If you decide to come to Japan, chances are good that your journey and introduction to the country of sakura will start in Tokyo. Many friends, acquaintances and other travellers often ask me what I would recommend to see in Tokyo, how to arrange the sights and which route to take to make the most of their travel time.
So, in this post, I’ll give you an overview of the most important sights to see when visiting the land of the samurai.
As a rule, most flights from Europe, USA and other countries arrive in Tokyo early in the morning. After clearing customs, travellers head to their hotel. In my long experience, we usually put all our things in the hotel around 1pm-2pm. The excitement of the first day is so strong, the adrenaline in the blood is so high, that you don’t want to sleep or rest. That means we have a good half a day to get off our feet.
Harajuku district (原宿)
I would recommend going to Harajuku district at first (halfway between Shibuya and Shinjuku). The Harajuku district is famous for several attractions.
The street just down the road is Takeshita, Tokyo’s youth fashion capital. It’s a place to keep an eye out. And if it’s a Sunday, Harajuku is where the cosplay lovers gather.
Secondly, just off Harajuku station is Omotesando street, one of the most luxurious streets in Tokyo. Omotesando has huge trees on both sides, so even in the extreme heat of summer, you’ll find somewhere to shelter from the relentless sun. This street is the place to catch a glimpse of Channel, Prada, Gucci, EA and other top luxury brands. There is only one street in the whole of Tokyo, a district that is as luxurious as Omotesando, and that’s the famous and beautiful Ginza.
Omotesando may also be of interest to those interested in architecture. Omotesando Hills (表参道ヒルズ) is a shopping complex (more than 130 shops and 38 apartments) built in 2005 in the centre of Tokyo. It occupies a two hundred and fifty metre long stretch. It was designed by architect Tadao Ando, the God of Architecture. There are travellers who come to Japan just for Tadao Ando.
The construction of Omotesando Hill, at a cost of USD 330 million, was marked by controversy. In 1927, the building replaced the Bauhaus-inspired Dojunkai Aoyama apartments, which were built after the 1923 Kanto earthquake. The demolition of the apartments again raised questions about Japan’s commitment to preserving historic buildings. Local landowners opposed Ando’s architect, saying that his buildings were too fashionable for the area. A small part of the old apartments has been reconstructed in the south-eastern part of the new complex.
There is also an Apple store in nearby Omotesando Hills. This is also a very architecturally complex building. The stained-glass windows are moulded from extra-large sheets of glass. Everything is made in such a way that the building itself seems to be suspended in the air.
Meiji jingu shrine (明治神宮) – an oasis of peace in the heart of Tokyo
When visiting Harajuku, a visit to the Meiji Jingu Shinto Temple is a must. Meiji Shrine is dedicated to Emperor Meiji and his wife Empress Shoken. The shrine does not contain the Emperor’s tomb, which is located in Fushimi-Momoya, south of Kyoto.
The shrine was built in 1915 in the traditional nagare-zukuri style using mainly Japanese cypress and copper. The construction of the site was a national project that brought together youth groups and other civic associations from all over Japan who contributed labour and funds. The main logs came from Nagano Prefecture and from the island of Taiwan, which was then part of Japanese territory. The estimated cost of construction in 1920 was 5 219 00 yen (approximately 26 million US dollars today).
It was officially consecrated in 1920 and its grounds were officially completed in 1926. The original internal volume of the temple complex was 650 tsubo (tsubo is an ancient unit of area, 3.3m*3.3m). Until 1946, Meiji Temple was officially classified as a Kanpei-taisha (官幣大社), i.e. a government-sponsored temple.
The original building was destroyed in the air raids on Tokyo during World War II. The current shrine was financed by public funds and completed in October 1958.
