- Photo by Masaya YoshimuraRead More
21_21 Design Sight
The sleek, Tadao Ando-designed 21_21 Design Sight hosts exhibitions that always have an interactive component and often feel like they've come from the near future.
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ASIMO the Robot
For an offbeat, only-in-Japan experience, stop by the Honda Center during one of its scheduled shows that introduce ASIMO, the world’s most advanced humanoid robot that can walk, run and perform simple human tasks. Besides the marvel of the technology,...
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Day Trip: Mount Fuji
On a clear day, its snowcapped peak, as iconically Japanese as a sumo wrestler or a kimono-wearing woman, can be glimpsed from the top floors of the major hotels. The highest peak in Japan, at 12,288 feet, Mount Fuji is...
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Edo Tokyo Museum
The Edo Tokyo Museum offers a great overview of the city’s history and is designed to allow the visitor to walk through the past. Each area represents a separate era, from the first shogun, in 1590, to the Great Kanto...
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Indagare Tours: Day Trip Kamakura
Spend the day sightseeing in the ancient seaside town of Kamakura, a 60-minute drive south of Tokyo. Kamakura’s iconic image is of its giant Buddha, housed within Kitokuin Temple. From there, go on hiking trails dotted with small places of worship, including...
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Indagare Tours: In-Home Cooking Class
Spend a half-day with a Japanese local who will welcome you into his or her home. Once there, learn to cook traditional and more modern Japanese dishes, like cabbage with miso dressing, spicy burdock root salad, Japanese omelet, red miso...
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Indagare Tours: New Tokyo tour
From Harajuku’s bright and bold fashion statements to Akihabara’s blinding array of electronics shops and Roppongi’s pachinko parlors and karaoke joints, “New Tokyo” provides a multi-sensorial feast. Explore contemporary art museums, galleries and department stores (tip: some of the best...
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Indagare Tours: Nightlife/Dining
Explore Tokyo’s izakayas, sake bars and jazz clubs with a noted food writer and guide. Go beyond Michelin-starred restaurants to experience how locals eat and drink, especially in the after-hours. Indagare’s food expert will take you through back alleys, far...
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Indagare Tours: Old Tokyo
It’s easy to forget that this bustling metropolis is steeped in ancient tradition. For a glimpse of Old Tokyo, go on a guided tour of the Imperial Palace, Tsujiki fish market and Meiji Shrine. For a more immersive experience, participate...
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Indagare Tours: Origami Class
Learn the intricate art of paper folding with Japan’s top origami artist. Private classes and demonstrations can be arranged in his work studio. Contact Indagare's Bookings Team for details.
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Indagare Tours: Style Tokyo
Shopping in Tokyo can range from the mundane (think Muji’s array of “brandless products”) to the sublime (Goth schoolgirl outfit, anyone?). A city of countless subcultures, Tokyo’s shopping scene can be difficult to navigate on your own. Indagare can arrange...
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Indagare Tours: Sumo Wrestling
If you are traveling to Japan during sumo season (dates vary), don’t miss seeing a match or a training session. This ancient sport is fascinating to watch, whether as a spectator at a tournament or at a sumo stable where...
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Kappabashi
A short walk from Asakusa, Kappabashi is the kitchen-ware district of Tokyo and a great shopping neighborhood for cooks. It’s where the city’s chefs shop, so there are great deals on ceramic plates and bowls, copper pots and pans, cutlery...
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Meiji Shrine
As at other shrines and temples in Tokyo, it is the tranquillity and orderliness here that captivate. Glorious woodland, said to comprise 120,000 trees, surrounds Meiji Shrine, which itself has exquisite gardens. The original 1920 shrine was destroyed by bombing...
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Mori Art Museum
When Roppongi Hills, a sprawling property development opened in 2003, it received a lot of attention for its ambitious assembly of hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and high-end shops. Art aficionados, however, were drawn to a serious little museum at the heart...
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National Art Center
The National Art Center has exhibition spaces the size of aircraft hangers and a reputation for bringing in cutting edge art. With no permanent collection, the quality of the museum depends on the traveling exhibitions, but Tokyo has good taste.
