Tokyo Outdoors ebook preview
Welcome to Tokyo
The capital city of Japan is surely one of the most exciting cities in the world, a wonderful mixture of modernity and tradition. With a population of more than 35 million in the greater Tokyo region, it’s known as a ‘city of cities’, and each has its own flavors. One moment you’ll be seeking harmony in an ancient shrine, another nerding out in Akihabara, and another cycling alongside a peaceful river. Whether you are here just for a short holiday, or staying for years, Tokyo Outdoors will enable you to immerse yourself properly in the magic of Tokyo.
This guide is not your average travel book. After living in Tokyo for many years and having written several books and countless articles about the capital, plus walked, hiked and cycled countless hours across it, I have put together custom routes for all sorts of likes and interests. The emphasis of this book is interesting tours throughout and around the city, via not just the must-see attractions but also hidden spots that only locals know. Along the way your path will be enhanced with fascinating historical, cultural and architectural highlights.
Quick and easy ways to select your walk, ride or hike
1) Tokyo city map
Use the map above to get your bearings, and see what routes are near your hotel or house. It’ll provide ideas if you want to walk or cycle on a certain train line, plus a good overview of what places are near to each other.
2) Top walks, hikes and cycling rides
At the back of the book is a ranking of the most popular routes, plus suggestion lists for cherry blossoms, autumn colors, shopping, art and museums, history and culture, day hikes and long cycling rides.
3) Festivals and events calendar
Tokyo has frequent festivals and events, so if you would like to experience them alongside a walk, hike or cycling ride I have put together a handy calendar.
4) Chapter suggestions
Below the title of each chapter is a little hint, such as when to do the route, or if it’s best to cycle, walk or hike. Additionally, combinations are suggested for many chapters.
5) Get in touch with me
Send me an email via my website, or message me on Instagram or Facebook. I’ll help you out with a personal suggestion!
About the online maps in this book
Most of the routes in this book also come with custom Google Maps, which can be opened on your smartphone or PC. They provide more detail on the routes and highlights along the way, plus additional recommendations for shops, cafes and tourist attractions that I will update when any changes occur. Use them with the GPS function on your phone to make navigating a breeze. You can open them by clicking the Google Maps link or scanning the QR code on the map in each chapter.
Free wi-fi is available at many spots in Tokyo if you want to access the online maps, but I would recommend getting internet access on your phone in Japan if you don’t already have it. Visitors can pick up a reasonably priced data SIM or a wi-fi box from the airports or at electronics stores in the city, such as Bic Camera or Yamada Denki.
Map legend
Essential information before you start
Train passes
If you plan to do more than one chapter from this book on your trip, or plan to venture outside the city center, it’ll probably save you money to get one of the below rail passes.
Tokyo Subway Ticket (foreign tourists only)
Unlimited use of the Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway for 24, 48 or 72 hours. With this pass you’ll be able to get to almost all the central Tokyo spots in this book.
800/1200/1500 yen • Available from tourist information centers in and outside of subway stations, major hotels and Bic Camera stores
One-day subway passes (all passports)
Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway also have passes for 24 hours of unlimited use of their respective networks. If you only need to use one of them, it’s cheaper than the above.
Tokyo Metro 600 yen, Toei Subway 700 yen, combo pass 900 yen • Available from ticket machines at subway stations in Tokyo
Tokyo Wide Pass (non-Japanese passports only)
Unlimited use of JR trains in Tokyo and the Kanto region, for three consecutive days. As JR is the main rail provider, you can get to spots in the city center via the Yamanote loop line and other connecting lines, and the pass includes use of the Shinkansen and Limited Express trains.
For the Tokyo side trips section of this book, it’s perfect for Karuizawa and the nearby Apt Road, Odawara Castle, Mount Nokogiri, Hachioji Castle Ruins, Nikko, and the Yokohama paths. Some might need to use a slightly longer route, or short supplementary ride on a non-JR line, but you should save lots of money!