The journey from Harajuku Station to the temple is always an unforgettable experience with the entire temple grounds literally set in a forest. Meiji Temple is located in 70 hectares (170 acres) of forest. This area is covered by an evergreen forest with 120,000 trees of 365 different species donated by people from all over Japan when the temple was established. This forest is a true place of rest and relaxation in the centre of Tokyo. The entrance to the shrine complex is via the Jingu Bashi Bridge. The Meiji Shrine is adjacent to Yoyogi Park which is also a large wooded area. The entrances open at sunrise and close at sunset and to be more precise you can’t get into Meiji Shrine after 5pm, so you’ll need to make an effort. A wonderful shrine in the metropolis of Tokyo it is truly a temple for the restoration of body and soul.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building – observation deck
After walking around Meiji Jingu return to Harajuku Station and take the JR Yamanote line to Shinjuku Station. The journey itself will take less than 10 minutes. Shinjuku is a huge train station used by around 3 million passengers a day. The station is very large and has many exits. In order not to wander around the station you need to go towards the west exit. This will be the underground exit. Moving like a mole here you will reach the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in about twenty minutes. This is my second recommendation.
Why? There is a free observation deck on the 45th floor of the building which offers an amazing panorama of Tokyo. I’d recommend going before it gets dark so you can take a look around the vast concrete jungle. In the evening the bright sea view is just as spectacular but it will be hard to tell where any building is. Either way you’re guaranteed great instagram photos.
A brief introduction to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building abbreviated as Tocho 都庁 the headquarters of the municipal government that governs the special districts, cities, towns and villages that make up the Tokyo metropolitan area. Tokyo is thus the prefectural centre of various municipalities. When we look at a map and see the name of only one Tokyo we have the misconception that Tokyo is homogeneous. In reality Tokyo’s different municipalities each have their own face different tax systems and many other small nuances.
The building in the Shinjuku district was designed by architect Kenzo Tange. It consists of a complex of three buildings each occupying one city block. The tallest of the three buildings is Tokyo Metropolitan’s main building No 1 a 48-storey tower that divides into two parts at 33 storeys. The building also has three underground floors. The design of the building was intended to resemble the appearance of a Gothic cathedral. It is joked that it is the tallest Gothic cathedral, the City Hall, in the world.
The other two buildings in the complex are the eight-storey Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Building and the Tokyo Metropolitan Main Building No 2 which is 37 storeys high.
As I mentioned you need to go to one of the panoramic viewpoints one on each tower on the 45th floor (202 m) which are free to the public, with souvenir shops and cafés. Although the restaurant is definitely not a recommended place for dinner.
In December 1990, Tochi was completed at a cost of ¥157 billion (about US$1 billion) in public funds. It replaced the old City Hall in the Yurakuchō district, built in 1957 which was also designed by Tange and now houses the Tokyo International Forum.
Until its completion in 2007, the Midtown Tower in the Roppongi district was the tallest building in Tokyo at 242.9 metres.
Omoide Yokocho – the street of memories
While you still have time on your feet, try to make it to the Street of Memories – Omoide Yokocho. The street is located in the western area of Shinjuku station and will take you about twenty minutes to walk from the Tokyo Metropolitan Building.
Omoide Yokocho 思い出横丁 is a good old street with nostalgic views. It’s like the old post-war Japan. There are very few places like this left in Tokyo so it is a must-see. The street has its origins in an open-air market set up in a burnt-out field just after the war.
Today the Street of Memories is home to around 80 shops, including around 60 restaurants and ticket shops. In terms of restaurants these are mainly yakitori (chicken on skewers) eateries covering an area of approximately 330 square metres. It is a particularly lively part of the city and a popular destination for foreign tourists. I would not recommend eating here, as the food quality/price ratio is not inspiring. However if you want to recover and have a few skewers of yakitori or a bowl of soup there are no objective criteria for choosing a restaurant. Where you eat makes little difference in practice as it is still a tourist destination so don’t demand exceptional food quality. This is a place to make memories. You can feel free to talk to the Japanese or foreigners sitting next to you in the eatery as it is a super democratic environment. What I would recommend is cold beer and yakitori and nabe (soup or broth with meat and vegetables).
Kabuki-cho (歌舞伎町) Red Light District
For a refreshment on the nostalgic street of memories I suggest the special neighbourhood of Kabuki-cho 歌舞伎町 . Kabuki cho is Tokyo’s red-light district. Unlike in Amsterdam you won’t see pretty girls dancing with their bottoms and tits in shop windows in this district. The water business (what the Japanese call the world of sexual services) takes place in another dimension. Here everything goes underground where you’ll find the well-dressed female consumers called hostesses and also male consumers because as we know in a consumer society it’s not only the guys who need a break from their daily routines, but also the girls.
