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CHAPTER 1

TOKYO

INTRODUCING TOKYO

Unlike historic Kyoto and Nara, Tokyo only came to prominence in the early 1600s. Then, just little more than a village named Edo, shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu chose to turn the modest fortifications overlooking Edo into a mighty castle from where he would rule his newly unified country. From there, the de facto capital boomed, and by the time of the Meiji Restoration of 1868—when Edo officially took Kyoto’s place as capital, and had its name changed to Tokyo (the Eastern Capital)—the village had transformed into a city of 600,000. It’s not looked back. Today Tokyo is home to almost fourteen million, a number that swells to more than thirty-five million if you include the parts of neighboring prefectures that make up the Greater Tokyo area. With that there are no surprises when it comes to Tokyo’s energy, its crowds, and its color, but they are just a few parts of a metropolis that mixes touches of the old with swathes of the ultra-modern.

Dressed up for the 7-5-3 festival

Shibuya Crossing

Tokyo Skytree

Shibuya on Halloween

Harajuku Cosplayers

Sensoji Temple

Imperial Palace

Meiji Shrine

GINZA AND THE IMPERIAL PALACE

Tokyo’s Bustling Central Districts

For generations Ginza has signified Tokyo at its most exclusive. Just drop the name and for many Japanese it will conjure up images of fine dining, plush department stores and boutiques, not to mention the exorbitantly priced hostess clubs that boomed in the 1980s bubble. That’s not a new thing; the area’s connection to wealth goes well beyond recent memory. In its earliest Edo-era days, Ginza was home to a silver mint (gin za, hence the area’s name) created by the first Edo shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, the man who united a war-torn Japan at the turn of the seventeenth century and, with Tokyo (then called Edo) as his new capital, initiated an (almost) isolationist dynasty that would last until the Meiji Restoration of the 1860s.

In the Meiji era, Ginza was at the forefront of Tokyo’s Western-influenced development. With the support of European architects, the district saw its fire-prone wooden buildings replaced by stone architecture, its muddy streets transformed into paved roads, and eventually the advent of electric trams and subways. Head to the Ginza Crossing today and you can still see examples of that early architecture in the shape of the Wako department store, whose curved granite façade and clock tower (first built in 1894, but then redone shortly after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake) stand across from another landmark in the prestigious 1930-built Mitsukoshi department store.

Today, shopping is one of the major draws to Ginza. Along with Mitsukoshi and Wako, you have branches of Matsuya and Printemps department stores, the plush Ginza 6 shopping complex, a slew of sleekly designed flagships for European luxury brands like Bulgari, Cartier, Chanel, and Omega (to call out just a handful) and—highlighting the trend toward simple, “un-branded” fashions—major local branches of local retailers Muji and Uniqlo. Then, of course, comes the food. It isn’t all in the wallet-hurting category, but the fact that thirty-eight restaurants in Ginza have Michelin stars speaks volumes. If you wanted to splurge on the best sushi, finest tempura or most expensive wagyu steak, Ginza would be the place to do it. Yet on the flipside, if you wanted something cheaper, the restaurants under the elevated train tracks that cut between Ginza and the Imperial Palace area have the cheerful side of Japanese cuisine with yakitori joints, izakaya and plenty of other casual places.

And what of the Imperial Palace area? Heading there from the Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station you get a real clash of the old and the new, the station’s restored historic 1914 façade dwarfed by the skyscrapers of the Marunouchi business district, shimmering giants that appeared during Marunouchi’s much needed facelift of the early 2000s and which on the opposite side to the station now cast their reflections in the outer moats of the palace grounds. Beyond some simple but unspectacular gardens, there isn’t really all that much to explore at the palace—although the uninterrupted three-mile (five-kilometer) running loop around it is one of the best runs in Tokyo—but that doesn’t stop busloads upon busloads of visitors from coming to snap photos of the moats and the few off-limits structures that are visible. And to be fair, as Tokyo goes, the classic palace photo—the doubled-arched Nijubashi Bridge in the foreground with an Edo-era guard tower poking through thick woods beyond the moat behind—is undoubtedly one of Tokyo’s most iconic historic sights.

The Wako department store at the Ginza Crossing.

Whether neon-drenched at night or glistening in the sunshine, Ginza always manages to retain a flashy sense of high style.

Ginza teems with architecturally striking flagship stores for high-end brands like Bulgari, Cartier, Chanel, Mikimoto and many others.

It’s not just expensive brands and boutiques in Ginza nowadays. Simple, affordable and extremely popular stores like Uniqlo and Muji are going from strength to strength in Japan, Ginza included.

The Marunouchi area on the Imperial Palace side of Tokyo Station. Over the past decade, the neighborhood has been transformed by multipurpose skyscrapers like the Marunouchi Building—it’s not just gray offices here anymore, but swanky bars, restaurants, shops, and hotels.

Ginza isn’t just about Michelin restaurants. In the neighboring Shimbashi and Yurakucho areas are hundreds of lively, value restaurants and bars popular for unwinding after work.

