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Descend the Yuyake Dandan (“sunset steps”) to the retro shopping street of Yanaka Ginza. Here, a wide range of shops sell everything from doughnuts shaped like cat tails to menchi katsu (beef croquettes). It’s the perfect place to graze local flavors before meandering through the area’s backstreets to enjoy getting a little lost.
For a trendy, more youthful side of the city, make your way to Kuramae, just south of Asakusa. It’s a major hub along the Sumida River and home to Tokyo’s top temple, the permanently thronged Senso-ji. Here, you’ll find the kinds of businesses you’d expect to see in places where hipsters congregate: artisan coffee, burger shops, and more.
I’d be remiss not to mention one more spot on the east side of town. Just southeast of Ginza’s glitz, in the neighborhood of Tsukiji, you’ll find a bustling market near the former location of the fabled Tsukiji Fish Market. Although Tsukiji’s inner market closed in September 2018, its outer market still hums with life: stalls sell nibbles, while mom-and-pop sushi counters and fishmongers do brisk business. In fact, it might be one of the only places in the world where sushi is recommended for breakfast.
Tokyo is a city to see, smell, taste, touch, and hear: it boasts truly world-class culinary and nightlife scenes, oozes contemporary style, and offers unrivaled access to traditional performance arts like Kabuki and Noh theater. Creature comforts abound here; a convenience store is never more than steps away, and there are vending machines on every corner.
To ease into these complexities, start your exploration on the calmer east side. For a dose of the city’s Shōwa era (1926–89), I often head to Yanaka, a down-to-earth neighborhood left relatively unscathed by World War II firebombing raids. This quintessential slice of old-school Tokyo sits in the northeast of town, beside the bustling hub of Ueno. Its tangle of streets is flanked by mom-and-pop restaurants, shops selling locally made crafts, art galleries, cafés, and myriad temples and shrines.
FROM DAY TO NIGHT
Night falls on Shibuya Crossing, where a sea of pedestrians waits in the soft glow of giant TV screens. The walk signal turns green, then a torrent of foot traffic whooshes through Earth’s busiest crossing. Meanwhile, in ancient Kyoto, a geisha arrives at a tranquil teahouse on a cobblestone lane. As she steps through the door, a lantern swaying in the breeze reveals her face painted with thick, white makeup to create a porcelain look.
Ancient tradition and modern life have a distinct way of mixing in Japan. Tokyo is, without a doubt, the beating, modern heart of the nation, while Kyoto is where Japanese culture was born. Encountering both sides of this fascinating country is essential to truly grasp its essence. Thankfully, Japan’s stellar rail network makes it easy to do just that. Using Tokyo as your base, you can make a few side trips, or you can treat Tokyo as the starting point of a much longer journey.
What follows is a starting point for discovering a deeper, more local side of Tokyo, paired with notes on a few choice day trips from the capital city, as well as the more ambitious Golden Route. This tried-and-true itinerary runs through the cultural and geographic heart of Japan, from the ancient past to the up-to-the-minute present.
This opening makes a compelling case for exploring some of Roppongi’s other art museums. At the top of that list is the dazzling Mori Art Museum, which hosts slick exhibitions by creatives from American architect Richard Gluckman to Chinese mischief-maker Ai Weiwei and Japanese visionary Takashi Murakami.
If you’d prefer to get acquainted with an even more local side of the city, a handful of neighborhoods on the western edge of town stand out. Just beyond Shibuya, the sophisticated districts of Daikanyama and Nakameguro are home to a wealth of trendsetting boutiques. More indie and DIY vibes prevail in Shimokitazawa, less than 10 minutes by train from Shibuya.
And finally, for something a little more family-friendly, head to Kichijoji. A 15-minute journey by train west of Shinjuku, it’s far enough outside downtown to drop the intensity a few degrees, but still has a nice buzz. Its main draws are its shops, restaurants, and most of all, leafy Inokashira Koen, my favorite park in Tokyo and home to Ghibli Museum, a playful celebration of anime director Hayao Miyazaki’s singular creative vision.
After acclimating to the city’s rhythms, switch gears and focus your next day on the western, more modern side of town. Start at the surprisingly tranquil Meiji Jingū, Tokyo’s most impressive shrine, dedicated to the Emperor Meiji, and then wander through the neighboring side streets of the sprawling district of Harajuku, Japan’s home of youth fashion.