It takes just 15 minutes to walk from omoide yokocho to the Kabuki-cho area.
Kabuki-chō, which covers an area of 36 hectares is a district of many consumer clubs, love hotels, shops, restaurants and nightclubs which is why it is often referred to as the “city that never sleeps” (眠らない街, ).
The origin of the name of the district itself is interesting. The district’s name comes from plans in the late 1930s to build a kabuki theatre next to one of Tokyo’s central districts. Although the theatre was never built the name stuck.
In 2004 there were more than 1 000 yakuza members in Kabukicho and 120 different companies controlled by them. However with the increase in tourist arrivals and Tokyo’s bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics a decision has been made to crack down on organised crime.
When visiting such an area the essential advice is to avoid nightclubs. For tourists, and for those who are tired of everyday life in general there is the so-called ‘Bottakuri’ tactic – a bait and switch tactic whereby customers are lured in by a low advertised price but are then charged a series of hidden fees. The most famous story is that a group of nine people were lured into a bar with the promise that the all-inclusive price would be ¥4 000 (around €30). Meanwhile the party girls inside consumed 172 drinks and the final bill was ¥2,663,000 (over €20,000). When the customers realised what had happened, threats were made to make them pay their bills. Thousands of cases of bottakuri are reported every year, particularly targeting foreign tourists from China and Korea.
Shinjuku Golden Gai – Shinjuku’s Golden City with hundreds of bars
For the perfect end to the evening the cherry on the cake should be Shinjuku’s golden city with its hundreds of bars. Shinjuku Golden gai 新宿ゴールデン街 is located a few minutes’ walk from Shinjuku Station’s eastern exit between the Shinjuku Municipal Building and the Hanazono Temple. When visiting Kabukicho it is about 5-10 minutes’ walk to Golden gai.
The Golden City consists of a network of six narrow streets connected by even narrower passageways wide enough for one person to pass. There are more than 200 small slum-like bars, clubs and eateries in the area. I guarantee you will have an unforgettable experience.
Everything looks so poor, so artistic, so unique.
A visit to the Golden City can take you back in time to Tokyo’s recent past when much of the city resembled the Golden City of today, especially with its very narrow streets and small two-storey buildings. Nowadays much of the surrounding area has been redeveloped. Street layouts have been altered to create much wider roads and larger building plots and most of the buildings themselves are now much larger multi-storey buildings. As a result the Golden City has remained one of the unique architectural cultural oases that reflect Tokyo before Japan’s “economic miracle” in the second half of the 20th century.
Typically the buildings are only a few metres wide and are built so close that they almost touch. Most are two-storey with a small bar at street level and another bar or small apartment upstairs accessed by a steep staircase. None of the bars are very large some are so small that they can only accommodate about five customers at a time. Golden Gai is not a cheap place for an evening out. Cocktail price will be around 10 USD. It’s worth it, really worth it.
Many bars have a particular theme such as jazz, R&B, karaoke, punk rock or flamenco, and their shabby walls are sometimes heavily plastered with posters of films and concerts. Other bars have a particular hobby such as go games, movies or horse racing.
Most bars don’t open until 7 or 10pm, so it’s very quiet during the day and early evening. That’s why you should come here at the end of the day to wash off the dust of your journey.
Asakusa district and Sensoji Temple
On your second day in Tokyo I suggest you start in Asakusa a district that dates back to the Edo period (Tokyo’s old name). Asakusa is best reached by the Ginza subway line (yellow). The Ginza subway line runs across Tokyo from Shibuya station so you’ll probably live just around the corner from this convenient transport hub. The Ginza line should be taken as far as the last stop in Asakusa. Simple and convenient. One more tip – go to Asakusa in the first half of the day.
So what makes this area special. Asakusa (浅草) is a district primarily famous for Senso-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva goddess Kannon. Kannon is a name We’ve heard somewhere, isn’t it? You guessed right. The founder of the famous Canon company named his company after Kannon the goddess of mercy. I will tell you more about the temple itself in another article.
