Tokyo
Thirteen million people and a hundred village-sized neighbourhoods.
Why go
Tokyo works as a collection of towns joined by the Yamanote loop. Each has its own scale and closing time — Yanaka feels like 1955, Shibuya like a decade ahead — and the fastest way to enjoy it is to pick two per day and walk them properly.
Five things to do
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01
Sunrise at Meiji Jingū
Gravel avenues, empty before 7am.
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02
Standing sushi in Ueno
Ten pieces, fifteen minutes, no reservation.
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03
Yanaka Ginza at 5pm
Croquettes and cats.
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04
Sumida river bus to Asakusa
A boat instead of a train.
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05
A neighbourhood sentō
The local social club, for the price of a coffee.
Neighbourhoods
Yanaka
Wooden houses, cemeteries and a shopping street the war missed.
Shimokitazawa
Second-hand shops, tiny theatres and live houses.
Kagurazaka
Stone lanes, French bakeries and geisha history.
Toyosu & Tsukiji Outer
The wholesale market moved; the food stalls stayed.
Getting around
Buy the transport card on arrival — every city on this list has one, and it is cheaper than single fares within about four journeys. Walking covers more than the map suggests: most of the districts above are within thirty minutes of each other on foot.
Taxis and ride apps are worth it late at night and when you are carrying luggage. Everything else is faster on the metro, the tram or the ferry, in that order.
Where to eat
The rule that holds in Tokyo is the rule that holds everywhere: eat at the busy place, at the hour the locals eat, and order the thing the kitchen makes most of. Reserve for dinner in the districts above; lunch rarely needs it.
Two days here
- Morning: Sunrise at Meiji Jingū
- Afternoon: walk Yanaka
- Evening: Yanaka Ginza at 5pm
- Day two: A neighbourhood sentō
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