Places you must visit in Japan – Tokyo Area
東京
The best seasons for traveling to Japan are late March to late April and September to November. In spring, cherry blossoms color the whole of Japan. You can enjoy beautiful gardens and parks with red, orange, and golden trees in autumn. In addition to the natural beauty, the mild climate suitable for sightseeing is also the attraction of these times.
Skytree
Skytree is a radio tower with a height of 634m opened in Oshiage, Sumida Ward, in 2012. It is certified by Guinness World Records as the tallest tower in the world. Their roles are very different. In addition to transmitting radio waves for terrestrial digital television broadcasting, FM radio, smartphone broadcasting, and taxi radio waves, it is also an observation facility for clouds and lightning strikes.
There are shopping centers, a Planetarium, an Aquarium, and a Garden in the surrounding area.
Around the planned site, many historical tourism resources have inherited the unique regional cultures of Asakusa, Ryogoku, and Mukaishima.
Asakusa
“Kaminarimon” is the main gate of Sensoji Temple, guarded by the god of wind and thunder. The official name is “Furaijinmon,” which comes from the god of wind glorified on the right side of the vermillion-painted gate, and the god of thunder is on the left side. Kaminarimon is the symbol of Asakusa, so if you are visiting Asakusa for the first time, you should start here. The famous red giant lantern is 3.9m high, 3.3m in diameter, and weighs about 700kg.
The current gate was rebuilt in 1960 with a donation from Mr. Konosuke Matsushita, president of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (now Panasonic). From the Bunka era (1804-1818), Kaminarimon (Gate of Thunder God) was around this time. It has become commonplace. The mighty Fujin Raijin statue is worth taking a closer look at.
Nakamise (Shops)
Nakamise is the main approach to Senso-ji Temple. The length from Kaminarimon to Hozomon is 250m, where vermilion-lacquered shops line the left and right sides of the road. It is one of Japan’s oldest shopping streets, and its origins are said to date from the Genroku to Kyoho eras (1688-1735). However, it has a history of being destroyed by fire in the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 and war damage in 1945.
Quick tips
Nakamise-Dori is not only a souvenir shop but also has shoes, bags, toys, and other shops for the locals. It is also a famous gourmet spot for millet dumplings, Asakusa’s specialty “Kaminari Okoshi,” and rice crackers baked one by one over charcoal by a craftsman. However, it is good manners not to eat while walking on Nakamise Street. Let’s have “freshly made” on the spot.
Sensoji Temple
Sensoji Temple, also known as “Asakusa Kannon,” is the oldest temple in Tokyo, founded in 628. The Nitenmon Gate, which faces east on the east side of the main hall, was built in 1618 and is an important cultural property. There are many other important cultural properties and plenty of places to see. Many tourists visit throughout the year, and various events, such as the Hozuki Market in July and the Hagoita Market at the end of the year, are held.
Quick tips
The main highlight is the 30-meter-high main hall, beautifully painted in vivid vermilion. Seven Buddha statues are enshrined here, including the statue of Sho Kannon Bodhisattva, the principal object of worship.
Ceiling paintings differ at the inner sanctuary, where the Buddha statue resides, and the outer harbor.
So be sure to check them out. In addition, the two-story Hozomon, located between the main hall and Kaminarimon, is named after the treasure housed at the top of the tower. The giant straw sandals that ward off evil are also very eye-catching.
Rokku Broadway (6th Ward Broadway)
Rokku Broadway is a shopping street totaling about 300m that connects Sushiya-dori and Hisago-dori. The area has been popularly known as “Asakusa Park 6th Ward” since the Meiji period. It has developed as an entertainment district with many movie theaters and entertainment halls. It has prospered as the birthplace of various cultures and has produced many entertainers and cultural figures. The name “Rokuku” is still used today at the Rock’s commercial facility and the Rock Theater.
Quick tips
In the olden days, it was a city that flourished as a central entertainment district with many spectacles. Before the war, “Shochiku Theater,” “Tokiwaza,” and “Opera Hall” showed a lively atmosphere. After the war, the “Asakusa France Theater” opened. Many comedians were born as a mecca for popular entertainment and named after Broadway in New York. Enjoy the downtown atmosphere while looking at spots that retain relics of the past. There is “Asakusa Engei Hall” where you can enjoy rakugo (the Japanese traditional art of sitting down and acting out funny stories or stories that appeal to humanity）
How to get there
Kappabashi Tool Street
Kappabashi Tool Street is Japan’s number one tool street, lined with specialty stores related to the restaurant industry, such as tableware, food samples, signboards, and showcases. Most users are related to restaurants, but general customers also sell at retail. However, many shops are not open on Sundays, so if you plan to visit, we recommend going on a weekday or Saturday.
