¥100 Stores Stationery, homewares, accessories and snack foods, all priced at ¥100. Need we say more? You'll find these all over the city.
Need to Know
Opening Hours
ADepartment stores: 10am to 8pm
AElectronics stores: 10am to 10pm
ABoutiques: noon to 8pm
Service
Service is attentive, increasingly so at more expensive stores, where sales staff will carry your purchase to the door and send you off with a bow. If you’re feeling a little claustrophobic, you can put both yourself and the clerk at ease with ‘Mitteiru dake desu’ (‘I’m just looking’).
Paying
Traditional and smaller stores may not accept credit cards.
Duty-Free
Major department stores and electronics stores offer duty-free shopping; increasingly, so do smaller shops. Look for stickers in windows that say 'tax-free shop'. To qualify, you must show your passport and spend more than ¥5000 in any one shop. For details, see http://enjoy.taxfree.jp. Otherwise, sales tax is 8%.
Sizes
All sorts of sizing systems are used and often you’ll find only a ‘medium’ that’s meant to fit everyone (but is smaller than a 'medium' in a Western country). To ask if you can try something on say ‘Kore o shichaku dekimasu ka?’.
Sales
Clothing sales happen, sadly, just twice a year in Japan: at the beginning of January (after the New Year’s holiday) and again at the beginning of July.
Useful Websites
Tokyo Fashion (http://tokyofashion.com) Info on the latest trends, brands and boutiques.
Spoon & Tamago (www.spoon-tamago.com) Blog covering Japanese design, with shopping recommendations.
Style from Tokyo (http://reishito.com) Blog from influential Japanese fashion photographer.
Tokyo Telephone (http://tokyotelephone.com) Shopping guides and articles on the fashion scene.
Japanese Streets (www.japanesestreets.com) Street-snap webzine.
Lonely Planet's Top Choices
Tokyu Hands Fascinating emporium of miscellaneous oddities.
2k540 Aki-Oka Artisan Modern artisan bazaar under the train tracks.
Tsukiji Outer Market Professional-quality kitchen tools.
Dover Street Market Ginza Comme des Garçons and other avant-garde labels.
Akomeya Beautifully packaged, traditional gourmet foodstuffs.
Isetan Trendy Japanese fashion labels and a great basement food hall.
Best for Fashion
Laforet Harajuku department store stocked with quirky and cutting-edge brands.
Fake Tokyo A hotbed of up-and-coming Japanese fashion designers.
Kapital Denim woven on vintage looms and lush, hand-dyed textiles.
Sou-Sou Traditional Japanese clothing with contemporary panache.
Best for Traditional Crafts
Takumi One-stop shop for earthy traditional crafts from all over Japan.
Japan Traditional Crafts Aoyama Square Collection of high-end Japanese artisan work.
Sumida City Point Showroom for local Tokyo-made products.
Musubi Versatile patterned cloths in classic and contemporary designs.
Best for Food & Kitchen
Marugoto Nippon Showcase of food products from around Japan.
Tsukiji Hitachiya Hand-forged knives and other kitchen tools.
Kappabashi-dōri Tokyo's kitchenware shopping strip, favoured by pros.
Best for Homewares
Yanaka Matsunoya Handmade household staples, such as brooms and baskets.
Muji Minimalist, utilitarian and utterly indispensable homewares at reasonable prices.
Starnet Beautiful pottery and wooden bowls.
Best for Stationery & Art Supplies
Itōya Ginza institution for stationery and art supplies.
Pigment Gorgeous traditional pigments and brushes.
Kakimori Custom notebooks and pens galore.
Kurodaya The 150-year-old washi (Japanese paper) specialist.
Best for Anime, Manga & Character Goods
Mandarake Complex Home sweet home for anime and manga fans.
KiddyLand Toy emporium stocked with character goods.
Sanrioworld Ginza For all your Hello Kitty needs.
Pokemon Center Mega Tokyo The gang's all here.
Best for Antiques & Vintage
Ōedo Antique Market Quality vendors twice a month at Tokyo International Forum.
Tokyo Hotarudo Treasure trove of early-20th-century accessories and homewares.
