If Tokyo has one area that is famous the world over, Ginza is it. Endless shops encourage you to touch and test the latest high-tech products. It’s also home to the Sony Building and all the latest Sony models are on display and can be tried out. It offers eight floors of entertainment, and the sixth floor is dedicated to PlayStation.

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This traditional-looking theatre is a splendid place to see kabuki (a popular form of Japanese theatre originally performed by women, now exclusively performed by men, even the woman’s roles. The word means ‘unusual’ or ‘shocking’). The schedule changes monthly, and shows can last up to five hours, including intervals. You can also buy tickets to watch just one act from the fourth floor; these go on sale from one hour beforehand and often sell out. An English-language programme and earphone guide are invaluable.

Phone:

Information +81 (0)3 3541 3131

Opening hours:

Box office 10am-6pm daily; matinees start around 11am and evening performances around 4.30pm

Address:

4-12-15 Ginza, Chuo-ku

The main park of the Imperial Palace is accessible through three old gates: Otemon (five minutes from Tokyo station), Hirakawamon (close to Takebashi Bridge) and Kita-Hanebashimon (near Kitanomaru Park). Situated within the park are two old watch-houses, the remains of the old dungeon at the northern end (near Kitahanebashi-mon) and, at the exit into the next area, a wall of hand-carved stones dropping a great height into the water. There’s also the small Museum of Imperial Collections.

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Opening hours:

The Imperial Palace is out of bounds, except on 23 Dec, the emperor’s birthday, and 2 Jan. Imperial Palace East Gardens 9am-4.30pm daily

Address:

Chiyoda, Chiyoda-ku

The lively focus of traditional life in Tokyo, Asakusa Kannon is the city’s most vivid reminder of the Edo era. Most people enter from the south, through the two-storey Hozomon Gate into the temple grounds. To the left stands the second-highest pagoda in Japan; behind and to the right is Asakusa Jinja, the starting point of the Sanja Matsuri. A huge bronze incense burner stands in front of the Main Hall. The smoke is believed to have curative powers.

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Temple +81 (0)3 3842 0181, shrine +81 (0)3 3844 1575

Opening hours:

Temple 6am-5pm daily; shrine 6.30am-5pm daily; grounds 24hrs daily

Address:

2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito-ku

‘Love hotels’ are thriving in Tokyo. These short-stay establishments (usually rented in two-hour blocks) are ubiquitous, with entire sections of the capital’s neighbourhoods devoted to them. They offer such a quintessentially Japanese experience that all couples should try one out, if only for the afternoon. P&A is one of the most famous love hotels in the capital. The top-priced suite contains a swimming pool.

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+81 (0)3 3780 5211

Opening hours:

24hrs

Address:

1-17-9 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku

The alien-spacecraft look of Kikutake Kiyonori’s 1992 creation is made up of traditional elements recalling the city’s past. Its height, 62m (203ft), exactly matches that of the old Edo Castle. The museum houses the city’s best and most comprehensive collection of displays dealing with the history of Tokyo. Highlights include large-scale reconstructions of Nihonbashi bridge and a kabuki theatre, and incredibly detailed models of various quarters of the city during different eras.

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9.30am-5.30pm Tue, Fri, Sun and public holidays; 9.30am-7.30pm Sat; closed Mon.

Opening hours:

9.30am-5.30pm Tue, Fri, Sun and public holidays; 9.30am-7.30pm Sat; closed Mon.

Address:

1-4-1 Yokoami, Sumida-ku

The exhibitions are world class, focused mainly on contemporary culture, but the secret of the Mori Art Museum’s success is location (part of the phenomenally popular Roppongi Hills), location (on the 52nd and 53rd floors of the Mori Tower, offering spectacular views) and location (within a two-floor ‘experience’ that includes a bar, café, shop and panoramic observation deck).

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N/a

Opening hours:

10am-10pm Mon, Wed, Thur; 10am-5pm Tue; 10am-midnight Fri-Sun

Address:

Mori Tower 52F-53F, 6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku

In the middle of one of Tokyo’s biggest love hotel districts, this gymnasium-like disco sits in a bare concrete building. The main floor is enormous (the ceiling is almost 9m/30ft high) and its huge mirror ball claims to be the biggest in Asia. Womb also boasts upstairs lounge areas and a super-bass sound system shipped all the way from New York. There’s always an impressive line-up of international DJs, with techno and deep house being the usual genres of choice.

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+81 (0)3 5459 0039

Opening hours:

10pm-5am Thur-Sat

Address:

2-16 Maruyamacho, Shibuya-ku

Super-deluxe is the brainchild of a pair of architects who envisaged the spot as ‘a bar, a gallery, a kitchen, a jazz club, a cinema, a library, a school…’ and so on. Closer in atmosphere to an artists’ salon than a bar, every night offers something different, from slide shows to club nights. If you want to meet the creative cream of Tokyo, this is the place.

Phone:

+81 (0)3 5412 0515

Opening hours:

6pm-2am Mon-Sat

Address:

B1F, 3-1-25 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku

Sitting on a huge tract of land in Tokyo Bay, the Tokyo Disney Resort comprises two adjacent but separate theme parks: Disneyland and DisneySea. Disneyland’s seven main zones boast 43 attractions, while DisneySea has 23 water-based attractions in its seven zones. Whatever you may feel about the Disney machine, it’s virtually impossible not to have a great day out here.

Phone:

English information +81 (0)45 683 3777; reservations +81 (0) 683 3333

Opening hours:

Opening times vary

Address:

1-1 Maihama, Urayasu-shi, Chiba

 

 

 

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Source: Expedia