Your First (or third) Trip to Tokyo
Mt. Fuji from the Aman Hotel
A quick note before starting. Tokyo is a BIG city. Like really really really REALLY big. The best way to break up your trip is to only hit one or two neighborhoods by day, and have them be adjoining ones. The great hotels are all far away so plan to leave for the day and don’t come back till you’re ready to pass out. Ideally you would do Shibuya and Roppongi on Day 1, Aoyama/Harajuku/Omotesando on Day 2, Naka-Meguro and Daikan-yama Day 3, and then Shinjuku and either Ginza or the further-afield Team Lab experience on Day 4.
As far as transportation goes, the subway is great though packed during rush hour and can be a bit confusing as multiple entities run different lines so when you transfer, you may need to pay all over again. You should get a Suica card (like Metrocard) on Day 1 if this is how you plan on getting around. Otherwise, the taxis are great with their automatically opening doors and little doily headrests.
Last note, for all you Americans out there who may have trouble wrapping your head around this: tipping is fairly frowned upon, and often even found to be insulting, esp. around the older generation so whether it’s at a restaurant or the hotel valet, save those yen…
HOTELS
The biggest issue with hotels in Tokyo is that all the best ones are in the least interesting neighborhoods, and all the fun neighborhoods don’t have much selection! That said, here are a handful worth checking out.
The Aman never disappoints. Like their resort properties, the soaring sense of space in the public spaces is bewildering, along with the endless views onto the nearby Imperial Gardens. If you’re lucky to coincide with the sakura cherry blossom season in April, you can rent row boats in the gardens and drift down endless rows of pink blooms.
The iconic Okura Hotel recently underwent a renovation where some of its classic mid-century design was sadly replaced, but the lobby is apparently still a perfect architectural masterpiece where you can grab a quiet drink.Meanwhile, steer clear of the Park Hyatt from Lost in Translation, it’s even more remote than these two places and frankly a bit dated.
Ideally you would want to be near Shibuya and Roppongi though the hotel selection there isn’t great. But if you don’t want to break the bank on the Aman, check out either the Grand Hyatt in Roppongi or the Trunk and Sequence hotels in Shibuya.. The Hyatt feels like you’re in the American Airlines Terminal at any airport in the US, while the Trunk and Sequence hotels are more in the spirit of The Ace or Standard Hotels (meaning BYO-earplugs). You’ll definitely want to splurge on the bigger category of rooms here as the small ones are not meant for Western body builds (or suitcases for that matter).
The brush selection at Pigment
SHOPPING
If you wanted to stroll through history, let’s face it, you would have gone to Kyoto. Tokyo is ALL ABOUT THE SHOPPING. And it’s all great. Skate T-s, vintage-wear, house-wares, cameras from the 90s, Pokemons from the future, it’s all here. And even the stuff you find back home is somehow just done better here. So get some good Asics that can support your feet for twelve hours a day of walking and let’s gooooooo.
Shibuya
The Times Square of Tokyo, with its iconic five-way crossing, is also the epi-center of luxury mall shopping. Since the Olympics new soaring towers have been erected and classic destinations have been made-over. Beyond the big stores, there are dozens of side-streets with crazy arcades, manga stores galore, and more. The only thing missing is food! Do NOT find yourself hungry in Shibuya because your only decent option is Din Tai Fung in the Shibuya Scramble mall. Come to think of it, life could be worse.
One of the many new developments finished in time for the Olympics was the Scramble tower mall, a stone’s throw from the iconic Shibuya crossing. A classic department store but there’s one corner in particular of note: THE Shop. The idea is that they have sourced the very best of everything into one little area, so the ultimate white t-shirt, the greatest tinfoil, the must-have lint-roller, etc…And because it’s Japan, everything comes in the greatest packaging you’ve ever seen.
A classic that was revamped for 2020, this one has some really fun, unique spaces including ones devoted to Super Mario, Pokemon, and contemporary art.
This one in Shinjuku is iconic, the Harrods or Bon Marché of Tokyo, with the most dizzying food hall in the basement. They also do great one-off collaborations and artist installations.
If you’re looking for great camera gear like a vintage Leica or Contax T3, two of the better options out there are Lemon Camera and Kitamura, spread out over five floors two blocks from Isetan.
Naka-Meguro
A little cherry-blossom-lined canal with cute shops and cafes, this strip is slightly out of the way but feels more local than Aoyama and Roppongi.
