Travelore Tips: 20 Free Things To Do In Tokyo

Contributed by 

Simon Richmond

Exploring the Big Sushi is a mind-blowing experience, but one that can also blow your budget. Don’t despair – there’s an abundance of things to do and see in Tokyo which don’t cost a single yen and won’t leave you feeling short-changed on the best of this hyper-active, multi-faceted metropolis.

Decorative battledore paddle, stall on Nakamise-dori, Asakusa, Tokyo. Image by Simon Richmond / Lonely Planet.

1. Jog or pedal around the Imperial Palace

Slip on your sneakers and join the joggers following the broad moats and park paths that surround the Imperial Palace. On Sundays there are also 250 free bikes offered for pedaling along the Palace Cycling Course (www.jbpi.or.jp).

2. Cast your bid for Tsukiji

Want to witness the famous tuna auctions? Then set your alarm for well before 5am when registration for the maximum of 120 daily viewing places starts. Check the website (www.tsukiji-market.or.jp) before setting off as the market doesn’t operate every day.

3. Visit Senso-ji

Follow in the footsteps of countless pilgrims by approaching Senso-ji, Tokyo’s most famous Buddhist temple, in Asakusa, along Nakamise-dori lined with colourful stalls selling all manner of souvenirs from giant rice crackers to exquisitely decorated battledores.

4. Explore Harajuku

Also great eye candy is Harajuku. Stroll ginko-tree lined Omotesando, a glam boulevard of upscale boutiques housed in contemporary architecture; check out the arty explosion at funky Design Festa Gallery (www.designfesta.com); pose and dance along with the youth subcultures around Yoyogi Park.

5. Chill out in Meiji-Jingu

When Harajuku threatens sensory overload, escape to the densely wooded grounds that envelope the capital’s premier Shinto shrine. Come on festival days to spot guys and gals in gorgeous kimono.

6. Oh my, Odaiba!

This island of reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay is linked to the city by the Rainbow Bridge. Walk over the 918-metre-long single-span suspension bridge to or from Odaiba where, weather permitting, you can sunbathe on a man-made beach and view a scale copy of the Statue of Liberty.

Copy of Statue of Liberty, Rainbow Bridge in the background, Odaiba, Tokyo. Image by Simon Richmond / Lonely Planet.

7. Learn origami

Lessons in the art of paper folding are offered gratis at the Origami Kaikan where you can also view artisans making washi (Japanese paper) in myriad shades and patterns.

8. Cross at Shibuya

Every few minutes a wave of humanity swarms across Shibuya Crossing. An ideal vantage point is the bridge corridor linking Shibuya Station with the Shibuya Mark City complex. Here you can also view Myth of Tomorrow, a monumental piece of modern art by Okamoto Taro.

9. Advertising Museum Tokyo

One of the city’s most interesting free museums is ADMT (www.admt.jp). The montage displays of old ads provide an illuminating visual history of commerce in Japan over the last century or so.

10. Be amazed by Akihabara

Diehard fans of Atom Boy, Evangelion and Gundam will want to swing by the Tokyo Anime Centre (www.animecenter.jp) as part of their explorations of Akihabara (aka ‘Akiba’), geek central for electronic goods emporiums, ‘maid cafes’ and all things anime and manga.

Tokyo Anime Centre, Akihabara, Tokyo. Image by Simon Richmond / Lonely Planet.

11. Contemporary art crawl

Based in a former junior high school, nearby Akihabara is 3331 Arts Chiyoda (www.3331.jp), hosting a score of free contemporary art galleries offering a mix of exhibitions and interactive installations. Also worth searching out are the galleries of the Bakuchoro area, several of which including Taro Nasu Gallery (www.taronasugallery.com) are gathered in the Agata-Takezawa Building.

12. Political junkie tour

Art and anime not your thing? Then how about a free tour of Japan’s seat of governance, the National Diet Building (www.sangiin.go.jp), to view the wood-panelled, leather-bound and gilded interiors and the gardens planted with species from across the country.

13. Flower power

More beautiful foliage and horticultural skills can be admired in Tokyo’s traditional gardens. Free ones include those attached to the New Otani Hotel in Akasaka and the Four Seasons Chinzan-so as well as the lush grounds of Happoen, near Shirokanedai Station.