15,000 yen • Available from the vending machines and service centers at the major JR stations in Tokyo (including Ueno, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Tokyo and Ikebukuro)
Enoshima Kamakura Free Pass
If you are doing the walk in Enoshima - and/or the cycling ride in Kamakura - then this one-day pass will cut out lots of hassle. It could also save you some money, especially if you need to additionally use the Enoden Line tram to reach, say, your hotel or hostel.
1640 yen • Available from the vending machines and the service center at the Odakyu section of Shinjuku Station in Tokyo
Custom subway map for your walks and cycling routes
The official subway map can be rather overwhelming, so I have included a simplified map below, highlighting the stations that you’ll likely use. Full maps are also available for free at Tokyo Metro stations.
Planning your train journeys
Deciding how to get to places in Tokyo can be rather confusing at times, even for people living here. Google Maps usually works well for deciding which train to take, but doesn’t include many options that help if you have a rail pass. If you want to customize your route more use the Japan Transit Planner by Jorudan, available online and as a smartphone app.
Train travel tips when using this book
- Which exit to take is included in the text and map of each route when there is more than one. Follow signage from the station platforms to the exit, but don’t be afraid to ask someone if you are lost in a bigger station. Japanese people are often very willing to help!
- Subway and JR stations and lines have now been designated with simple codes to help with navigation. They use a letter or two for the line, and a number for the station, such as JY17 for Shinjuku Station on the Yamanote Line.
- I’ve designed the routes in the book so that many end or start near to one another. This enables you to easily join routes together, and save money on transportation. Look for ‘Combine with….’ sections at the end of applicable chapters for my suggestions.
1. The best of Tokyo’s youth culture – Shibuya to Harajuku
Distance: 3 km | Best on foot due to crowded streets
Shibuya Scramble Crossing
Shibuya and Harajuku are the first ports of call for most to Tokyo, and for good reason. A treasure trove of youth fashion, music and art, you’ll often see trends getting big here years before they make the big time abroad.
Starting and ending points
From Shibuya Station, follow signs to the Hachiko statue to begin. Shibuya has a plethora of lines, such as the JR Yamanote and JR Shonan-Shinjuku lines, plus the Ginza, Hanzomon and Fukutoshin lines on the Tokyo Metro. You’ll finish at Harajuku Station.
Places of interest
1) Shibuya Center Gai
Head across the famous Shibuya Scramble Crossing and you’ll get to the youth hub that is Center Gai. Bustling and exciting 24 hours of the day, with young people showing off the latest designs and brands, you’ll really feel like you’ve landed in modern Japan. While chains are somewhat on the rise here, you’ll still come across plenty of eccentric little shops and some down-to-earth eateries.
2) Shibuya Parco
Much of this Parco department store has your standard collections of brand stores and fashion boutiques, but the bottom and sixth floors are where things get different. In the basement is the Chaos Kitchen food hall. Rather than the usual upmarket and safe selections of most department store food courts, this one is full of quirky bars and restaurants. Most unique is Kome To Circus (12am-10:30pm, from 5pm on Thursdays), an izakaya where you can try out insects, crocodile meat and other left-field options.
Upstairs on the sixth floor is Cyberspace Shibuya, where the main hitters are the Nintendo Tokyo store (11am-8pm) and the Pokemon Center (11am-9pm). Whether you’re a Pikachu fanboy or can’t get enough of Animal Crossing, there’s a real smorgasbord of amazing character goods. Even if you’re just window shopping, it’s worth heading up here to soak in all the craziness!
11am-9pm
3) Miyashita Park
One of the newest developments in Shibuya. Here visitors can relax in the greenery of the rooftop garden and enjoy a bit of shopping at dozens of up-and-coming stores, as well as flagship shops for brands like Adidas.
Outside on the first floor is Shibuya Yokocho (24h), a line of classic Japanese street food outlets, all specializing in local food from a particular region or city in Japan. It’s also a great place to try out Japanese sake and shochu (a traditional hard liquor), with English menus usually on hand.