An awesome tiny bookstore with crazy great first editions of Jack Kerouac, rare Joel Meyerowitz photo books, and so much more. But the real treat is their own branded merch: everything from t-shirts to firewood bags, all stitched with their slogan “EVERYTHING FOR THE BOOKS”. You can’t leave Tokyo without going here.
Across the canal and a couple blocks down from Cow Books is Visvim’s stunning flagship store, a collection of three traditional Japanese buildings regrouped via a labyrinth of little alleys, gardens, and trickles of water. Even if you can’t afford $1300 for a pair of sneakers that look like basic New Balances, it is well worth visiting this mecca.
Adjacent to Naka-Meguro is Daikan-yama with a couple streets worth walking, and one store in particular worth trekking to. Tsutaya has several branches but this one is the world's largest art/fashion/architecture/photo bookstore. it's three inter-connected buildings and just BREATHTAKING!!! A few blocks away is Bonjour Records (a decent record/magazine shop), near an all-indigo-dyed store and a Californian-inspired vintage denim-and-flannel shop a couple doors down.
Okay, there’s better coffee in Tokyo (see the next section) but this three-story feat of engineering is worth a detour simply because it’s so insane, like if Willy Wonka decided to design a Starbucks. From matcha and chocolate fountains, to dizzying chutes&ladders that send raw beans cascading into roasters, you will be instantly hypnotized.
Aoyama-Omotesando-Harajuku
This is like mid-town Manhattan or Beverly Hills. You’ll get all the flagship Dior and Ralph Lauren shops but there’s a lot more hidden away on side streets, especially in the adjacent Harajuku and Cat Street.
Beams has a bunch of stores over town, each one specializing in something different (men's, women's, outdoors, music, etc..) the T-shirt store in Harajuku is great. the layout and staff are awesome too. just below they have a hole-in-the-wall music store that's really well selected. They have just created a new Beams Japan shop in Shinjuku near Isetan that carries thing exclusively made in Japan and is DEFINITELY worth checking out for everything from crafts to streetwear.
If you only go to one store in Tokyo, it’s going to be Kiddiland. This is where you will find most of the gifts you'll want to bring back for friends. Humping Dog USB keys, pancake-flavored Kit Kat bars, all the hits that have made Japan so cool for so long. The first time I went to Tokyo this was the first place we hit and I wanted to buy everything there. My friend was like "this is the first place we hit. hold off, let's see what else we find...." well, we never found anything as great, anywhere else, ever.
Tucked away a few blocks behind the aging Omotesando Hills mall, this architectural jewel of a little charred wood cube is where you go for a serious cup of coffee. I saw three people in line and thought I’d be in and out in six minutes. Forty-five minutes later I was about to order. They will begin with an interview where you discuss your preferences in life from literature to bitterness of coffee and after careful analysis they will permit themselves to suggest a certain bean for you. If it’s not to your liking, don’t worry, there are 33 others, presented in a gradation of colors. When you’re finally served your actual cup of coffee, please please please do not ask for Stevia or non-fat creamer. Heads will roll…
Comme Des Garçons and Prada.
You kind of have to go to CdG in Tokyo, not going would be like skipping the Coliseum in Rome. But the store’s architecture pales in comparison to Herzog&DeMeuron’s glass ode to Prada a block away. While you’re in the neighborhood make sure to also check out CdG protege Sacai’s flagship store on a little side street near a James Perse store that makes its original, airy LA store feel like a Siberian gulag.
Closer to Roppongi than Aoyama, this enormous complex houses the Ritz Carlton (a good option if you’re traveling on points), Tadao Ando’s 21_21 subterranean museum space, and a full-scale mall with SO MANY FUN STOPS!!! There’s an incredible dog groomer that is pure instagram fodder, a fruit shop where you can purchase an individual strawberry for $10 (I can confirm that it takes exactly like a strawberry), the best-designed Japanese knife shop in the world, and countless other spots.
Shinjuku
This one in Shinjuku is iconic, the Harrods or Bon Marché of Tokyo, with the most dizzying food hall in the basement. They also do great one-off collaborations and artist installations.
Lemon Camera and Kitamura
If you’re looking for great camera gear like a vintage Leica or Contax T3, these are the two best options. Kitamura is spread out over five floors, two blocks from Isetan, while Lemon is closer to Ginza.
