Kathniel Went To Tokyo For A Weekend—Follow Their Quick But Fun 3-Day Itinerary

If you’re a Kathniel fan, surely you’ve watched their movies, follow them on IG, and even religiously like their IG posts. If you’re a true blue Kathniel, you’d know, too, that they watched the U2 concert in Tokyo.

In fact, Kathryn just dropped the latest video in her Everyday Kath YouTube channel.

Now here’s your chance to follow in their footsteps and experience Tokyo a la Kathniel. Check out their 3-day itinerary below:

DAY 1

Kathniel set off for Tokyo on Day 1 of their trip via All-Nippon Airways (ANA), which offers daily flights to Tokyo and Osaka, among others.

Upon arrival in Tokyo, the two headed out for dinner at Kath’s favorite ramen place: Ichiran Ramen.

Ichiran Ramen is one of the most popular ramen places in Japan. It originated in Fukuoka, and specializes in tonkotsu ramen. Tontoksu ramen uses pork-based broth, which makes their ramen rich and flavorful. They also make their own flour-based noodles and red spice powder (“Original Spicy Red Sauce”) which uses 30 different ingredients.

Aside from being delicious (especially on those cold winter evenings), Ichiran’s tonkotsu ramen is also rich in natural collagen—yes, collagen, that ingredient in your beauty product and skincare supplement that makes your skin oh so supple. So it’s not just yummy, it’s also good for you.

There are several branches of Ichiran in Tokyo, and each one will surely have a line outside its door, especially during lunch or dinner time. Try to get there before lunch or dinner to avoid the long wait. If you don’t want to take a chance and wait too long, head to Ichiran Shibuya which is open 24 hours.

Part of the fun of eating ramen in Japan is how to order your dish. Most tourists find that ordering through a vending machine is quite fascinating—and why not? It’s always fun customizing your food—it’s a different of playing with your food.

Before you enter the ramen shop, buy your ramen ticket at the vending machine. You will find two basic orders at the machine: (1) Ichiran Select 5, which is the regular ramen with all the usual toppings such as boiled egg, kikurage (wood ear mushrooms or what we know as tengang daga), nori (seaweeds), and charsiu pork, and (2) plain ramen. You can opt to choose the Ichiran Select 5 or personalize your ramen even further by choosing the plain ramen, and then adding all the other extras as separate orders.

Once you have your ramen ticket, hand this over to the waitstaff who will then lead you to an open seat within the shop. You will notice that the seats are designed as individual booths, with dividers between each seat. Don’t worry, these dividers can be folded open if you’re coming with someone or as a group.

Upon settling into your seat, you will be given a piece of paper from which you can further customize your bowl of ramen. Just circle your preferences for how rich you want your ramen broth to be to how spicy it is to how hard or soft you want your noodles to be. Each visit to Ichiran ramen is an opportunity to find out how you best like your ramen.

Once you have your order set, press the small button on the table and hand over your sheet to the waitstaff behind the counter. Then the wait begins.

As soon as your bowl of ramen is served, take a few moments to take in the smell of that broth before diving in. Enjoy!

After dinner, Kathryn and Daniel proceeded to Golden Gai in Shinjuku district. Shinjuku in the daytime is teeming with office workers, but when the sun sets, this locale comes alive as locals and tourists congregate in its many restaurants and bars.

As you explore and get lost in the alleys of Golden Gai, you’ll find yourself transported into an almost surreal Tokyo nightlife. Barhopping is a must, as each establishment will have something unique to offer—from the food and drinks to the décor and ambiance. And oh, don’t keep to the ground level; explore the doorways and staircases to see where it may lead.

But a little caveat: Some establishments in Golden Gai only serve regulars, while others may even restrict foreigner patrons. However, these shouldn’t keep you from having a good time, as there are a number of other bars you can go to. 

DAY 2

Day 2 in Tokyo for Kathniel is the U2 Concert, but before that, the couple went to Tsukiji Market to satisfy some cravings. 

Tsukiji Market is a popular seafood market in Tokyo. It was previously known for its early morning tuna auction at the inner market, but since the fish market closed in October 2018 (and moved to Toyosu), what remained was the outer market where many tourists gather for a taste of some of the freshest sushi.

A visit to Tsukiji Market is a must, especially for sushi lovers. Make sure to schedule a visit early in the morning to ensure you get the freshest sushi, as most of the establishments here close shortly after lunch. The market gets crowded with tour groups by mid-day, too, so coming early means there’s less of a crowd as you peruse each alley.

As mentioned previously, some of the best sushi may be had in Tsukiji market. A variety of seafood such as crabs (king crab, snow crab, and hairy crab), scallops, tuna, salmon, and uni (sea urchin) from Hokkaido, along with other seafood from around Japan can be found at the market. But make sure you leave room for other yummy treats here such as scallops with uni, sweet seasonal fruits on skewers, and even A5 wagyu on a stick.

Kathryn and Daniel specifically came back to Tsukiji Market for their favorites: A bowl of beef gyudon (which Kathryn says Daniel has been craving for months) and tamago, that sweet, yellow, fluffy egg omelette that Kathryn recommends in the video.

After a day at Tsukiji, Kathryn and Daniel were ready for the U2 Concert!

DAY 3

Day 3 for Kathniel was shopping day!

The two walked 2.3 kilometers to Don Quijote, a popular discount store that sells anything and everything from beauty and skincare products to candies and snacks to electronics to designer brand bags, watches, and perfume. Cosplay clothing and accessories, home appliances, and medicines are also available.

More popularly known as “Donki,” this retail store has branches all over Japan and is a favorite shopping haunt as it’s open 24 hours. Many tourists coming to Japan have loaded up on their favorite Japanese snacks, makeup and beauty products from Donki for its affordable prices and wide selection. Popular items are cup noodles, green tea products, different kinds of Kit Kat only found in Japan.

Other bonuses about shopping in Donki include duty-free service, airport delivery service (no more lugging around those shopping bags and perfect for bulky purchases such as home appliances), and free in-store wifi service (so you can contact your friends and family about their shopping requests!).

If you want to see for yourself what Kathryn and Daniel bought in Donki and what they did and ate in Tokyo, you can watch the video here: