This old-fashioned neighborhood is an undiscovered gem, with a serene (and uncrowded!) garden and the Fukagawa-Edo Museum – a life-sized samurai-era town you can walk around. As you can see, … Continue reading Kiyosumi-Shirakawa Area
Are you ready for a little time travel? One step inside this shitamachi museum, and we’ll find ourseves in the streets of a lovingly recreated Edo-era town. Open: Every day and … Continue reading Fukagawa-Edo Museum
This is my go-to garden for soul-restoring serenity. Kiyosumi Teien Garden doesn’t put on spectacular flower displays, but a walk around the greenery-cloaked lake dishes up perfect Japanese vistas at … Continue reading Kiyosumi Teien Garden
Here are quick looks at the best stuff to do in every corner of Tokyo, to help you decide where you’d like to go. • AKIHABARA The famous electronics district … Continue reading Search by destination, A-Z
Tokyo has a reputation for being ultra-urban, but there are actually gorgeous (and huge!) gardens all over town. Stroll around one of these beauties to feast your eyes and restore … Continue reading The most beautiful gardens in Tokyo
Everyone thinks you have to go to Kyoto to see beautiful shrines and temples, but Tokyo boasts some incredibly amazing ones if you know where to look. These are my … Continue reading The best shrines & temples in Tokyo
Tokyo is a big modern city, but there are pockets that are untouched by time. These neighborhoods feature shops that have been in business for generations, shrines & temples where … Continue reading Neighborhoods where traditional Japan lives on
If you’re looking for all things popcult, Tokyo is the best hunting ground on the planet. From anime & manga goods to the latest in electronic toilets, you’ll find everything … Continue reading J-culture at its new, newer, newest
If you’re looking for experiences that will make your friends back home wish they’d come along, here are my favorite things to do that most people don’t know about. • … Continue reading Unforgettable experiences
There’s so much cool stuff to buy in Japan, but Tokyo is huge, and how do you know where’s the best place to shop? Fear not, I’ve got you covered! … Continue reading Where to buy great only-in-Japan stuff
If you’re looking for art exhibits, I’m going to send you back out to the wide web to see what exhibits are in town. But if quirky & entertaining and … Continue reading Museums you won’t want to leave
This is the place to come for crazy only-in-Japan restaurants & cafés. If you’re looking for a photo-worthy experience while also grabbing a bite or a drink, Tokyo offers up the BEST! (But … Continue reading The most entertaining eateries in Tokyo
Tokyo has so many great bars, you could go to a different one every night for a year and barely scratch the surface. Here are a few fun ones I’ve … Continue reading Drinking experiences you’ll never forget
Yeah, it happens. Monsoons and typhoons are A Thing. But don’t let the weather keep you from having all the only-in-Japan fun! Click on the images for great stuff to do in … Continue reading What to do in Tokyo on a rainy day
Tokyo is one of the few places on the planet where you can have as much fun at the kid-friendly spots as they do. Feast your eyes on my favorite … Continue reading Fun with kids in Tokyo
Tokyo doesn’t have to be expensive. There are super fun free things to do all over the place, if you just know where to look. Shrines and temples dish up … Continue reading Great stuff to do in Tokyo for FREE!
Everybody always wants to crowd into Japan to see the fluffy pink things, but cherry blossom season is far from the only time that Tokyo delivers yowzah-level flower extravaganzas. So I made a … Continue reading Cherry blossom season isn’t the only great time to visit Japan
Here’s everything you need to know about the fastest, cheapest, best way to get anywhere in Tokyo (plus how to rent a cellphone or pocket wifi and other useful stuff.) … Continue reading Getting around Tokyo: Fast, easy & cheap
you want to see all the stuff that’s not in the guidebooks. Here’s an overview of the places I take my friends when they come to town, so you can … Continue reading If you’re like me…
Akihabara is all about maid cafés, cosplay supply stores & all things electronic. It’s where the new, newer, newest of electronics, household goods (like smart toilet seats) and everything J-pop is sold. Akiba … Continue reading Akihabara Area
Each shop is filled with cool new stuff made with age-old methods, and is run by an artist. They all use traditional Japanese techniques to make very untraditional designs, and some shops … Continue reading Aki-Oka Artisan Co-op
This is the home of my favorite place to see and buy crafts from all over Japan: the Japan Traditional Craft Center. Walking around this store is like getting a primo … Continue reading Aoyama-Itchome Area
This is where I often take people on their first day in Tokyo. It’s everything you thought Japan would be – traditional festivals, a secret garden, temples & more! Asakusa is … Continue reading Asakusa Area
This neighborhood is where they make and sell the amazing doll sets for Girls’ Day and miniature samurai armor for Boys’ Day. The dolls made in the Asakusabashi district aren’t just … Continue reading Asakusabashi Area
The grand old lady of Japanese street markets, the Boroichi Flea Market fills every street and alleyway for BLOCKS! In classic flea market style, there is loads of crap studded liberally … Continue reading Boroichi Flea Market
