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Jingū Stadium
The grounds of Jingū-gaien, the Meiji-jingū Outer Gardens, house both the Jingū Baseball Stadium and the National Stadium. In autumn, the gingko trees lining the main promenade Icho-Namiki-dōri turn bright yellow.
Jingū Baseball Stadium was originally built to host the 1964 Olympics and is where the Yakult Swallows are based. Baseball season runs from April through to the end of October; check the Japan Times to see who's playing.
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Jingū-Bashi (Jingū Bridge)
The epicentre of the Harajuku cos-play (costume play) scene, Jingū Bridge is best experienced on a warm and sunny Sunday afternoon when legions of bizarrely dressed teens parade before photographers as if they were on a Milan catwalk. From Lolitas and goths to French maids and anime characters, you never really know what will appear here!
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Jinja
Buddhist Sensō-ji sits just in front of its Shintō neighbour, Asakusa-jinja, in silent architectural testament to the peaceful co-existence of these two religions in Japan. Also known as Sanja-sama, this shrine is the site of one of Tokyo's most important matsuri.
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Kabuki-Za (Kabuki Theatre)
Located along the eastern end of Harumi-dōri is this famed kabuki theatre - even if you don't plan on attending a performance, it's worth stopping by for a quick look. Reconstructed in the 1950s, the building remains true to its 1920s fusion of Western and Japanese architecture. If you do plan on sitting in on a few acts, keep in mind that it's OK to bring your lunch and something to sip on.
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Kabukichō
Tokyo's most notorious red-light district, which lies east of Shinjuku Station and north of Yasukuni-dōri, is made up of soaplands (massage parlours), love hotels, peep shows, pink cabarets, porn booths, prostitutes and strip shows, all well attended by drunken salarymen out for the night. Female voices wail out invitations, while Japanese (and, increasingly, foreign) punks eke out a living passing out ads for karaoke boxes and peep shows.
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Kagaku Gijitsukan
Has good exhibits aimed primarily at children and teens. There's little in the way of English explanations, but there's an excellent bilingual guidebook ( ¥200 ). Even without a guidebook or an understanding of Japanese, you can still stand inside a soap bubble, and visit the 'methane boy' (he emits exactly what you think he emits).
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Kanda Myōjin (Kanda Shrine)
Hidden behind the main streets, this little known but quite splendid Shintō shrine boasts vermillion-coloured halls surrounding a stately courtyard. It traces its history back to AD 730, though its present location dates from 1616. The kami (gods) enshrined here are said to bring luck in business and in finding a spouse. It is the home shrine of the Kanda Matsuri (Kanda Festival) in mid-May, one of the largest festivals in Tokyo.
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Kannon Onsen (Hot Springs)
Look for the ivy-covered exterior of this large, traditional bathhouse. The water here is a steamy 40 degrees Celsius, and Asakusa's historic ambience makes this a great place for a soul-soothing soak.
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Kantō Earthquake Memorial Museum
This museum presents sombre exhibits about the 1923 earthquake that destroyed more than 70% of the city and killed more than 50,000 people. Maps chart the course of the devastating fires while cases display glassware, eyeglasses, binoculars, tools and other objects convoluted by heat. There is also a harrowing collection of photographs and paintings of the aftermath.
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Kappabashi-Dōri (Kappabashi Street)
A 10-minute walk west of Sensō-ji, Kappabashi-dōri is the country's largest wholesale kitchenware and restaurant-supply district. Gourmet accessories include colourful, patterned noren (split doorway curtains), pots and pans, restaurant signage, tableware and a number of bizarre Japanese kitchen gadgets to make you go 'hmmm?'
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Kitanomaru-Kōen (Kitanomaru Park)
This large park north of the Imperial Palace grounds is home to a few noteworthy museums as well as the Nihon Budōkan. Westerners know the 14,000-plus-seat Budōkan as Tokyo's legendary concert hall for big acts from the Beatles to Beck, but it was originally built as the site of martial arts championships (judō, karate, kendō, aikidō) for the 1964 Olympics ( budō means 'martial arts'). These arts are still practised and exhibited here today.
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Kiyomizu Kannon-Dō
This red temple, up the path from the Takamori Saigō statue, was modelled after Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto. During Ningyō-kuyō, women wishing to conceive a child leave a doll here for Senjū Kannon (the 1000-armed goddess of mercy), and the accumulated dolls are ceremonially burnt each 25 September.
