7 best things to do in Tokyo: Secret spots Japan experts love

Heading to Japan? These experts share their insider tips to get the best out of Tokyo, from tiny hidden gems and $2 sandwiches to big-ticket attractions.

There’s one thing you soon realise when you spend any time in Japan: everyone, from artists and top chefs to salarymen and college students, has an innate appreciation for the small beauties and pleasures of life. People take deep joy in the precise cut of a piece of sashimi or the mind-calming relaxation of a daily onsen. They even have a word for it, ikigai, which has many meanings but loosely translates to “the joy of living” or “the reason for being”.

I became aware of ikigai on my first trip to the country, when a guide took me to a tiny village called Koya, north of Kyoto, to meet three sisters – all aged more than 90 – who had been making horse-chestnut mochi by hand since they were children, from chestnuts grown on trees that were over a thousand years old. The process takes a staggering 17 laborious steps over many weeks – hard, repetitive work – yet the sisters took a deep, almost meditative pleasure in every part of it, particularly when they watched guests enjoy the result.

Once you’re alert to it you notice ikigai everywhere, even in a huge, busy metropolis like Tokyo. You’ll see it when guests gasp with appreciation at the handiwork of the celebrated pâtissière Yusuke Aoki during high tea at the Four Seasons Otemachi. Or when you can sense how lovingly a store owner has collated his selection of first-edition books at a small, dusty shop in Jimbocho, the second- hand book district.

Here, Escape’s Tokyo experts share some of the best ways to put a bit more ikigai into your next trip to the Japanese capital. If you can, try to bring little bit of that spirit back to your own life when you get home. It makes everything a little bit sweeter.

See also: Japan's $2 sandwich the world is going nuts for

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Iwasa Sushi at Toyosu Fish Markets. Picture: Nikki To

1. Best places to eat in Tokyo

One of the best things about Tokyo as a food city is its egalitarianism: you can have your mind blown just as much eating perfectly sliced sashimi as you can grabbing something cheap and crazy from a train station vending machine.

Iwasa Sushi in the Toyosu Fish Market is Escape writer Melissa Leong’s pick for most life-affirming way to start a Tokyo day, not least because it’s as much a visual feast as well as a flavour one. “The walls are lined with photos of famous guests,” she says. “Order the uni or ikura don (sea urchin or a salmon roe rice bowls) and a side of sashimi to get you in the mood for what’s in season.” Best way to get there is via train – the market has its very own station on the Yurikamome Line.

At the other end of the scale, Escape writer Jeremy Drake says you can’t go past Japan for the laugh-out-loud joy of a convenience store, or konbini, snack. “A tamago sando – egg salad sandwich – from FamilyMart is on its own worth flying to Japan for,” he says. “Piping-hot, crisp-fried chicken from Lawson’s is a close second.” He also rates the Yo-Kai ramen-vending machines in the JR Line train stations and for a wacked-out, futuristic sushi train? It has to be Uobei Shibuya Dogenzaka in Shibuya – delivers your meal on bright mini bullet trains.

Atsushi Suziki at The Bellwood bar in Shibuya.

2. Tokyo’s best secret bar

You’re probably not going to experience a lot of ikigai once you’re onto your third cocktail bar hopping around Roppongi. A better way would be to pick one truly special bar and take your time to appreciate the bartender’s artistry.

Hitomi in Araiyakushi – not to be confused by a now-defunct bar of the same name in Roppongi – is an extraordinary and eccentric hidden gem. “Owner and bartender Mr Kenzo Sakamoto is a true legend,” says his peer Atsushi Suzuki, bartender at another renowned Tokyo establishment, The Bellwood in Shibuya, which is modelled on a ritzy 1920s cafe. At first it looks rundown – it’s dark and moody and there’s even an old-fashioned dial-up phone on the counter. The cocktail to try is the Nikolaschka, Atsushi says, but Mr Sakamoto can magic up just about anything you desire.

