Neighborhoods, hidden bars, local secrets
Guinness lists Shinjuku as the busiest station on earth — 2,704,703 people a day. Underneath it lies a second Shinjuku of lit tunnels and shopping streets, where you can cross the district in the rain without going outside, and where hardly any foreign visitors go.
Two observation decks 202 metres above Shinjuku, both free of charge, and after dark the wall of the building itself becomes the screen. How the north and south decks differ, and how to plan the day.
One hundred people a day are allowed onto the observation deck beside the tuna auction floor, at 5:45 in the morning, free of charge. You must apply the month before and win a lottery. Here is how it works, and what to do if you do not win.
A Zen temple in a Suginami backstreet where the gate frames the maples like a picture. Free to enter, almost unknown to visitors, and at the end of November it looks like Kyoto. Here is when to go, and how to find it.
A museum devoted entirely to advertising — Edo woodblock handbills, Meiji posters, and the television commercials you half remember. It sits in a basement in Shiodome, it costs nothing, and it is one of the most quietly enjoyable hours in Tokyo.
A glass lift carries you from the subway straight to the 46th floor, where there is a viewing deck that costs nothing. Restaurants on two floors above Tokyo Bay, an advertising museum in the basement, and a theatre in between. The best rainy-day address in Tokyo.
The National Diet Building was finished in 1936 after seventeen years, built almost entirely from Japanese stone and Japanese timber. You can walk through it for free — no booking, eight tours a day. Here is what to see, and exactly how to join.
A five-hundred-year-old Shingon temple in a quiet corner of Tokyo — the temple that even gave its district its name. A gentle look at Fukuzōin, its bell tower, and the deep meaning of the Buddhist temple bell, including the 108 strokes of the New Year.
It is not only the Enoden in Kamakura that lets you stand an arm's length from a passing train. At little Kami-Igusa on the Seibu Shinjuku Line, trains stop right at the crossing — a beloved local photo spot, watched over by a bronze Gundam. Here is how to enjoy it, and how to stay safe.
Monorail, Keikyu train, limousine bus, taxi, and private transfer — how to travel from Haneda into Tokyo, with honest local advice for rush hour, evenings, and late-night arrivals.
Narita Express, Keisei Skyliner, budget trains, limousine and low-cost buses, taxi and private transfer — every way from Narita into Tokyo, with honest advice for rush hour, evenings, and late arrivals.
An open-air rooftop 229 meters above the famous crossing. Shibuya Sky is wonderful — and the sunset slot disappears days in advance. Here is how to plan it well.
You walk barefoot, sometimes through water, inside art that responds to you. teamLab Planets is one of the most memorable experiences in Tokyo — with a little preparation.
Dragon Ball, Precure, Devilman and 70 years of anime history. A free museum on the grounds of the studio where Japanese animation was born.
Vintage shops, live music, careful coffee, and very few tourists. Shimokitazawa is a Tokyo neighborhood that still belongs to the people who live there.