The old Tokyo Station building has recently undergone a renovation and is well worth exploring to view its early twentieth-century interior.

The Nijubashi Bridge and an outer turret at Tokyo’s Imperial Palace.

THE TSUKIJI FISH MARKET

Will it or won’t it? As of the time this was written—and very likely when you are reading it, too—the future of Japan’s largest market and one of Tokyo’s finest foodie destinations is up in the air. In November 2016, large parts of Tsukiji Market, a twenty-minute walk southeast of Ginza, should have begun relocating to a new site in nearby Toyosu, but a soil contamination scandal at the new (and fully built) market has put that in doubt. How long it will be delayed or whether the relocation will even be canceled, nobody seems to know for sure, but the upshot is this—you might still be able to visit Tsukiji. The early-morning tuna auctions here are worth a 4am alarm just by themselves, but mix that with a walk around the multiple warehouses and inner and market areas, where some sixty thousand wholesalers, buyers and shippers trade two thousand tons of seafood and other produce daily and you get to experience one of Tokyo’s most colorful and energetic spots. Even better, the sushi and other seafood breakfasts available at the many restaurants in and around the market don’t come any fresher.

Ginza is home to some of the city’s finest and most exclusive sushi restaurants, but the freshest can be found at Tsukiji Market, southeast of Ginza.

ASAKUSA, UENO AND THE EAST END

Glimpses of Tokyo Old and New

Asakusa and its neighboring areas form the heart of Tokyo’s shitamachi (literally “low town”)—the city’s traditional working-class east side—and are the perfect counterpoint to the sleek and chic parts of central Tokyo. Forget European boutiques and cosmopolitan malls, swanky cafés and hipster fashion—this is the real Tokyo; friendly, chatty, sometimes a bit rough around the edges, full of color and packed with history.

Looking back at the history of Asakusa, the area grew up around what is still its most famous sight, Sensoji, a temple that legend has it was founded in the early 600s to house a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, fished out of the nearby Sumida River by two brothers. While Sensoji has gone through numerous incarnations since (that happens in a disaster-prone city like Tokyo), its current look comfortably makes it Tokyo’s standout temple. Smack in the middle of Tokyo’s far-from-glitzy east-end urban sprawl, the 39-foot (12-meter) high, 39-foot wide Kaminarimon roofed gateway to the complex is in stark contrast to its surroundings, although that’s only the start of things. What follows is a colorful stall-lined street that leads onto the even more imposing, 72-foot (22-meter) high Hozomon Gate, which then gives way to Sensoji’s five-story pagoda and main hall. It’s frequently crowded with tourists and all the touristy touches that come with that (rickshaw rides included), but nevertheless it’s an incredible complex.

Away from Sensoji, a walk around Asakusa also provides a glimpse at the area’s pre-World War Two position as Tokyo’s main entertainment district, with places like the rickety, retro and tiny Hanayashiki amusement park, which once was one of Tokyo’s major draws because of its now sedate-feeling roller coaster (the first in Japan in 1953). Then there’s Rokku Broadway, a street traditionally known for its theaters, like Engei Hall, the place to catch classic shitamachi comic storytelling such as rakugo and slapstick manzai standup acts. For street food, spilling out onto the backstreets around here are also some of Tokyo’s most welcoming and cheap-and-cheerful yakitori (chargrilled chicken) restaurants.

A couple of stations north of Asakusa is Ueno, another vibrant shitamachi district. In spring, Ueno Park is one of the liveliest places in Japan to take in the annual front of pink cherry blossoms, with picnickers and partiers filling the park from morning to night during the blossoms’ fleeting visit. Besides that, alongside a zoo (if that’s your thing), Toshogu shrine, and a lily-covered lake around which food stalls often set up, Ueno boasts an impressive collection of museums, including the magnificent collection at Tokyo National Museum, which covers everything from priceless seventh-and eighth-century artifacts from Horyuji Temple in Nara to armor, ceramics, screen paintings, and tea utensils. Quite different in its focus, another museum well worth the admission is the Shitamachi Museum, which brings old Tokyo to life with exhibits that include a reconstruction of a cramped 1920s tenement row. In the now, the shitamachi vibe in Ueno is best felt in and around the Ameya Yokocho Market, a long street full of fish and vegetable stalls, budget clothing and accessories, teas and dried foods, which starts across the road from Ueno Station and follows the elevated train lines, merging and connecting with more backstreets that reveal a slew of cheap eateries and tachinomiya (standing bars)—the perfect place to grab a bite and a drink and mix with normal Tokyoites.

Look east over the Sumida River from Asakusa and you get to see one of Tokyo’s most distinctive views; the combination of the 2,080-foot (634-meter) Tokyo Skytree tower, the world’s second tallest structure when finished in 2012, and the older head offices of Asahi Breweries, where one building is designed to look like a frothy glass of beer and the other has odd-looking “flames” built onto it that have earned it the unfortunate nickname unchi biru (turd building). From this part of Asakusa, you can also get a different view of Tokyo with a boat trip, heading down the Sumida River to the Hamarikyu Gardens or nearby Tsukiji Market (page 31) or further to Odaiba.