Set to open in spring this year is Tokyu Plaza Harajuku Harakado. This shopping emporium stands nine floors above ground, with three underground floors and a rooftop vertical garden. From the plaza, head down Omotesando, the main artery that runs through the heart of Harajuku, to Aoyama, where you’ll find the Nezu Museum – worth a visit for its wonderful garden as much as its collection of premodern Asian art. From there, proceed to Shibuya, where you can ascend to the top of Shibuya Sky, which towers over the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing, for a jaw-dropping view of Tokyo spreading in all directions.
Of all Tokyo openings slated for 2024, the most hype goes to the new teamLab Borderless digital art museum. Here, teamLab has taken its interactive art game to a new level: digital flowers, multicolored spheres, and bubbles of light fill mirrored rooms, all of which interact with your presence. Time will tell if the museum can beat its own Guinness World Record for the most visitors to a museum focused on one artist or entity, but there’s little doubt that visitor photographs will flood Instagram from day one.
From Tokyo, Japan’s excellent train system will whisk you away on a day trip to any number of nearby destinations. My top pick is Hakone, about an hour and a half by train south of Tokyo. This onsen (hot spring) mecca is the perfect place to submerge yourself to the shoulders in geothermally heated water amid lush natural surroundings.
To make a day trip to Hakone worth your while, hit the rails early so you can arrive by midmorning. If you can, try to visit on a weekday to avoid the weekend crowds. Once in the area, avail yourself of the day spas. A standout option is Tenzan Tohji-kyo. This riverside complex has it all: gender-separated baths both indoors and out, saunas, and tatami mat-floored lounges to unwind in a yukata (lightweight kimono). Alternatively, for a day spa with some quirks, Yunessun has water slides and pools, with beverages from coffee and green tea to saké. Breaking with tradition, a bathing suit is required, and all pools are mixed.
If you’ve got time to spare before returning to Tokyo, consider visiting the captivating Hakone Open-Air Museum, with sculptures by Rodin, Miró, Noguchi, and more. Another option is to ride Hakone Ropeway over the hellscape of Owakudani (“Great Boiling Valley”). Seeing curtains of sulfurous fumes seep from cracks in the Earth below highlights the volcanic nature of onsen. Even Mount Fuji is visible from the high vantage point on clear days.
One more day trip worth a mention is beachside Kamakura, which briefly served as Japan’s first feudal capital. The samurai spirit is strong in this temple town, its most famous attraction being its hulking bronze Daibutsu (Great Buddha). Hiking trails lace the surrounding green hills and there’s a quaint shopping district at the town’s heart. Consider stopping for dinner, craft beer, and jazz in the rowdy district of Noge in cosmopolitan Yokohama, Japan’s second-largest city, on the way back to Tokyo.
The big news is the revival of the century-old tradition of bouillons, similar to historic brasseries, but with a more relaxed ambiance, cuisine, and, above all, affordable prices.
Image credit: Shutterstock
Image credit: iStock; Galerie Vivienne
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Image credit: Shutterstock
Image credit: iStock; Bastille square Paris France Sunny day Winter
OLD-SCHOOL EAST TOKYO
MODERN WEST TOKYO
DAY TRIPS
From Day To Night
Under The Arches
destinations
If you’re going to make any overnight jaunt beyond Tokyo, make it to Kyoto, about three hours away by bullet train. Japan’s ancient capital is the perfect complement to Tokyo, sitting at the opposite end of the classic Golden Route, which also passes through Hakone, Nara, and Osaka.
Kyoto was Japan’s capital for nearly a millennium and it was during the early part of this epoch – roughly, the Heian period (794–1185) – that the foundations of Japanese civilization were laid. This impact is felt in many cultural notes, from the flowing brushstrokes of calligraphy to austere practices of Zen Buddhism, which would deeply influence the samurai ethos that took shape during Japan’s feudal age.
Kyoto can also take credit for much of what we associate with Japan culturally, from geisha to tea ceremony and haute kaiseki cuisine (multicourse seasonal meals), a creative offshoot of the tea ceremony. Downtown, Nishiki Market is a rambling, covered pedestrian smorgasbord of local foods. Nearby, across the Kamo River, Gion is the best district in all of Japan to spot geisha as they flit to and from the city’s narrow wooden townhouses. Traditional crafts also abound: folding fans, paper umbrellas, washi (traditional handmade paper), lacquerware, matcha, sweets, kimonos, and sundry accessories from hairpins to calligraphy scrolls.
While all these elements are what make the city tick, the best way to experience it is by striking off to find your own version of Kyoto. Even better, if the weather permits, rent an e-bike and crisscross the city on your own terms. Kyoto is routinely voted one of Asia’s best cities for cycling, and it’s not hard to see why, with its mostly flat topography and grid-pattern streets.
