My 3 favourite neighborhoods in Tokyo

Tokyo is a conglomerate of neighborhoods

Tokyo is a huge metropole, as I told you in my previous post ’20 things you did not know about Tokyo’.

Exploring Tokyo you realize that in fact this metropole is a conglomerate of neighborhoods and best to be discovered as such.

Each of the neighborhoods in Tokyo has it’s own characteristics. It’s like they are all (smaller or bigger) villages on their own.

Distances between neighborhoods are often too far to walk, but thanks to Tokyo’s fantastic public transport, it is easy to get from one hood to the other.

My 3 favourite neighborhoods in Tokyo

My 3 favourite neigborhoods in Tokyo are the ones that are more off the beaten track:

1. Shimokita(-zawa)
   What a charming little bohemian enclave this is!!! There’s such a peaceful, relaxed vibe in this small hipster village.
   Filled with cute shops and cafes. Lots of vintage clothing. Street art in the form of shutter graffiti. Low-rise buildings. Streets filled with a young fashionable crowd.
   

   Shimokita Garage Department. More about this cool place in a separate blog post about shopping in Tokyo.

   And it’s cheap there, compared to more touristy neighborhoods like e.g. Shibuya.

2. Koenji
   Maybe not as charming as Shimokita, but interesting as well.! This area is filled with cute shops, (lots of) hair salons, cafes and bars and restaurants. What I like is the mixed crowd and the mixed character of this area. There are almost no tourists. Lots of ‘local neighborhood’ shops, between the hip and cool ones. Many elderly people in the streets and lots of locals biking through the narrow streets.
   Stuff’s also cheaper here than in the more central areas.
   

   One of the many cool shops in Koenji’s narrow streets.

   

   Enjoying a cappuccino on the terrace of a cute cafe in Koenji.

   3. Kagurazaka
   On sundays, the main street of Kagurazaka, Kagurazaka Slope, is pedestrianized from 12-19. It is a lovely, leafy street, going from the bottom to the top of a hill (or vice versa, of course;-)).

   

   Pedestrian sunday on Kagurazaka Slope.

   Around the main street is a maze of narrow streets and tiny alleys on both sides, ideal for wandering and getting lost.

   

   French restaurant with terrace in one of Kagurazaka’s alleys

   This neighborhood is known as Tokyo’s French Quarter, since there are many French expats living here. They are there, due to the presence of two French schools. Because of that, you can find many French-oriented cafes and restaurants in this hood. We had lunch in a pizzeria though. Nice.

   

   Having lunch in an Italian restaurant in Kagurazaka.

   The area is also known for it’s geisha history and it seems that most of Tokyos remaining geishas are to be found in Kagurazaka. We saw many women in kimono on the sunday we strolled around there, but none in full Geisha look. As a matter of fact, we have not seen any geisha’s in Tokyo at all. It seems Kyoto is much better for spotting geisha’s. Ah well, that’s for another trip then.

   

   Women in kimono.

   All in all a nice, relaxing neighbourhood. Oh, and we ran into a large group doing the Awa Odori dance on the streets. Also known as Fool’s Dance. Very entertaining! Pics will follow in a separate post.

Three more Tokyo neighborhoods not to miss

Other areas that I recommend are three better-known, more touristy neigborhoods:

4. Harajuku
I guess everybody has heard of this part of Tokyo. Known as the center of cute, kawaii, over-the-top youth culture. Think of Manga, Cosplay, Harajuku, dressing up. Think of pink, loud, more is more, costumes, glitter… you will see lots of it in Harajuku’s shops and streets.
There is the very ‘loud’ and commercial Takeshita Dori (dori=street).

Beginning of Takeshita-dori.

Window display in Takeshita Dori, Harajuku. A unicorn wearing tiny hiking boots, a pink, furry plaid and a peace-sign, next to a mannequin wearing insane pink platforms. So wonderfully over-the-top!

Another street I really loved was Cat Street. Very cool and stylish. This street and area reminded me of charming Garuso-Gil area in Seoul.

Cat Street, Harajuku.

Both Takeshita Dori and Cat street are side streets from Omotesando, Tokyo’s Champs-Elysees. This main road is lined with architectural gems, designed to house major brands like Hermes, Chanel and Swarovski. On this street you also find Moshi Moshi Box. This building houses not only a Tourist Information Centre, but is worth a visit besides that. For one, it has free wifi; something that is scarce in Tokyo. On the outside there is a big world clock designed by Harajuku kawaii impresario Sebastian Masuda. It definitely is an eye-catcher. And look, Singapore has it’s own clock here!

Moshi Moshi Box with its super colorful kawaii world clock.

5. Shibuya
Shibuya is known for Hachiko, the most loyal dog in the world. His statue is there, in front of the station. Man, I cried so hard watching the movie that is made about him. (“Hachi - a dog’s tale”)

Statue of Hachiko, the famous loyal dog.

The area is popular and famous for many things, other than Hachiko. E.g. for Shibuya Crossing, the world’s busiest crossing. All guidebooks advice you to go up to the 2nd level Starbucks there to look down on the masses crossing over. But the window seats are often taken. My advice is to find another high point to check it out, like L’Occitane cafe. (second floor)
And ofcourse Shibuya is great for shopping, like in Tokyo Hands, Shibuya 109 and LOFT, to name just a few shops and malls.
I really liked Spanish Slope aka Supeinzaka. That is a narrow, 100 meter long pedestrian street with stairs leading up to the Parco Department Store. Cute shops and cafes everywhere.

Entrance to Spanish Slope in Shibuya.

I was also taken by the Kamiyama-cho area. Much more quiet than the heart of Shibuya, but with lots of cool shops, eateries and bars. Look for Udagawacho street. Walk along Koen-dori aka Park street, and walk back through the alley behind it. It runs parallel to Koen-dori and has shops, bars and restaurants too.

One of Kamiyama’s many, small boutiques.

6. Shinjuku
Some of the highlights of this area: Yakitori Alley, Golden Gai, Robot Restaurant, Isetan, Lumine 1 and 2 malls, Takashimaya Times Square with Tokyu Hands, NY Grill bar Park Hyatt.

3 neighborhoods in Tokyo that seem worthwhile

Although we had 9 days, we still did not manage to visit all the areas that were on my bucket list, so I hope I’ll be able to revisit Tokyo at one point to explore the rest. In particular:

7. Yoyogiuehara, from which they say it has ‘old world charm’
8. Daikanyama, said to be the Brooklyn of Tokyo
9. Asakusa, with it’s temples, shops and riverside parks

Which are your favorite neighborhoods in Tokyo?