Author: another0humanity@gmail.com

But 1st, an outline of the article:

• Shopping districts
  • Ginza
  • Akihabara

• Landmarks & Culture
  • Tokyo Tower
  • The Imperial Palace
  • Senso-Ji
  • Tokyo’s National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation

• Parks & Leisure
  • Yoyogi Park
  • Nikko National Park

• Restaurants, Cafes & Snack-bar
  • Butagumi
  • Kazami, Ginza

Shopping districts

How do you start the day?

Ginza

• One of the greatest districts of the capital.
• And arguably one of the most expansive too.
• If you are looking for the largest designer area, the biggest brands & the latest trends, they are in Ginza.
• If you go shopping on the weekend be ready to walk, as the center of the district is closed to traffic.

• Start at the Chuo-dori, Ginza’s main shopping area.
• If you are looking for luxury items get to Ginza Wako.
• The building is recognizable by its cylindrical structure & the clock tower sitting on its rooftop.
• Most of the stores & malls have an impressive architecture and are a good go even if it’s only for sightseeing.
• Look around for some of the largest installation of brands such as Bulgari or Uniqlo.

Akihabara

• A neighborhood of Ginza, also situated in central Tokyo.
• To find a myriad of Manga & Anime head to the Tokyo Anime Center.
• You can also try manga shops like AsoBit City and the Mandarake complex.
• Go for one of the many manga/anime-themed cafe & restaurant.
• Try one of the multiple Arcades, where you’ll find some of the latest video games in an arcade version.

• Akihabara’s nickname is ‘electronic town’, courtesy of the amount of electronics shops you’ll find.
• Yamada Denki LABI Akiba, is great starter.
• Some of these shops propose you the tax-free purchase option, after presentation of your passport. 
• Trader is a great address for video games.

Landmarks & Culture

What will you remember the most?

Tokyo Tower

• The symbol of Tokyo.
• Topping at 333 meters, the Tokyo Tower, was built in 1958.
• Climb up the outdoor staircase of the tower’s main deck
• See the capital from upper while you stand on the glass floor sections.
• You can also take an elevator to the main deck, 150 m above the ground.

• On sunny days you can see Mt.Fuji.
• The 2nd deck is situated 250 m ground.
• Get there at night to enjoy the many light installations inside & outside the tower.
• When you are ready to rest have a snack.
• You can also get to the nearby Zojoji Temple and Shiba Park.
• Many events are organized along the year around the tower.

• Timetable
  • 9:00-23:00 every day.
• Fare
  • General admission: 1200 yen
  • Extra fee for each additional activity

The Imperial Palace

• The home of Their Majesties the Emperor & Empress.
• The palace and its grounds are a great area to spend your afternoon away from the hustle of the city.
• You can reach it after after a little walk from Tokyo Station.
• You can also get there from Marunouchi financial district.

• The palace is generally inaccessible.
• Visit of the palace are, rarely, organized.
• For example, the grounds of the Palace are open to the public during New Year celebration, on January 2nd.
• There, the Imperial family makes public appearance.
• The gardens are fully open, except certain specific areas, recently restricted.

• Visit the Palace and learn how Edo castle became the Imperial Palace.
• From the end of the Tokugawa shogunate to the origins of the palace itself, and why Tokyo became the new capital.
• Tuesday to Saturday.
• You can make a reservation by contacting the Imperial Household Agency.
• The morning tour starts at 10:00, and the afternoon tour at 13:30 (1:30 pm).
• It is 75-minute long.
• Although its called Palace visit, it won’t take you inside the palace.
• For this, see the aforementioned special events.
• The guides will bring you to the Mt. Fuji-view Keep, the Lotus Moat and the Nijyu Bridge.

Kōkyo Higashi Gyoen Garden

• The Groves are situated on the east end of the Imperial palace.
• Open daily except Mondays, Fridays and on certain holidays.
• End your tour of the gardens with a visit of the Museum of the Imperial Collections.

• Free to the public.

Sensō-ji

• This is the oldest temple in Japan, and is a very holy and important sight for the country.
• Also Tokyo’s most visited temple, with approximately 1 million visitors each year.
• It is essentially popular for being one of the prayer sites used by Tokugawa Shogun Ieyasa.