14. Attend a festival

Every week (and sometimes daily) there’s a festival (matsuri) on somewhere in Tokyo – from cherry blossom viewing parties to fire walking and grand parades of costumed participants holding aloft mikoshi (portable shrines). For details of upcoming events see www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp and www.tcvb.or.jp.

Hiwatarisai fire festival, Yakuo-in temple, Takao. Image by Simon Richmond / Lonely Planet.

15. Amble around Yansen

The streets of Nezu, Yanaka and Sendagi – three areas collectively known as Yanasen – provide an idea of what pre-WWII Tokyo was like. Here you’ll find small temples and shrines, craft shops, galleries and cafes and Yanaka Cemetery, one of the city’s oldest graveyards. Interesting galleries include Oguraya in a former pawnbrokers, and SCAI The Bathhouse (www.scaithebathhouse.com) in a 200-year-old public bath.

16. Graze a depachika

The nickname for department store food halls is depachika. They’re mouthwatering places to explore and you can sate your appetite with the free samples on offer. Good ones to target include Isetan in Shinjuku, Mitsukoshi in Ginza and Takashimaya in Nihombashi.

17. Play with tomorrow’s technology

No need to resort to industrial espionage. Sony, Panasonic (panasonic.net/center/tokyo) and Toyota all have public showrooms displaying their latest gadgets and technology. Sony’s showroom occupies a prominent corner in Ginza while Panasonic and Toyota set out their stall on Odaiba.

18. Rock around Roppongi

This fabled nightlife ‘hood is also a treat to explore in daylight. There’s plenty of public art scattered around the glitzy commercial complexes of Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown as well as dazzling contemporary architecture at the National Art Centre, Tokyo (www.nact.jp).

19. Feel squeamish

Need an excuse to get cosy with a loved (or potential loved) one? Then follow a Tokyo trend by escorting your squeamish partner on a date to the creepy Meguro Parasitological Museum displaying record-breaking tapeworms and gruesome photos of their victims.

20. Get high on an observation deck

Survey the city 202 metres above ground from the observation deck of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Come at dusk to catch spectacular sunsets and the city burst into neon-lit action.

Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/travel-blog/tip-article/?p=59480#ixzz2xSZTKv49

Travelore Tips: Japan's Top 10 Culinary Locations

Contributed by Simon Richmond 

Unesco recently added Japanese cuisine – known in Japan as washoku – to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list. This puts it equal to French cuisine, the only other national culinary tradition to be so honoured. A journey around Japan reveals the wisdom of Unesco’s decision: every corner of the country boasts something special to eat or drink. Join our tour of Japan’s top 10 gourmet destinations to discover the many flavours of washoku.

Tokyo

Tsukiji by Jonathan Lin. CC BY 2.0.

For at least a century before Japan’s capital snagged more Michelin restaurant guide stars than any other city in the world, Tokyo has been playing at the top of its food game. The dish that the world knows as sushi – tantalising cuts of raw fish draped across pads of vinegared rice – was invented here, where it's known as Edomae-zushi, after Edo, the old name for Tokyo. And where better to sample sushi than at the stalls within Tsukiji (www.tsukiji-market.or.jp). Hurry, though, as the famed fish market will move to a new location across Tokyo Bay in 2015.

Kyoto

Kaiseki-ryōri by Charlotte Marillet. CC BY 2.0.

A visit to Japan’s beguiling ancient capital isn’t complete until you’ve treated yourself to kaiseki-ryōri, a multi-course banquet of seasonal delicacies that’s a feast for the eyes; try it at the 400-year-old restaurant Nakamura-rō in Gion. You can also dig into a vegetarian version of the banquet, known as shojin-ryōri at Izusen (http://kyoto-izusen.com), which faces on to a serene garden in the temple Daiji-in. The subtle mixture of tastes and textures and the artistry of presentation will linger long after you’ve cleared the exquisite lacquerware and china bowls in which the food is served.

Ōsaka

Takoyaki by hirotomo t. CC BY 2.0.

