Sights

Imperial Palace
Constructed in 1968 following its devastating destruction during WWII, the Imperial Palace is the geographical and spiritual heart of Tokyo and Japan and remains the home of the Japanese imperial family. The palace itself is closed to the public for all but two days a year: 2 January (New Year’s holiday) and 23 December (the Emperor’s birthday). But it is possible to wander around its outskirts and to visit the gardens, from where you can catch a glimpse of the palace’s most famous landmark, the double-barrelled bridge (Nijū-bashi). .
Gardens 9am-4.30pm Tue-Thu, Sat & Sun Mar-Oct, closed for imperial functions & from 4pm Nov-Feb

Shibuya Crossing
Across from Hacikō plaza is arguably one of the coolest – and largest – intersections you will ever see in your life. Made famous in the West following Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation, Shibuya Crossing is remarkable for its throngs of people, blazing neon lights and enormous video screens, which sometimes display live videos of the street scene below. Much like New York’s Times Square and London’s Piccadilly Circus, Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing is visual and aural candy at its best. The sheer energy of the place is enough to stop you dead in your tracks while you loudly proclaim to yourself, ‘Wow – I’m in Tokyo!’ This is perhaps the best neighbourhood in Tokyo to take in the beating pulse of modern Japan by simply browsing, shopping, dining and watching the outrageous get-ups that have most recently come off the runways at Tokyo’s fashion shows.
across from Hacikō plaza
Shibuya
underground rail: JR Yamanote Line or subway Ginza Line to Shibuya (Hachikō exit)/JR Yamanote Line orGinza Line to Shibuya (Hachikō exit)

Roppongi Hills
Opened in 2003 to an incredible amount of fanfare, Roppongi Hills was the dream of real-estate developer Mori Minoru, who long envisioned a transformation of Roppongi. Since then, an incredible amount of lofty praise has been vaulted at the complex, which is arguably the most architecturally arresting sight in Tokyo.
Minato-ku
Roppongi 6-chōme
tel: 6406 6000
www.roppongihills.com/en
underground rail: Hibiya or Toei Ōedo Line to Roppongi (exit 1c)
09:00 - 18:00

Tsukiji Central Fish Market
Although you’ll have to wake up early (or stay out late) to catch the tuna auction, the world’s largest fish market is simply not be missed. If it lives in the sea, it’s probably for sale in the Central Fish Market, where acres and acres of fish and fish products pass hands in a lively, almost chaotic atmosphere. Everything is allotted its own area, and a quick scan of the loading docks will reveal mountains of octopus, rows of giant tuna, endless varieties of shellfish and tanks upon tanks of live exotic fish.
About 2246 tonnes of fish, worth over 1.8 billion yen (US$15.5 million), are sold here daily; that’s 615,409 tonnes of fish worth some US$4.25 billion a year. It’s not unheard of for a single tuna to fetch an incredible ¥20 million!The auctions are not officially open to the general public, but if you are of a mind to go (trust us – it’s worth it!), you have to be there around 5am to see the action. Afterwards, you are free to visit the wholesalers market, and wander around the seemingly endless rows of fishmongersTradition has it that you should finish your visit here with a sushi breakfast. Daiwa Sushi (Bldg 6, 5-2-1 Tsukiji, Chūō-ku; 5pm-1.30am Mon-Sat, closed 2nd Wed of the month) is within the market itself and gathers long, long lines.
5-2 Tsukiji
Chūō-ku
tel: 3541 2640
www.tsukiji-market.or.jp
underground rail: Toei Ōedo Line to Tsukijishijō (exit A1) or Hibiya Line to Tsukiji (exit 1 or 2)
early morning, closed 2nd & 4th Wed of most months, Sun & public holidays

Sensō-Ji (Senso Temple)
One of the few historic temples to survive the Allied WWII bombing campaign, Sensō-ji is the most sacred spot in Tokyo. Asakusa’s raison d’-être, Sensō-ji enshrines a golden statue of Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy, which was miraculously fished out of the nearby Sumida-gawa (Sumida River) by two fishermen in AD 628. In time, a structure was built to house the image. The temple grounds buzz and click with cameras and voices with accents from across the country and around the world. The Kannon image (a tiny 6cm) is cloistered within, but despite its seclusion, a steady stream of worshippers makes its way up the stairs to the temple, where they cast coins, pray and bow in a gesture of respect. In front of the temple, smoke winds its way up from a huge incense cauldron around which supplicants stand wafting the smoke and its scent to their bodies and over their heads to ensure good health.
Taitō-ku
2-3-1 Asakusa
tel: 3842 0181
underground rail: Ginza Line to Asakusa (exit 1) or Toei Asakusa Line to Asakusa (exit A5)
24hr

Meiji-Jingū (Meiji Shrine)
Tokyo’s grandest Shintō shrine, this 1920 edifice enshrines the Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken, under whose rule Japan ended its isolation from the outside world. Destroyed in WWII bombings and reconstructed in 1958, the shrine buildings occupy just a corner of the precinct’s 70 forested hectares (175 acres). In fact, its 100,000 trees are said to have been donated by 100,000 visitors from all over Japan. Meiji-jingū might be a reconstruction of the original but, unlike so many of Japan’s postwar reconstructions, it is altogether authentic. The main structure was built with prized hinoki cypress from the Kiso region of Nagano prefecture, while the cypress for the huge torii (gate) was imported from Alishan in Taiwan. If you’re there when a wedding is in progress, the procession is pure photographic gold. The grounds are also home to the Meiji-jingū Gyōen (9am-4.30pm), a lovely strolling garden. There are peaceful walks to the pond and teahouse and a good dose of privacy on weekdays, and spectacular irises and satsuki azaleas in season.
Shibuya-ku
Kamizono-chō, Yoyogi
tel: 3379 5511
www.meijijingu.or.jp
underground rail: JR Yamanote Line to Harajuku (Omote-sandō exit) or Chiyoda Line to Meiji-Jingūmae (exit 3)
dawn-dusk