Tokyo Off The Beaten Path

 23 Reviews  Gotokuji temple, a Soto-sect zen temple in Setagaya-ku, is best known by the legend of Manekineko better known as "lucky cats" or "beckoning cats". It was originally built in 1480 in a part of... 

 17 Reviews  It is common to see the beautiful Mt Fuji from the window of the Bullet train (direction: Kyoto, Osaka). It is particularly a superb experience to see the snow-covered Mt. Fuji in early Spring... 

 16 Reviews  Don't speak much or any Japanese and looking to meet some friendly Japanese people who do? Com Inn is a cozy, little English conversation cafe in Ebisu, near the Doutor building. Most of the time it... 

 10 Reviews  Shinjuku Nichome (literally Shinjuku 2nd District) is a name known to most straight Japanese but visited by very few- it is the "notorious" epicentre of gay life in Japan. In a four block radius,this... 

 6 Reviews  The world's biggest car showroom is just under the railway bridge in front of sunshine city. On five floors you can see all Toyotas cars, including some that only seem to be made for the Japanese... 

 7 Reviews  Though not a fishing trip in the usual sense of the word, you will see more fish here than you ever have before. I struggled to find a way to describe it. I have come across the following passage... 

 8 Reviews  The Yebisu Beer Museum is one of those places you can only find in Tokyo. The admission is free, although the beer isn't. It is in the Yebisu Garden Palace, and is a place that commemorates the... 

 4 Reviews  What greeted me next was quite a surprise (even for a liberal thinker such as myself!) & even though I had mentally prepared for it. A sea of women of all ages and a few girls, were changing out of... 

 14 Reviews  The Ueno Zoo is just like most every other metropolitan zoo. The calling card for this one though is its Panda Bears. The panda's are pretty cool to look at, and there are a few other animals which I... 

 5 Reviews  I stumbled across this small shop on my way back to Ginza from the fish market. I was drawn in and I couldn't help it - it's so beautiful. It's only like 5 mins walk from all the Ginza glitz and it's... 

 2 Reviews  At every city that I visit, I always love to drop by at the local markets. This is because I find that shopping and browsing at local markets to be far more interesting than shopping at typically... 

 4 Reviews  Unlike any other big city in the world, people talking to some one who sit next to he or she, people smile to each other some one you don't really know, people saying hi to each other, but in Japan... 

 3 Reviews  In a small arboreal area outside the Shibuya train station, you can find a statue to a small dog that epitomizes loyalty and undying love. Little Hachiko used to walk with his master, a Tokyo... 

 2 Reviews  Is it any coincidence that next to what represents a pyramid of sorts (Tokyo Tower ... not really a pyramid but it is triangular) is a Masonic Temple. Who are these guys? Well the Masons have a thing... 

 4 Reviews  John Lennon once said "It's not a waste of time if you had fun." While he may have been refering to some of his heroine trips, he could have equally been describing a couple of hours spent at the John... 

 1 Review  LaQua is a whole city unto itself. There is shopping, roller coasters, water rides, shows, restaurants and more. But the best reason to go isn't any of these. It is the spa! Underneath a roller... 

 3 Reviews  When exploring the grounds, though a lot of the area is blocked off due to the palace being closed, there are a lot of nice paths to the side that are more quiet and you can see the real beauty of the... 

 2 Reviews  Not many people knows you can visit Tokyo's stock exchange market building, for free! It is not a remarcable touristic spot, but you can spend 30 minutes walking by the empty futuristic corridors,... 

 2 Reviews  Tokyo International Forum is located between Otemachi and Ginza, 3 minutes walk from the Yuraku-Cho Station. There are few halls and ball rooms manage to contain at least 20,000 audients. This new... 

 7 Reviews  In Ningyocho/Suitengu area, the Tokyo Grain Exchange has a beehive of Japanese bees on the 7th floor of their building that you can see for free. You can see them quite close and not be afraid that... 

 1 Review  After visiting Hama Rikyu Gardens (a 10 minute walk S. of Tsukiji Fish Market), you can take about a 40 minute ride on the Sumida River to the pier near Asakusa. Cost: 620 yen (one way). It makes for... 

 1 Review  A great rainy day site in Tokyo that isn't crowded with hordes of tourists is the Museum of Photography, conveniently located near the Sapporo Beer Museum in Yebisu Gardens. I really enjoyed the... 

 2 Reviews  You know what - I think you should visit the neighbourhood of Kanda! Here are lots of bookstores, both second hand and new ones. This is the place to buy a supply of great Japanese novels translated...