Quick Tips
Japan’s number one tool street, with 170 stores that sell a wide variety of tableware and utensils. It is also lovely that general customers can purchase products used by professionals. Many souvenirs, such as Japanese knives and food samples, are popular with foreign tourists. Not only for those who like Japanese, Western, and Chinese tableware and lacquerware but also tableware from around the world as interior decoration, so if you want to enrich your room, please take a look. Of course, it is also ideal as a supplier for those who run restaurants as their primary business. Stores close early on the Weekend, so try to make your way earlier.
Akihabara
Akihabara Electric Town
The first spot in Akihabara to introduce is “Akihabara Electric Town”! Here, there are about 500 shops that sell all kinds of electrical appliances. About 150 stores are members of the Akihabara Electric Town Promotion Association alone! It is a large-scale electric town that many foreign tourists visit.
In Akihabara, which undergoes dizzying changes, it is a tourist spot that continues to be the face of Akihabara. Experience the charm of Akihabara, which developed as an electric town after the war!
Quick Tips
The electric town is not only a tourist attraction, it’s also known for shopping. When purchasing home appliances, You can buy them at a large electronics store that has a wide selection of products!
Small shops are lined up in the back streets if you want something more maniac or parts. One of the attractions is that there are niche shops where you can make your personal computer, partly because it is an electric town.
For computer enthusiasts! If you go to Akihabara, it is a must-see spot in Akihabara.
Radio Kaikan, a symbol of Akihabara otaku culture
Among the electric towns, the place you should check out is “Radio Kaikan,” which can be said to be the “symbol of Akihabara.” It is commonly known as “Rajikan”.
In Akihabara, where there were many shops selling radio assembly parts before the war, Rajikan opened as a shop that sells electric appliances. After repeated renovations, it is now a tourist attraction in Akihabara with stylish cafes and event spaces.
Quick Tips
Inside the Radio Kaikan are specialty stores such as figure shops and trading card shops that are typical of Akihabara, which is known for its otaku culture. Everything from major characters to core stuff is irresistible for maniacs. There is no doubt that you will enjoy yourself just by looking around. It is one of the famous places I would like you to visit!
Anime Shops
Animate
Animate is Japan’s largest anime shop chain, with 120 stores nationwide. The Akihabara store boasts a long history of 22 years as of 2019 and is known as a sacred place for many anime fans. If you want anime goods, you can go to Animate.
Torano Ana
Toranoana Akihabara A store covers the entire building from the first basement floor to the 7th floor. It handles doujinshi, comics, PC games, and Toranoana original goods. The 5th floor and above are all doujinshi for adults.
Toranoana Akihabara B store is entirely different from A store. There are floors dedicated to women’s items. You can find CDs of anime and games.
Jungle
The Jungle Akihabara store is famous as a sacred place among Akihabara anime shops. Among anime shops, Akihabara is often called the No. 1 in its lineup of figurines, with various goods ranging from superalloy goods to special effects plastic models.
We also focus on buying figures, beautiful girls, superalloys, special effects, plastic models, toy guns, and other toys. And we have stores nationwide, but there are three stores in Akihabara.
The basement of the 1st store mainly deals in “Ultraman, monsters, American toys, SF toys, special effects, guns,” and the 1st and 2nd stores are characterized by comprehensively handling various anime figures.
Hedgehog Cafe
“HARRY” is a shop where you can interact with cute animals. First of all, please feel free to come and visit us at the Hedgehog Cafe. Hedgehogs and other adorable animals full of individuality are waiting for your arrival. “HARRY” also sells animals, so if you think it would be nice to interact with warm, soft, and slightly naughty animals, you can welcome your favorite child. You can also see their personality and compatibility while interacting with them so that you can hold them with confidence. I will do my best to help you with “Serentipidy ~A Wonderful Chance Encounter ~.”
Maid Cafe
Maid Cafe “so cute” that even girls want to go
The cafe’s interior, overflowing with a sense of cleanliness, is attractive for those visiting a maid café for the first time and for women. You can also take a picture with your favorite maid. Please visit Akihabara to enjoy the maid culture that Japan boasts to the world.
https://www.jrailpass.com/blog/akihabara-stationhttps://www.jrailpass.com/blog/akihabara-station
Harajuku
Yoyogi Park is a park adjacent to Meiji Jingu. With a total area of 54.1 hectares, you can enjoy nature in all four seasons, where visitors can spend their time as they please, whether it be cherry blossom viewing, picnics, playing musical instruments, or playing sports.
Also nearby is the Yoyogi National Stadium, built for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. If you like architecture, you should see the “suspended roof structure, the roof without using pillars so that the spectators can concentrate on the competition. The smooth curved silhouette is very artistic.