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Kiyosumi Teien (Kiyosumi Garden)
This marvellous garden was the first location to be designated a site of scenic beauty by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government - and it's easy to see why. The origins of Kiyosumi Garden date back to 1721 as a villa for a daimyō . Although the villa itself was destroyed in the 1923 earthquake, the property thereafter was purchased by Iwasaki Yatarō, founder of the Mitsubishi Corporation. He was able to use company ships to transport prize stones to here from all over Japan - count all 50 (they're numbered). They're set around a pond ringed with Japanese black pine, hydrangeas, Taiwan cherries and other plants designed to bloom at different times of the year.
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Kodomo-no-Shiro
Has playrooms, puppet theatres, a swimming pool and a music lobby where kids can make all the noise they like. The Children's Castle Hotel next door was built especially for those with young children and can be a convenient refuge for travelling families. It's located off Aoyama-dōri.
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Koishikawa Kōrakuen (Koishikawa Kōraku Garden)
This 70,000-sq-metre formal Japanese garden is one of Tokyo's most beautiful and least visited (by foreigners at least) - if you have the slightest interest in gardens, you should make a beeline straight for here.
Read more about Koishikawa Kōrakuen (Koishikawa Kōraku Garden)
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Kokuritsu Kagaku Hakubutsukan (National Science Museum)
This large, sprawling, multistorey museum dedicated to the pursuit of science is packed with delights, especially if you're travelling with the little ones. Displays (eg of the forest or animals of the savannah) are imaginatively presented, some allowing kids to climb up, down, around and even within.
Read more about Kokuritsu Kagaku Hakubutsukan (National Science Museum)
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Kokuritsu Kindai Bijutsukan
Contemporary art museum facing the Imperial Palace East Garden. All pieces date from the Meiji period onwards and impart a sense of a more modern Japan through portraits, photography and grim wartime landscapes. Its collection of over 9000 works is arguably the best in the country.
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Kokuritsu Seiyō Bijutsukan (National Museum Of Western Art)
Designed by Le Corbusier in the late 1950s, this museum has its roots in French impressionism, but runs the gamut from medieval Madonna & Child images to 20th-century splatter painting. All the big names are here, particularly Manet, Rodin, Miró and the Dutch Masters. It also hosts wildly popular temporary exhibits on loan from such stalwarts as the Prado Museum in Madrid.
Read more about Kokuritsu Seiyō Bijutsukan (National Museum Of Western Art)
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Komparu-Yu Onsen
The fact that this straightforward, Meiji-era bath manages to keep its wits about it even as real estate prices continue to climb in the ritzy Ginza that surrounds it, must be one of Tokyo's best jokes. The bath mistress is a daunting battle-axe - no kidding, this gal chews tacks. With this in mind, make sure you scrub extra hard behind your ears, and don't even think about wearing the plastic slippers intended for the toilet out into the general locker room. With that said, Komparu-yu is a refreshing slice of Shitamachi (Low Town) in the midst of the city's most fashionable and well-to-do precincts.
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Kōrakuen Amusement Park
Adrenaline junkies of all ages will enjoy the exciting old-school rollercoasters at this amusement park as well as the newer, high-tech Geopolis side of the park that includes the Geopanic indoor rollercoaster. Once your equilibrium has been well and truly scrambled, head next door to the contemplative spaces of the Koishikawa Kōrakuen park for a dose of serenity.
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Kyōkyo (Imperial Palace)
The Imperial Palace is the permanent residence of Japan's emperor and imperial family. Given the recent birth of future emperor Prince Hisahito, the frequent nervous breakdowns of Princess Masako and the debate regarding Princess Aiko's right of ascension, new stories surrounding the imperial family are splashed across the Japanese tabloids on a daily basis.
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Laforet Museum Harajuku
This museum, on the 6th floor of the teenybopper fashionista Mecca that is Laforet department store, is gallery or performance space depending on the event. Small film festivals, art installations and launch parties are held here regularly - after browsing the art-as-streetwear on the floors below, check out art-as-art upstairs.
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Le Garage
Flashy duds and accessories for your inner auto mechanic at Axis, one of the most respected design showcases in Tokyo, a multi-storey, multi-genre gallery and retail building.
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Leica Ginza Salon
Exhibiting the outstanding work of up-and-coming photographers and long-time professionals, this clean, minimalist salon remains one of the best photography galleries in the area.
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Living Motif
Home designs at Axis, one of the most respected design showcases in Tokyo, a multi-storey, multi-genre gallery and retail building.