Experience the legendary cat & coffee thing, sipping a latte and petting the kitties at a real Tokyo cat café! My favorite cat café – the Calico, in Shinjuku – has … Continue reading Calico Cat Cafe
Ebisu is a great place to find hoppin’ bars, eateries & even a beer museum. One of the most fun, authentic and cheap places to get a taste of Tokyo … Continue reading Ebisu Area
The Edo-Tokyo Museum is my favorite museum in town. Half the museum is about everyday life in the Edo Era (during the time of the shōguns, before Japan opened to the West) … Continue reading Edo-Tokyo Museum
Ginza is a famous shopping district, but you can learn a lot about Japan just by walking through the stores, especially the food halls. Let’s start at the Mitsukoshi department store (exit A7). … Continue reading Ginza Area
The lucky cat temple with a magnificent wooden pagoda, Gotoku-ji is a serene and uncrowded temple seldom visited by tourists. It’s a great place to see plum blossoms (Feb) and autumn leaves … Continue reading Gotoku-ji Temple
This garden used to be the shogun’s duck hunting grounds, but now it’s an enormous stroll garden that’s beautiful in every season. Famous for its plum orchard, mid-late Feb) … Continue reading Hama-Rikyu Teien Garden
Harajuku is home to the beautiful and serene Meiji Shrine, the wacky free entertainment of Yoyogi Park, and more cult fashion shops than you can count. First let’s stop at the Meiji … Continue reading Harajuku Area
I love to eat savory Japanese dumplings and weird ice cream in Ikebukuro, then roam around the LABI electronics superstore to see all the strange toys and appliances. Inside a huge shopping complex called … Continue reading Ikebukuro Area
I call this the “funeral goods district,” but there’s nothing depressing about the street where they sell intricately-pieced Shinto shrines and incredibly expensive Buddhist altars. And if you’re lucky, while you’re browsing the district … Continue reading Inaricho Area
This place sells handcrafted stuff from all over Japan, at excellent prices. Every part of Japan has its own traditional crafts, and walking around this store is like getting a … Continue reading Japan Traditional Craft Center
Let’s get out of Tokyo for a day, and see some of the most entertaining shrines & temples in Japan. Kamakura was the capitol of Japan during the early days of … Continue reading Kamakura Day Trip
Kamiya-cho? Why would anyone want to get off the train at Kamiya-cho? Actually, from Kamiya-cho Station, we can walk to that incongruously orange replica of the EiffelTower and a … Continue reading Kamiyacho Area
The plastic food & kitchen supply districtDon’t leave Tokyo without going to Kappabashi Street. Even if you’re not a big foodie, the kitchenware district is filled with all kinds of entertaining … Continue reading Kappabashi Street
Komagome has two of the most beautiful Japanese gardens in Tokyo, stores that sell traditional goods, and an old-fashioned Japanese shopping street. Let’s start at Rikugi-en. This garden was built in 1695 by the … Continue reading Komagome Area
Stroll in a 17th century Japanese garden, cheer with the world’s craziest baseball fans, or ride a roller coaster that goes straight through a Tokyo skyscraper. Let’s start at Koraku-en garden, an oasis right … Continue reading Korakuen Area
Shop for big red underwear, squicky snacks & goods from a bygone era. Walking along Koshinzuka Street is like taking a step back in time, and I always see something I’ve … Continue reading Koshinzuka Street Market
This neighborhood is home to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine and the magnificent Imperial Palace moat. From an extensive World War II museum to spectacular seasonal festivals, this area is also boasts … Continue reading Kudanshita Area
The Meiji Shrine has the most spectacular weddings, coming-of-age ceremonies, festivals and traditional events in town. Many people find it more beautiful than all the brightly lacquered shrines put together. … Continue reading Meiji Shrine
This Old Tokyo shitamachi neighborhood has a temple where we can watch a fire ceremony with taiko drums, a dragon fountain that grants wishes written on dissolving paper, and is one of the … Continue reading Monzen-Nakacho Area
At Mt. Takao, you can go hiking, monkey-viewing, beer drinking & firewalking just an hour from Tokyo. Hours of cable car/chairlift to the top:8:00 – 21:15. (Note: These change seasonally. Detailed info about first … Continue reading Mt. Takao Area
Nakano Broadway is fast catching up to Akihabara as the cosplay & comic capital of Tokyo, and there’s a great grill-at-your-table restaurant for refuelling when you’ve shopped ’til you dropped. Just a short … Continue reading Nakano Area
This is my favorite shrine in Tokyo. I love walking through the long tunnel of orange torii gates, and in April the hills surrounding it are covered in blooming azaleas. … Continue reading Nezu Area
Nihonbashi is home to Tokyo’s most famous bridge, a department store where the best of Japanese culture is on display, and Art Aquarium, a must-see, only-in-Japan summertime event. The Mitsukoshi flagship store … Continue reading Nihonbashi Shopping District
A village of thatch-roofed farmhouses you can go inside! You don’t have to go to Okayama to see traditional Japanese houses – the Nihon Minka-en is a beautiful natural park set … Continue reading Nihon Minka-en Thatch-Roofed Farmhouses
This off-the-beaten-path temple is famous for its peony gardens (April) and its wart-curing shrine, but it’s also a great place for seasonal festivals and markets that are not at all … Continue reading Nishiarai-Daishi Temple
