Tokyo

Casba

Take the stairs down to the basement and you will arrive at the Casba, the club of the moment. It is decorated in an eye-catching way featuring pop culture icons that give the place a young feel. The colorful party atmosphere gets going quite late, but you can always start earlier with a few drinks at the bar.

Wakamatsu Bldf B1F. 2-14-15 Higashi, Shibuya-ku

Fiesta International Karaoke Bar

Tokyo’s favorite nocturnal activity could not be absent from the list of places to visit and Roppongi offers more than 10,000 songs in English in all possible musical genres. It is open Monday to Saturday from 7pm to 5am.

7-9-3 Roppongi

Popeye

It is impossible to ignore the name of this spot which is essentially a micro beer bar that produces its own brews. This activity was legalized 13 years ago and artisans now create drinks for a small market. The beers are refreshing and sometimes include fruit flavors while the owner, Tatsuo Aoki, can offer advice to clients on what would be the ideal beer for them.

2-18-7 Ryogoku

Kitchen Five

If you are nostalgic for familiar flavors, this small restaurant with just a few tables specializes in Mediterranean food. The owner, Yuko Kobayashi, prepares a dozen fresh dishes and has become well known for her lasagna, stuffed eggplant and stews. You should also take advantage of the spices and dressings. The restaurant is open Tuesday to Saturday and it’s best to make a reservation.

 4-2-15 Nishi-Azabu, Tokyo

Kanda Yabusoba

It’s fun to eat noodles as this restaurant which is one of the most traditional spots in the category and was so even before the Great Kanto Earthquake. The decoration is enchanting with its bamboo halls and wooden doorways and inside you can eat while sitting on mats at Tatami tables. The menu is in English and includes hot or cold wheat noodles served with eel, duck, shrimp or crispy tempura.

 2-10 Awajicho, Tokyo

Ten-ichi

Located in Namiki–Dori and adorning the nightlife of Ginza, at Ten-ichi you can see the chef prepare every dish. The restaurant is part of a chain that enjoys more than 70 years of tradition and has established itself as one of the best restaurants for tempura in the world. In order to maintain this reputation it continues to serve its fried delicacies and famous sauces to fans of this cuisine.

 6-3-2 Jingumae, Tokyo

Kandagawa

If you are looking to enjoy traditional cuisine then it is worth making a visit to this beautiful restaurant that maintains its old fashioned style featuring mainly wood fittings. It offers seven Tatami rooms for more private dining which serve different numbers of diners and the restaurant is famous for preparing eels in the style of the Edo period of Tokyo’s history. The menu is only in Japanese so it is best to go with someone who speaks the language, but above all you should go ready to try all types of soups, rice and sauces and not miss out on the opportunity to try the eels.

2-5-11 Soto-Kanda, Tokyo

Ginza Daimasu

In Chuo-Dori it is nice to just sit back and rest while eating sushi. This restaurant is simple and has more than 90 years experience in this Japanese specialty. The women serving the tables are usually dressed in kimonos and help to provide an experience that will enrich your visit.

6-9-6 Ginza, Tokyo

Fonda de la Madrugada

There just had to be a Mexican restaurant in Tokyo and this is probably the most authentic one in the city, or at least that’s what they say. It’s dark and located in a basement which leads to a dining room where a mariachi plays while visiting the tables, making diners believe they are really in Mexico. Some of the delicious dishes are accompanied with tequila or Mexican beer and there is a selection of wines from Mexico, Argentina and Chile.

2-33-12 Jingumae, Tokyo

The Tokyo Bay Hotel Intercontinental

With more than 300 rooms, the charm of this hotel is its position facing the bay as the view allows you to appreciate the diversity of colors and the movement of the city. The hotel houses five restaurants and has rooms for non-smokers. Staff speak a variety of languages and the hotel is located close to the Takeshiba–Yurikamome subway station.

1-16-2, Kaigan, Minato-ku

Seiyo Ginza Hotel

This is a small and peaceful hotel belonging to the Rosewood chain that is luxuriously decorated. It has a bar and restaurant options as well as a childcare service for parents desiring some time alone. However, the most distinctive feature of this hotel is the comfort of its suites which offer large bathrooms with separate shower and tub, walk-in closets and dressers, all of which offer you the luxury you need for a good rest.

 1-11-2 Ginza, Chou-ku

Four Seasons Hotel Tokio in Marunouchi

Not only the building but also the neighborhood where this hotel is located make it an excellent option for tourists and business visitors. The style is modern, elegant and a little sober and it can be found in the heart of the city which means you don’t have far to walk to enjoy the neon lights that characterize Tokyo by night. What’s more, the hotel offers magnificent views from a number of its suites and even the gymnasium has a panoramic view, all of which will make you feel as if you were looking down from the top of the world.

