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, the show’s human hosts provide a taste of quirky Japanese TV shows.

The demonstration takes 15 minutes and is held inside the car showroom; check the Honda Center’s website for timings. This is best done as a stop on a shopping and architecture tour of Aoyama.

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 doable in a day from Tokyo, either by car, bus, or, more interestingly, by train. Frequent (and punctual) express service connects with a suburban train that plods toward Mount Fuji’s slopes. If time permits, stay overnight so you can potter around the picturesque lakes surrounding the mountain. Fuji can also be climbed, but that involves planning and serious amounts of stamina. The official climbing season is July through August.

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 Earthquake of 1923 and the bombing in WWII. High points include a replica of the famed Nihonbashi Bridge, a reconstructed Kabuki theater and photos and maps of old Edo. Unlike at the Tokyo National Museum, here children as well as adults will enjoy themselves, and the Edo’s location, in the same neighborhood as the sumo stables (where wrestlers live and train), will make a visit even more appealing to young ones.

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 Hokokuji Temple, noted for its soaring bamboo groves. Stop for lunch at Raitei, a beautiful soba restaurant set in a temple garden.

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 soup, chicken teriyaki, shirashi spread sushi, fried bonito fish and beef satay with potatoes and carrots. In some cases, enjoy sake during and after your meal and learn how to make matcha tea. Throughout the class, you can chat with your host (via a translator) and learn about each other’s backgrounds, traditions and beliefs. Contact Indagare’s Bookings Team for details.

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 food can be found in their basements) with one of Indagare’s expert guides.

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 away from the tourist fare, and to unmarked establishments in the pursuit of the perfect yakitori or a single malt whiskey.

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 in a tea ceremony or a kimono fitting, which Indagare can arrange at a private studio in central Tokyo.

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.

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 for an expert personal shopper to help you find whatever you’re looking for, be it an antique Japanese teapot or the latest trends in J-pop fashion.

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 wrestlers train. Tournament tickets sell out quickly and visiting a sumo stable requires insider access that can’t always be guaranteed. Contact Indagare's Bookings Team for assistance.

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 and even the plastic food that is used for display.

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 in WWII, but the reconstruction is a grandly impressive piece of Shinto-style architecture. Try to visit on a Sunday if you can, as this is when most weddings happen.

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 of the frilly extravaganza: the Mori Art Museum, located on the top floor of the centerpiece Mori Tower. Louise Bourgeois’ massive Maman spider looms in front of the entrance to the glass tower, where visitors are whisked to the top via high-speed elevators. The museum doesn’t have a permanent collection; rather, frequently changing exhibits focus on innovative contemporary art featuring established and emerging artists.

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.

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 avant-garde stage art; conserves and exhibits art objects and other items; and teaches traditional performing arts to younger generations.

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 buildings were reconstructed and today some 30 million locals and tourists visit it annually. Dominating the temple’s entrance is the Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate), where visitors can view the world-famous massive and vividly painted paper lanterns that adorn the gate. Inside the temple stand a five-storied pagoda and the temple’s main hall, which is devoted to Kannon. Nakamise, the street leading from the Thunder Gate to the temple itself, is lined with shops offering typical Japanese souvenirs and local snacks.

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.

Start at the Harajuku station. Here you’ll be on the edge of the Meiji Shrine, a calm wooded area dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken that was built in the 1920s and reconstructed after WWII and is worth a visit. After you exit the park, cross the street in front of the station and head down Takeshita Dori, the main shopping street and a catwalk for the city’s youth (be warned: it is usually extremely crowded). Come on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon to see the wildest styles, and peek into the small shops lining the sides of the pedestrian street. You probably won’t be dressing yourself in anything you find here, but it’s worth a look, since you’re unlikely to see clothes like this anywhere else.

When you reach the end of Takeshita Dori, turn right on Meiji Dori. At the next big intersection, take a left onto Omotesando Avenue. Here you’ll find an amazing selection of high fashion (Louis Vuitton’s biggest store is among the glass-fronted boutiques), souvenir shops and architectural landmarks (Pritzker prize–winning architect Tadao Ando designed Omotesando Hills, a shopping and residential complex). Watch for Shu Uemura’s flagship store, a gorgeous boutique that displays cosmetics as if they were fine art, and the kitchy Oriental Bazaar, a fun place to shop for affordable mementoes.

As you continue, take a quick detour down the street that intersects Omotesando at the small canal. Lined with funky cafés and up-and-coming designer boutiques, this is the perfect place to spot a trend that will likely arrive in your city two to three years from now.

Back on Omotesando, head uphill toward Aoyama Dori. Cross at the large intersection. You will see the Spiral building, a multipurpose cultural center with art galleries, shops and restaurants that also serves as a performance and event space and is worth a look, as are the maze of streets behind it, which include cutting-edge boutiques. If you continue on to the narrow portion of Omotesando, you’ll pass Issey Miyake and Dolce & Gabbana stores. But the real gem is Prada’s building, a glass tower designed by Herzog and de Meuron that looks something like an oversized beehive. Jump on the subway at Omotesando Crossing, where you can find a line that will transport you back to your hotel.

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, that viewing the approximately 4,000 artifacts on display requires serious time; luckily, the museum is well situated, in the beautiful Ueno Park, which, if one half of a traveling pair prefers to make an early exit, is a great place for them to stretch their legs (a top spot when cherry blossoms bloom). Closed Mondays.

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 have such huge purchasing power, they will pay whatever it takes to bring the finest seafood from wherever it is caught. Arrayed around the stalls of the Toyosu fish market are flying fish from New Zealand, crab and lobster from the east coast of the United States, garoupa from the close-by Pacific Ocean and cod from the cold waters of the Atlantic. Toyosu is almost double the size of Tsukiji but it has lost some of the magic of the original. It all ends up on slabs or in tanks for wholesale supply to the restaurants and shops of Tokyo’s huge urban sprawl. The prime cuts are sought by top sushi chefs and by cooks in the fine Western dining rooms of the five-star hotels. Visitors can no longer witness the auction, but they can visit the wholesale market (with a guide; it is closed to the public) between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. Afterwards, you can enjoy a sushi breakfast at any of the stalls (Sushi Dai is one of the most famous).

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 fish in the world (a tuna sold for $323,000 in 2018), which visitors (who were willing to rise early) could witness at 3 a.m. In 2018, the inner market closed and moved to Toyosu Fish Market. While there is no longer an auction at Tsukiji, the outer market remains, and it is fun to visit to sample street food and sushi from the various stalls still based here. If you want a sit-down meal, Sushi Sei serves a quick and affordable omakase.

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 first public park and remains one of its finest. An astonishing array of museums and galleries in and around it cover Japanese art, Western art, science and history; the Tokyo National Museum alone has more than 100,000 items, which it displays in rotation.

Within Ueno is the Toshogu Shrine, famous for the carvings of dragons on the front gate. It is easy to spend an entire day here, observing the Japan of today, on the park’s grounds, and of the past, in the surrounding buildings. Nearby is the Ameyoko market, composed of a packed collection of street stalls selling food and clothing and an adjoining mall with knickknacks and crafts for sale in a more formal setting.