Every now and then we invite a Tokyo resident to share their favorite Tokyo venues in this vast, cellular city. These guides are meant to be intimate, deep-dives into Tokyo’s many small neighborhoods. You won’t find these cafes, bars, bookshops or galleries in your typical guidebook. The guides are created in Jauntful and are viewable online but also printable. Let us take your hand and show you our Tokyo.
For some, Shimbashi, located south of Tokyo Station, smells a little stale: where old people go to do old people things. But for illustrator Shinji Tsuchimochi, the artist behind the popular book 100 Views of Tokyo, it’s a hidden trove of small bars and eateries that hearken back to a more traditional Tokyo.
Tsuchimochi takes us through the backstreets of Shimbashi and introduces us to some of his favorites spots including some that were inspirations for his illustrations of Tokyo. Pro-tip: what makes Shimbashi so great is it’s accessibility. Once you’re done you can keep walking west to Zozoji Temple, Tokyo Tower or Hibiya Park. Or you can go the opposite direction and get to Tsukiji.
In the last 10 years Koenji has transformed from quiet Tokyo suburb to trendy hotspot. It became the heart of the anti-nuclear protests in 2011, its Awa Dance Festival in August has been attracting record visitors (close to 1 million last year) and Haruki Murakami chose the neighborhood as a setting for his novel 1Q84.
Explore Koenji with one of its foremost experts, Ryutaro Seki. The DJ and Shinto priest has lived in there for the last 35 years and when he’s not managing the family’s Shinto Shrine in Northern Koenji he’s organizing musical events and performances around town. you can follow him on twitter.
Craig Mod is a designer and writer who has lived in Tokyo for over a decade. “My experiences there,” he writes, “are so deeply layered that I consider the city a hometown of sorts.” But don’t look for him too hard because he divides his time between here, New York and San Francisco. But you can follow him on twitter.
Johnny is the founder and editor of Spoon & Tamago. At the age of 1 his parents uprooted him from New York and relocated to Koenji. Five years later they moved to the Musashino neighborhood, a Western suburb in Tokyo, where Johnny would spend the next 10+ years of his adolescent life. You can follow him on twitter.
Here is Spoon & Tamago's official Tokyo Guide. We've taken all the places we love (and think you'll love) and divided them into 6 different categories. Play around with the filter to discover some of Tokyo's best kept secrets and talked-about hot spots:
Myaku-Myaku Footwear, Inspired by the Googly-Eyed Mascot for the Osaka Expo
Japan Quietly Shines at Milan Design Week
Demographics Professor Warns that by 2531, Everyone in Japan Will be Named Sato
Shunga: Japanese Erotic Art from the 1600s – 1800s
Japan’s Stationery Award Offers a Return to the Primitive