• 3 of the most important sites of the temples are:
  • Niten-Mon, the oldest gate at Sensō-ji , located on the right of the main temple building.
  • Kaminari-Mon, bearing the red lantern inscribed with 雷門(Kaminari & mon),the symbol of Asakusa.
  • Rokkaku-do, oldest building of Sensō-ji, built in 1618 alongside Niten-Mon.
• The Promenade is situated at the East Gate.

• Timetable & Fare
  • Kaminari-Mon & Asakusa Shrine – Always open
  • Sensoji Temple – from 06 to 17(6 am to 5pm)
  • Free entry

• Location
  • 2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo
• Closest station
  • Asakusa Station (main metro station) –
  • From there it is a small walk from exit 1 to Kaminari-mon

Official Website

Miraikan –
National Museum of Emerging Science & Innovation

• Attractions
• The museum presents 2 main types of activities:
  • Geology, Biology & Astronomy/Cosmology on 1 side.
  • Robotics, Information Technology & Computer Engineering on the other.

• The museum proposes 2 types of Tours.
• The 2-hour tour is composed of 9 activities:
  • 1/Geo-Cosmos, observe the Earth’s surface evolution displayed on a spherical display transcribing satellites images.
  • 2/Digitally Natural – naturally Digital, experience the future of reality digitization.
  • 3/Geo-Prism, Observe Earth from all angles with your fingertips.
  • 4/ASIMO demonstration, Advance robots & their future alongside us
  • 5/Android, Meet the human droids
  • 6/Visionaries Lab, Shifting your perspective on innovation.
  • 7/ISS, experience the astronaut’s way of life.
  • 8/Stories of One, Everyone, and You, Discover specificities of Human beings.
  • 9/Mission Survival: 10 Billion, Learn about the solutions to implement to deal with our future.

• The half-day tour adds another 8 activities:
  • 4.5(Between ASIMO & Android)/Backward from the future, Imagine the Earth in 50 years.
    How would you achieve this vision?
  • 6.5/Songs of ANAGURA: experience information science in a world set a 1000 years in the future.
  • 7.5/Miraikan Kitchen, A break?
  • 8.5/Dome Theater: Space, all over you.
  • 9.5/Laboratory to Explore the Frontiers, an introduction to astronomy & the quest for beyond.
  • 10/Miraikan Cafe, Another break?
  • 11/CELLS in Progress, introduction to Cellular biology & iPS cells research.
  • 12/Mirikan Shop, Experiment kits, Books, themed stationary, etc.

• More data & incentive on the Museum or 1 of the topic studied there?
• Try the Miraikan Shop (open from 10 to 18/6pm).

• Timetable
  • The museum is open from 10 to 17 (10am to 5pm).
  • Closed every Tuesday, except if it is a national holiday.
  • Closed on Near Year holidays (December 28 – January 1).
• Fee:
  • Online Booking & Ticketing

• Location & Directions
  • 5-minute walk from “Tokyo International Cruise Terminal Station”
  • 15-minute walk from “Tokyo Teleport Station”

• Official website

Parks & Leisure

Yoyogi Park

• An area to relax and soak up in the Park’s atmosphere.
• The central Plaza is a verdant area from which most of the Park is accessible.
• On weekends, groups of fashion enthusiast gather near the central pond, by the clock tower & other hot-spots.
• You can also come across rock bands & Martial artists clubs.
• The Park is a crossroads celebrated by the devise “A gathering place for people from all walks of life.”

• Sit in the flower garden for a picnic, to stretch, to breathe…
• Admire the wide variety of specimens.
• Walk around the Plaza, in the rose garden, the tree groves.
• If you came in spring the cherry blossom will be open.
• In fall, gingko flowers bloom.

• For all sport enthusiasts know that the Park is equipped with a soccer field & a hockey field.
• A cycling course is also installed within the grounds.
• It is situated in the northern part of the Park.
• There you can rent a bike & go for a ride on the dedicated circuit.
• Facing the Park is the Yoyogi National Stadium.

• The visit of the Yoyogi Park depicts you the translation of Japan from the post WWII period to its boom in the 70s/80s.
• You can visit the nearby Meiji Jingu shrine.
• Omotesando-dori, an area of fashionable shops, is also by the Park.