Lunchtime at Toraya
EATING
My wife's favorite tonkatsu (fried, breaded pork cutlet) place, and always our first meal in tokyo. it's run by THREE GENERATIONS of the same family (the grandmother tends the register, all hunched over, the father and son fry the cutlets). only two things on the menu: fatty and lean. a great experience. Pro tip: you will come away reeking of hot frying oil, so don’t wear that brand new Comme shirt you just spent a thousand bucks on. Also, insist on eating at the counter downstairs, away from the tourists upstairs. The wait may be longer, but the cred (and view) will be greater.
Sushi Sho and Nihombashi Kakigaracho Sugita
There are scores of top-tier serious sushi counters in Tokyo, these just happens to be two exceptional ones favored by the locals.
For another Japanese tradition, the formal yet intricately artistic multi-course kaiseki meal, look no further than this spot. Austere, yes. Delicious, absolutely. Astronomically expensive, kinda.
Often hovering around the Top 50 Restaurants of the world, this minimal, modern spot is a perfect mix of Japan and contemporary European touches, a special story that begins with their own sake label and the bread that is baked on a stone at your table…
This iconic tea house has just been relocated and now houses an expansive shop, art gallery, and restaurant. Perfect for a simple bento box, a red bean cake, or elegant gifts to bring home.
If you want really really really out-of-the-way and incredibly special, this oasis of peace was created by the architect and owner behind Ogata in Paris, and has an AMAZING traditional breakfast as well as tea service. Located about 45 minutes outside of town in a beautiful home with gardens and breathtaking contemporary yet traditional Japanese interior design.
Savoy Pizza sadly closed its doors but its predecessors and disciples continue exceptional, unexpected pizza. Check out this gem in Roppongi or the steam-punk weirdness of Seirinkan. For something less “local”, the pizza in the Mandarin Oriental ranked 16th best pizza in the world.
A quick roundup of the rest: for the best chicken noodle soup that will put all Jewish grandmothers to shame, look no further than Kagari. If gyoza is your thing, Gyozanomise Okei has the best in town, and if you’re looking for the weirdest place to grab coffee, across the street from Yoyogi Park you will find Anakuma Cafe. I don’t really want to say more than this and spoil the surprise…
The Gardens of the Nezu Museum
MUSEUMS
A beautiful spot for some quiet meditation in the heart of the city (in Aoyama, blocks from the Prada tower). The works inside are a bit meh, but the gardens are really beautiful and a very special place to spend a quiet hour There’s also a little restaurant that looks out onto the gardens. i can’t vouch for it but it should be pretty solid.
My favorite Japanese architect Kuma Kengo not only designed the Nezu but has just recently created a museum near the Meji Jingu Shrine. The structure and surrounding woods are spectacular, and the adjacent shrine is also one of the oldest in Japan (though mobbed my tourists). Both are located in the centrally located Yoyogi Park at the top of Omotesando.
The other great contemporary art space that you should visit is the Mori Tower. It’s part observation deck, part contemporary museum (with single-artist shows such as Kaws, Murakami, etc..). If you stay at the Grand Hyatt, it’s literally in the same building or adjacent.
This is an odd one but in the 1970s, Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi created the atrium for a nondescript office building Sogetsu Foundation, near the Imperial Gardens and it is insane. A series of different stone blocks, some of which feature carved out spaces in which to place intricate floral arrangements. It rivals any of the rock gardens in Kyoto’s temples yet flies totally under the radar.
Terrada Art Complex is a new collection of all-Japanese art galleries. It will be great in ten years, right now there’s one exceptional gallery on the ground floor and a handful of decent ones scattered across a lot of empty upper floors.
In future guides you won’t find me urging you to visit The Ice Cream Museum, or The Stranger Things Experience or anything other POS “experiential” spaces, but Team Lab in Tokyo is an outlier. These guys (from what I hear about a hundred programmers) have designed the most bonkers series of spaces that yes, are designed to maximize your Instagram-worthy pix, but are also genuinely fun worlds to explore.
Between Terrada and Team Lab which are both in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, is one of the most awe-inspiring art shops I’ve ever come across, Pigment. One wall stretches out endlessly with an infinite rainbow of colored pigments, while another wall formally frames dozens of options of natural binding glues. Every conceivable (and inconceivable!) sized paint brush is displayed with Wes Andersonian mise-en-scene. You could literally spend an hour in here staring straight ahead and not buying anything. Incredible. Truly.