Asakusa has several other temples and also hosts various festivals such as Sanja Matsuri. Sanja Matsuri is held in May. If you visit Tokyo during Sanja Matsuri you must see this festival. During this festival mikoshi (portable temples) are dragged through the streets amidst loud cheers and 1.5 million people come out to celebrate during the 3 days of the festival. A model of a portable temple can be seen at Asakusa metro station. A truly spectacular event for which you should prepare your cameras and video memory cards in advance.
Let’s go back to the Asakusa district. During the Edo period Asakusa developed as an entertainment district partly as a result of the adjacent Kuramae district. Kuramae was a rice warehouse district where rice was stored. These in turn were important in Edo at that time not only as foodstuffs but also as a form of payment. Rice was used to pay feudal officials including the samurai for their service. The caretakers of these warehouses initially kept the rice for a small fee but over time they began to exchange it for cash or to sell it to local shopkeepers at a higher margin. This trade gave many warehouse owners a large amount of discretionary income and led to the development of theatres and geisha houses in nearby Asakusa.
For most of the 20th century, Asakusa remained Tokyo’s main entertainment district. Rokku, or the Sixth District, was particularly famous as a theatre district home to famous cinemas such as the Denkikan. The golden years of Asakusa are vividly described in Yasunari Kawabata’s novel The Golden Gang of Asakusa. During the Second World War the area was badly affected by US bombing, especially from 10 March 1945. The Tokyo bombing also known as the Great Bombing. After the war the area was rebuilt but has now been overtaken as a recreational area by Shinjuku, Shibuya and other colourful areas of the city.
Next to the Sensō-ji Temple grounds is the small Hanayashiki Amusement Park which claims to be the oldest amusement park in Japan. Neighbourhood cinemas specialise in showing classic Japanese films as many of the tourists are elderly Japanese. Therefore when visiting Sensoji temple do not rush towards the other tourist attractions but instead take some time to stroll through the adjacent streets. A tip would be to take the stairs down from Sensoji Temple to the left where there is a pond with particularly beautiful Japanese coloured nishikigoi carp. A few hundred metres further on you will see the Hanayashiki amusement park I mentioned.
Take some time to walk around this small neighbourhood. Asakusa is Tokyo’s oldest geisha district with around fifty geishas still active today. However unlike in Kyoto the chances of seeing a real geisha are minimal.
There is also a cruise ship pier just outside Asakusa a five to ten minute walk from the temple. From here you can take an hour-long cruise on one of the cruise ship routes on the Sumida River. Personally however I wouldn’t recommend it too much. The point is that the cruise on the Sumida itself is rather monotonous. You won’t see any special tourist attractions on the banks of the river so you’ll have to make do with the boat guide telling you about the different bridges. I will tell you about the cruise ship itineraries that will really impress you in other articles.
Of course the most important place in Asakusa is the aforementioned Sensoji one of Tokyo’s oldest shrines and its famous shopping street the Nakamise dori which leads to it. This street is very easy to find once you get to the surface from the subway station as all the tourists will be heading towards this street anyway.
Nakamise-dōri (仲見世通り) will greet you at the Kaminarimon thunder gate and at the end of the street there is a temple waiting. The street is said to have originated in the early 18th century when the Sensō-ji neighbours were allowed to set up shop near the temple. However in May 1885 the Tokyo government ordered all the shopkeepers to leave. In December of the same year the area was reconstructed with western-style bricks. Many of the shops were destroyed in the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923 rebuilt in concrete in 1925 and destroyed again in the bombings of the Second World War.
The street is about 250 metres long and has about 100 shops of all kinds. My advice would be to take your time and look in one or another souvenir shop. I would recommend buying a variety of souvenirs here unless you are looking for a particularly valuable gift from Japan. Souvenirs are somewhat kitsch but without spending a great deal of money they are the perfect way to treat your acquaintances when you return from Japan.
