Adventures, anecdotes and advice from three months exploring Tokyo
A pleasant and almost entirely-overlooked neighborhood in the north of the city, Komagome is defined by narrow alleys lined with shops and restaurants, and is home to one of Tokyo's best gardens: the Rikugi-en, originally built at the end of the seventeenth century.
Although it's considered Western Tokyo, Shinjuku can legitimately claim to be the new center of the city. Shinjuku Station is busier than Tokyo Station, serving nearly four million passengers a day. The city government has moved here, and Shinjuku boasts not only Tokyo's most infamous entertainment district, but most of its tallest skyscrapers.
We were lucky enough to be in Tokyo during the Summer Sumo Tournament, the Natsu Basho, and bought tickets as soon as they became available. Sumo is one of Japan's most famous cultural products, and we were determined not to miss out.
If there's one thing that Japan does well, it's making childish things awesome enough for adults. Arcades and video games? I don't think children even could play the games in Japanese arcades. Much of the Japan's anime and manga is definitely adult-oriented. Toys, games, Gundam models... Japanese parents are as obsessed with these things as are their children. And that's why I don't feel terribly guilty about all the crazy candy we bought. It's irresistible, and it's not really just for kids... at least, that's what I kept telling myself. Here were our favorites:
Built for a whopping four billion dollars, the mega-complex known as Roppongi Hills opened to the public in 2003. With museums, malls, theaters, parks, hotels, hundreds of stores and restaurants, along with some of the city's most expensive apartments, Roppongi Hills would love to eat up several of your Tokyo days. We spent about an hour there.
It surely won't keep the title for long but the tallest habitable building in Tokyo is currently the Midtown Tower, part of the Tokyo Midtown complex in Akasaka. We spent a day checking out the sights around Midtown, including the National Art Center and the tranquil Nogi Shrine.
Every morning before starting out on another day in Tokyo, I would ask Jürgen what he was most excited about. It didn't matter whether we were planning to visit an ancient temple, a renowned museum, a crazy festival or a gorgeous garden, his response was always the same: "Eating." And I would thoughtfully nod in agreement. Of all the things Tokyo has to offer, its delicious and surprisingly affordable food is probably the highlight. This is a city in which it's almost impossible to eat poorly.
After dedicating the morning to Yokohama's historic harbor district and grabbing lunch in Asia's largest Chinatown, we moved farther north up the bay and spent the afternoon in the more modern part of town.
Outside of China, the largest Chinatown in Asia can be found in Yokohama. Hundreds of restaurants and shops are packed into this colorful and boisterous neighborhood, along with a multitude of gates and temples, and (if you're visiting at lunch time) approximately 34 billion students looking for a cheap meal.
After Tokyo, Yokohama is the second-biggest city in Japan, with a population approximately equal to that of Los Angeles. The idea of dedicating a single day to it is absurd, but Yokohama is so easily accessible from Tokyo that it actually makes for an excellent short excursion.