Takoyaki - octopus balls - is probably not what Unesco had in mind when it honoured washoku. But these unpretentious globes of seafood and veggies bound in batter are as emblematic of Japanese cuisine as sushi and ramen, and Ōsaka is where the recipe hails from. The nation’s second largest city is also famed for okonomiyaki, a batter pancake topped with meat, squid, shredded vegetables and garnished with sweet brown sauce, mayonnaise, powdered seaweed and wafer thin flakes of dried tuna. Head to the Dōtombori area of this food-crazy city to try these dishes.

Hakodate

Heavy crab at Asa-ichi by Photocapy. CC BY 2.0.

Japan’s main northern island of Hokkaidō is a gourmet destination in its own right, famed for several different takes on the noodle dish ramen, as well as a lamb barbecue known as jingisukan (after Genghis Khan, a reference to the Mongolian-warrior-helmet-like shape of the convex table grill on which the meal is prepared). But it’s fish and seafood that is special here, particularly crab and salmon. At Hakodate’s atmospheric morning fish market, the Asa-ichi (www.hakodate-asaichi.com), spoil yourself with bowls of noodles or rice topped with cuts of super fresh seafood.

Nagoya

Hitsumabushi by hiratomo t. CC BY 2.0.

Unagi (grilled eel) is one of the most delicious of dishes in washoku’s repertoire, and Nagoya is the place to try it. Atsuta Hōraiken (www.houraiken.com) is the city’s most famous restaurant for hitsumabushi, in which savoury sauce-basted strips of eel are eaten in three different ways: first in the traditional style atop a bed of rice; second with a sprinkling of dried seaweed, spring onion and wasabi (horseradish) paste; and third mixed in with soup.

Matsumoto

Handmade soba noodles by t-mizo. CC BY 2.0.

Soba noodles made from buckwheat are the pride of Nagano prefecture. In the attractive castle town of Matsumoto there are several famed vendors, such as Nomugi, where the handmade noodles have such a reputation that customers line up early to make sure they get a serving before it shuts at 2pm or the shop sells out. More adventurous epicureans may want to samplebasashi – thin slices of raw horsemeat – served at Kura (www.mcci.or.jp/www/kura), a restaurant in a replica of a traditional storehouse.

Takayama

Breakfast at Sumiyoshi ryokan by Andrea Schaffer. CC BY 2.0.

Another Central Japan destination favoured by foodies is this appealing town known for its sake breweries. Sansai-ryōri – dishes made from local mountain vegetables, ferns and wild plants – are among the meals to try along with hoba miso – vegetables or beef mixed with miso paste and roasted on a magnolia leaf above a small charcoal brazier. These dishes are served at the family-run Suzuya, which also specialises in the premium local beef Hida-gyū.

Fukuoka

Late-night street snack by Richard West. CC BY 2.0.

Fugu (blowfish) is one of the speciality foods of the main city of the southern island of Kyūshū – the potentially poisonous fish is best sampled during the winter. But great at any time of year is a steaming bowl of tonkotsu ramen, a rich pork broth noodle dish also known as Hakata ramen. The best places to slurp these nourishing noodles are at yatai; these street stalls are dotted all over Fukuoka, but the greatest concentration is at the intersection of Tenjin Nishi-dōri and Shōwa-dōri on Nakasu Island.

Takamatsu

Udon by Takuma Kimura. CC BY 2.0.

Sanuki udon – chunky white wheat noodles – are associated with this city on the north coast of Shikoku, Japan’s fourth main island. They are traditionally served plain to be dipped in a separate flask of stock that you can flavour with condiments such as wasabi. A great place to try them is Waraya, a restaurant set in a thatched-roof farmhouse, a short journey outsideTakamatsu, next to Shikoku Mura, a park of traditional architecture.

Naha

Makishi Market, Naha, by Hideyuki Kamon. CC BY 2.0.

The far southern islands of Okinawa prefecture are home to Japan’s highest percentage of centenarians, testament in part to the health properties of the local Ryūkū-ryōri cuisine. All part of the pig are used in cooking here, from tibichi (trotters) to mimi (ears) and, as you’d expect, seafood is also key to culinary mix. Tuck into dishes made from these ingredients at the stalls above the lively food market Dai-Ichi Kōsetsu Makishi Ichiba in the Okinawan capital of Naha.

Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/asia/travel-tips-and-articles/japans-top-10-culinary-locations#ixzz2wpVq4BtY