Must-see attractions in Tokyo

  • Heiseikan

    Ueno & Yanesen

    Part of the Tokyo National Museum, this building houses the Japanese Archaeological Gallery, full of pottery, talismans and articles of daily life from…

  • Spiral Building

    Harajuku & Aoyama

    The asymmetrical, geometric shape of architect Maki Fumihiko's Spiral Building (1985) may not look very sinuous on the outside, but the name will make…

  • Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Art

    Ueno & Yanesen

    This museum hosts blockbuster shows with art on loan from local and international museums (such as New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art); you could be…

  • NI-Tele Really Big Clock

    Ginza & Tsukiji

    Studio Ghibli's animation director Miyazaki Hayao collaborated with sculptor Kunio Shachimaru on this fantastic, steampunk-style timepiece beside the…

  • 3331 Arts Chiyoda

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    A major exhibition space, smaller art galleries and creative studios now occupy this former high school, which has evolved into a forward-thinking arts…

  • Nijū-bashi

    Tokyo

    This metal bridge, built in 1888 and within the grounds of the Imperial Palace, was formerly a wooden bridge with two levels, from which its name (meaning…

  • Amazake Yokochō

    Tokyo

    The hub of Ningyōchō, Amazake Yokochō is a delightful shopping street lined with age-old businesses, including several good craft shops. It's named after…

  • Mitsui Memorial Museum

    Tokyo

    Stately wood panelling surrounds a small collection of traditional Japanese art and artefacts, including ceramics, paintings and nō (stylised dance-drama)…

  • Benten-dō

    Ueno & Yanesen

    Take a stroll down the causeway leading to the island on which Benten-dō stands. The temple is dedicated to Benzaiten, the Buddhist goddess of the arts,…

  • National Film Archive of Japan

    Tokyo

    Here you'll find an archive of Japanese and foreign films, as well as books, periodicals, posters and other materials. There are daily screenings of…

  • Asakusa-jinja

    Asakusa & Sumida River

    Asakusa-jinja was built in honour of the brothers who discovered the Kannon statue that inspired the construction of Sensō-ji. Deep red in colour, the…

  • Sudo-kōen

    Ueno & Yanesen

    Looking like something straight from a woodblock print, this gorgeous pocket park is worth the stroll from the Sendagi end of Yanaka to view its brilliant…

  • Idemitsu Museum of Arts

    Tokyo

    This museum's excellent collection of Japanese art is sprinkled with Chinese and Korean pottery and a few stray Western pieces – the result of the…

  • Meiji-jingū Gyoen

    Harajuku & Aoyama

    On the grounds of Meiji-jingū (accessed via the shrine's main approach) is the strolling garden, Meiji-jingū Gyoen. It once belonged to a feudal estate;…

  • TOKAS Hongo

    Kōrakuen & Akihabara

    Operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, TOKAS (short for Tokyo Arts and Space) comprises three floors of galleries with the aim of promoting new…

  • Atago-jinja

    Roppongi, Akasaka & Around

    Climbing the 85 stone steps from Atago-dōri up to this rustically attractive shrine will give you a workout. They are called shussei-no-ishiden (stone…

  • Kiyōmizu Kannon-dō

    Ueno & Yanesen

    Kiyōmizu Kannon-dō is one of Tokyo's oldest structures: established in 1631 and in its present position since 1694, it has survived every disaster that…

  • d47 Museum

    Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa

    Lifestyle brand D&Department combs the country for the platonic ideals of the utterly ordinary: the perfect broom, bottle opener or salt shaker (to name a…

  • Science Museum, Tokyo

    Tokyo

    Featuring a wide selection of exhibits aimed primarily at children and teenagers, the Science Museum has little in the way of English explanations, but…

  • Tōyōkan

    Ueno & Yanesen

    Part of the Tokyo National Museum, the three-storey Gallery of Asian Art focuses on pieces from across the region, including delicate Chinese ceramics and…

