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This nerdy Day Trip from Tokyo came on my radar during my last trip to Japan while visiting the neighboring historic city of Kamakura and riding on the cute electric train that connects the Enoshima and Kamakura.

It was also the setting of the awkwardly named but great anime, Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai. (Don’t let the name and art fool you, it is not a pervy harem anime but a pretty fun paranormal comedy.)

But what really got me excited about visiting Enoshima was the ninth episode of the fun Fall 2022 comedy Bocchi the Rock! A sort of Beach Episode (an episode of a show where no real plot development happens and the cast just relaxes) the main characters take a day trip to Enoshima for, essentially, just a travelog highlighting the sites and the foods of the city. Tokyo can be a bit overwhelming so I am always looking for nice side trips to de-stress and since the show basically made an itinerary, i started researching the spots in the episode. And what I found blew my little nerd mind.

The first spot the cast of Bocchi the Rock visit is Enoshima Shrine, a shinto shrine devoted to the deity Benzaiten. According to legend, while praying at the shrine, Hōjō Tokimasa encountered a mysterious woman who prophesied good fortune for his family. She also left him with three scales and those scales became the basis for the Hōjō Clan Crest. If you are like me, you have probably seen the Hōjō Clan Crest thousands of times before you had even heard of the Hōjō Clan. Take the opportunity to image search the crest before I spoil it below.

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That’s right. The Hōjō Clan Crest was the source of the Triforce from the Legend of Zelda. On a day trip to Enoshima, you can visit the birthplace of one of the most important MacGuffins in video game history!

There is more to Enoshima than just a video game pilgrimage though. It is the setting for Bunny Girl Senpai and other anime. Travel Enoshima has a great article on real life anime locations in Enoshima.

If you have a non-nerd significant other, Enoshima has many great things to offer them as well. The Enoshima Aquarium is known for its jellyfish exhibit (and has a scene Bunny Girl Senpai), the Enoshima Sea Candle is a lighthouse/observation deck, and the Benten Nakamise Dori Street is loaded with food to try. And if you made your partner mad climbing up the steps of Enoshima Shrine for “a stupid video game thing” you, make it up to them to Lover’s Hill. Legend says that a couple that rings the Dragon Lover’s Bell will be together forever. 

At a bit over an hour from Tokyo, Enoshima Island offers a nice break from the hustle of Tokyo and enough pop culture connections that every nerd should include it on their Tokyo Itinerary.

These coffeeshops create 2D or 3D art based on a picture you provide, or a well known Pop Culture Icon. While latte art is not inherently nerdy, what makes these cafes “Nerdy Places to Visit” is their emphasis on anime and video game characters.

The magazine Time Out Tokyo lists a handful of cafes around the city. Of these seven, I have been to Reissue.

Cafe Reissue is about a ten minute walk from the attractions of the Meiji Shrine, Takeshita Street and Harajuku Station.

I love Studio Ghibli and it’s iconic mascot Totoro, from My Neighbor Totoro. So I got this fantastic looking latte of Totoro. This amazing art was created by @RunaPocket.

If you do go, remember that the staff is creating art and your order can take some time. If you are in a hurry, I recommend visiting any of the hundreds of coffee shops around town and visiting Reissue, or any of the other Latte Art Cafes when you have plenty of time.

Sensōji Temple is the largest temple in Tokyo and a must-see tourist attraction for anyone visiting the city. For Anime nerds, this temple is located in the neighborhood of Asakusa, where Tanjiro met Muzan for the first time. Although Demon Slayer takes place a hundred years ago, at night, modern Asakusa can resemble that scene the famous meeting takes place.

At one point, Wikivoyage, the Wikipedia affiliated crowd sourced travel site, had the warning for Senōji Temple, “There is a similarly named temple in Tokyo. Make sure you enter the right one into your gps.”

You want to guess what I did?

Yep, I spent thirty minutes wandering around a residential neighborhood, wondering why I could not find one of the biggest attractions in the city. Finally, I re-checked Wikivoyage and sheepishly entered the correct temple in Google Maps. 

As far as I know, I didn’t look foolish in front of anyone. But I’m pretty sure a few of the locals were thinking “What is this idiot tourist looking for?”

So double check the names of attractions you are looking for, especially if you are not familiar with the language. And remember, mistakes happen. It is important to laugh at them and move on.  

While focusing on children’s animation, Studio Ghibli has produced gorgeous and whimsical movies that are loved by people of all ages. There is plenty for fans of these films to see and do while in Tokyo and one that should not be missed is the chance to eat a Totoro-shaped cream puff.

Totoro is a character from the film, My Neighbor Totoro, and is the mascot for Studio Ghibli. Like Mickey Mouse, there is no shortage of merch featuring the cuddly spirit. But there is only one place to get cream puffs resembling Totoro, and that is the Shirohige Cream Puff Factory in Setagaya.

Shirohige is located in the suburbs, which is about a 40 minute train ride from Tokyo. While it can feel weird wandering around a residential neighborhood, there are signs to guide you to the right place. After a ten minute walk, you will find yourself at a converted house consisting of a bakery on the first floor and a cafe on the second. 

Tolo Coffee and Bakery serves coffee and light lunches like pasta and salads. If you dine at the cafe, you can order cream puffs brought up from the bakery. The line to the bakery can be long, so multitasking with a meal and a cream puff dessert might actually save you some time. 

The cafe is decorated like a cozy and welcoming house straight out of a Studio Ghibli film. There is even original art by Ghibli co-founder, Miyazaki Hayao! 

The cream puffs come in vanilla and chocolate year round, with seasonal flavors available. Each flavored Totoro comes with a different hat/headpiece so if you’re not picky, you could decide what to order based on their accessories. 

Due to their shape, they can be a bit awkward to eat. And, obviously, they are more expensive than the cream puffs you would find in train stations. But if you are a fan of Ghibli films, you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to chow down on these adorable Totoro puffs. 

Shirohige’s Cream Puff Factory

5 Chome-3-1 Daita, Setagaya City, Tokyo 155-0033, Japan

I was not the biggest watcher of anime before the pandemic. But after finding myself with so much time to fill, I dove into the libraries of some streaming services and really became a big fan of quite a few shows. Unfortunately, I ran into the anime merch problem: If it is not an evergreen IP like Dragon Ball, Naruto, or One Piece, or a New Hotness IP, like MHA, Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, it is just hard to find merch for slightly older series. 

Which is why, one of the things I am most excited to do is to scour resale shops for merch of my favorite IPs. I probably won’t go nuts, after all it’s hard to get a $200 statue back to the U.S. in one piece. But it will be great to see if I can find something small from a handful of anime that have not received much attention in a couple of years. Since it’s about the quest, not the treasure, even if I come up empty-handed, I know I will have had a good time exploring all the resale shops.