The Yamanote Challenge: Exploring Tokyo in Unexpected Ways

Have you ever taken a train ride around Tokyo's famous Yamanote Line? It's a loop that passes through the heart of Tokyo, with trains running clockwise and counterclockwise, stopping at 30 stations. For many Tokyoites, the Yamanote Line is a daily commute, but for visitors, it's a great way to explore the city's different neighborhoods. And that's exactly what we did in the Yamanote Challenge, Ninja Monkey Style.

I'm Ninja Monkey, and I teamed up with Nomadic Gaijin (Luke) for this challenge. We decided to add a twist to our Yamanote Line adventure by doing some challenges at each station we stopped at. I used my trusty Suica card to get around, while Luke opted for the Tokyo Metropolitan Pass. We wanted to see which one would be the better deal.

We started our journey by riding the train clockwise and stopping at randomly selected stations. At the second station, we drew a challenge from an envelope: Find a shrine in Shimbashi. We were a bit unsure if we could find a shrine in that area, but thanks to Google, we discovered a unique Alleyway Shrine that had its own Twitter page. We were surprised to find that it was a popular spot, with many people passing through.

Our next stop was Osaki, where we drew another challenge: Eat something interesting. It was perfect timing, as it was already lunchtime. We discovered that many restaurants have affordable set menus during lunchtime, which are perfect for budget-conscious travelers. Luke tried fried oysters, which is a popular winter dish and the best Oysters are from Hiroshima. I had a set lunch that included miso soup and a generous plate of food that filled me up for the rest of the day.

One thing we noticed about Osaki was the elevated walkways that connected different parts of the area. It was a unique feature that made the area a great place to explore, even in bad weather.

From there, our next random stop happened to be Meguro. We drew a challenge to walk to the next station, and we were happy to take the challenge. We strolled through the streets of Meguro, which are especially beautiful during the cherry blossom season. Unfortunately, we were a bit early, and the cherry trees were still about to bloom. We ended up at Ebisu, where I tried a Sakura-inspired drink to lift my mood and we drew another challenge from the envelope, which was to go to a station that was five stops away: Shin-Okubo, and our challenge there was to eat something interesting.

Shin-Okubo is known as Tokyo's Korean town, with many Korean shops and restaurants. We found a small shop that sold rainbow cheese-covered donuts, and we couldn't resist trying them. They were surprisingly tasty, with a sweet and savory flavor that we both enjoyed.

The Yamanote Challenge was a great way to explore Tokyo in unexpected ways. I never thought I would end up here. The train ride was taking us to Sugamo on the Yamanote Line, also known as the "old people's Harajuku". It's a place with lots of shops and activity, but mainly geared towards the elderly. It was getting late, and I had a feeling that most of the stores would be closed by the time we arrived.

Our challenge was to find a vending machine, and I couldn't help but wonder if we would only find boring drinks for the elderly. However, I discovered a new favorite drink, "shiruko", which is made from red bean. It was warm, salty, and delicious, and I wanted to pour it over pancakes.

As the night went on, the town became sleepier, and it was clear that we should have come during the day. We decided to do one more stop before circling back to Tokyo. Our adventure had been fun so far, and I wondered what our next challenge would be.

We eventually found ourselves at Ueno and with our challenge "find a shrine" but we found a temple, not a shrine, but it was closed. We continued to explore the area and stumbled upon Okachimachi, one of my favourite areas in Tokyo.

Finally, after 12 hours of traveling around the Yamanote Line, we completed our challenge and returned to Tokyo Station. We had used the Tokyo Metropolitan pass and saved 330 yen in total! I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience and learned something new about Tokyo. If you have any ideas for our next challenge, let us know in the comments.

We discovered hidden shrines, tried new foods, and walked through different neighborhoods. It was an adventure that we would never have experienced if we had just taken the train for a regular commute. So, next time you're in Tokyo, why not take the Yamanote Challenge and explore the city like a true local?