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Nezu Museum
The Nezu Museum, found in a leafy corner of central Tokyo, was once the Nezu family’s home. Today, the site is occupied by a masterpiece of modern architecture and a classic Japanese garden. The museum showcases the family’s priceless collection...
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Odawara Art Foundation
The Odawara Art Foundation was established in 2009 by the contemporary artist Hiroshi Sugimoto in order to foster the advancement of Japanese culture while adopting an international perspective. The foundation produces and promotes theatrical performances, from classical theater arts to...
- Photo by Nobutada OmoteRead More
SCAI the Bathhouse
Located in the YaNeSen neighborhood, SCAI the Bathhouse is a former Japanese bathhouse that is now one of the best contemporary art galleries in the country.
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Sensoji Temple
Built by two brothers to honor Kannon, the goddess of mercy, Sensoji is one of Tokyo’s most famous and popular temples. The ancient Buddhist structure was completed in 645, making it Tokyo’s oldest. Destroyed by bombings during the war, the...
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Shopping Omotesando and Harajuku
Nothing beats the combination of wacky Japanese fashion and excellent shopping in the Omotesando and Harajuku neighborhoods, and exploring these areas give you a glimpse of what makes Tokyo’s youth culture tick.
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Shunka-en BONSAI Museum
Located 20 minutes by car from downtown Tokyo, Shunka-en BONSAI Museum feels a world away from the hustle and bustle of the Japanese capital. A serene oasis, the museum is also a bonsai workshop and garden, where you can view...
- Courtesy MORI Digital Art MuseumRead More
teamLab Borderless Tokyo
Tokyo's 107,000-square-foot teamLab Borderless museum has 50 interactive digital installations, including the highly Instagrammable Forest of Resonating Lamps, which features hundreds of light bulbs that change color as you approach them. The location is a bit out of they way, but...
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Tokyo National Museum
There’s no better place to see Japanese art than at the Tokyo National Art Museum. The largest and oldest museum in Japan, it houses an incredible collection of antique kimonos, samurai weapons, scrolls, screens, ceramics and more. Be warned, however,...
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Toyosu Fish Market
In 2018, the famous fish auction and inner market at Tsukiji fish market moved to Toyosu, a modern new development on the waterfront. The Japanese have a tremendous appetite for seafood, from tiny sprats to tuna steaks; and because they...
- Omakase at Sushi SeiRead More
Tsukiji Fish Market
The Tsukiji fish market has been a Tokyo icon and the largest fish market in the world since opening in 1935. It was known for its fish auction, where chefs and sellers would haggle over some of the freshest and priciest...
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Ueno Park
It’s all here: As well as plenty of trees, grassland, a zoo, a fountain, a lake for boating, shrines and temples, Ueno Park is home to some of the city’s finest art galleries and museums. Opened in1873, Ueno was Tokyo’s...
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YaNeSen
A composite of three neighborhoods, YaNeSen is quickly becoming the trendiest district in Tokyo. Located north of central Tokyo, about a 25-minute train ride from Ginza, the area feels like an entirely different city. This part of the capital was...
- Photo by Shintaro Ono (Nippon Design Center, Inc.)Read More
Yayoi Kusama Museum
Opened in 2017, Yayoi Kusama Museum was established by the artist's own foundation to maintain her archive and to protect her legacy, in addition to promoting the arts throughout Japan.
Tokyo
Destination
Type of Activity
Editors Pick
Beyond…
Consider combining your trip with one of these destinations.
- Photo by Cameron BrooksRead More
Big Island
Among the most fascinating places on earth, the Big Island is also one of the most diverse, with eleven different climate zones that range from rain forests to black-sand deserts and active volcanoes.
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Shanghai
Any city that can make New York City feel laid-back must be extraordinary—and Shanghai is just that. Due mainly to the speed at which the city is growing, changing and reinventing itself, there’s an undeniable energy that’s invigorating and exhausting...
- Courtesy Kendall HendersonRead More
Kyoto
In dramatic contrast to Tokyo’s endless horizon of skyscrapers, the calm Kamo River flows through Kyoto. This historic UNESCO World Heritage city is marked by narrow alleys lined with 17th-century tea houses and mountains hovering in the distance shrouded in...