On the way south the boat passes (but doesn’t stop at) Ryogoku, home to Japan’s main sumo stadium, the Kokugikan, which hosts three fifteen-day tournaments annually (in January, May and September). This being the center of Japan’s sumo world, you’ll also find many sumo stables here and in neighboring areas (some of which can be visited as parts of organized tours), as well as numerous restaurants specializing in chanko nabe, the substantial hot pot eaten by sumo wrestlers to maintain their famous bulk.

Nakamise-dori is the street that runs between Sensoji Temple’s two towering gates, delivering a colorful mix of touristy souvenirs, moreish snacks and the occasional local craft.

Girls in patterned kimono in front of the Hozomon Gate and its iconic red lantern.

New and old merge In Asakusa’s skyline, with Sensoji Temple’s ancient five-level pagoda and the spanking new Tokyo Skytree tower.

Sensoji Temple’s pagoda and the massive Hozomon Gate.

You won’t see a local in one, but rickshaws can be a fun way to see the sights.

A vendor selling manju, a kind of sweet bun filled with things like red-bean paste.

Tokyo National Museum.

Ueno Park is one of Tokyo’s most popular cherry blossom party spots.

Ameya Yokocho Market, commonly called Ameyoko, began as an army-surplus flea market during the postwar American occupation.

Tokyo Skytree and one of Tokyo’s oddest buildings, the Philippe Starck-designed offices for the beer brewer Asahi. As well as being part of a complex that includes restaurants, shops and even an aquarium, the Skytree’s observation decks provide by far the best panoramic views of Tokyo.

Chanko nabe, consisting of a dashi or chicken-broth soup base, large amounts of protein and served with rice, is a staple food eaten by sumo wrestlers.

Top-ranked sumo wrestlers parade on the dohyo (ring) prior to the day’s main bouts. You can get tickets for as little as ¥2,260 for what is a very unique spectacle.

AKIHABARA

Tokyo’s Geekiest Neighborhood

Akihabara in northeast Tokyo is geek land—a home for cosplayers, comic fans, anime lovers, Godzilla figurine collectors, retro arcade game addicts, and many others who proudly call themselves otaku. In one word, you can call it colorful. With a few more words—add techy, vibrant and frequently bizarre.

Akiba, as it’s known for short, started to attract otaku (geeks) in the late 1980s as part of the video game boom, and gaming is still big in the area, with a mix of retro and high-tech “game centers” (arcades) as well as stores like Retro Game Camp and Traders that have every conceivable kind of PC and console game available. Then came the anime and manga. Most obviously you can see this out in the streets, where it’s common to see otaku cosplayers dressed up as their favorite characters from anime, manga or video games—but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Start window shopping along Akiba’s main street, Chuo-dori, and it’s soon obvious just how otaku-saturated Akiba has become, not just with popular anime and manga stores like Animate and Mandrake, but with places like the multi-floor Don Quixote, Gee Store Akiba and plenty of other smaller shops selling cosplay outfits, model kits, trading cards, and all manner of other geeky gear. And no conversation about otaku can forget maid cafés, where young, doe-eyed waitresses in frilly French-maid outfits serve customers with huge doses of sickly sweet cuteness.

What about Akihabara before the otaku arrived? Then it was all about electronics, something that has its roots in post-war black-market trading of radio parts and has over the years morphed into a real mishmash of stores, from cramped backstreet electrical components and used computer stores like the numerous branches of Sofmap to robot specialists such as Tsukumo Robot Kingdom and giant home electronic megastores like Akky, Ishimaru Denki, Laox and the massive Yodobashi camera megastore on Akihabara Station’s east side.

A maid from one of Akiba’s maid cafés. You’ll often see them in the streets advertising their stores. At work, besides serving food and drink and fawning over customers, for a small fee the maids will also play games like janken (rock, paper, scissors). And it’s not just geared to geeky young men; women go, too—there are even butler cafés around just for them.

Chuo-dori is Akihabara’s main street, full of home-electronics stores, game arcades, comic shops, and other outlets aimed firmly at Japan’s computer-, anime-, and manga-loving otaku.

There’s no escaping anime and manga in Akiba—even on the street!

Gundam Café, designed to evoke the futuristic world of one of Japan’s most successful ever sci-fi media franchises, the Gundam series. Starting with the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam in 1979, it now spreads across TV, movies, video games, manga, and anime.

OMOTESANDO, HARAJUKU AND SHIBUYA

Tokyo’s Chic and Youthful Sides

Omotesando-dori is one of those examples of how Tokyo just keeps changing. One hundred years ago, this 0.6-mile-long (one kilometer), tree-lined boulevard functioned as the approach to the then newly constructed Meiji Shrine, which was built to enshrine the souls of the Emperor Meiji and his wife Empress Shoken, but over the years the street has morphed into a focal point for cutting-edge architecture, design and fashion.