Are you looking for female clothing not outside your budget? Then head to Shimo-kitazawa, not very far from Shibuya and very popular by young people. There are amazing vintage shops and thrift stores to be found. A lot of winding, crisscrossing little streets are packed with shops, cafes, hole-in-the-wall bars and basement live houses. Near to the station you find the ¥700 store, but there are many more affordable boutiques around. "With its bohemian vibe and laid-back atmosphere, the area smacks of urban modern cool (...). It has the verve like no other in Tokyo", writes Shimokitazawa: A Guide To Tokyo’s Bohemian Hub. Cafes and shops don’t open until 11:00 a.m. or even later. You’ll also find that many places are closed on Tuesdays.
Nomin Cafe: They use fresh seasonal organic vegetables and offer variations to match dietary restrictions, like vegetarian or gluten-free.
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Shimokitezawa Cage: Underneath the Inokashira line tracks. This event space hosts everything from night-time markets and streetfood to art events as film screenings and open-air gigs. This extended pop-up space is set to run until 2019 a stone’s throw from the station. The Mikkeller pop up bar serves hipster craft beers.
There are 21 music clubs in Shimokitazawa. Bands as Bump of Chicken, Asian Kung-Fu Generation or Thee Michelle Gun Elephant all got their start in the clubs of Shimokitazawa.
Picture by Shibuya246
Dior illuminated: On Omotesando Avenue you find the world’s most luxurious brands.
May be the busiest crossing of Japan: The crossing outside Shibuya station. The traffic lights turn red at the same time in every direction. Traffic then stops completely and pedestrians cross from all sides. You can observe them from the second-story window of Starbucks (Tsutaya building).
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Or you look for the Tokyo Food Show inside Shibuya station, in the basement of the Tokyu Department Store, where you get gourmet food and an introduction to local tastes: grilled eel, fried pork, fish salad, octopus, seafood-and-rice seaweed wraps and many prepared foods more. This food hall is one of the biggest and most varied in town. Many of the stalls are connected with established restaurants around town, and you can choose from ready-to-go Indian curries, pho and other Vietnamese dishes, Chinese dumplings and dozens of Chinese-style main dishes. There are several bakeries and French pastry shops and a cheese shop. Some stalls have tiny counter areas where you can eat, but generally it's take-out only.
Nonbei Yokocho Alley のんべい横丁: Full of tiny bars with just a handful of seats. Nonbei Yokocho ("Drunkard’s Alley") dates back to the early 1950’s when eateries and bars were set up shop under the train tracks. "Nonbei Yokocho is everything I love most about Tokyo; an oasis of calm tradition nestled in the massive shadow of streaking neon, droves of taxis and hundreds of thousands of pedestrians. A living, breathing contradiction. It serves as an intimate escape from the impermanence and uncertainty of city living", writes James Rodrigues.
Ebisu Yokocho: Full of restaurants, full of people, squeeze yourself through... In this arcade you discover western-style wine bars, sushi shops, oden, grilled meat and even whale meat (at Jun-chan). Open from 5pm to early morning. Read about the food in Ebiisu Yokocho.
Meiji Shrine 明治神宮: Dedicated to the spirits of Emperor Meiji and his consort, Empress Shoken. With nearby Yoyogi Park it forms a large forested area with walking paths. Emperor Meiji was the first emperor of modern Japan. During the Meiji period Japan was modernized and westernized. Read more about Meiji shrine.
Harajuku and Takeshita dori: Harajuku has been the epicentre of Tokyo teen fashion (and vintage stores) for decades. Takeshita Street is across the road from the station and is the central hub of fashionable boutiques and resale shops. You will also find many crepe stalls and shops selling delicious fruit filled pancakes. Takeshita dori can get incredibly busy, especially on the weekend.
You can stroll from Harajuku all the way down to Aoyama, following Omotesandō (表参道), a zelkova tree-lined avenue stretching from the entrance to the Meiji Shrine to Aoyama-dori and Omotesandō Station. You will find some of the world’s most luxurious brands, some boutiques are architectural wonders with gallery-like interiors: Comme des Garcons, Prada and more. You can also wind through the backstreets and alleyways. One of the discoveries is the Design Festa Gallery, an avant-garde art space showing the buzz of creativity of young Japanese artists. There is a café and a bar with graffiti art on the walls around you. There is also a okonomiyaki restaurant in the backyard. Another place that deserves to be mentioned is Nezu Museum, with a private collection of Japanese art and a little garden where you can enjoy matcha tea (southeast from Omotesando station).
Just minutes away from the very busy Shibuya are the neighbourhoods of Tomigaya and Kamiyamacho, quiet neighbourhoods filled with cafes, independent shops and local establishments. Read: Tomigaya, the hidden gem of Shibuya
Kawagoe (川越): Kawagoe's Warehouse District (蔵造りの町並み, Kurazukuri no Machinami) has Kurazukuri (clay-walled warehouse-styled) buildings which gives you an impression of an old town from the Edo Period (1603-1867). During this time Kawagoe prospered as a supplier of commodities to Tokyo. The shogun installed some of their most loyal men as lords of Kawagoe Castle. The main Kurazukuri Street stretches a few hundred meters long. Just a short distance from the main street stands the Bell Tower (時の鐘, Toki no Kane). It chimes four times a day (6:00, 12:00, 15:00 and 18:00). The tower was rebuilt in 1894, after the Great Kawagoe Fire of 1893 had destroyed the previous structure. Museum of Kurazukuris is housed in what used to be a tobacco wholesaler's shop. Visitors can have a closer view of what a Kurazukuri building looks from the inside beyond the store front. A minute's walk away is the Candy Alley (Kashiya Yokocho). It is a wonderful place for trying some traditional Japanese sweets (read more). Named after the Taisho Period (1912-1926), the Taisho-roman Street is located between Hon-Kawagoe Station and the Warehouse District. Read more about the warehouse district.
One of the most important temples is Kitain Temple. It is home to the only remaining structures of the former Edo Castle. Read more.
Honmaru Goten (本丸御殿), meaning "the palace in the inner-most circle of defense", is the only surviving building of the former Kawagoe Castle. Read more.
Nikko 日光 is a town at the entrance to Nikko National Park, most famous for Toshogu, Japan's most lavishly decorated shrine and the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. Nikko National Park offers scenic, mountainous landscapes, lakes, waterfalls, hot springs and hiking trails. Nikko and the Okunikko area around Lake Chuzenji are well known for their beautiful autumn colors. In the colors start descending from the higher elevations of Yumoto Onsen in early October and reach the town of Nikko in the first half of November. Nikko is located along Japan's Romantic Road.
Lake Chuzenji 中禅寺湖:
At the foot of Mount Nantai. On its banks, Chuzenji temple houses a statue of the Kannon with a thousand arms, and the Italian ambassadors' villa bares witness to a time when this site hosted many foreign diplomatic residences. There is also Chuzenji-ko Onsen thermal spa.
Enjoy Tokyo's skyline from the 52nd floor of Mori Tower. See landmarks like Shinjuku Gyoen, the National Diet Building, Tokyo Tower and the Sky Tree. The ticket price includes admittance to the Mori Art Museum.
Roppongi has a sleazy side, but not at all sleazy is Roppngi Kingyo. The damsels performing in the evening shows are at this cabaret-pub theatre are actually all transvestites and transsexuals.
Picture by Shibuya246