“Meiji Jingu” with Japan’s giant wooden torii gate
Meiji Jingu is a Shinto shrine that enshrines the Emperor and his Empress during the Meiji era—made in 1920. The number of New Year’s visitors is the highest in Japan annually. The shrine is also popular with Japanese people.
Quick Tips
The highlight is the large wooden torii gate. With a height of about 12 meters and a width of about 17 meters, it is the largest wooden structure in Japan.
Passing through the Torii gate, you will find yourself on a path covered with lush trees, where you can enjoy a calm atmosphere utterly different from the atmosphere of the city. The trees in the precincts are from various places—approximately 100,000 trees.
Every day at 8:00 and 14:00, there is an event called “Onikusai,” where food is offered to the gods, and on the 1st and 15th of every month, there is an event called “Tsukinamisai.”
Takeshita Street, the main street full of Harajuku-style
Takeshita Street is a shopping street representing Harajuku. Lined with reasonably priced shops selling fashion, accessories, miscellaneous goods, etc., it is trendy in Japan and overseas. Especially on holidays, so many people visit.
There are various types of stores, such as the famous 100-yen shop “The Daiso,” “Calbee Plus” selling freshly fried potato chips, and “Boutique Takenoko” selling unique Lolita clothes. It’s ready.
https://www.jrailpass.com/blog/harajuku-station-tokyo
Shibuya
“Hachiko statue” is famous as a meeting place.
When it comes to Japan’s most famous meeting place, this bronze statue immediately comes to mind—right in front of the Hachiko Exit of JR Shibuya Station.
The Statue of Hachiko, is a loyal Akita dog who waited every day for the return of his late master in the Taisho period until he passed away waiting on his return.
The original Hachiko statue was lost during the war but rebuilt in 1948 (Showa 23).
Since then, it has been famous as a symbol of Shibuya, and recently, it has become a popular spot for foreign tourists. Even today, I quietly watch over the ever-changing scenery of the city.
Shibuya Center Gai” is the center of youth culture.
Shibuya Center Gai is a downtown area extending 350m from Shibuya’s scramble crossing. The area sandwiched between Bunkamura-dori and Inokashira-dori has many kinds of shops, including apparel shops, restaurants, and karaoke shops.
In the 1990s, it became a sacred place for high school girls wearing loose socks. Although public safety deteriorated at one point, it has improved recently. The number of the latest spots has increased, and it is an exciting place to walk.
Shibuya scramble crossing symbolizes energetic Tokyo.
“Shibuya Scramble Crossing” is a symbolic place in Tokyo. It is the busiest in the world, with more than 1,000 people crossing it simultaneously. Ten lanes and five pedestrian crossings intersect, and the sight of people crossing the intersection immediately after the light turns green is overwhelming. It is very popular with overseas tourists.
Large screens on buildings surrounding the intersection, and it is also famous as a place where announcements of trending products, movies, animations, etc., are made. The collaboration between the buildings and the people coming and going will make you want to take a picture. Still, the traffic light will change quickly, so let’s finish it quickly and cross the road. During events such as the New Year’s Eve countdown and Halloween at the end of October, so many people visit that it becomes difficult to pass.
https://www.jrailpass.com/blog/shibuya-station
Saizeriya Italian Themed Restaurant
Saizeriya is a Japanese nationwide “family-style” restaurant specializing in Italian cuisine. The company sources some ingredients and wine from Italy and keeps prices low.
Shinjuku
Kabukicho
Kabukicho refers to the area surrounded by Shokuan-dori, Meiji-dori, Yasukuni-dori, and JR tracks. It is a downtown area with a unique atmosphere, with people walking from late at night to early in the morning. It has been nicknamed “the best entertainment district in the Orient” and “the city that never sleeps.” Still, until the early Showa era, it was a town where residential areas spread out.
Japan’s largest comprehensive discount store, Don Quijote
The number of products handled will be 60,000 to 100,000 items. Unlike specialty stores focusing on developments in each category, we offer various products such as groceries, daily necessities, miscellaneous goods, clothing, interior goods, and home appliances.
Shinjuku Gyoen Gardens
It is a garden with an area of 58.3 hectares and a circumference of 3.5 km that straddles Shinjuku and Shibuya wards in Tokyo. It was established in 1906 as an imperial garden on the site of the residence of the Naito family, the feudal lords of the Shinshu Takato Domain, and opened to the public after the war. It is a famous garden of modern Western gardens, and about 10,000 trees create beautiful scenery each season, combining formal gardens, landscape gardens, and Japanese gardens. It’s known as one of Japan’s Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots, and from mid-February to late April, about 1,000 cherry trees of 65 varieties are in full bloom.
