Tokyo

0101

Marui

Department store with all of the usual high-end brands. Closed in 2022 for re-building, reopen due 2026.

109 Building

Ichi-maru-kyu

Teenage fashion. Worth an escalator trip. The name is a wordplay on Tokyu, its owner company: 10 is toh and 9 is kyu in Japanese.

21_21 Design Sight

Changing exhibitions devoted to the latest and greatest in Japanese design.

10:00-19:00 (last entrance 18:30); Tue off

@home cafe

あっとほぉーむｃａｆｅ

This maid cafe has card games, drinks, food, and young women dressed up as maids to serve you. If you order an omelet, they'll draw a picture of a cute animal on the top in ketchup. In addition to this shop, there are 3 branch stores elsewhere in Akihabara.

Closed · opens 11:30 am·Seating ¥500; drinks ¥600; food ¥1100

Acacia Shinjuku

アカシア新宿本店

Specialises in cabbage rolls. Also has a set menu with hashed rice and pork sauté. Has a branch at Haneda Airport.

Closed · opens 11 am·¥980-1800

AiiRO Cafe

formerly Advocates

Cruisy open-air bar with a torii gate at the entrance. Crowd spilling onto the street makes it feel like a block party.

Mon-Thu 18:00-02:00, Fri Sat 18:00-05:00, Sun 18:00-00:00h·Drinks ¥500-700

Animate

アニメイト

Seven floors - plus one basement level - of pure otaku goodness. From DVDs and manga to character goods and games, the variety of merchandise on offer is mind-bogglingly vast and will make anime/manga fans wish they were made of money.

Daily 10:00-21:00

Anniversaire Cafe

アニヴェルセルカフェ

This is a fashionable cafe of Paris style. You can enjoy elegant mood with seeing a row of houses and street of Omotesando. You can also choose fish or meat for lunch. Has another branch at Minato Mirai in Yokohama.

Aqua Park Shinagawa

アクアパーク品川

Aquarium with dolphin and seal shows and hundreds of species of fish. There is also a carousel ride.

Mon-Fri 12:00-22:00; Sat 10:00-22:00; Sun and holidays 10:00-21:00·Adults ¥1,800; Elementary and middle school students ¥1,000; Kids over 4 years old ¥600

Aquapark shinagawa

アクアパーク品川

A popular aquarium with exhibits that combine dolphin shows and technology. The tunnel tank includes manta rays, green sawfish, and the only dwarf sawfish on display in the world.

Arty Farty

Among Nichō's most well-known pubs, with a thumping dance floor. A hand stamp upon entry will also get you into sister bar The Annex.

Sun-Thu 20:00-04:00, Fri Sat 20:00-05:00

Asakura Museum of Sculpture

朝倉彫塑館

Sculptor Asakura Fumio (Artist name Kōso 1883-1964) designed this atmospheric house himself. It combined his original Japanese home and garden with a large studio that incorporated vaulted ceilings, a 'sunrise room' and a rooftop garden with wonderful neighbourhood views. It's now a reverential museum with many artist's signature realist works, mostly of people and cats, on display. This is a wonderful place to stroll and contemplate the meaning of life. You must remove footwear before entering the museum, but cannot go barefoot, so you must wear socks.

Tue Wed Fri-Sun 09:30-16:30·Adult ¥500, student ¥250

Asakusa Smile Bar & Cafe

浅草スマイルバー&カフェ

Founded by a Tokyo resident returning from abroad. Located across the Sumida river from the Asakusa tourist district. Clientele has many expats and English-speaking Japanese. Periodically hosts an English-language comedy show.

Closed · opens 5 pm

Azabu-Jūban

麻布十番

A quieter commercial district to the southeast of Roppongi Hills, and a good place to spend a lazier afternoon browsing through shops and enjoying the local cafés. The surrounding residential area is popular among professional expats, so expect to see many international families as you walk through.

