They say four days in Tokyo is plenty. I firmly disagree

If you join any of the online travel forums about Tokyo, it’s like Groundhog Day. Everyone discusses exactly the same half-dozen things they’ll be doing in their three or four days in the city before moving on to Kyoto, Osaka and points beyond: the scramble crossing and Hachiko statue in Shibuya, Tokyo Skytree and/or Shibuya Sky, Takeshita Street in Harajuku, Senso-Ji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo Disneyland, the Don Quijote discount store.

The bright lights of Shinjuku.Credit: iStock

Last year my family went to Italy and, instead of moving from city to city, we spent an entire month in Rome. It was such a wonderful experience we decided that was exactly what we always wanted from a holiday – an immersive adventure in just one city; an entire trip really getting to know a place inside-out rather than spending a few days frantically ticking off the main sights and then moving on, checking in and out of various hotels and jumping on and off trains to rush to the next destination.

Tokyo was next on our list and, of course, we did plenty of the bucket-list stuff, battling the masses of humanity at Senso-Ji Temple, scoffing sweet crepes on Takeshita Dori and taking three attempts to get the right photo at Shibuya’s scramble crossing.

We have two daughters, aged 10 and 13, so there was no way we were going to miss things such as Tokyo Disneyland, or TeamLab Borderless, or The Making of Harry Potter Studio Tour. And we loved them all – even my wife, who has never read a Harry Potter book or seen any of the movies. Before we left Australia, I even managed to get through the fiendishly Squid Game-like process of securing tickets to the Ghibli Museum, for which I should be awarded Father of the Year.

The Ghibli Museum, showcasing the work of the Studio Ghibli animators.Credit: iStock

But we wanted to delve deeper, venture a bit off the beaten track, and discover more of what Tokyo had to offer, and in the process, perhaps, become a little less like tourists. It began with where we chose to stay. Go on Japan travel forums, and you’d think there are no places to stay in Tokyo outside of Shinjuku or Shibuya. While these are fine places to visit, we didn’t want to book a hotel right in the heart of the bright lights, the crushing crowds and the general madness.

In fact, as we were going to be there for three weeks, we didn’t want to stay in a hotel at all. We opted for a two-bedroom, third-floor walk-up apartment in Hatagaya, a quiet, mainly residential neighbourhood just two stops and a four-minute train ride from the craziness of Shinjuku, yet feeling like a different world.

On our block are little shopfronts catering to the local community: a dentist, a cobbler, a bike shop, a coin laundry, a bakery and a butcher. But there are also the hipper businesses that had moved in over the past decade, such as coffee shop Paddlers, barbecue joint Freeman Shokudo, furniture and design store Bullpen and New York-style bar Sanita.

Vintage kimonos in Koenji.Credit: iStock

Each day we choose a different Tokyo neighbourhood to explore, then consult Google Maps on exactly how to get there by train from Hatagaya – we end up not getting a single taxi apart from travelling to and from the airport.

There’s Koenji, with its diverting shotengai (shopping streets) and bustling yokocho (alleyways) that come alive with izakaya (pub eateries) and bars as night falls. And quirky Kichijoji, home to bucolic Inokashira Park, where we rent paddle boats shaped like swans. And stylish Nakameguro, with its river lined with cherry trees, boutiques and cafes; there’s eclectic Shimokitazawa, with its winding streets, countless vintage stores, outdoor flea markets, cool coffee shops, hidden bars and hip record shops.

None of these areas ever seem to get a mention on the forums, yet they are among our favourite parts of the city. In fact, we love Shimokitazawa so much, we end up visiting on three separate days. Each time, the girls insist on eating the incredible souffle-light pancakes at Flipper’s – not that I complain. And I go to Ten To Sen twice to eat the best ramen of the trip – and possibly the best ramen I’ve eaten in my life.

That’s the beauty of staying in one city for a stretch. You can return to areas you like and get so much more from them, finding new things each time.

Our days take on a routine we grow to love. Every morning we witness the rhythms of our new neighbourhood – shopkeepers rolling up shutters to open their stores; parents with little kids perched on seats on the back of their bicycles, pedalling to daycare centres and schools; retiree residents sweeping the paths of Hatagaya’s pretty pedestrian walkways, edged with trees.

Eating local.Credit: iStock

Our first stop each day is to eat pastries at Le Repas, run by Japanese ladies of a certain age, who smile and giggle at our girls, and also at my useless grasp of elementary Japanese. Then on to Paddlers, which is set back in a quiet street under a cherry tree, with cool jazz, folk and yacht-rock spinning on the turntable and the best coffee in Tokyo.

We hit the subway and travel to our neighbourhood of choice for the day, and once there, rack up 20,000-25,000 steps getting to know the place: visiting temples, wandering through parks and gardens, browsing in stores, getting happily lost in backstreets, finding a great spot for lunch or dinner at a ramen joint or sushi bar or izakaya, returning home to write in our travel journals, exhausted but elated from a day spent discovering more pieces of the incredible puzzle this city is.

On a very few nights we’re too weary to eat out, so we grab onigiri and sushi from the excellent selection at our local konbini (convenience store), along with a beer for me and a small bottle of bubbles for my wife, and have a relaxed dinner in the apartment.

Because there’s no rush, my wife and I can also arrange solo-time – essential for sanity. One afternoon I take the kids and she indulges her dual loves of Japanese design and shopping in stores such as Hands and Loft, without a chorus of voices singing, “Mum! Are you finished looking? We’ve had enough here!”

Guitar central – Ochanomizu Musical Instrument Shopping Street.Credit: iStock

When we swap, I head to Ochanomizu, where an entire street is lined with guitar stores, or Nakano and its mall filled with more than a dozen Mandarake stores, catering to otaku (nerds – that would be me) obsessed with Japanese toys, robots, manga and pop culture artefacts and memorabilia.

Daughter number one is feline-obsessed and adores hanging out in cat cafes. Daughter number two is more focused on jewellery, trinkets and make-up, and walks wide-eyed and open-mouthed through the department stores of Shinjuku, the ¥100 ($1) shops of Harajuku and the vintage stores of Shimokitazawa and Koenji.

We spend a joyous night at Abbey Road, a club in Roppongi where a band called The Parrots plays note-perfect renditions of songs by The Beatles, sounding just like John, Paul, George and Ringo, even though they barely speak a word of English.

I love the latest Wim Wenders film Perfect Days, and we visit some of the locations from the film, including Sakurabashi Bridge and Yoyogi Hachimangu Park – and I even take a guided tour of the beautifully designed public toilets around Shibuya that provide the backdrop for the story about the quiet, ordered life of a toilet-cleaner.

When our three weeks are up, there are no regrets about what we feel we might have missed out on because of a lack of time. Sure, we can’t exactly call ourselves locals, but I like to think we pushed further into the city than regular tourists, and our Tokyo experience is richer for it.

At the airport, waiting for our return flight, talk turns to where the Divola family’s next full-immersion trip might be. Watch out, Paris. Or maybe London. Or maybe Berlin. Wherever it is, I know one thing – once we get there, we’ll be staying put.

The details

Stay
The modern-style apartment in Hatagaya has two levels, two bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms. It’s on the third floor of a small block above an Italian restaurant, on a shopping street in an inviting area. Hatagaya Station is a five-minute walk away, and it’s two stops to Shinjuku. Cost is $530 a night plus cleaning and service fees. 3-2-6 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. See airbnb.com

The writer travelled at his own expense.