Ginza & Tsukiji
Up until just after the 2020 Olympics, this corner of the Sukiyabashi crossing will be an innovative public space. At ground level greenery flourishes as …
Must-see attractions in Tokyo
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
This Russian Orthodox cathedral, complete with distinctive Byzantine-style architecture, was first built in 1891 under the supervision of English…
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
The Toguri Museum of Art has an excellent collection of Edo-era ceramics, displayed in informative, thematic exhibitions with English explanations – great…
Tokyo
Amassed by Bridgestone founder Ishibashi Shōjiro, this is one of the best French impressionist collections you will find in Asia – although it is closed…
Asakusa & Sumida River
The highlight of this museum is a fascinating collection of Japanese folk articles, mainly patched clothing and pieces of fabric, known as boro, gathered…
Tokyo
This architectural marvel designed by Rafael Viñoly houses a convention and arts centre, with eight auditoriums and a spacious courtyard in which concerts…
Ueno & Yanesen
Kuroda Seiki (1866–1924) is considered the father of modern Western-style painting in Japan. This 1928-vintage hall, an annex to Tokyo National Museum,…
Tokyo
This red-brick building, an annex of MOMAT, stages excellent changing exhibitions of mingei (folk crafts): ceramics, lacquerware, bamboo, textiles, dolls…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
This is really a small mall, but many of the tenants are art galleries, including: Ota Fine Arts (www.otafinearts.com), Wako Works of Art (www.wako-art.jp…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
The ICC shows challenging, conceptual works that explore the intersection between art and technology – sometimes including participatory VR installations…
Harajuku & Aoyama
Design Festa has long been a champion of Tokyo’s DIY art scene and its maze-like building is a Harajuku landmark. Inside there are dozens of small…
Tokyo
This vintage 1960s shopping mall earned Nakano its reputation as an underground Akihabara: it's home to the original Mandarake Complex, the famous manga…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
This otherwise ordinary office complex is home to more than a dozen public artworks, including one of Robert Indiana’s LOVE sculptures (on the southeast…
National Museum of Emerging Science & Innovation (Miraikan)
Odaiba & Tokyo Bay
Miraikan means ‘hall of the future’, and the hands-on exhibits here present the science and technology that will possibly shape the years to come …
Shibuya & Shimo-Kitazawa
It's hard to imagine, but Shibuya Crossing actually sits on the confluence of two rivers: the Shibuya-gawa and the Uda-gawa, which were diverted…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
This three-storey building tucked on a backstreet near Roppongi Hills, is the shared location of three leading commercial galleries: Taka Ishii (www…
Ueno & Yanesen
A key feature of Ueno-kōen is this large, natural pond, much of which is completely covered with giant lotuses that bloom in summer. Go bird- and botany…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
From this 250m-high vantage point, on the 52nd floor of Mori Tower, you can see 360-degree views of the seemingly never-ending city. Admission is included…
Ueno & Yanesen
This shrine honours Tokugawa Ieyasu, the warlord who unified Japan; it's the (much smaller) Tokyo counterpart to Nikkō's grand Tōshō-gū. Resplendent in…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
Kagurazaka’s signature shrine only bears a passing resemblance to the traditional ones around the city. In 2010 the shrine, which can trace its history…
Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (MOT)
Asakusa & Sumida River
For a primer in the major movements of post-WWII Japanese art, a visit to the permanent collection gallery here should do the trick. Temporary exhibitions…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
One of Tokyo’s most elegant and tasteful museums is named after Kikuchi Tomo, whose collection of contemporary Japanese ceramics wowed them in Washington…
Odaiba & Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Sea Life Park is the city's best aquarium. Particularly interesting is the exhibit that recreates Tokyo Bay's ecosystem – in case you were wondering…
Ueno & Yanesen
This enchanting gallery, part of the Tokyo National Museum, displays masks, metalwork and sculptures from the temple Hōryū-ji (in Nara Prefecture, dating…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Rising nearly 40m high and glistening in the sun, this stainless-steel contemporary cathedral was completed in 1955. It's the work of Japan's foremost…
Asakusa & Sumida River
The Sensō-ji temple precinct begins at this majestic gate, from which hangs an enormous chōchin (lantern); look under this to see a beautiful carved…
Asakusa & Sumida River
One of Tokyo's most picturesque retreats, Kiyosumi-teien started out in 1721 as the villa of a daimyō (domain lord; regional lord under the shoguns)…
International Library of Children's Literature
Ueno & Yanesen
Occupying a handsome brick-clad building dating from 1906, this branch of the National Diet Library stores hundreds of thousands of volumes including…
Asakusa & Sumida River
This subtemple of Sensō-ji dates to the late 17th century. The deity enshrined here is a guardian of women and the temple is the site of a curious ancient…
Asakusa & Sumida River
At the end of Sensō-ji's Nakamise-dōri, this gate is flanked by two fierce guardian deities. On the gate’s back side are a pair of 2500kg, 4.5m-tall…
National Museum of Nature & Science
Ueno & Yanesen
The Japan Gallery here showcases the rich and varied wildlife of the Japanese archipelago, from the bears of Hokkaidō to the giant beetles of Okinawa…
National Museum of Western Art
Ueno & Yanesen
The permanent collection here runs from medieval Madonna-and-child images to 20th-century abstract expressionism, but is strongest in French impressionism…
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
Japan's most celebrated manga artist Tezuka Osamu lived most of his life in Takadanobaba and the neighbourhood couldn't be prouder. In front of the…
Kōrakuen & Akihabara
Established in 1691 and later used as a school for the sons of the powerful during the Tokugawa regime, this is one of Tokyo’s handful of Confucian…
Odaiba & Tokyo Bay
There are good views of the central Tokyo skyline from this park’s promenades and elevated walkways – especially at night when old-fashioned yakatabune …
Tokyo
This wide grassy expanse, in the southeast corner of Kōkyo-gaien, has roughly 2000 immaculately maintained Japanese black pine trees that were planted in…
Ikebukuro Life Safety Learning Center
Shinjuku & Northwest Tokyo
This public safety centre has a room that simulates a real earthquake and it's not for the faint of heart (literally): what you experience is a level…
Tokyo
Housed in a handsome reproduction of the area’s first office building (designed in 1894 by English architect Josiah Conder), this museum showcases…
Tokyo
Meaning 'Eyeglass Bridge', this stone bridge from 1888, which can be viewed from the Kōkyo-gaien Plaza, is so nicknamed because its support arches…
Roppongi, Akasaka & Around
This small gallery on the ground floor of the Tokyo Midtown West Tower is a fascinating look at the history of cameras, from 18th-century camera obscuras…
