Tokyo
Tokyo Travel Guide
Tokyo is a massive city and has hundreds of terrific places to visit; even though I’ve been about a dozen times I have not even begun to see all there is to see. Still, there are a few places I can suggest to visit, depending on what interests you.
Tokyo isn’t so much a city as it is a collection of 22 different cities, all mashed up together. You can move from one to the other and feel like you have gone to a completely different place. Shibuya and Harajuku are young, hip, and modern, Shinjuku makes Times Square look like Mayberry, but you can go to Shinjuku Gyoen park (which is like central park) and feel like you are 30 miles from any city.
Tokyo has a staggering array of museums, public and private, that span Japanese and Western Art and cover the antique and contemporary. Some are large public buildings and some are tucked within shopping malls or office buildings. Be sure to check the websites for these museums, though. Monday and Tuesday are the most popular days to close so you might find yourself pulling on a locked door by accident if you don't check ahead.
I highly recommend the “Time Out” guide to Tokyo, and they run a great website with events and area guides:
SHIBUYA
I highly recommend that you visit Shibuya and plan to spend some time there. Three reasons: people watching, shopping, and fun. Shibuya is where many young people gather on the weekends and after work/school, so it is full of places to eat, interesting little shops, and people dressed in outlandish attire.
Shibuya is grounded at its subway/train/bus station, which is a major hub for all sorts of commuters. In addition, it has a delicious underground food court immediately adjacent to the subway station in the basement of the enormous department store built above the train station. Just outside the station there is a small park with a statue of a dog named “Hachiko.” The story of this dog is so Japanese it’s ridiculous. Just google it and you will find out why the statue is there. It’s a popular meeting place and it was the meeting place that A and I picked in case for when we inevitably got separated and lost.
The Hachiko park is at the exit to Shibuya station, opening into one of the largest pedestrian crossings in the world. Literally hundreds of thousands of people cross in front of Shibuya station every day. If you walk towards the Tsutaya book store and the Starbucks on the 2nd floor, and then walk just to the left, you will walk straight into the Shibuya “Scramble.”
One of the most iconic spots in Tokyo is the world-famous “Shibuya Scramble,” which is the street crossing just outside the Shibuya metro station and the Tokyu Department store, right in front of the Tsutaya bookstore. The Shibuya metro station itself has grown significantly in recent years and is now the center of an enormous shopping and leisure complex that stretches out in all directions. However, if you want to see the “Scramble,” which is the crossing itself, then you should head for the “Hachiko Gate” exit (#8) to the Shibuya metro. While you are there, visit the basement of the Tokyu Department store and check out the “Tokyu Food Show” food court. It is an amazing array of gourmet Japanese food and you can sample a little of everything. Seriously – it’s worth going to Tokyo just for that food court.
Anyway, once you’ve enjoyed that, go back to the ground floor and head back out. Turn to the right from the Hachiko exit and you’ll see the Tsutaya Bookstore and the 109 store across the street in the distance. The Tokyu Department store should be behind you, and the Hachiko statue (if you can see it) on the left. Head straight towards Tsutaya and 109 and you’ll be at a massive intersection. Wait a few moments for the “Walk” sign and you’ll see thousands of people spill onto the street. For a great view on a weekend, go to the Starbucks on the 2nd floor of the Tsutaya bookstore and you can watch from above.
Here are some places I recommend in Shibuya:
Toyku Hands: This place is like a multi-story Target crossed with Brookstone. Everything is practical, but also totally Japanese – cute, functional, clever, etc. I lost a couple of hours here every time I went it. It’s also a great place for souvenirs
Don Quixote: Also known as “Donki” (the Japanese abbreviate everything) this place is like an enormous Spencer gifts. Also a great place for souvenirs, I always have a great time browsing the aisles and marveling at all the crazy stuff inside. You might have to ask some people for help in finding it.
HARAJUKU
First- go here on Sunday. Reserve a Sunday to go here.
Just north of Shibuya is Harajuku. Sometimes called the “fashion capital of the world” it is an odd concatenation of ultra-high end clothing shops and trendy little boutiques catering towards teenagers. That’s because Harajuku is a hang-out for trendy little teenagers and the very wealthy. As you walk out of Harajuku station on a Saturday or Sunday, you will face throngs of girls out on the town showing off their latest purchases and fashionable outfits. It’s a great place to people watch.
Don’t miss Yoyogi Park, which is just behind Harajuku Station, however. On a Sunday, while all the costume players (cosplay) and fashionistas are gathered in Harajuku, Yoyogi Park is full of Elvis-impersonators, poodle-skirt dancers, and musical acts letting off steam for the weekend.
In the North area of Harajuku is the Meiji –jingu shrine, a popular destination for tourists and, on holidays, Tokyo residents as well. The shrine is located between Shinjuku and Harajuku and is next to an amazing series of gardens, Shinjuku gyoen. I strongly recommend a visit to both.
SHINJUKU
Traditionally Shinjuku is a place for foreigners and Tokyo residents who want to escape their regular lives. Sometimes known for its more debaucherous locales, such as “piss-alley” and kabuki-cho (red light district), it is now, much like Times Square, a center of major department stores and glitzy attractions.
None of this is to say that Shinjuku completely lacks its old character. It is worth a visit to Golden Gai, a long alley containing innumerable bars, each with only a few seats and its own unique character.
UENO
If you want to hit several museums and not be exhausted just trying to find them, Ueno Park is a popular place to spend the day, and is home to several museums all in one place. It takes a little longer to get there than many other Tokyo sights, but once you are there you can spend all day there if you want.
Ueno park itself features a giant water garden and has several cool little shrines and monuments, including a shrine with a beautiful giant Buddha visage. Actually, there are more things to do than you could do in a single day. While I list the major museums that would be of interest to you below, there are all sorts of interesting sights there.
In Ueno park, the National Western Museum of Western Art is a solid museum, although it doesn't have any Japanese art (obviously). The collection ranges from 15th-century icons to Monet to Pollock.
Ueno park also features the Tokyo National Museum, which is a much more traditional Japanese museum. It is the largest and oldest museum in Japan. The collection is huge, but you might find the architecture of particular interest. The styles of the various additions capture the different eras during which they were built, starting in 1872.
Ueno park ALSO has the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. which was Japan's first public museum.
If you are interested in old Tokyo, Ueno Park also has the Shitamachi museum, which exhibits materials about the Shitamachi (downtown, or eastern Tokyo, near Tokyo Bay) area and its residents' lifestyle a century ago.
SHIMOKITAZAWA
This is an area that I absolutely adore. It’s an area that is closed-off to cars, and full of Bohemian shops, small cafes and restaurants, and many young people. It’s definitely worth a visit, especially as a contrast to Roppongi, Shinjuku, and Shibuya, which are all glitz and tall buildings.
This neighborhood has great shopping, terrific cafes, and is completely walkable. Shimotka is especially convenient and fun because the streets are closed-off to cars and everything is close together and convenient. If you are digging Shimokita and want more of the same, keep going on the same subway line to Kichijoji.
Shimokita is off the beaten path in Tokyo but not too far –20 min by train from Shibuya Station (Keiyo line) or Shinjuku Station (Oedo line). The Shimokita station was recently completely rebuilt, along with the surrounding neighborhood, and is surrounded by many restaurants and cafes.