I found this at the Staff Lounge giveaway corner. What a great find! Maybe no one reads guidebooks these days as they frolic in the convenience of online forums, but this guidebook provides authentic insights into Tokyo.
How do I know this? Where else can you find a book that describes Tokyo Skytree as warped and swollen? I’m sure this is a translated edition of the Japanese version!
Anyway, this guidebook is a treasure trove. I always like how the information is not concentrated in one descriptive paragraph. Unlike English guide books, there are lots of photos and maps and illustrations that pack a punch in terms of presentation. Fun and informative. What sets it apart from other books is the interviews uncovering the thought processes of various professionals on topics like architecture. The Japanese human mind is intricate and thoughtful. I love it!
Other insights I extracted and rewrote in my irrepressible style:
- Take time to explore shitamachi (lower city), which showcases quaint streets and alleys that still retain the remnants of how common folks lived their lives before World War II
- One-hand gourmet (meals you can hold in one hand). Likewise, hitokuchigashi (one-bite wagashi)
- About 10,000 trees donated from all parts of Japan can be found at Meiji-Jingu Shrine
- Tokyo Skytree was built using traditional curve construction techniques, so as it goes upward, its shape changes from planar to circular.
- Visit Seiji Togo Memorial Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Museum of Art, even if you are not into art. Marvel at Tokyo Skytree and Tokyo Tower at the same time since it is located on the 42nd floor and offers a panoramic view.
- Ginza is an attraction so entrenched in the hearts of shoppers that there is a term to describe strolling around its streets: Ginbura.
- If you want to observe the stream of people rushing about their lives at the Shibuya scramble crossing, you can patronise either the L’Occitane Cafe Shibuya Shop or the Starbucks Coffee Shibuya Tsutaya Shop.
- Gourmet enthusiasts can tuck into dishes made from fresh ingredients sourced from all over Japan at d47 Shokudo at Shibuya Hikarie.
- Robot Restaurant boasts the only robot show in the world.
- If you are into Super Mario, you can ride on the streets of Shibuya using irresistibly cute and colourful karts.
- Fashionistas can marry their passion for anime and fashion together when they visit Nail Salon VenusRico to get themselves exquisite nails adorned with anime characters.
- If you speak decent Japanese, you may want to visit Detective Cafe PROGRESS at night. Manned by actual detectives who founded this cafe as a means of connecting with the public, it’s a great spot to get acquainted with the workings of the detective mind.
- Never knew that there are onsens in Tokyo. But there are two such facilities: Odaiba Tokyo Ooedo-Onsen Monogatari and Maenohara Onsen Saya-no-yudokoro.