8am-11pm
4) Cat Street
Generally catering to an older audience than the upcoming Takeshita Street, Cat Street is a hipster’s paradise. Here you’ll find plenty of edgy and up-and-coming boutiques, vintage clothes stores and the odd street art to admire along the way. It’s a much more interesting way to journey from Shibuya to Harajuku.
5) Omotesando Hills
A super posh shopping complex designed by the renowned Tadao Ando. Inside you’ll come across famous overseas labels as well as stores from local designers like Yohji Yamamoto and Jun Hashimoto. To be honest, as there aren’t many around, it’s also a perfect toilet stop on this walk!
11am-11pm (some shops may close earlier)
6) Ota Memorial Museum of Art
Pop in here if you need a little respite from all the activity outdoors. This museum is dedicated to the Japanese art of ukiyo-e, a kind of Japanese woodblock print. Most famous is the Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji, an often reproduced print of huge waves with Mount Fuji in the background. This piece has itself been on display here in the ever-changing exhibitions. Check ukiyoe-ota-muse.jp for what’s on when you are in town.
Exhibits 800-1200 yen • 10:30am-5:30pm • Closed on Mondays (except national holidays)
7) Takeshita Street
Harajuku’s busiest fashion street, this is the place to experience kawaii (cute) on hyperdrive! There’s a seemingly countless assortment of bright and colorful shops to venture into.
There are a few highlights to look out for. First on your path will be SoLaDo (10:30am-8:30pm), a hotspot for kawaii souvenirs from the likes of PINK-latte and Line Friends. There’s also Sweets Paradise (11am-9pm, 2000-3000 yen), which offers all-you-can-eat candy and dessert extravaganzas.
Further on up, Strawberry Fetish (9am-8pm, around 700 yen) is all the rage with its sweet strawberry sticks, but a visit to Takeshita Street is incomplete without checking out Harajuku Alta (10:30am-8pm). Since launching in 2015 this mall has become a new icon of Harajuku, packed with any kind of item related to Harajuku’s pop culture. It’s all very cute, and quite often cheap!
Recommended cafe
Would you like to get your coffee served through a hole in the wall by a furry bear? Anakuma is a kawaii coffee shop and yet another unusual addition to Harajuku. To order at this ‘unmanned’ joint, use the tablet and one of the seven bears that lives behind the wall will soon be ready with your coffee!
Drinks 1200-1500 yen • 11am-7pm
Recommended meal spot
At Eggslut, the humble egg is taken to new levels. Served in brioche buns, their egg burgers ooze with the creamy scrambled egg and cheese. The Japan-only limited edition specials are pretty inventive too, such as putting a whole eel into a sandwich.
From 850 yen • 11am-9pm
3. Not just Senso-ji – Asakusa
Distance: 3.5 km | Best on foot
You’ve all heard about Asakusa, the most popular, and the busiest tourist destination in Tokyo. Millions visit Senso-ji temple and shop up Nakamise-dori every year, but there is so much more to see if you venture out a bit….
Starting and ending points
Head out from the Tokyo Metro section of Asakusa Station (Exit 3). You could either finish at Tsukuba Express Line’s Asakusa Station, which goes to Akihabara, or continue back down Kaminarimon-dori back to the Tokyo Metro Asakusa Station.
Places of interest
1) Nakamise-dori Street
Let’s tick off the main tourist spots before we start our real adventure (try to start early if you can, to avoid the tour groups). Beginning at Kaminarimon Gate, this lively shopping street has a nice mix of souvenir shops, food stalls and craft shops. Keep an eye on your wallet though, as prices will generally be better once you head out of this touristy street.
2) Senso-ji
The legend goes that two fishermen caught a golden statue in Sumida River. Even though they tried to return it to the river again and again, they kept on catching it instead. Once it was recognized as Kannon, a Buddhist deity, though, it was enshrined at this site.
This all happened in 628 AD, making Senso-ji the oldest temple in Tokyo. Even with the usual crowds and noise, the sheer size of everything is simply awe-inspiring. Inside there is a five-story pagoda, trails of incense and several temple halls to explore.
