The best attractions, shrines, parks and experiences in Tokyo.
Most tourists only photograph Nijubashi from across the moat. The Imperial Palace East Gardens are actually open four days a week for free, there is a free Imperial Household Agency tour into the inner palace, and Chidorigafuchi beats Ueno for quiet cherry blossoms. Here is how to do it properly.
Nikko sits two hours north of Tokyo and feels like a different country — UNESCO-listed 17th-century shrines, a 97-metre waterfall, and a volcanic lake at 1,269 metres. Everything you need for a one-day trip, from train choice to the best order to walk the shrines.
The wholesale market moved to Toyosu in 2018, but the Tsukiji Outer Market stayed — 400 shops, sushi breakfasts, tamago-yaki skewers and the best kitchen knife shopping in Tokyo. Here is how to do it properly.
An opinionated guide to Tokyo Tower — the 1958 post-war symbol still standing 333 metres over Minato. History, observation decks, the best photo spots, and when to skip the Top Deck.
A 56-minute train from Tokyo Station puts you in a medieval capital with a 13-metre bronze Buddha, a hundred temples, and a single-track coastal tram. Here is exactly how to see it in one day.
An honest walkthrough of teamLab Planets in Toyosu: what each room is actually like, when to go, how to book, and what to wear so you do not get soaked.
An opinionated guide to Tokyo cherry blossom season: when to book, the 7 spots worth building your trip around, and why the three days before peak bloom are the ones you actually want.
A first-timer guide to Rikugien Garden in Bunkyo, Tokyo — the Edo-period poetry garden built by a shogun favourite and restored by Mitsubishi. Hours, tickets, weeping cherry timing, autumn illumination honest take, and how to order matcha at the teahouse.
Shinjuku Gyoen is the best quiet hanami spot in Tokyo, the only park with three garden styles in one, and ¥500 well spent. Here is everything you need to know before you go.
Tokyo Skytree, the 634-metre broadcasting tower in east Tokyo, has two paid observation decks and a 312-shop mall at its base. Here is how to time your visit, which ticket to buy, and why the winter view east over the river flats beats every other observation deck in the city.
A friendly guide to Tokyo for first-timers — written by someone who remembers exactly what it felt like to walk out of Shinjuku Station for the first time.