Ichiran Ramen
With this original sauce, ICHIRAN was the first to introduce the now-popular concept of serving ramen with a thick, red sauce. The secret togarashi pepper blend of our Original Spicy Red Sauce combines over 30 different spices, slowly aging it to perfection.
https://en.ichiran.com/shop/area-tokyo.html
Ikebukuro
Sunshine City
Landmark in Ikebukuro A commercial complex that serves as a. Fun facilities such as an aquarium, planetarium, multiple restaurants, observatory, etc., that adopt Japan’s first exhibition method. There are also shops and hotels.
Nanjya-town
It is an indoor theme park with 13 attractions and food, specializing in dumplings and desserts. The park has three blocks: Western-style, Showa Retro, and Mononoke Bangaichi, each with a different atmosphere.
Owl Park – Owl Cafe
Interact with animals such as hedgehogs, owls, and reptiles, and hold hands!
“Experience-based Owl Cafe Tokyo” 3 minutes walk from Ikebukuro Station West Exit.
Enjoy interacting with family and friends or by yourself and taking pictures with animals.
To Owlpark (Owl Cafe Ikebukuro West side exit) Ikebukuro Station West Tobu department store side。 Continue straight toward the Marui（0101） department store Straight 100m
Road between the Kinko’s（ blue signboard）and camping equipment store. Straight 50m. It will be as it is straight ahead, you will see the camping goods store Victoria Pachinko Fever right hand to the left hand。 Underpass 1a exit will be here. Straight 20m. Owlpark – Owl Cafe Ikebukuro It will be across from building 2F with views of the right hand to the 7-Eleven
Owlpark_owlcafe_ ikebukuro in Tokyo 2nd Floor 3-30-11 Nishi-Ikebukuro Toshima-ku Tokyo Japan Closest station is Ikebukuro station West. (1 minute: Ikebukuro station underpass 1a exit) Tel 03（3984）1097
Kotsumate Sea Otter Cafe Sunshine City
It is an animal square on Ikebukuro Sunshine Street ♪ . Small-clawed otter and sugar glider meet.”
https://www.klook.com/en-US/activity/19478-ikemofu-zoo-experience-tokyo/
Bikkuri-Donkey Humberg Steak shop
This is a restaurant specializing in Japanese-style Hamburg steak (think Salisbury steak)
https://r.gnavi.co.jp/brand/207ac4e7/PREF13/
Useful Mention
Basement Delicatessen stores of Department Stores
Tobu Department Store Ikebukuro is a long-established department store celebrating its 60th anniversary in May 2022. Tobu Department Store has about 200 stores on two floors, the 1st and 2nd basement floors. Popular shops such as “Cheese Garden,” “Shiseido Parlor,” and “Fruit Shop Aoki” are also lined up.
The basement floor of Tobu Department Store Ikebukuro is said to be one of the largest in Japan. In addition, there are many events such as national product exhibitions and limited-time shops, making it a store that makes you want to visit again and again.
“Seibu Ikebukuro Main Store” won first place as best basement floor Delicattasen. The fun of choosing, the pleasure of looking, and the size of the scale have also gained popularity. Sweets and gifts are available on the first basement floor of the Seibu Shokuhinkan, while the Okazu Market is on the second basement floor.
It’s also convenient when changing from the JR line to the Seibu Ikebukuro line. In addition, the delivery service “.Depachika”, which handles about 100 brands of depachika (Basement floor Deli), gourmet, is also available in some areas.
Odaiba
Rainbow Bridge
The Rainbow Bridge is a suspension bridge crossing northern Tokyo Bay between Shibaura Pier and the Odaiba waterfront development in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It is named Tōkyō Kō Renrakukyō as the official name in Japanese.
https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/371/
DiverCity Tokyo Plaza
This shopping, dining, and entertainment complex opened in 2012 and features attractions related to the Gundam anime series, including a giant, “life-size” Gundam statue in front of the building and Gundam Base Tokyo, a shop dedicated to plastic models.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3008.html
Below are links for Nemours bus and minivan tours from the Tokyo Area.
Tokyo Disneyland / Sea
Tokyo Disneyland has seven areas centered on the symbolic Cinderella Castle, based on familiar themes such as adventure, fairy tales, and the future.
https://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/tds/
Kawagoe (Old Edo Town)
Kawagoe, which prospered as a castle town representing Musashi Province, has been called “Little Edo” since the old days of Edo and still retains the atmosphere of Edo, such as the “Kurazukuri townscape.”
The attractions are about 1.5 km square, and the main tourist area is the street running north to south. You can go sightseeing on foot in half a day or a day, but you can also use a tour bus or rickshaw.
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6505.html
Visitors who want to explore Kawagoe’s Little Edo can take a 25-minute walk from Kawagoe Station. Alternatively, they can take the Koedo Kawagoe Loop Bus from the station that travels to the district as well as other attractions in the city and get off at Ichibangai (一番街) bus stop