Aoyama offers some of Tokyo's best shopping.

3. Tokyo’s best souvenir shopping

Most tourists go home with a stash of trashy Tokyo souvenirs: engraved chopsticks, perhaps. But to take something home that will spark real joy when you look at it, invest in something creative. “For the coolest local brands, my favourite area to take people when they come to Tokyo is Aoyama,” says Tokyo-based writer and fashion expert Kelly Wetherille. “Most people stick to the main boulevard of Omotesando, but the best smaller stores are in the back streets on either side.” Once you’re shopped out, head to the Beni Museum, which is dedicated entirely to lipstick, to inspire you to get back out and refill your make-up bag.

Renting a kimono lets you connect with Japanese culture.

4. Best cultural experiences in Tokyo

Wearing a kimono in public may seem like playing dress-ups, but there’s something so freeing about the soft, flowing silk or cotton on your skin (plus the generous folds of the material mean you can eat a big lunch and no one will be able to tell). Japanese people love wearing them everywhere when they’re in onsen towns as a way to relax, and there’s no reason not to do the same in Tokyo.

Australian content creator and Tokyo resident Kim Dao loves renting a kimono from Yae Kimono Rental – book online first – and then visiting Sensoji Temple, Tokyo’s oldest temple, for a contemplative, grounding experience. “It’s like travelling back in time,” she says.

For something that whisks her straight back to the present, Kim loves the digital art museum Team Lab Planets Tokyo in Toyuso for an full-immersion art experience. You very literally walk into the artworks and become one with them – “you dive into the future!” Kim says – barefoot and without boundaries. Tickets go on sale months in advance so check out the website before you leave home.

Flower Garden at teamLab Planets Tokyo.

5. Best spots to view cherry blossoms in Tokyo

The Japanese treasure sakura – or cherry blossoms – not just for their pink puffs of prettiness, but because they represent the transience of life and remind us to cherish each moment. Rachel Lang from tour company Plan Japan leads an annual cherry blossom tour that weaves into secret viewing spots in the Japanese countryside, but she says there are still plenty of spots you can find in the capital to “forest bathe” among the pale-pink flowers during their spring season.

“Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo is beautiful because it’s a bit away from central Toyko and you can enjoy afternoon tea and its wonderful gardens,” she says. Haute Couture Café in Nakameguro is another great spot for a themed high tea, Lang says, followed by a night-viewing, or yozakura, along the nearby Meguro River.

Cherry blossom along Tokyo's Meguro River.

6. Best onsen views in Tokyo

If you’ve never visited an onsen – communal hot baths – it can feel confusing at first. What, exactly, is the point of sitting with a bunch of strangers in warm water with a small towel over your head? But you soon realise the waters have a way of washing away the stress of your day, particularly if the onsen includes a spectacular view.

“I highly recommend the Dormy Inn Asakusa,” says onsen fanatic and writer Greg Goodmacher. “Although it isn’t naturally heated mineral water the design of the bath and the views are wellness-enhancing. From the mixed-sex ashiyu, or footbath, I could see Tokyo Skytree glittering at night over the inky Sumida River. While standing in the large outdoor bath I could see atop the Asahi Beer Hall, the Asahi Flame, a statue designed by Philippe Starke and the wide cityscape.”

Bonsai art museum. Picture: Japan Tourism

7. Tokyo’s best-kept secret museum highlight

What does a bonsai tree worth 100 million yen look like? In short, it looks like hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of hours of painstaking work. This small black pine tree, set on a pedestal and around the size of a beachball, is one the first things I’m shown when I visit the Shunkaen Bonsai Museum, a peaceful oasis in the centre of the city. The craftsmanship of this tree and the others around it is breathtaking, as is the koi pond crowned by a wooden bridge arched like a rainbow. It’s an unexpected moment of pure peace in this crazy-paced megalopolis. 

See also: 

17 best new things to do in Tokyo

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Originally published as 7 best things to do in Tokyo: Secret spots Japan experts love