  • Japanese Sword Museum

    Asakusa & Sumida River

    For visitors with a keen interest in Japanese sword-making – an art that continues to this day – this museum, which relocated to a new building in 2018,…

  • Sakurazaka-kōen

    Roppongi, Akasaka & Around

    South Korean artist Choi Jeong-Hwa designed the dazzingly colourful robot-themed sculptures and play areas in this kids' park that's part of the Roppongi…

  • Mag's Park

    Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa

    The rooftop of the Magnet by Shibuya 109 department store has the best views over Shibuya's famous scramble crossing. It's screened with plexiglass, so…

  • Yushima Tenjin

    Ueno & Yanesen

    In the 14th century, the spirit of a renowned scholar was enshrined here, leading to the shrine's current popularity: it receives countless students who…

  • Shibuya Center-gai

    Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa

    Shibuya's main drag is closed to cars and chock-a-block with fast-food joints and high-street fashion shops. At night, lit bright as day, with a dozen…

  • SunnyHills Minami-Aoyama

    Harajuku & Aoyama

    Kengo Kuma's design for Taiwanese pineapple cake shop SunnyHills uses 3D-modelled latticework that's supposed to evoke a bamboo basket but also resembles…

  • Fukagawa Edo Museum

    Asakusa & Sumida River

    During the Edo period (1603–1868), Fukagawa was a typical working-class neighbourhood, with narrow alleys and tenement homes. You can get an idea of what…

  • Kuro-mon

    Ueno & Yanesen

    West of the main gate to Tokyo National Museum is the Kuro-mon (Black Gate), transported from the Edo-era mansion of a feudal lord. You can view the…

  • ChihiraJunco

    Odaiba & Tokyo Bay

    The future is here. Maybe. ChihiraJunco is a demure lady android created by Toshiba who has her own information counter adjacent to the people-staffed…

  • Asakusa

    Asakusa & Sumida River

    Worth searching out is this quirky 40-sq-metre exhibition space in an unmarked old house, hiding down a narrow alley. It's run by contemporary art curator…

  • SCAI the Bathhouse

    Ueno & Yanesen

    This 200-year-old bathhouse is now an avant-garde gallery, showcasing Japanese and international artists: the vaulted space just as suited for…

  • Tokyo Midtown Design Hub

    Roppongi, Akasaka & Around

    This gallery hosts interesting exhibitions around various themes but usually involving graphic design. Some exhibitions tackle social issues, while others…

  • Niten-mon

    Asakusa & Sumida River

    Senso-ji's eastern gate is one of the temple complex's rare, Edo-era buildings: it's been standing since 1618. Though it appears minor today, this gate…

  • Reiyukai Shakaden

    Roppongi, Akasaka & Around

    Reiyukai is a spin-off Buddhism-based sect started in 1930 and this unmissable, monolithic building is its headquarters. The enormous stepped pyramid roof…

  • Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum

    Harajuku & Aoyama

    A painter and sculptor, Okamoto Tarō was Japan's most recognised artist from the post-WWII period, a rare avant-garde figure with mass appeal. His works…

  • Hibiya-kōen

    Ginza & Tsukiji

    Built around the turn of the 20th century at the height of the Meiji era, this leafy block was Tokyo’s first European-style park complete with fountains…

  • Asahi Super Dry Hall

    Asakusa & Sumida River

    This jet-black, inverted obelisk, part of Asahi Beer's headquarters, was designed by Philippe Starck and completed in 1989; atop it sits a 'golden flame'…

  • METoA Ginza

    Ginza & Tsukiji

    Mitsubishi Electric showcases some of its latest technologies, including robotics, in inventive collaborations with artists at this showroom on one corner…

  • Yoyogi National Stadium

    Harajuku & Aoyama

    This early masterpiece by architect Tange Kenzō was built for the 1964 Olympics (and will be used again in the 2020 games for the handball event). The…

  • Taiko Drum Museum

    Asakusa & Sumida River

    There are hundreds of drums from around the world here, including several traditional Japanese taiko. The best part is that you can actually play most of…

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