• Timetable & fare
  • Admission is free
• Location & Access
  • Yoyogikamizono-cho/2 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku,
  • Yoyogi-koen Station, Chiyoda Line, it takes 3 min on foot

Nikko National Park

• A large, multifaceted park located outside of the capital.
• Hiking opportunities in a diversity of areas(mountains, lakes, waterfalls) are numerous.
• This may be the only park you need since it could take you a couple of days to explore it fully.

• Visit the Toshogu Shrine:
  • Learn about the mythology of the carvings exposed around the temple.
  • Discover the origins of the Tokugawa shogunate.
• Situated at the entrance of the Nikko mountains Shinkyo Bridge vermilion .
  • Discover the Legend of Shodo, the first head priest of Nikko.
  • The bridge sits next to the Nikko Futarasan-jinja Shrine & belongs to it.
• Sit by Lake Chuzenji, and enjoy the blooming vegetation of the highest lake in Japan.
• Overflowing from Lake Chuzenji at almost 100 meters up, the Kegon Falls is surrounded by luxuriant greenery.
  • The waterfall freezes solid in winter.

• Try the Hot springs.
• If you wish to stay in a Ryokan, traditional Japanese inn, it is highly recommended to reserve in advance.

• Timetable
  • Always open
• Fare
• There are 2 types of Nikko Passes (from Asakusa Station)
  • Nikko World Heritage Area Pass 2,040 yen
  • Nikko All Area Pass 4,600 yen 4,230 yen

• Location
  • You can get there by train via Shinjuku, Asakusa & Tokyo station (2 hours).
  • Or by bus via Narita Airport, Haneda Airport, & Yokohama (3 hours).

Official website

Restaurants, cafes & snack bars…

Butagumi

• Want a slice of fried pork?
• Butagumi will serve you these wonderful cutlets of breaded deep-fired pork, Tonkatsu.
• Tonkatsu is accompanied of fresh, finely sliced cabbage, rice & miso soup.

• The large variety of regional specialties available on the menu come with the home-brew Butagumi sauce, not unlike the Worcestershire but slightly denser.
• Have a seat in this traditional house & enjoy a technique perfected over 6 decades.
• Enjoy the juiciness of a meat fried in pure sesame oil.
• Always better to reserve beforehand, regarding the popularity of the restaurant.

• Timetable & Fare
  • Open from Tuesday to Sunday
  • From 11.30am to 3pm
  • And from 6pm to 10.30pm
  • You can have a nice meal for approximately 5000 Yen (2 people).

• Location
  • 2-24-9, Nishiazabu, Minato 106-0031 Tokyo Prefecture
• If you haven’t reserved, try to get there for 10.30 or 11am.
• Around the Roppongi area you can go for a little walk before lunch just to guaranty yourself a good place in the queue.
• You can get there by:
  • Nogizaka Station (Chiyoda line), exit 5; or
  • Roppongi Station (Hibiya, Oedo lines), exit 2

• Butagumi’s website

Kazami, Ginza

• What about a hearty & gorgeous ramen?
• If it’s your 1st time in a ramen shop, place your order on the ticket vendor, take your ticket & present it to the personnel.
• Generally these machines accept only bills & coins.

• Try their unique bowl, the “soba”.
• It looks like soba, and feels like soba, but it’s actually ramen.
• You can also ask for the sake-kasu soba option, with sake.
• Ramen & soba are generally presented as opposite kind of noodles, it’s sort of a pun.
• The broth for the shio and shoyu ramen is made with kombu (seaweed) & dried fish.

• Plenty of vegetables & roast/grilled/fried meat slices on top of fresh noodles.
• Also, your hard-boiled egg.
• You will probably come back for their top notch ramen.
• The assortment of condiment can be confusing:
  • Yuzusco(yuzu + tabasco) sauce, ground & sansho pepper, yuzukosho (fermented chili peppers, yuzu peel and salt).
  • Vinegar, dried red pepper, and ginger.
  • If you are wondering, Yuzu is a citrus comparable to a mandarin orange or a pomelo.
• Ask for advice if you need to.

• They have a sushi restaurant on the 2nd floor.

• Timetable & Fare
  • Open 11:30-15:30, 17:30-22:30
  • Meal for 2: 2000 to 3000 yen.

• Location
  • 6-4-13 Asagi Bldg. 1F, Ginza, Chuo-ku 104-0061 Tokyo Prefecture
  • Closest station: Ginza
  • The entrance is through an alley opposed to the main road.

• Ginza Kazami’s twitter.