Free • 24h
3) Benten-do
A mainly unknown shrine to the east of Senso-ji. Inside, The Bell of Time is a cast-bronze bell that was used as an hour bell by the Tokugawa shogunate in 1692. These days, it gets hit at 6am, if you are able to get up early enough. Note that the actual shrine grounds are often closed, so check at your hotel or an information center beforehand.
Free • 11am-7pm
4) Denboin-dori Street
Shops and signs reminiscent of old Tokyo, with some almost looking like shacks. As you start to walk down here and into the other streets west of Nakamise-dori, things get more down to earth. The shops will cater more to locals, with a splattering of places to pick up things like a traditional fan or yukata.
5) Hoppy Street
Asakusa’s most famous spot for drinking and eating out. It’s mostly old fashioned izakayas and outdoor bars here, and while it gets crowded, the atmosphere is amazing.
Most of the restaurants here serve nikomi. An inexpensive stew made with beef tendons and mixed vegetables, each spot will have its own twist on it. Comfy favorites like yakitori and sashimi are readily available, so it’s best to stroll down and head into whatever takes your fancy.
6) Asakusa Hanayashiki
Forget Disneyland, this is the real deal! Hanayashiki opened way back in 1853. It offers a truly old school, nostalgic experience. No big fancy VR/3D roller coasters here, but classics like a merry-go-round, swan rides and haunted houses. Oh, and a panda car too.
Access 1000 yen (rides from 100 yen), all access pass 2800 yen • 10am-6pm
7) Edo Taito Traditional Crafts Center
Excellent collection of traditional Japanese handicrafts. On weekends, the city’s select artisans visit and give demonstrations of how the handicrafts are made, as well as organize hands-on experiences for visitors.
Free • 10am-6pm
8) Kappabashi Dougu Street
Ever seen plastic food models outside a Japanese restaurant, and want some of your own? Or want to check out the kind of kit that Japanese chefs use? Kappabashi is the place to come. It’s lined with all sorts of shops dedicated to wooing enthusiasts and professionals, with shops selling knives, kitchenware, shop signs and lots more.
9) Drum Museum
Taiko drums have been making a name for themselves across the world, and this is the premier spot to see and learn about them. Opened by Miyamoto-Unosuke, a company that has been building Taiko since 1861, it has a collection of around 800 drums. Visitors can also have a play if they like.
500 yen • 10am-5pm • Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays (except national holidays)
Recommended cafe
Try fruit sandwiches at Sukemasa Coffee, as well as a brew using beans brought over from Kanagawa. There are some cool extra touches, like the macchiato served in a Japanese sake cup, and the latte served in a delicate porcelain cup.
Snacks and drinks from 500 yen • 11am-6pm • Closed on Tuesdays
Recommended meal spot
Finish your walk with an okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake) and other tasty grilled plates at Sometaro. Cooking instructions and English-speaking staff available.
From 900 yen • 12am-8:15pm • Closed on Tuesdays
28. East Tokyo’s underappreciated tourist spots – Koto City
Distance: 5.5 km | Great any time of the year
This area east of the Sumida River in Koto has much to offer, but it tends not to be a place many foreign tourists visit. One key reason why many people don’t venture out here is that while it has a stunning Japanese garden, there are bigger and easier-to-access ones in the center.
This also applies to its history museum, modern art museum, and the same could be said about the shrines here. This path is a neat walk or cycling ride for someone who has been to Tokyo a few times already and/or wants a more lowkey but still exciting day of tourist spots.
Starting and ending points
Take the Toei Subway Oedo Line or the Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line and get off at Kiyosumi-shirakawa (Exit A3). The entrance to Kiyosumi Gardens is well signposted.
This is a circular route, but if you’ve done enough walking or cycling at the halfway point you could finish at Monzen-nakacho Station, on the Toei Subway Oedo and Tokyo Metro Tozai lines.
