Words Andrew Forbes
I f you have a window seat on the descent into Haneda Airport, you’ll get a clear view of Tokyo’s immense scale. Stretching to the horizon in every direction, greater Tokyo is home to more than thirty-seven million people, making it probably the most populous metropolitan area on Earth.
The city is swelling with visitors too. In recent years, Japan has emerged as one of the most sought-after destinations. With a weakened yen, you’re likely to find the country offers better value than you’d expect, while greater use of the English language, with the help of smartphone translation apps, means Japan is easier to navigate than ever before.
Understandably, overtourism is becoming a genuine concern, and visitors are encouraged to explore beyond the triangle of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. This might be difficult advice to swallow, given their popularity. And in my mind, a trip to Japan – especially your first – should include the capital.
The secret, though, is to avoid the tourist trail and famous attractions and instead anchor yourself in one of Tokyo’s urban villages. This way, this potentially overwhelming metropolis becomes a more intimate experience.
Azabu-Juban: A Tokyo village
One of my favourite spots is Azabu-Juban, a quietly upscale neighbourhood in Minato ward, one of twenty-three that make up the city. It’s not glitzy like Ginza, with its chic shopping, or chaotic like neon-lit Shibuya, where tourists jostle for a selfie on the emblematic scramble crossing. Instead, Azabu-Juban is the Tokyo where you’d want to live. The tree-lined streets are vibrant with local residents, filling the pocket-sized neighbourhood bars and restaurants. As you walk, you catch the comforting aroma of local bakeries, are dazzled by the colours and textures of the florists’ displays and tempted by the independent boutiques. You feel truly in the city, and yet rarely see another tourist.
The hotel front desk tells me that Azabu-Juban dates back to the Edo period, and that the shopping streets are lined with over 300 stores, some here for more than a century. At Asa no Ha, I browse designs of hand-dyed tenugui, the traditional cotton cloths depicting Kabuki scenes, and seasonal landscapes that are so beautifully crafted you want to frame them. Then there’s Kaneido, a wagashi confectioner founded in Kyoto in 1630, where you can pick up black soybean tea jellies wrapped in packaging so exquisite, you almost don’t want to open them. Roppongi’s stellar museums are a short walk away, and the area is also home to embassies and a significant international community, which gives it a cosmopolitan feel without eroding its Japanese soul.
The original taiyaki
In the morning, head for Naniwaya Sohonten, the shop that invented taiyaki in 1909. These fish-shaped cakes filled with sweet red bean paste are now found across Japan, but this is said to be where they were created. The founders were brothers from Osaka struggling to sell imagawayaki, the ubiquitous bean-filled round pancakes. So, they reshaped the batter into tai, the sea bream associated with luck and celebration. Sales soared, and more than a century later, the popularity hasn’t dwindled.
As you enter on the ground floor, the air is sweet with the aroma of bakers pouring batter into fish-shaped moulds, filling them with anko before cooking. Take a table upstairs or on the tiny terrace, furnished with worn wooden tables, before a smiling motherly waitress brings the iconic cakes on a flat basket tray, accompanied by green tea served in heavy metal pots. It is humble and comforting and since snacks are never eaten on the street in Japan, it’s a simple pleasure to be enjoyed without haste.
In search of ginkgo trees
Nearby is Zenpuku-ji, one of Tokyo’s oldest temples, founded in 824. What drew me is not the temple itself, which served as the first American legation in Japan in 1859, but the ancient ginkgo tree in its grounds. This is the oldest tree in Tokyo. Thought to be nearly 750 years old, it is 20 metres high, with a gnarled trunk almost 10 metres in circumference. Legend says the monk Shinran planted it in 1232 by striking his staff into the ground, whereupon it sprouted. The tree survived the US firebombings of 1945, although incendiaries split its trunk. It continues to flourish, the morning light filtering through a canopy of gold during my visit, with more delicate fan-shaped leaves covering the ground. The other pleasure is that there were no other tourists, just a few locals paying quiet respect.