Bic Camera

A huge, six-floor electronics store in front of JR Yurakucho Station, selling everything from household appliances to contact lenses. There is even a small movie theater on the 7th and 8th floors showing lesser-known Japanese and foreign films. Perhaps a good place for a one-stop shop if you are not able to spend time exploring the streets of Akihabara.

Bic Camera

Second-largest electronics shop in Shinjuku. While not as big as Yodobashi Camera, prices and product range is roughly the same. The East side shop, next to Books Kinokuniya, is bigger than Yodobashi's East side shop, but still smaller than the West side location.

Closed · opens 10 am

Blumare

ブルマーレ

Pizza and pasta restaurant. The building is full of restaurants all run by Sapporo Beer.

Lunch ¥1300

Book-Off

About 8 or 9 floors of all books. The thing that sets this book-off apart from others though is that the top two floors are dedicated exclusively to manga. There is a small section for dōjinshi as well but selection is limited.

¥105 and up

Bunkamura

Bunkamura-dori. A complex featuring an excellent art museum, in addition to theaters for film and stage plays. On the basement floor there's an art and design bookstore as well as a branch of Paris' famous Les Deux Magots café.

Bunkyo Civic Center

文京シビックセンター bunkyō shibikku sentaa

The lavish government building for the Bunkyo ward of Tokyo, once described in the Japan Times as "a colossal Pez candy dispenser." A free observation deck on the 25th floor, jutting out of the top like the Starship Enterprise, commands a fine view of much of Tokyo.

Free

Cafe Apres-Midi

カフェ・アプレミディ

Jazzy cafe with 1960s decor in moody lighting. Excellent food, try the quiche, although portions are small.

Camelot

Multi-room nightclub that plays a mix of hip-hop, r&b, and techno/house in their different areas. Most of the clientele is of a younger crowd (ages 20-25). Friday's entrance fee is only ¥1000 (including two drinks).

Casablanca

A two level nightclub and lounge with a large dance floor and darts. The DJ normally spins hip-hop, R&B, reggae, and house, and there are live house performances periodically through the night.

Center Gai

センター街 Sentaa-gai

The narrow street leading away from the station to the left of the giant video screen, it's famous as the birthplace of many of Japan's youth fashion trends. Center Gai is jam-packed with clothing stores, music stores, and video game arcades. This is a great place to stroll and feel the Shibuya vibe.

Chanko Tomoegata

巴潟

One of Tokyo's oldest chanko joints, operating for over 100 years, specializing in a slightly unusual miso-flavored soup. Lunch sets at ¥840/1260 weekdays/weekends are just about the cheapest chanko you'll find anywhere and a good option for the solo traveller. Dinner starts from ¥2940/person for the Tomoegata (miso) or Yahazuyama (dashi) set and goes up to ¥8400 for the aptly humongous 9-course Yokozuna.

Tue-Sun 11:30-14:00, 17:00-23:00

Chidoriga-fuchi Moat

千鳥ヶ淵

One of, if not the most prominent cherry blossom site in Tokyo, and attracts throngs of people in its March-to-April peak season. It is located just across the street from Yasukuni-shrine. Rowboats are also available for one to row along a limited portion of the moat at ¥500 for 30 minutes, ¥1000 for an hour and at a slightly more expensive rate during cherry blossom periods.

Cigars & Cafe LWAN

ルワン

A cigar bar that serves coffee, alcoholic drinks, and desserts. There is a large cigar selection, in particular from the Dominican Republic.

Tue-Fri 11:00-21:00, Sat Sun 12:00-20:00, national holidays 12:00-20:00

Cinem@rt Shinjuku

シネマート新宿

335 seats total. Mondays are Men's Days, when men can watch movies for ¥1000. Wednesdays are Ladies' Days, when ladies can watch movies for only ¥1000.

Club Atom / STUDIO-A

Owned by Vanilla, this club houses three dance floors with music ranging from psychedelic trance to hip-hop.

Entrance fee is only ¥1000 before midnight

Comic Toranoana

コミックとらのあな

Looking for dōjinshi? This is the place to head for. Look next to the Taito Station.

Daily 10:00-22:00