Pacific Century Place, 1-11-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku,

The Hotel Akasaka B of Tokio

This hotel is definitely not like the rest, offering a simple and functional design and a location near Tokyo’s parks. The idea here is to offer an incentive to a practical hotel which is ideal for those who don’t want to pay too much for their accommodation. There is no room service and the philosophy in many senses is “do it yourself”. But not everything is austere because the hotel offers a free Internet service and free local calls while everything is designed to make your stay simple, starting with the rooms where everything is in its right place and there is no wasted space.

7-6-13, Akasaka, Minato-ku

Tokyo Park Hotel

This hotel occupies the top ten floors of the Shiodome Media Tower, a building dedicated to the media, and characterized by its hollow center meaning that the more than 200 rooms all have an external view. The hotel has been decorated to help you overcome jetlag, which is often a problem for visitors to Tokyo, with its wood and terracotta tones, dark curtains and even professional advice concerning your sleeping habits. There are also made-to-measure pillows filled by hand that are designed to suit the length of your neck and the side you prefer to sleep on.

Shidome Media Tower, 1-7-1 Higashi Shinbashi, Minato-ku

Tokio Waterfront City

Access is from the Tokyo Station of the Japan Railroad system which is to be found on the Yamanote line with connections at Shinagawa and Shibuya, then Shimbashi to YURIKAMOME and finally getting off at the Odaiba Kaihin Koen Station.

This walk allows you to enjoy the beauty of Tokyo Bay where you can go shopping and enjoy the food and the entertainment all at once. Just a few minutes’ walk from here is the Fuji Television Building which has a spherical observation deck on the 25th floor which is open to the public. A little further on you will arrive at the National Museum for Emerging Science and Innovation where the majority of exhibitions are interactive and sometimes the scientists and engineers are even available to show you their work. If the idea is to relax for a while, on the coast you will find the O-Edo Onsen Monogatari, a large theme park and SPA which was designed to recall the beginnings of Tokyo when it was still known as Edo.

Ginza

Take the Japan Railroad to the Tokyo Station on the J. R. Yamanote line and make a connection to Shinagawa, Shibuya or the J. R. Keihintohoku line and get off at Yurakucho. Or if you prefer you can walk south from Tokyo Station.

Considered the most sophisticated and elegant neighborhood of the city, Ginza covers an area of eight blocks and is filled with stores and buildings offering brands such as Prada, Louis Vuitton and Armani, among many others. This is an obligatory stop for those who want to keep up with world fashion. As night falls the area is lit by the typical neon signs of Tokyo and you can stop to eat or to have a drink if you feel like it, although the prices here are as exclusive as the brands. The main streets are Chuo-Dori, also known as Ginza Street, which becomes a pedestrian walkway on weekends; and Namiki-Dori Street which is famous for its stores and is popularly referred to as “Brand Street”. You will also find the Ginza Antiques Mall in this area, one of the biggest in Asia, with 300 stores. If you want to eat sushi while here then you must go to the Tsukiji Market which offers the freshest sushi in the country. Ginza is also home to the Kabukiza Theater, an impressive building in the Momoyama style.

Shinjuku

Shinjuku Station is considered the point where the western side of the city starts. The station is one of the busiest in the world and is famous for its restaurants and stores and the famous underground mall.

A walk through this neighborhood will also introduce you to the Tokyo Tocho or Metropolitan Government Building and the New National Theater and Opera City which provide a number of concert halls, theaters, restaurants and upmarket stores.

You will also find the Kabuki-Cho area here which offers a lively example of traditional cultural life and typical examples of entertainment.

Tama

Tama is located on the other side of the city, beyond the 23 neighborhoods, and is a residential area offering special peaceful spots for family entertainment now that there is hardly any room left in central Tokyo. Its attractions include Sanrio Puroland Park where you will find such famous Sanrio characters as Hello Kitty, Cinnamon and Usahana.

Also in this area is the Mt. Takao (Hachioji) Monkey Park and Botanical Garden where you can see up to 80 different species of monkey running free and at least 500 types of plants.

The Tama (Hino) Zoo is located in the green areas and the animals are kept in environments recreating their natural habitats.

Ueno Park

You arrive here by taking the subway to the station of the same name. The park’s most important attraction is represented by the large leafed cherry trees that provide a beautiful spectacle when they flower in March. Also nearby are the famous Ueno zoological gardens and the Kan’eiji Pagoda.

Minato

Located to the south of the gardens of the Chiyoda Imperial Palace, you reach Minato by traveling south on foot passing through Ginza. This is the business center of Tokyo and is home to some of the city’s tallest buildings, at least 40 embassies and numerous companies such as Mitsubishi, Vodafone, Sony and Toshiba which all have their corporate offices here.

The Tokyo Tower, a taller Japanese version of the Eiffel Tower, is located here and measures 333 m in height, almost 9 m taller than the French tower. On a clear day you should visit the observation deck at a height of 250 meters from where you can see Mount Fuji in the distance. You should then visit the Tokyo Tower Wax Museum which has been in operation since 1970 and features wax figures of Hollywood stars and rock and pop musicians.