Articles
Tokyo after dark: yokocho, Golden Gai and last trains
How Tokyo nights work: Golden Gai and Omoide Yokocho in Shinjuku, Nonbei Yokocho in Shibuya, Roppongi, rooftop bars, cover charges and the last train.
Three days in Tokyo: an itinerary that walks, not rides
A concrete three-day Tokyo itinerary built on pairs of neighboring districts, with mornings, afternoons and evenings that connect on foot.
First time in Tokyo: how to think about the city
Tokyo is not one city but a ring of towns. Here is how to read it, choose a base and plan days that make sense for a first visit.
Record shops, jazz kissa and live houses in Tokyo
Shibuya's Udagawacho record street, Disk Union's genre shops, listening cafés where silence is the rule, and the live houses of Shimokitazawa and Koenji.
Vintage and streetwear in Tokyo: four districts, one map
Where to buy vintage, archive and Japanese streetwear in Harajuku, Koenji, Shimokitazawa and Daikanyama, with sizing notes and tax-free rules.
Shitamachi: Tokyo's old town in Asakusa, Yanaka and Ueno
Morning walks through Tokyo's low city: Senso-ji before the crowds, Yanaka's temples and sento, Ueno's museums, kissaten and the craft shops of Sumida.
Tokyo for otaku: Akihabara, Nakano and Ikebukuro
Where to buy figures, retro games and doujinshi in Tokyo, how maid cafés and idol shows work, and why Nakano Broadway beats Akihabara for hunting.
A Tokyo ramen crawl: styles, ticket machines and eight bowls
Shoyu, shio, tonkotsu, tsukemen and tantanmen explained, how ramen ticket machines and queues work, and eight shops across Tokyo worth the wait.