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Tokyo Tips
Top Tips for when in Tokyo
| By Natalie Fellowes
1. Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices
Climb up to the 45th flor of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Offices (AKA Tochou) to see Tokyo in its true beauty. This breathtaking view, especially at sunset is unbeatable. You can immediately see where Ridley Scott got his inspiration from for Bladerunner. Not many things in life are free but this experience is.
2-8-1 Nishi Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku
Nearest station: Shinjuku
Opening hours: 09:30 – 17:30, closed Mondays
Free
2. NTT Intercommunication Centre (ICC)
Immerse yourself in moder art like you have never before. Visit the NTT Intercommunication Centre (ICC) at the Tokyo Opera City Tower, which showcases media artwork via the vert latest technology such as virtual reality and interactive technology. Check their web address for the latest exhibitions (www.ntticc.or.jp)
Tokyo Opera City Tower 4F, 3-20-2 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku
Nearest statin: Hatsudai (Keio New Line)
Adults: 800 yen
Children: 400 yenOpening hours: 10:00 – 18:00
3. Tsukiji
Get up early and head down to Tsukiji fish market. Fish has never been fresher. Amble round the area and take your pick of the little restaurants where you can savour the morning’s catch.
Nearest station: Tsukiji
4. Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel
Stay at the Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel in Shibuya, in the heart of Tokyo. The views of the metropolis from the rooms are stunning. Especially at night when the bright lights of the city seem to go on forever. The swimming pool on the top floor is breathtaking too.
Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel, 26-1 Sakuragaokacho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8512
Nearest station: Shibuya
Prices start from £180 per room per night
5. Yokohama
Head dowm to the port city of Yokohama for the day and wander around China Town, the largest in Japan. Study the ten gates, which encompass the district, based on the Chinese horoscope. They are illuminated at night, which enhances their beauty.Stop for lunch at one of the 500 restaurants and nibble at the yum-cha or dim sum. Then head down to the port and walk along the promenade. Admire the statue of the Girl with the Red Shoes in Yamashita Park which was an exchange made by the people of Denmark.
Nearest stations: JR line Ishikawa-cho/Yokohama Subway Kannai
6. New York Bar
Have an evening drink in the New York Bar in the Park Hyatt Hotel in Shinjuku. Perched 235 metres above the city lights, this major landmark on the Tokyo skyline is the city’s hottest see-and-be-seen venue. It featured in the Oscar-winning film, Lost in Translation, and was selected by Wallpaper as one of “The World’s Best Rooftop Bars” in May 2000. Enjoy live jazz by top American Artists every night.
Park Hyatt Tokyo
3-7-1-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 163-1055
Tel: +81 3 5322 1234
7. Daikanyama
Visit Daikanyama – a great area with a vibe of its own. It’s full of cool bars, shops and restaurants. Why don’t you borrow a pootch and take it down to Three Dogs Bakery and let them snuffle around the canine goodies. Here you will find everything for your dog from nightwear to bone-shaped cookies. Also pop your head in to Frames, a very trendy coffee shop to chill out with the locals.
Nearest station: Shibuya
Three more Top Tips for when in Tokyo
| By Matthew Clifton
8. Ameyoko
Ameyoko is a busy market street along the Yamanote line tracks between Okachimachi and Ueno Stations. The name “Ameyoko” is a short form for “Ameya Yokocho” (sweet store alley), as sweets were traditionally sold there, along with black market American goods after the last war. Today, clothes, bags, cosmetics, fresh fish, dried food and spices are sold along Ameyoko. Opening hours are typically around 10:00 to 19:00.
9. Kamakura
Kamakura lies at the coast of the Pacific Ocean. Its beaches are located just a few minutes walk from Kamakura Station. The beaches are very popular during the hot summer months with visitors from the Tokyo/Yokohama area. Kamakura is also the site of many beautiful shrines and temples and a giant Buddha. For more information see www.kamakuratoday.com
10. Hama Rikyu
Hama Rikyu, dating back to the Edo Period, is one of Tokyo’s most attractive landscape gardens. It is located alongside Tokyo Bay at the mouth of the Sumida river, next to the futuristic Shiodome district. The contrast between the traditional gardens with Shiodome’s skyscrapers in the background is spectacular. The garden has an atmosphere of tranquility where visitors can also enjoy refreshment at a teashop located in the middle of the pond in the garden offering Japanese sweets in a tea-ceremony style.
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