Kyoto is a spiritual realm, with more than 1,400 temples and shrines, mostly clustered around the district of Higashiyama
Image credit: Shutterstock
THE GOLDEN ROUTE
For a richer and more diverse experience of present-day Japan, I recommend making one more stop: in Osaka, only a 15-minute bullet train ride to the south from Kyoto. A true concrete jungle, Osaka’s endless shopping arcades, aging entertainment centers, and street food exert a strong pull. Proudly mercantile, Osakans shun pleasantries as they greet one another with “Mokari makka?” (“Making any money?”) Unsurprisingly, the city has the monopoly on comedy in Japan, which ranges from earthy to slapstick zaniness.
Osaka is also known as the City of Water, as well as the City of 1,000 Bridges. These nicknames denote the many rivers that run through the city. The nucleus of its power seems to emanate from Dotonbori canal, which cuts through Namba on the south side of town. This waterway is lined by an army of food vendors, boisterous bars, and surprisingly relaxed locals who like to have a good time.
The best way to experience this unique side of Japan is to do as the locals do, succumbing to kuidaore (“eating yourself to ruin”). The city’s list of deep-fried dishes ensures that this shouldn’t be hard. There’s takoyaki (fried balls of dough filled with octopus chunks), okonomiyaki (savory pancake filled with cabbage, seafood, and meat, slathered in sweet sauce, bonito flakes, and mayonnaise), kushikatsu (vegetables and meat dipped in panko, then deep-fried), and much more. You can either take to the streets and make your own tour, or if you’d like a little guidance, joining a food tour is a solid option.
The huge variety and quantity of street food that you can enjoy here has earned the city the nickname of “Japan’s Kitchen,” and yet many pass by Osaka altogether. I, too, was once in that camp. After countless visits over the years, however, it has worked its charms on me so much that, if pressed, I might call it my favorite city in Japan.
JAPAN’S KITCHEN
If you’re going to make any overnight jaunt beyond Tokyo, make it to Kyoto, about three hours away by bullet train. Japan’s ancient capital is the perfect complement to Tokyo, sitting at the opposite end of the classic Golden Route, which also passes through Hakone, Nara, and Osaka.
Kyoto was Japan’s capital for nearly a millennium and it was during the early part of this epoch – roughly, the Heian period (794–1185) – that the foundations of Japanese civilization were laid. This impact is felt in many cultural notes, from the flowing brushstrokes of calligraphy to austere practices of Zen Buddhism, which would deeply influence the samurai ethos that took shape during Japan’s feudal age.
Kyoto can also take credit for much of what we associate with Japan culturally, from geisha to tea ceremony and haute kaiseki cuisine (multicourse seasonal meals), a creative offshoot of the tea ceremony. Downtown, Nishiki Market is a rambling, covered pedestrian smorgasbord of local foods. Nearby, across the Kamo River, Gion is the best district in all of Japan to spot geisha as they flit to and from the city’s narrow wooden townhouses. Traditional crafts also abound: folding fans, paper umbrellas, washi (traditional handmade paper), lacquerware, matcha, sweets, kimonos, and sundry accessories from hairpins to calligraphy scrolls.
While all these elements are what make the city tick, the best way to experience it is by striking off to find your own version of Kyoto. Even better, if the weather permits, rent an e-bike and crisscross the city on your own terms. Kyoto is routinely voted one of Asia’s best cities for cycling, and it’s not hard to see why, with its mostly flat topography and grid-pattern streets.
Image credit: Shutterstock
DAY TRIPS
While Japanese rice wine is often called saké overseas, it’s nihonshu on home turf. This fermented, rice-based beverage packs an alcoholic punch of 15–18%.
The Japanese view nihonshu as a sacred substance, born of seasonal cycles and the rice harvest. Look carefully and you might see a few open cartons left as offerings at Shinto shrines.
Holy offerings aside, nihonshu is normally enjoyed with food. For a crash course on Japan’s most famous tipple, visit Tokyo’s Japan Sake and Shochu Information Center, where bilingual sommeliers offer tastings, while Ginza’s Sake no Ana and Shibuya’s standing bar and Izakaya Tachinomi Nagi are great places to put your learnings to the test.
Image credit: Leio McLaren on Unsplash
SAKE 101
Image credit: Shutterstock
Pompeii is a unique example of a Roman town preserved at one moment in time. It’s also an ongoing archaeological dig that never fails to surprise.