Places of interest
1) Kiyosumi Gardens
It can feel too time-consuming to explore some of the Japanese gardens in Tokyo, with their vast grounds and multiple routes around. Kiyosumi Gardens is much more manageable, and still has the classic elements that you would want, such as a tea house, a large central pond surrounded by stone ornaments and crisscrossed with wooden bridges, and of course more than a few koi fish.
150 yen • 9am-5pm
2) Fukagawa Edo Museum
If you feel intimidated by the endless exhibits at Edo-Tokyo Museum, Tokyo’s main history museum, then this is the place for you. The museum is set in a recently renovated, authentically recreated town based on the end of the Edo era (1603 and 1867). You’ll be able to see exactly how people lived at the time, going into homes, seeing how they cooked and ate, and what kinds of jobs people were given. It’s all indoors, but the museum’s lighting changes to reflect the times of the day.
English-speaking volunteer guides can also take you on a tour, and have become real pros at explaining life back in the olden days.
400 yen • 9:30am-5pm • Closed on Mondays (except national holidays)
3) Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
Voted one of the capital's best museums by TimeOut magazine, this is Japan’s largest contemporary art museum, with work from both Japanese and international artists. The main hall has a rotating collection of 5,400 exhibits, and there are also special exhibitions on a variety of genres. See mot-art-museum.jp for what’s currently on.
Prices depend on exhibition • 10am-6pm • Closed on Mondays (except national holidays)
4) Tomioka Hachiman Shrine
The largest of the Hachiman shrines in Tokyo, which are related to the god of martial arts and war. Visitors might also see robed priests performing safety rituals over cars parked here. It’s one of the special services the shrine performs!
The next door Fukagawa Fudoson temple is usually more popular though. As you walk towards this you’ll come across a line of little shrines that look like small log cabins, just behind the main shrine building.
Free • 24h
5) Monzen-nakacho
A traditional shopping area known for its waterfront vistas, cherry blossoms and interesting alleyways. The area is also known for Monozukuri, a Japanese concept that emphasizes a passion for technical know-how when creating artisan goods. You’ll therefore pass many local shops selling off items that you won’t find anywhere else.
6) Kiyosu Bridge
As you walk up Sumida River you’ll be greeted by spectacular views towards the SkyTree. Come at night when the structure is lit up with animated displays.
Recommended cafe
Truffle Bakery has been trending quite a bit on Instagram, and for good reason. Most popular is the truffle salt bread, and the ever changing selection of curry bread will hopefully whet your appetite.
Breads 650-750 yen • 9am-7pm (until 6pm Saturday and Sunday • Closed Mondays
Recommended meal spot
Uminodon Donmaru is a cheap and cheerful seafood bento shop. Meals are delivered fresh, and quickly, making this spot hard to beat if you're in the mood for raw fish.
Bento boxes from 500 yen • 10am-9pm
36. Hiking the mysterious Takinoo Path – Nikko
Distance: 5 km | Casual hiking experience
Nikko, one of the most popular weekend trips from Tokyo, is home to a smorgasbord of World Heritage shrines and temples. Starting at the famous red Shinkyo Bridge, Nikko's Takinoo Path takes walkers up and around famous tourist sites like Toshogu Shrine and Futarasan Temple. Rather than just heading straight into these busy tourist spots though, the route goes into a pristine forest course that takes you to off-the-beaten-track shrines and temples. Many of these are also World Heritage sites, but as they require a bit of a hike they unfortunately get missed by most day-trippers from Tokyo.
Starting and ending points
First you’ll need to get to Tobu-Nikko Station from Asakusa in Tokyo. It takes about two hours, and it’s recommended to get a Tobu Nikko pass, which includes a return on the trains plus unlimited use of the buses. Purchase at tobu.co.jp. If you have a Japan Rail Pass, head to Utsunomiya on the Shinkansen and transfer for a train to Nikko. Once in Nikko, take a local bus to the Shinkyo bus stop.
