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50 Ways To See Feel And Taste Tokyo

50 Things To Do In Tokyo Tokyo is a city that rewards curiosity. Its famous landmarks are only one part of the experience. Beyond the major temples, observation decks and shopping districts is a city of tiny coffee shops, neighbourhood bars, specialist stores, hidden streets, museums, arcades, markets and restaurants. One minute you can be surrounded by millions of people and skyscrapers, and the next you can find yourself walking along a quiet residential lane lined with traditional houses. There is also no single way to experience Tokyo. Art lovers can spend hours exploring museums and galleries, food lovers can work their way through neighbourhood restaurants and markets, while shoppers can lose an entire day in department stores, vintage shops and specialist boutiques. The city also offers plenty for visitors interested in Japanese history, pop culture, sport, nightlife and everyday life. Here are 50 experiences that showcase different sides of Tokyo, from some of its best-known attractions to places and activities that reveal the city’s more unusual character. 1. Step Into The Warped World Of Yayoi Kusama Yayoi Kusama is one of Japan’s most internationally recognised contemporary artists, famous for her polka dots, pumpkins, mirrors and immersive installations. Experiencing her work in Tokyo provides an opportunity to see how her distinctive visual language operates beyond photographs and reproductions. Kusama’s installations can make ordinary ideas of space and perspective feel completely different. Rooms filled with mirrors, lights or repeated patterns can appear almost endless, creating an experience that is as much about being inside the artwork as looking at it. For anyone interested in contemporary Japanese art, a Kusama exhibition is an experience worth building into a Tokyo itinerary when one is available. 2. Time Travel Through Yanaka Ginza Yanaka Ginza offers a very different atmosphere from the neon-heavy image of Tokyo. The shopping street runs through an older part of the city and has retained a neighbourhood feel that reflects an earlier version of Tokyo. Small food shops, traditional businesses and local stores line the street, making it an enjoyable place to wander without a strict plan. The surrounding Yanaka area is also known for its temples, narrow streets and older architecture. A visit here demonstrates that Tokyo is not simply a city of modern towers and technology. 3. Lose Hours Inside T-Site Daikanyama Daikanyama is one of Tokyo’s more stylish neighbourhoods, and T-Site has become one of its best-known destinations. The complex is centred around Tsutaya Books and combines books, magazines, design, music, cafes and carefully selected lifestyle products. It is the kind of place where browsing can easily turn into an afternoon. Rather than functioning simply as a conventional bookshop, T-Site encourages visitors to explore different interests and collections. Even people who are not planning to buy anything can enjoy its architecture and relaxed atmosphere. 4. People-Watch At Yoyogi Park Yoyogi Park is one of the easiest places in central Tokyo to escape the density of the surrounding city. Its open spaces attract joggers, musicians, dancers, families, groups of friends and people simply looking for somewhere to sit. The park can be particularly interesting on weekends, when different groups gather for performances, rehearsals and social activities. Rather than treating the park as merely another green space, spend some time watching the people around you. It is an uncomplicated way to see another side of Tokyo’s everyday culture. 5. Embrace The Tranquility Of Meiji Shrine Just a short distance from the busy streets around Harajuku and Omotesando, Meiji Shrine sits within a large forested area. The contrast between the surrounding city and the shrine grounds is one of its most striking features. Visitors enter through large torii gates and follow paths through the trees before reaching the shrine buildings. The experience is deliberately slower than much of central Tokyo. Whether visiting for religious reasons or simply to appreciate the setting, the shrine provides a chance to experience one of the city’s most important Shinto sites in a peaceful environment. 6. See A Show At Kabuki Ginza Kabuki is one of Japan’s most distinctive traditional theatrical forms, combining elaborate costumes, stylised movement, music and dramatic storytelling. Tokyo’s Ginza district is home to Kabukiza, the city’s most famous kabuki theatre. A full performance can last several hours, but visitors who are unfamiliar with kabuki do not necessarily have to commit to an entire programme. Single-act tickets have traditionally provided a way for visitors to experience part of a performance. Even the theatre itself is worth seeing, with its striking architecture providing a dramatic contrast with modern Ginza. 7. Discover How Seriously Tokyo Takes Shopping At Ginza Six Ginza is synonymous with sophisticated shopping, and Ginza Six represents the district’s modern luxury side. The large complex contains fashion, beauty, food, art and lifestyle brands in an environment designed to be as much about presentation as shopping. Even if luxury goods are outside your budget, the building can still be interesting to explore. Window displays, restaurants, exhibitions and public spaces provide plenty to see, while Ginza’s surrounding streets offer everything from historic department stores to specialist retailers. 8. Smell The Fish At Toyosu Market Toyosu Market became Tokyo’s principal wholesale fish market after the relocation of the famous Tsukiji inner market. The modern facility is substantially different from the older market, but it remains an important part of Tokyo’s food infrastructure. Visitors can observe parts of the wholesale operation from designated viewing areas and explore the surrounding shops and restaurants. Seafood is obviously central to the experience, but the market also provides an insight into the enormous logistics required to supply food to a city of Tokyo’s size. 9. Party In Nichome Shinjuku’s Ni-chome district is internationally known as the centre of Tokyo’s LGBTQ+ nightlife. Its narrow streets contain a large concentration of small bars and clubs, many of which are intimate spaces with only a handful of seats. The character of Ni-chome comes partly from its diversity. Different venues cater to different communities and interests, so exploring the area is less

October 18, 2018 No Comments

Chūbu Region Japan

Obon Season A Guide to Japan’s Bon Festival Traditions

Interac is Japan’s largest private provider of ALT’s, and our mission is to enrich people’s lives through the sharing of languages and cultures. We bring the world closer together — one student, one school, one community at a time.

