly pays for itself as you can take the bullet train to Osaka and Kyoto as well as the west end of Japan and up north to Fujikawaguchiko. Traveling without an JR Pass is expensive and the train rides adds up – I seriously recommend you get the JR Pass to move around with ease.

Packing and Preparing

I do not recommend packing a lot of stuff because you will likely picking up stuff to bring back, especially with the cheap yen to dollar exchange. What I bring that I suggest is deodorant, lotion, soap, shaving crème because the Japanese version don’t quite work on Black skin, especially their razor blades. I also bring my own travel steamer as well.

For moving about, I wear casual because I’m grown and want to attract grown and sexy like me. Most places I go the ladies are modest dress and I need to match what they wear. I see social media cats going there wearing hoodies or sistas looking like clowns – just remember, that’s how they going to see you while they smiling in your face. If you look and your mannerism is like them, you get mad respect and upgrades and perks.

When You Arrive

Now that you made it to Haneda or Narita, this is the biggest mistake people make and I want you to listen very carefully. Do not pull your money out of an ATM or go to TravelEx – they are very expensive. Instead, you will see another exchange with a longer line of people because they know where to go. That is the exchange you go to and you will get more closer to the exchange rate, this is the most important advice I can give you to get extra money in your pocket.

Next step is this piece of advice, do not activate your JR Pass until you are ready to really travel by train. I always get the 7-day and time it right. There are several places to activate your JR Pass but I do not recommend the airport. Wait and go to either Shinjuku station or even closer to Shimbashi – go to Tokyo station, the central hub where you will also book your bullet train tickets to Kyoto and Osaka and other places as well.

Take the express train to Shimbashi station, there is no need to take a cab on the way and enjoy the local train ride into town. I usually take the cab when I’m leaving for the airport.

Where to Eat

If you are in the Shimbashi area, there are plenty of great places to eat, especially near the train station and alleyways. I will tell you that Izakaya are like tapas that bring out a stick of meat and sides to eat and well-priced. My favorite place is the famous fish market in the morning when the fish are fresh and they prepare sushi.

My mornings in Tokyo is the café where I have my computer – the most popular spot for me is in Roppongi at the McDonald’s connecting to Mori tower because that is where Google and a lot of other tech firms are at and I’m trying to get some rizz going on while writing articles for this blog – most of my blog articles I write in Tokyo are at this McDonald’s location in Roppongi.

Also, do not sleep on the eel – it is actually good the way they cook it and taste awesome. I do not eat pork so I do not frequent ramen shops where they have pork cutlets as the main meat for ramen if you a pork-eating brotha or sista, go knock yourself out. In my personal experience, ramen shops are hit-or-miss and I stick with small single-owner shops, not the chain-based shops.

If you in Shimbashi, there are several groceries stores you can go to and lots of convenance stories. But I recommend you go to the grocery store around Ginza Nine, just keep walking past Mos Café and before you reach the first part of Ginza main street, it’s right there.

Where to Shop and Buy Birkin and Rolexes.

The best place to me to buy luxury goods is in Dotonbori in Osaka – the prices and selection is the best and worth the train ride from Tokyo to visit the area. The second-best place is Ueno in Tokyo area and this is straight off the JR line and they have a nice walking and eating area in Ueno as well.

Shinjuku tend to be more expensive and a tourist trap so I recommend the other areas. There is a few spots around the Godzilla head that I buy from.

Warning – be prepared to declare and pay your custom taxes when you reach back in the United States. If you do not pay and they catch you, you will be in a world of crap – don’t even play games like that. If I remember, it’s anything over 800.

Tokyo is too Big for Me and You.

There is no way I can tell you how to completely move in Tokyo. For example, watching the social media influencers – I noticed none of them went to Harajuku and missed a major spot that is required for Black women looking to brand, not going to call out De’erra Taylor but just saying.

It is so much do to like going to game arcades, street car shows, mountain climbing, shopping for luxury and one of my favorite is the famous Japanese barbershop that does full service I cannot get in the USA and that Japanese barber in Roppongi does legendary work on African-Americans.

I want you to get lost in Tokyo and Japan, it gets more exciting for you as you find your peace, discover new things and more. Also, nobody in the Black community should be going to Japan confused – reach out to me if you seriously need advice on what to do and where to go. I don’t need “consultant money” on such things.

Oh, I will be in Japan this weekend and one of the things we doing is we are launching I will cover this in our Discord where I will be presenting from Tokyo.