Dog Outré vintage clothes favoured by club kids.
Gallery Kawano Vintage kimonos in good condition.
Chicago Bargain bins of secondhand kimonos and yukata.
Best Malls
mAAch ecute Craft and food stores in a former train station.
Coredo Muromachi Top-class, made-in-Japan fashion and food items.
Ginza Six Tokyo's newest high-fashion mall.
Shibuya Hikarie Full of popular fashion boutiques loved by trendy Tokyoites.
Best for Books
Daikanyama T-Site Designer digs for art and travel tomes.
Jimbōchō Bookstores Concentrated collection of more than 100 secondhand bookshops.
Kinokuniya The city's best selection of books on Japan in English.
Neighbourhoods at a Glance
1Marunouchi & Nihombashi
Marunouchi is a high-powered business district. Its top draw is the Imperial Palace, Tokyo's symbolic centre. Neighbouring Nihombashi is the city's geographic centre, a historic neighbourhood with shops and restaurants that date to the era of the shogun.
2Ginza & Tsukiji
Ginza is Tokyo's most polished neighbourhood, a fashion centre resplendent with department stores, art galleries and the city's principal kabuki theatre. A short walk away is a commercial centre of a different kind: Tsukiji's Outer Market.
3Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
Legendary for its nightlife, Roppongi has reinvented itself in the last decade via art and architecture. Nearby Akasaka has a palace, gardens and an upmarket cachet.
4Ebisu, Meguro & Around
This broad collection of hip neighbourhoods, which includes Daikanyama and Naka-Meguro, has excellent art and crafts museums, fashionable boutiques, (relatively) quiet streets and few tourists by day.
5Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
Shibuya is the heart of Tokyo's youth culture and hits you over the head with its sheer presence: the continuous flow of people, the glowing video screens and the tangible buzz. A short train ride away, Shimo-Kitazawa is a beloved, bohemian haunt.
6Harajuku & Aoyama
Harajuku is one of Tokyo's biggest draws, thanks to its grand shrine, Meiji-jingū, outré street fashion, impressive contemporary architecture and art museums. Neighbouring Aoyama is a shopping and dining district for the city's fashionable elite.
7West Tokyo
Tokyo's western suburbs are anything but dull. Locals love neighbourhoods Nakano, Kōenji, Ogikubo and Kichijōji for their vintage mid-20th-century look and bohemian spirit. Also: the Ghibli Museum.
8Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Shinjuku is a whole city within the city. To the west is a planned district of soaring skyscrapers; to the east, the city's largest entertainment district. To the north are diverse communities and popular student haunts.
9Kōrakuen & Akihabara
This swathe of central Tokyo runs alongside the Soto-bōri, the former outer moat of Edo Castle, and the Kanda-gawa, from the dazzling traditional garden Koishikawa Kōrakuen to the no less dazzling electronic and pop-culture emporiums of Akihabara.
aUeno & Yanesen
Ueno is the cultural heart of Tokyo, with the city's highest concentration of museums, including the Tokyo National Museum. Neighbouring Yanesen is a charming part of Tokyo that feels like time stopped several decades ago. Worth a detour is the beautiful Edo-era garden Rikugi-en.
bAsakusa & Sumida River
&nbs
p; These districts on the banks of the Sumida-gawa have an old-Tokyo (shitamachi) feel, with venerable temples, shrines and gardens, traditional restaurants, artisan shops and Tokyo's sumo stadium.
cOdaiba & Tokyo Bay
Odaiba, a collection of islands on Tokyo Bay, is a family-oriented leisure district, with shopping malls, arcades and the onsen theme park Ōedo Onsen Monogatari. Grown-up attractions include the art galleries of Tennōzu Isle and evening bay cruises.
Marunouchi & Nihombashi
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Marunouchi & Nihombashi
Neighbourhood Top Five
1Imperial Palace Strolling through the manicured gardens that were once only for the emperor and his family, and climbing the base of the keep that was at the centre of Edo Castle.
2Intermediatheque Being blown away by the beautiful displays at this fascinating museum crafted from the eclectic collection of Tokyo University.