August 20, 2018 No Comments

Japanese pop group The Keeper Girls on mission to help wombat Fuku find mate

Japanese Pop Group Takes on Mission to Help Lonely Wombat Find a Mate A Japanese all-girl pop group has taken on an unusual mission in Osaka: helping a lonely Australian wombat find a mate. The group, known as The Keeper Girls, joined forces with Satsukiyama Zoo to raise money needed to bring a female wombat from Australia to Japan. The unusual campaign centred on Fuku, an 11-year-old wombat originally from Tasmania who had been living at Satsukiyama Zoo in Osaka since 2007. After losing his intended breeding partner, Fuku had spent several years living without another wombat companion. Zoo officials hoped to change that, but bringing another wombat from Australia would be expensive. The estimated cost of transporting a suitable female to Japan was around A$50,000, creating a significant fundraising challenge for a zoo that does not charge visitors an admission fee. Fuku’s Life in Osaka Fuku arrived at Satsukiyama Zoo in 2007 after being brought from Tasmania. He did not make the journey alone. His intended breeding partner, a wombat named Ayaha, travelled with him to Japan. The pair were expected to provide an opportunity for the zoo to breed wombats, but the plan changed when Ayaha died in 2010 following a long illness. That left Fuku on his own. By the time the campaign began in 2016, he had been without another wombat companion for several years. Satsukiyama Zoo’s deputy curator, Kozo Sejima, believed it was time to look for a new companion for him. Sejima said Fuku had been alone since Ayaha’s death and that the zoo believed he would benefit from having a partner. The zoo also described Fuku as an active animal. He spent time digging holes and taking daytime naps, characteristics that became part of the light-hearted way the campaign presented the search for a new female wombat. Finding a Female Wombat Was Expensive The Japanese local government had agreed to approach Australian zoos about finding a potential mate for Fuku. The problem was not simply finding another wombat, however. Transporting an animal from Australia to Japan would require a substantial amount of money. The estimated cost was around A$50,000. For Satsukiyama Zoo, raising that amount represented a particular challenge because the facility did not charge an admission fee. The absence of an entrance charge means the zoo could not simply use additional ticket revenue to finance the project. It needed another way of generating the money required to bring a female wombat to Osaka. That was where The Keeper Girls became involved. The Keeper Girls Join the Campaign The Keeper Girls were an all-female Japanese idol group associated with Satsukiyama Zoo and the city of Ikeda in Osaka. Rather than simply promoting the zoo, the group decided to make Fuku’s search for a companion one of its main projects. The group partnered with the zoo with the specific aim of helping raise the estimated A$50,000 needed to transport a female wombat from Australia. Their fundraising plan combined the traditional activities of an idol group with the zoo’s cause. The Keeper Girls wrote a song about Fuku and planned to perform it while also selling their CD and merchandise. The idea gave the group a subject that was closely connected to the zoo and its local community. It also provided fans with a way to contribute to the campaign by buying music and merchandise rather than simply making a conventional donation. An Idol Group With a Local Connection One of the group’s members, Marina Hamada, had grown up in the area and had known Satsukiyama Zoo since she was young. Hamada explained that learning about the zoo’s situation motivated her to become an idol and take part in something that could benefit both the facility and the wider community. That local connection was an important part of The Keeper Girls’ involvement. The group was not simply choosing an unusual charity campaign from outside the area. Its members had a personal connection with the zoo and saw supporting it as part of their role in the local community. For Hamada and the other members, the project also gave their activities as performers a specific purpose. Their music could be used to draw attention to the zoo and help raise money for a practical goal. A $50,000 Mission The Keeper Girls regarded reaching the A$50,000 target as their mission for 2016. At the time of the campaign, however, the zoo had raised only about one-tenth of the required amount. That meant the group still had a considerable amount of fundraising to do. Selling CDs and merchandise and performing the wombat song would therefore have to generate substantially more support if the campaign was to reach its target. The fundraising effort also depended on maintaining public interest. A campaign centred on a single animal could attract attention initially, but the group needed to keep Fuku’s story in front of potential supporters long enough to raise the full amount. The unusual nature of the story helped. A Japanese idol group campaigning on behalf of a Tasmanian wombat was certainly different from a conventional fundraising appeal, giving the project a distinctive identity that could be shared with audiences in Japan and overseas. Why Australia Was Important Fuku’s origins in Tasmania were central to the search for a new companion. Wombats are native to Australia, and the Japanese zoo needed to work with Australian facilities to find a suitable female animal. The local government in Japan planned to approach Australian zoos once the financial requirements could be met. The fundraising campaign was therefore not simply about supporting the zoo’s everyday expenses. It was intended to make an international animal transfer possible. Transporting a wombat between Australia and Japan involves considerably more expense and planning than moving an animal between nearby facilities. The A$50,000 estimate reflected the scale of the undertaking as understood by the zoo at the time. The campaign consequently had two stages: first, raise the money required for the move, and then work with Australian zoos and

February 5, 2016 No Comments

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November 1, 2026 No Comments