Sensoji is the oldest and one of the most important temples in Tokyo. Next to the temple is a five-storey pagoda the Asakusa Shinto shrine. Legend has it that in 628 AD two fishermen the brothers Hinokuma Hamanari and Hinokuma Takenari found a statue of Kanon in the Sumida River. Their village chief Hajino Nakamoto recognised the sacredness of the statue and commemorated it by converting his house into a small shrine in Asakusa so that the villagers could worship Kannon. The first temple was founded in 645 making it the oldest temple in Tokyo
With more than 30 million visitors each year it is by far the most visited religious site in Japan. After spending half a day in Asakusa I recommend having a late breakfast or early lunch right here as I recommend going on to Hamarikyu Park.
Hamarikyu Japanese garden
When visiting Japan I consider the real Japanese park Hamarikyu 浜離宮恩賜庭園 to be a must see.
Logistically the most convenient would be if you take the metro from Asakusa to Shimbashi Station. From Shimbashi Station to Hamarikyu Park will take about fifteen minutes on foot but make sure you have google maps handy as Shimbashi Station has quite a lot of exits and it’s not very easy to navigate in the city itself.
The park at the mouth of the Sumida River was opened to the general public on 1 April 1946. The park was formerly owned by the Tokugawa family and used as a villa. The huge 250 216 m² landscaped garden contains a pond and is surrounded by a moat filled with seawater from Tokyo Bay. The contrasts in the landscape itself are striking. Walking through the oasis of nature on the one hand you feel as if you are surrounded by nature while on the other hand the park is surrounded by huge skyscrapers and corporate office buildings a few hundred metres away. It is a very peculiar feeling. Another important aspect is that no matter what time of the year you visit the park it will always be different. In spring you will be greeted by the sakura trees in bloom, in late summer in June by the beautiful fuji flower wisteria, in late autumn by the Japanese small-leaved maple trees in all their colours, and in winter by the evergreen black and golden pines.
In the middle of the park as befits a real Japanese garden there is a pond with three bridges connecting its banks. In the middle of the pond the bridges lead to a teahouse where visitors can enjoy matcha tea prepared in the style of a tea ceremony and Japanese sweets.
A little more history. As mentioned the park was originally the country villa of the Tokugawa family.
In 1654 Tokugawa Tsunashige the younger brother of shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu and daimyo of the Kofu Domain was granted permission to “reclaim the land” next to Edo Bay and to build a villa and garden. Reclaiming land sounds strange but in practice it means filling the sea with land. This is why the names of the train stations around the area recall the hundreds of years of history of the sea in this area. For example the name of Hamamatsu station means ‘beach pines’ so the landscape was very different a few hundred years ago.
Later generations of shoguns used the site as a secondary residence and from the Tokugawa Ienari to the Tokugawa Ieyoshi period, it was a place where shoguns could engage in ducks hunting. The falconry facilities can still be seen today when walking through the park. You will see small mounds with peculiar windows for shooting ducks.
The main palace of Hama was destroyed by fire in 1724 and has not been rebuilt since. In 1729 the shogun received an elephant as a gift which was kept on the palace grounds for 12 years. The area was later transferred to the Tokugawa Navy as a training ground. In 1867 the shogunate built a western-style stone building to accommodate foreign diplomats visiting Edo.
After the Meiji Restoration, Emperor Meiji proclaimed the site “Hama Palace” (浜離宮, Hama-rikyū) and continued to use it as a state guesthouse until the Rokumeikan was built. In 1889 the state guesthouse was demolished. The gardens were burnt down in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and again in the Tokyo air raid of March 1945. In November 1945 Hamarikyu Park was transferred from the Imperial Household Agency to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and opened as a public garden in April 1946. In 1952 it was declared a Special National Historic Site as well as a place of outstanding scenic beauty. In 2010 various tea houses were reconstructed.
Another must-see natural wonder in Hamarikyu Park is the bonsai pine tree near the exit. One branch of this pine tree runs along the ground for several dozen metres. You look at it and wonder how many decades it has taken to shape the tree. Don’t hesitate to look for this pine tree and take a picture.
Ginza – the capital of luxury and elegance
After a walk around Hamrikyu Park I’d recommend a visit to the nearby Ginza district Japan’s most upmarket district. Ginza is like Tokyo’s Mahatan.
