Tokyo Travel Guide

Want to know where to go in Tokyo for unrivalled natural spaces? Considered the most beautiful park in Tokyo, the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is also a famed spot to enjoy a picnic during hanami Cherry Blossom season. A vast space of over 120 acres, Shinjuku Gyeon is a solace for city slickers to wander around its four main gardens; English Landscape, French Formal, Japanese Traditional and Haha to Ko no Mori – ‘the Mother and Child Forest’. Turning up the tempo over at Yoyogi Park in Harajuku are the rockabilly dancers who put on a high-energy show outside the park’s main entrance every Sunday. Ages of dancers range from teenage to geriatric who showcases an interesting array of costumes, almost making you wonder why rockabilly isn’t more of a thing.

While ultra-fashionable fellas will make a beeline to Daikanyama or Ebisu neighbourhoods, Naka-Meguro is a more laid-back alternative. Packed with tiny bars and restaurants spilling out onto quiet backstreets, Naka-Meguro is best combined with a casual stroll along the Megurogawa canal, itself lined with quiet cafés, and stylish boutiques. In spring, the canal route is particularly magical, both water and path becoming shrouded in the fallen pink blossoms of overhanging cherry trees. The area still warrants a visit outside of spring, as the newly developed Nakameguro Koukashita now affords visitors a 700-metre shopping walkway anchored by the uber-modern Tsutaya Bookstore.

The unfortunately named yet decidedly cool Takeshita Street in Harajuku is a pedestrian street and microcosm of Japanese contemporary pop culture. Wind slowly down this street to appreciate the trendy boutiques and dessert artwork alongside excitable local teens in manga cosplay. While the main street itself is crowded and geared towards a young, fashion-conscious crowd, the side streets and outer Harajuku area are also worthy of a stroll and a breather. While ice-cream crepes are certainly worthy of worship, you may be searching for something more. In this case, come to Toyokawa Inari Tokyo Betsuin, an inimitable Buddhist temple allowing city explorers to seize a moment of sanctuary from the surrounding bustle of Akasaka and purify their souls.