Places of interest
1) Shinkyo Bridge
One of Nikko’s many iconic sites that must be featured on countless postcards. It’s actually ranked as one of the three most beautiful in Japan.
Legend has it that a priest named Shodo Shonin was trying to cross the river, and was aided by a gigantic god who created a rainbow-colored bridge. Shonin went on to found many of the local shrines and temples in Nikko, and as the Takinoo Path traces a route he often used, you’ll see his name mentioned frequently in the historical information signs featured at most sites. Note that you don’t have to cross Shinkyo Bridge.
500 yen (to cross bridge) • 8:30am-4pm
2) Hongu Shrine
Our first World Heritage spot. One of the oldest structures in Nikko, Hongu is considered the birthplace of what eventually became Futarasan, a more famous shrine you’ll encounter later. Visitors will also come across a three-storied pagoda and a simple Shinto hall enshrining the Goddess of Mercy. I was the only one here the last time I visited.
Free • 24h
3) Kannon-do (San-no-Miya)
A little further up we reach Kaizan-do and Kannon-do to its side. It may seem a bit weird to see a Shinto gate in front of a Buddhist temple, but this was built in a time when the practices and religions were often combined.
Venturing around the back you’ll see six stone figures, which are Buddhist guardian deities. Other features include the Ying and Yang rocks, with a narrow rock representing the man, and the shorter, wider one representing a woman. Japanese people come here to pray for a safe childbirth.
Free • 24h
4) Kitano Shrine
It's mainly moss-lined stone paths from here, past old cedar trees, without a vending machine in sight. There are loads of random little shrines, halls and stone figures along the way. Kitano Shrine houses a scholar from the Heian period, as the God of Study.
A little further up you’ll pass the Dai-Shoben Kinzei monument. It used to be a notice telling past visitors not to relieve themselves around here, as it’s a holy place!
Free • 24h
5) Takinoo Shrine
The halfway point of the hike, Takinoo Shrine is a World Heritage site, just like the more famous shrines and temples in Nikko, so you’ll probably be amazed as to why there are so few people here. There are many things dotted around, such as sacred rock that answers prayers for safe births, waters that were said to produce some of the most delicious sake, and a luck testing gate too. If you manage to throw a stone through the gap at the top of this torii gate you get good luck, so give it a try if you can.
Free • 24h
7) Futarasan Shrine
The first of the Nikko biggies. Futarasan is dedicated to the deity of Mount Futarasan, a nearby mountain that has long been a place of worship for locals. Inside this World Heritage site are sweeping ‘irimoya’ Chinese roofs, lush gardens and two samurai swords that became official National Treasures.
300 yen • 8am-5pm
8) Toshogu Shrine
This one enshrines Tokugawa Ieyasu, Japan’s most famous samurai. Toshogu takes things up a notch with a magnificent five-story pagoda and Yomeimon Gate, covered in more than 500 intricate carvings of elders and mythical beasts. Be sure to check out the vibrant wood carvings, such as the ‘sleeping cats’, an elephant said to have been made by an artist who had never seen one, and of course the world-famous ‘three wise monkeys’.
1300 yen • 8am-5pm
9) Rinnoji Temple
Nikko’s most important Buddhist temple is also full to the brim with elaborate carvings and more colorful structures than you would find at standard Japanese temples. Inside, Sanbutsudo Hall contains gold statues several meters high, and there is also a treasure hall housing more statues of Buddha.
400-900 yen • 8am-4pm
Recommended cafe
Hongu Cafe is a cozy lodge under the towering trees of Hongu Shrine. The menu focuses on sweets using traditional Japanese ingredients like matcha and azuki beans.
Drinks from 500 yen, Japanese sweets from 550 yen • 10am-5pm • Closed on Thursdays
Recommended meal spot
Dine like a Meiji era aristocrat at Meiji No Yakata. Originally constructed as a Western style cottage for an American merchant, the building now houses this lovely restaurant, offering Western dishes that have been altered for Japanese tastes.
Meals usually 1800-3000 yen • 11am-7:30pm