3Tokyo International Forum Gazing up at the vast atrium of this convention and arts centre, which also hosts a great antiques market twice a month.
4National Museum of Modern Art (MOMAT) Browsing the impressive collection of artworks by both Japanese and international artists and enjoying a panoramic view across the Imperial Palace East Garden.
5Nihombashi Eyeballing the sculpted dragons on Tokyo's most famous bridge, then sailing underneath it on a river cruise.
Explore Marunouchi & Nihombashi
Tokyo's geographical centre is the Imperial Palace, home of Japan's emperor. Little is open to the public, though it is possible to tour some areas and to visit the Imperial Palace East Garden, where you can admire the remains of the mammoth stone walls that once constituted Edo-jō, the largest fortress in the world. Kitanomaru-kōen, north of the main palace area, is renowned for the springtime cherry blossoms by its northern gate, and contains a trio of arts and science museums.
Immediately east of the palace, the once drab business stronghold of Marunouchi has blossomed in recent years with a slew of new and revamped buildings including high-end hotels, shops and restaurants. Tree-lined Naka-dōri has morphed into one of Tokyo's most pleasant thoroughfares, the ideal way to saunter from Tokyo Station's handsomely reappointed red-brick entrance to Yūrakuchō.
Also having undergone a recent architectural facelift is Nihombashi (also spelled Nihonbashi), northeast of Tokyo Station. Joining the elegant department stores Mitsukoshi and Takashimaya here is the Coredo Muromachi shopping, dining and entertainment complex. Further east towards the Sumida-gawa, the old shitamachi (downtown) areas of Ningyōchō and Bakurochō are worth browsing for traditional shops, smalls shrines and contemporary galleries.
Local Life
AMarket At Tokyo International Forum's twice monthly Ōedo Antique Market, shop for unusual and unique souvenirs and gifts.
AShopping Browse high-end boutiques along Marunouchi's Naka-dōri or craft and gourmet-food stores on Ningyōchō's Amazake Yokochō.
AExercise Jog or cycle around the Imperial Palace, or get a gentle workout from the rental pedal boats in the north section of the moat.
Getting There & Away
ATrain The Yamanote and other JR lines, including the Narita Express and shinkansen (bullet train) services, stop at Tokyo Station. Yūrakuchō Station, one stop south, is also convenient for the area.
ASubway The Marunouchi line connects with Tokyo Station. The Mita, Chiyoda and Hanzōmon lines also have stops nearby. The Ginza line is handy for Kyōbashi and Nihombashi.
Lonely Planet's Top Tip
At the foot of Nihombashi is a landing from which you can board boats run by Tokyo Bay Cruise for a unique perspective of the city. Lasting either 45 minutes or an hour, the cruises proceed along the Nihombashi-gawa, under the historic bridges and the expressway built above the river, out to the Sumida-gawa, or make a loop around Nihombashi-gawa to Kanda-gawa.
Best Places to Eat
A Hōnen Manpuku
A Taimeiken
A Dhaba India
A Tamahide
Best Places to Drink
A Manpuku Shokudō
A Peter: the Bar
A Nihombashi Toyama
A 100% Chocolate Cafe
Best Places to Shop
A Coredo Muromachi
A Mitsukoshi
A KITTE
A Muji
TOP SIGHT
Imperial Palace
Imperial Palace East Garden | MATTEO_DUDEK - MATTEO DE SANCTIS - PHOTOS / GETTY IMAGES ©
The verdant grounds of Japan's Imperial Palace occupy the site of the original Edo-jō, the Tokugawa shogunate's castle when they ruled the land. In its heyday this was the largest fortress in the world, though little remains of it today apart from the moat and stone walls.
The present palace (Kyūden), completed in 1968, replaced the one built in 1888 and destroyed during WWII. Most of the complex is off-limits, but you can join a free tour organised by the Imperial Household Agency to see a small part of the inner compound. Tours (lasting around 1¼ hours) run at 10am and 1.30pm Tuesday through to Saturday, but not on public holidays or afternoons from late July through August (see the website for a detailed schedule). Reservations are taken – via the website, phone or by post – up to a month in advance. Alternatively, show up at least 30 minutes before the tour at the tour office at Kikyō-mon (桔梗門 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 1 Chiyoda, Chiyoda-ku; bChiyoda line to Ōtemachi, exits C13b & C10) – if there is space you can take part. Bring photo ID.