Ramen ritual
For lunch, join the queue at Ichiran, a ramen bar chain found in pretty much every neighbourhood and renowned for its intimate dining booths. You scan a QR code to join the queue, then order and customise your bowl at vending machines, choosing noodle thickness, spiciness and toppings. Each option has a picture, and it’s surprisingly intuitive. You’re then led to your private booth, take a seat on a simple stool and wait for your bowl to arrive through a slot. The lacquered bowl arrives steaming, filled with a fragrant, glossy broth, punctuated with the bright green of sliced spring onion and a touch of chilli. Accompanied by a chilled bottle of Asahi Super Dry, and unlimited water from the booth’s own tap, it makes for a memorable dining experience.
Art in Roppongi
Afternoons are for mooching around Roppongi. For design enthusiasts, the highlight is 21_21 Design Sight within Tokyo Midtown. Designed by Tadao Ando and founded by Issey Miyake, this striking structure, with surprising subterranean space, explores design’s role in everyday life. The name plays on ‘20/20 vision’, suggesting a sight that sees further. The building itself, angular concrete and glass, is as much an exhibit as anything inside. The nearby Mori Art Museum and National Art Center complete what locals call the ‘Art Triangle Roppongi’.
Time for tea
For a sophisticated, sumptuous treat, afternoon tea at the Palace Hotel Tokyo ticks all the boxes. The hotel, opposite the Imperial Palace gardens, is known for the Stones tea service, a ceremonial affair – artistic, creative and thoroughly Japanese. It begins with organic matcha from Kagoshima, served in a traditional Kiyomizu-yaki bowl. Then the pastries and savoury bites arrive on river-stone shapes of dark wood lacquer, each handcrafted by the artisan Akito Akagi, where no two are identical. You can walk off the indulgence with a stroll through the palace gardens afterwards.
The rise of the urban ryokan
For a pampering evening, discover the emerging Tokyo trend of the urban ryokan. Properties like FUFU Tokyo Ginza are bringing the onsen resort experience to the city, with private hot spring baths in each tatami-matted suite, sky gardens and kaiseki dining, all high above the dazzling flagship designer stores of Ginza, in a sparkling skyscraper. This is a new ultra-luxury interpretation of the immersive omotenashi hospitality culture that dates back more than a millennium.
At FUFU Tokyo Ginza, you can tuck into an omakase feast at its Sushi Ginga restaurant, where fresh seasonal fish is carefully prepared and hand-shaped before you by expert chefs. With just eight places, it’s an intimate affair, where you’ll find yourself in awe of the chefs’ artistry.
A nightcap in Azabu-Juban
Nights are for music and cocktails. Take the lift to the ninth-floor rooftop bar of The Lively Azabu-Juban, my hotel for these immersive few days. Order the signature cocktail, The Lively, made with Cîroc vodka, mixed with a floral blend of violet, elderflower and orchid, as you take in the view of the glowing red Tokyo Tower from the panoramic windows. It’s the perfect end to a rich day in Tokyo, or it could be the start of a late night complete with karaoke. In this mega metropolis, you just never know.
Useful Information
Getting there
Haneda and Narita airports serve Tokyo.
Visa and entry
Register with Visit Japan Web (vjw.digital.go.jp) before arrival to speed through immigration.
Getting around
Download the Suica app to turn your smartphone into a contactless travel card. Tokyo’s metro is colour-coded, well-signed in English and runs with famed punctuality. Shinjuku Station has over 200 exits, but with an app and a good attitude, it is manageable.
Mobile data
Holafly offers eSIM packages with unlimited data. Pre-purchase before departure.
Booking experiences
Klook (klook.com) provides English-language booking of tourist attractions and travel, with
QR code tickets.
Food tours
Arigato Food Tours (arigatotravel.com) offers guided experiences into the city’s food culture.
Etiquette
Tokyo is immaculately clean, but you will not find bins on the street. The Japanese do not eat while walking. Eat in cafés. Be respectful to transport staff; they will always try to help if you are lost.
Do not miss
Explore a 7-Eleven. The mundane in Tokyo is a visitor’s wonderland. You can find anything from perfectly prepared sushi boxes, onigiri rice triangles, cups of ice for fresh coffee… They also offer cash machines with English as an option, an invaluable resource in a country where cash is king. And at the Shinkansen bullet train stations, expect to find bento lunch boxes that are staggeringly elegant.
- ‘Tokyo: Trading the tourist trail for local life’ is published in Anthology Volume 25. Read more features from this volume or buy it now.
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