Leave plenty of time to explore the more far-flung corners of the site, such as the Villa dei Misteri, a villa complex with a vivid series of wall paintings, or the Terme Stabiane, Pompeii’s best preserved baths complex.
One of the challenges with this ancient site has always been getting there, but a new high-speed train from Roma Termini station on Sunday mornings, returning the same evening, has cut the journey time to under two hours. Find more information at trenitalia.com.
POMPEII: TOURING THE RUINS
At its heart, Kyoto is a spiritual realm, with more than 1,400 temples and shrines, mostly clustered around the district of Higashiyama in the east of town, Fushimi in the southeast, and Arashiyama in the far west. Here, monks meditate in rooms decorated with misty landscape paintings and feast on a unique form of vegetarian cooking known as shojin ryori, which can be eaten in a few of the city’s temples.
At best, you can only see a smattering of this sacred heritage, so less really is more. It pays to get off the beaten track and visit some slightly offbeat temples such as Daitoku-ji, with its rambling gardens of sand, rock, and moss; mossy Hōnen-in, beside the contemplation-inducing Philosopher’s Path; and the string of atmospheric temples that extends north of Arashiyama’s dreamy bamboo grove. If you make it to Nanzen-ji, a personal favorite, be sure to find the trail that leads into the mountains behind it, where you’ll discover a sacred grotto and waterfall, under which pilgrims chant sutras.
Image credit: Shutterstock
At its heart, Kyoto is a spiritual realm, with more than 1,400 temples and shrines, mostly clustered around the district of Higashiyama in the east of town, Fushimi in the southeast, and Arashiyama in the far west. Here, monks meditate in rooms decorated with misty landscape paintings and feast on a unique form of vegetarian cooking known as shojin ryori, which can be eaten in a few of the city’s temples.
At best, you can only see a smattering of this sacred heritage, so less really is more. It pays to get off the beaten track and visit some slightly offbeat temples such as Daitoku-ji, with its rambling gardens of sand, rock, and moss; mossy Hōnen-in, beside the contemplation-inducing Philosopher’s Path; and the string of atmospheric temples that extends north of Arashiyama’s dreamy bamboo grove. If you make it to Nanzen-ji, a personal favorite, be sure to find the trail that leads into the mountains behind it, where you’ll discover a sacred grotto and waterfall, under which pilgrims chant sutras.
Image credit: Shutterstock
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For a richer and more diverse experience of present-day Japan, I recommend making one more stop: in Osaka, only a 15-minute bullet train ride to the south from Kyoto. A true concrete jungle, Osaka’s endless shopping arcades, aging entertainment centers, and street food exert a strong pull. Proudly mercantile, Osakans shun pleasantries as they greet one another with “Mokari makka?” (“Making any money?”) Unsurprisingly, the city has the monopoly on comedy in Japan, which ranges from earthy to slapstick zaniness.
Osaka is also known as the City of Water, as well as the City of 1,000 Bridges. These nicknames denote the many rivers that run through the city. The nucleus of its power seems to emanate from Dotonbori canal, which cuts through Namba on the south side of town. This waterway is lined by an army of food vendors, boisterous bars, and surprisingly relaxed locals who like to have a good time.
The best way to experience this unique side of Japan is to do as the locals do, succumbing to kuidaore (“eating yourself to ruin”). The city’s list of deep-fried dishes ensures that this shouldn’t be hard. There’s takoyaki (fried balls of dough filled with octopus chunks), okonomiyaki (savory pancake filled with cabbage, seafood, and meat, slathered in sweet sauce, bonito flakes, and mayonnaise), kushikatsu (vegetables and meat dipped in panko, then deep-fried), and much more. You can either take to the streets and make your own tour, or if you’d like a little guidance, joining a food tour is a solid option.
The huge variety and quantity of street food that you can enjoy here has earned the city the nickname of “Japan’s Kitchen,” and yet many pass by Osaka altogether. I, too, was once in that camp. After countless visits over the years, however, it has worked its charms on me so much that, if pressed, I might call it my favorite city in Japan.
THE GOLDEN ROUTE
BRIGHT LIGHTS & HOT SPRINGS
Destination: JAPAN
Tokyo is a city to see, smell, taste, touch,and hear: it boasts truly world-class culinary and nightlife scenes
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Local writer Jonathan DeHart shows us the rich variety of Tokyo’s many fascinating neighborhoods, and then takes us out of town on the classic Golden Route to Kyoto
April 2024 (Volume 24)
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