One of the largest and most fascinating cities on the planet, Tokyo is very ‘modern’ but very different from Western cities. Not sure I’d agree with Monocle magazine that it is the best city in the world to live (I have a slight bias for Auckland…) but it is a great place to visit.
Japanese Gardens
Some of the best in the country can be found in Tokyo, and many hit my soft spot of beautiful greenery surrounded by high-rise buildings (see also New York’s Central Park). After a while they do start to look rather similar, the Japanese reached perfection and stopped, with their combination of heavily managed trees, koi carp filled lakes, tea houses, and ornamental bridges, but they are beautiful. For more comprehensive guides check out Japan Guide and the Tokyo Park Association, but here are a few suggestions…
Hama Rikyu Garden, a favourite of mine, with more variety than most and in a great setting
Shinjuku Gyoen, one of the largest parks in the city, filled with workers on their lunch break and families enjoying space outside their famously small apartments
Rikugi-en, beautiful place, with a famous view from the Fujishiro-toge Hill over the gardens
Kyu-Furukawa Gardens, built by an Englishman, this features a traditional English house at the top of the hill, then rose beds, and down to a traditional Japanese garden at the bottom of the hill
Kiyosumi Tei-en Gardens, mostly lake, but with a nice path around the edge of it
Honmaru Higashi Gyoen Gardens, the east gardens of the Imperial Palace, with some impressive fortifications
Architecture
Tokyo has, as you’d imagine, some pretty interesting architecture, if not a patch on Chicago, New York or London. They were never bombed to the degree that Tokyo was in WW2 or suffered the huge earthquake related fire storms of 1923, though the 1666 Great Fire of London and Great Chicago Fire in 1871 would have been close. To be honest much of the built architecture in Japan is pretty horrific, but Tokyo is a huge city with plenty to see.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Center, a skyscraper modelled on Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral, in Shinjuku, free entry to some of the best views of the city
Kyu-Iwasaki-tei, not much of a garden but has a beautiful Western style house with a huge veranda, and a Japanese style extension
Take the Yurikamome Monorail out over the Rainbow Bridge to Odaiba to see some eclectic architecture, including the mildly diverting Museum of Maritime Science, built in the shape of a ship (with great views from the tower, including a capacious station car park!), and the iconic Fuji TV building
Frank Lloyd Wright spent six years in Japan. Sadly the amazing Imperial Hotel was demolished 1967, but Myonichi-Kan close to Mutekiya is representative of his style
Art and culture
As expected from a city of Tokyo’s size and history there are some great museum and art galleries
Edo-Tokyo Museum, a fascinating museum, housed in a striking building, covering the history of Edo, pre-1868 Tokyo, with some great models
The Roppoingi area is very funky, with the Mori Art Museum and National Art Centre home to various touring exhibitions. Visiting the Mori Art Museum gives you access to the top of the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, with great views across the city
Tokyo National Museum, pretty massive with an extensive if not hugely exciting collection of worthy historical items
Fukagawa Edo Museum, smaller than the Edo-Tokyo Museum but arguably gives a better feel for the period, with replica buildings and rooms to explore
Yushukan Miltary Museum, scarily jingoistic, particularly in relation to Japan’s behaviour overseas, but does contain a good amount of military hardware if that’s of interest
National Museum of Western Art, housed in a brutalist Le Corbusier building, with a good collection of Impressionists and religious paintings
Other things of interest
Asakusa, home to Asakusajinja Shrine, one of largest and most impressive temples in the city, and the famous Nakamise shopping street
Ueno Zoological Gardens, a good range of animals but housed in cramped facilities, quite horrible to see the condition in which the polar bear and others are kept
Yasukuni-jinja, the temple at the heart of some very uncomfortable Japanese / Chinese relationship issues whenever the Japanese Prime Minister visits
Tsukiji Market, world-famous fish markets, which even without getting up at a ridiculous time to see the tuna auctions, are still well worth a visit, though you may be put off seafood for a while
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