To browse all destinations BY CATEGORY instead of alphabetically, click here. • AKIHABARA AREA The famous electronics district Maid cafés • Electronics superstores • Comic book & anime stores (including … Continue reading Search by destination, A-Z
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
…you want to dodge the crowds and experience Tokyo way beyond the guidebooks. Here’s where I take my friends when they come to town (plus a couple of handy hacks … 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
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
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
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
Kamakura is stuffed with entertaining shrines and temples, but this is the only one with a hillside of gorgeous hydrangeas, a thirty-foot-tall Kannon figure covered in gold, and a candle-lit … Continue reading Hasedera Temple
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
Sure, Kanda Myōjin is a gorgeous red and gold shrine, but the best part is that this is the place where comic book artists and anime auteurs come to pray … Continue reading Kanda Myōjin Shrine
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 most … 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
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
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
Tiny, moss-covered, fox villages make this shrine extra-magical. Walk through the shadowy tunnel of orange torii gates, and you’ll find yourself in another world. The shrine seems to grow out of … Continue reading Sasuke Inari Shrine
You know the story of the 47 ronin? The samurai who avenged their lord, then were all ordered to commit ritual suicide? Well, this is the temple where … Continue reading Sengakuji Temple
Shinjuku and the adult entertainment district known as Kabukicho are filled with stylish host clubs, bars, and all kinds of entertainment that’s definitely not for kids. But it’s also where … Continue reading Shinjuku Area
It always baffles me that guidebooks send people to Ueno for all the wrong reasons. For example, if you go during cherry blossom season, chances are, all you’ll see is this: … Continue reading Ueno Area
This is a gorgeous, lively, maddeningly nationalistic, must-see Imperial shrine. If you follow Japanese news at all, every year you’ll hear about the Yasukuni Shrine. It’s the place where the … Continue reading Yasukuni Shrine
I love the Yushima shrine because it’s beautiful, and hosts some of the most stunning seasonal festivals in all of Tokyo. If you’re in Tokyo in March of November, the plum … Continue reading Yushima Area
I never get tired of visiting the avenues of Zojo-ji’s lovely, colorful Jizo figures with their spinning pinwheels. Zojo-ji Temple is also the site of seven shoguns’ graves and a fine place to … Continue reading Zojo-ji Temple
