Tokyo Archives

The R&K Guide To Tokyo

You could spend a lifetime on one block in Tokyo and never truly learn the rhythms, the flavors, the subtle social cues that guide every interaction. But somehow that depth of ignorance is neither overwhelming nor intimidating. It’s your excuse to give yourself over entirely to the Floating World, an ancient term for the carnal, pleasure-seeking urbanity of Tokyo. As an outsider, you will never comprehend, so don’t sweat it, just close your eyes and take your best bite.

How To Do
Tokyo

01. Walking Tour: An Afternoon in Koenji
02. Navigating Tokyo’s Two Airports
03. How to Get Online
04. Gaijin Glossary: Essential Words to Learn
05. A History of Tokyo in 8 Dishes
06. GTFO: Go Fish in Manazuru

14 Things to Know Before You Go

The Perfect Dish: Oden

Walking Tour: An Afternoon in Koenji

There’s an expression in Japanese: Aji ga aru, which means “It’s got flavor.” It describes something that’s a little used, a little time-worn, but better for it. That describes Western Tokyo: it’s a little bit grungy, a little bit crunchy, and a little bit retro. The stations along the Chuo line are surrounded by shotengai—pedestrian shopping alleys packed with tiny independent shops and restaurants—which makes strolling a special pleasure.— Selena Hoy

Start

Quick Hits What To Eat

Tonkatsu at Butagumi The best fried pork cutlet in Tokyo, served in a traditional Japanese home on a quiet street in Roppongi.
Yakitori at Toritama The masters behind this basement gem divide the chicken into 37 parts, giving you a full treatise on the bird.
Egg Salad Sandwich at Lawsons Not the work of a shokunin, but the quality of convenience store sandwiches says much about the depth of Japan’s food culture. Plus: cheap and easy.

Quick Hits What To Drink

Cocktails at Gen Yamamoto The cocktail experience reimagined as a kaiseki tasting menu, where seasonality and refined technique elevate booze to a new stratosphere.
Coffee at Satei Hato The ultimate expression of the Japanese kissaten, an old-school coffee bar where the worries of the outside world slip away.
Sake at Nozaki Sakaten Some of the best sake from all corners of the country, served with excellent izakaya fare and warm hospitality.

Quick Hits What To See

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden A calming botanical refuge in the center of Tokyo. Go with a picnic in the spring or fall for a dramatic frame for the surrounding cityscape.
Takashimaya (Shinjuku) The ultimate depachika (department store), where the full splendor of Japanese food culture is on display: $1000 melons, sake samplings, and endless pantry items.
Shibuya Station Plant yourself like Hachiko and marvel at the throngs: waves of morning commuters, then elderly shoppers, then navy tides of schoolkids, then afterwork drinkers.

Features From Tokyo

Should a Melon Cost As Much As a Car?

Japan’s high-end fruit market elevates produce to works of art, and asking why starts you on a path to at least partial understanding of the severe codes that bind Japanese life.

The Lonely End

In aging Japan, thousands die alone and unnoticed every year. Toru Koremura is there to clean up what they leave behind.

Japan’s Whisky Rebellion

From the remnants of his family’s shuttered distillery, one man makes a name for himself in Japan’s soaring whisky industry.

Born From Beasts of the Outside World

Japan’s homegrown foreign cuisine—or is it foreign homegrown cuisine?—is finally getting its due as a perfectly indigenous and brilliant food in its own right.

Roam

The R&K Guide To Tokyo

How To Do
Tokyo

Quick Hits What To Eat

Quick Hits What To Drink

Quick Hits What To See

Features From Tokyo

More City Guides

How To Do Tokyo

Quick Hits What To Eat

Quick Hits What To Drink

Quick Hits What To See

Features From Tokyo

More City Guides

How To Do
Tokyo