If you're not on the tour, two palace bridges – the iron Nijū-bashi and the stone Megane-bashi – can be viewed from the southwest corner of Imperial Palace Plaza. Behind the bridges rises the Edo-era Fushimi-yagura watchtower. Part of the verdant palace grounds, the Imperial Palace East Garden (東御苑; Kōkyo Higashi-gyoen MAP GOOGLE MAP ; http://sankan.kunaicho.go.jp; 1 Chiyoda, Chiyoda-ku; h9am-4pm Nov-Feb, to 4.30pm Mar–mid-Apr, Sep & Oct, to 5pm mid-Apr–Aug, closed Mon & Fri year-round; bChiyoda line to Ōtemachi, exit C13b or C10) is open to the public; take a token upon arrival and return it when you leave. Free two-hour guided walking tours of the garden are offered on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday; meet at the JNTO Tourist Information Center ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %03-3201-3331; www.jnto.go.jp; 1st fl, Shin-Tokyo Bldg, 3-3-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku; h9am-5pm; W; bChiyoda line to Nijūbashimae, exit 1) before 1pm.
Did You Know?
The palace grounds are open on 2 January and 23 December (the emperor's birthday). All well-wishers can come and greet the imperial family who stand and wave at specified times from a balcony in front of the palace.
Practicalities
A皇居; Kōkyo
A MAP GOOGLE MAP
A%03-5223-8071
Ahttp://sankan.kunaicho.go.jp/english/guide/koukyo.html
A1 Chiyoda, Chiyoda-ku
Atours usually 10am & 1.30pm Tue-Sat
AbChiyoda line to Ōtemachi, exits C13b & C10
1Sights
1Imperial Palace & Kitanomaru-kōen
Imperial Palace Top Sight
MAP GOOGLE MAP
oNational Museum of Modern Art (MOMAT)MUSEUM
(国立近代美術館; Kokuritsu Kindai Bijutsukan MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %03-5777-8600; www.momat.go.jp/english; 3-1 Kitanomaru-kōen, Chiyoda-ku; adult/student ¥430/130, extra for special exhibitions; h10am-5pm Tue-Thu, Sat & Sun, to 8pm Fri; bTōzai line to Takebashi, exit 1b)
Regularly changing displays from the museum's superb collection of more than 12,000 works, by both local and international artists, are shown over floors two to four; special exhibitions are mounted on the ground floor. All pieces date from the Meiji period onward and impart a sense of how modern Japan has developed through portraits, photography, contemporary sculptures and video works. Don't miss the 'Room with a View' for a panorama of the Imperial Palace East Garden.
Crafts GalleryMUSEUM
(�
�京国立近代美術館 工芸館 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.momat.go.jp/english; 1 Kitanomaru-kōen, Chiyoda-ku; adult/child ¥210/70, 1st Sun of month free; h10am-5pm Tue-Sun; bTōzai line to Takebashi, exit 1b)
Housed in a vintage red-brick building, this annexe of MOMAT stages excellent changing exhibitions of mingei (folk crafts): ceramics, lacquerware, bamboo, textiles, dolls and much more. Artists range from living national treasures to contemporary artisans. The building was once the headquarters of the imperial guards, and was rebuilt after its destruction in WWII.
Science Museum, TokyoMUSEUM
(科学技術館 MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %03-3212-8544; www.jsf.or.jp; 2-1 Kitanomaru-kōen, Chiyoda-ku; adult/child/student ¥720/260/410; h9.30am-4pm Thu-Tue; c; bTōzai line to Takebashi, exit 1b)
Featuring a wide selection of exhibits aimed primarily at children and teenagers, the Science Museum has little in the way of English explanations, but you can ask for a free English pamphlet guide. Even without this or an understanding of Japanese, you can still have fun standing inside a soap bubble or watching a whole variety of scientific experiments.
Lonely Planet Tokyo Page 7