Get to know Tokyo
Words by Laura Gelder
This is a feature from Issue 20 of Charitable Traveller. Click to read more from this issue.
What's it all about?
The world’s largest city and Japan’s capital, mega-metropolis Tokyo is a mass of contradictions – from talking toilets to tranquil teahouses. Home to nearly 40 million people, it’s really a collection of cities, each home to a series of unique neighbourhoods. Experience the extremes and join a river of humanity under the glow of giant video screens as you tackle the world’s busiest crossing in Shibuya before exploring the Zen-like gardens surrounding the emperor’s Imperial Palace.
Get your bearings
Tokyo Sky Tree is Japan’s tallest building and offers a mind-blowing panorama 450 metres above the city. During the day: a never-ending steel and glass jungle with only the Christmas pudding of Mount Fuji indicating an edge. At night: a glittering carpet of lights that never switches off. For more charming, retro vibes, try the city’s original high point: Tokyo Tower. It’s only 250 metres to the top of this red and white Tour Eiffel lookalike, but it still has killer views.
Seek out the unique
Tokyo is largely safe and spotless, but that doesn’t mean it has no edge. In the entertainment district of Kabukicho, you’ll find a neon haze of host and hostess clubs where people pay for pleasant company; love hotels and soaplands, which go a bit further, and a lifesize model of Godzilla. In the electronic district of Akihabara, join the otaku (young people who prefer computer games to real life) in the anime stores or thundering video game arcades. And in Harajuku’s Takeshita Street, teenagers dressed in wacky costumes jostle past cat cafes and ice cream parlours.
Embrace tradition
Cross under the wooden torii gates of Shinto shrine Meiji Jingu and you enter the world of the kami (spirits). You’ll pass colourful barrels of sake – gifts to the gods – as you follow the tree-lined path. The sounds of the city are muffled and you’ll only hear the wind in the trees and the double clap of prayers. At the Buddhist temple of Sensoji, locals are dressed in their best kimonos among swirls of incense smoke. And in the gardens of Hama Rikyu, circles by skyscrapers, you can enjoy tea and cherry blossom views as they did in the Edo period.
Never go hungry or thirsty
Don’t miss Golden Gai, a dense pre-war pocket of low-lit alleys, stuffed with bars. Most are only big enough for five patrons and each has a vastly different vibe, from heavy metal to cheese and wine. All over Tokyo are Yokochos, alleyways of izakayas (Japan’s answer to a pub or tapas bar). At Yurakucho Yokocho, under rumbling train tracks, grab a stick of yakitori (grilled meat), fresh sushi, or a steaming plate of takoyaki (octopus batter balls). Don’t know where or what to eat? Grab a bowl of ramen – bars are ubiquitous, open all hours, and you usually order via a machine.
Japanophiles, head to any branch of Don Quijote, a store selling a mind-boggling smorgasbord of goods - from sex toys and chocolate, to slippers and mascara
Shop 'til you drop
From designer boutiques to thrift stores, Tokyo has it all. Pokémon fans will be in cute and furry heaven at the Pokémon Center Tokyo DX & Pokémon Café (reserve in advance for the latter). Wannabe chefs go to Kappabashi street in Asakusa to find everything from lacquer bento boxes to the fake plastic food that restaurants display. Designer junkies will love the slick boutiques and high-end malls of Ginza.
Off-the-beaten-track neighbourhoods
YANAKA
Wind through atmospheric Yanaka Cemetery’s jumbled graves. Started in 1872, it’s the final resting place of Japan’s last Shogun. The traditional Yanaka Ginza shopping street has cute sake bards and shops selling art and handicrafts.
SHIMO-KITAZAWA
This funky neighbourhood is crammed with shops selling vintage clothes, vinyl records, and retro homeware. You’ll also find quirky cafes and bars, such as basement rock, music grotto and Mother’s Ruin.
KICHIJOJI
By Inokashira Park, where you can visit the Studio Ghibli Museum, this area is beloved for its food. Harmonica Yokocho was a flea market in the 1940s and is now home to a myriad of tiny eateries and bars.
Ready to visit Tokyo?
Speak to our team of expert travel agents to plan your perfect break, and remember, you can donate 5% of your holiday price to the charity of your choice at no extra cost to you!
This is a feature from Issue 20 of Charitable Traveller.
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