Ginza was built on a former swamp that was filled in in the 16th century. The name Ginza comes from the silver mint established here in 1612 during the Edo period.
After a devastating fire in 1872 in which most of the district was burnt down the Meiji government designated Ginza a ‘model of modernisation’. The government planned to build fireproof stone buildings and larger streets connecting Shimbashi Station all the way to the Tsukiji district, where until recently the world’s largest fish market attracted crowds of visitors. Given the intensity of earthquakes in Japan brick buildings are very ambitious project.
Despite all the warnings a western-style shopping promenade with two- and three-storey brick buildings was completed in Ginza in the late 19th century.
These ‘brick blocks’ were initially offered for sale and later rented out but the high cost of renting meant that many of them could not be permanently occupied. In addition the construction was not adapted to the climate and the bold design contrasted with the traditional Japanese concept of house building. New Ginza was not popular with visiting foreigners looking for a more Edo-style city. Ginza at that time was less like an oriental city and more like a suburb of Chicago or Melbourne.
Nevertheless the district flourished as a symbol of “civilisation and enlightenment” thanks to the newspaper and magazine companies that helped spread the latest trends of the time. The district was also famous for its shop windows.
Most of these European-style buildings have disappeared but some of the older ones remain, most famously the Wakō building with its now-iconic Hattori clock tower. The building and clock tower were originally built by Kintaro Hattori the founder of Seiko. In more recent history it has become a famous outpost of western luxury shopping. You will find this building at the intersection of ginza 4 chome. On the other side is the beautiful Mitsukoshi department store. It is said that the intersection itself and more specifically the land beneath your feet is the most expensive place in all of Japan.
Ginza is a popular place to visit at weekends when the main north-south artery is closed to traffic.
If you’re fit and healthy, about fifteen minutes walk from the Mitsukoshi shop towards the Tsukiji district is the Kabuki-za, a kabuki theatre where one of the Japanese traditional kabuki plays is performed. The building was opened in 1889 and has been rebuilt several times due to wars and fires. The current building was built in 2013 and you can buy a ticket for the performance. I warn you that after half an hour you may be suffocated by inexorable boredom. Not even the Japanese understand what is being said during the performance. And those soft chairs are so well drawn into the realm of sleep that you hardly have time to appreciate the vicissitudes of high culture before you fell asleep.
Shibuya district
After visiting Ginza your tourist day should be coming to an end. So it’s time to take Ginza metro line to Shibuya Station. Shibuya is the last stop on the Ginza line.
Shibuya is primarily famous for its pedestrian crossing which is opposite the Hachiko exit of Shibuya Station. When traffic stops during the evening rush hour pedestrians flood the crossing like a tsunami and mingle with other strangers like a scrambled egg in a frying pan. Shibuya Crossing is the “world’s busiest pedestrian crossing” with up to 3 000 people walking at a time.
And you simply must take a photo with the Hachiko the dog sculpture between the station and the crossing. This place is a frequent meeting point and is almost always full of people. The famous story of the friendship and loyalty between a dog and a man is probably the most famous story about dog and humen relationship. There is a Hollywood film with Richard Gyru about this story.
Hachiko (ハチ公, 10 November 1923 – 8 March 1935) was a Japanese Akita dog famous for its extraordinary loyalty to its owner Hidesaburo Ueno.
Hachiko was born on 10 November 1923 on a farm near Odate City, Akita Prefecture. In 1924, Hidesaburo Ueno a professor at Tokyo Imperial University brought the puppy to live in Shibuya as his pet. Hachiko would meet Professor Ueno at Shibuya Station every day as soon as he returned home. This continued until 21 May 1925 when Ueno died of a brain haemorrhage during work. From then until his death on 8 March 1935 Hachiko returned to Shibuya Station every day and waited for Ueno to return.
For nine years the faithful dog ran every evening to meet his master who never returned.
This dog was considered in Japanese culture as an example of loyalty and fidelity. Long after his death he continues to be remembered in global popular culture with sculptures, films, books and media appearances. In Japanese, Hachiko is known as Chuken Hachiko (忠犬ハチ公), “loyal dog Hachiko”.
