Resources
Eat:
Sushi and beer for breakfast? Yes, if you’re visiting this traditional food market.
For lunch, try a common Tokyo food hall, the ‘depachika’. Found in department stores, depachikas offer dazzling choices, and the one in the basement of Isetan Shinjuku is especially good.
A stylish dinner destination, this restaurant specializes in seasonal Japanese cuisine. Go for the set menu.
Stay:
Located in the sought-after Meguro district, this hotel is both affordable and trendy. The clean, minimal design is a nice break from the city.
An older, more established hotel with plenty of upscale, classic dining options.
A part of the lucrative Aman Resorts chain, this hotel is straight up luxury, from the design to the handmade chocolate welcoming you to the room.
Do:
Tokyo’s parks and gardens
Visit them all. Some of my favorites are Rikugien Garden, Yoyogi Park, Imperial Palace Gardens, and Hama Rikyu.
For photo books, head to Daikanyama Tsutaya Books and for vintage clothes, to Koenji neighborhood. If you visit during off-peak hours, the Yodobashi Camera store in the Akihabara district will blow your mind.
Cross the bridge and check out the architecture on the waterfront.
This is a 120 meter tall Buddha statue you can go inside of, across the street from an outlet mall. Tokyo at its best.