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JAPAN
Finding Tokyo’s Hidden Soul
Beyond the Neon
By Jody Robbins
Cool water swirls around my bare ankles as digital koi fish dart between my legs—my first clue that this will be no ordinary museum visit. Unlike traditional galleries where touching is forbidden, teamLab Planets demands full sensory immersion. I dry my feet and step into the next chamber, where shimmering projections of glitter rain down like a techno fever dream, responding to my every gesture. In another room, I sprawl across a field of virtual flowers, watching petals spiral overhead in an ever-changing kaleidoscope that pulses with the collective energy of everyone in this digital garden.
Welcome to Tokyo, where neon dreams collide with ancient traditions and memories crystallize in pixels and light. Twenty-five years ago, I explored this metropolis as a wide-eyed English teacher living in rural Japan. Now, I’ve returned with my university-aged daughter, but instead of racing through tourist bucket lists, I plan to leave space for serendipity to work its magic.
Morning Rituals at the Fish Market
Certain Tokyo experiences remain unavoidable crowd-magnets. TeamLab Planets tops that list, though timed entry tickets keep things manageable. The daily fish auction at Toyosu Market ranks as another packed-to-the-gills bucket list experience (snag tickets early). I’ve discovered it’s an efficient way to leverage jet lag.
Even if you miss the frenzied auctioneers barking over glistening tuna, there’s plenty to devour. The market’s upper-level sushi restaurants transform the morning’s bounty from ocean to plate within hours. You’ll need cash at most spots, but it’s worth every yen to rub shoulders with wholesalers and porters while feasting on sushi so impossibly fresh and sweet it tastes like ocean candy.
Wandering through maze-like hallways, searching for our exit, my daughter spots a sign for a rooftop garden. Could it be private? Turns out it’s public, but we have the entire space to ourselves, soaking up early morning port views while walking off our sushi feast barefoot on real grass. Proof that stepping away from tourist trails leads to the most gratifying surprises.
Ueno’s Quiet Revelations
Tokyo’s coolest discoveries don’t always flash across Instagram feeds. Zig while everyone else zags, and you’ll uncover moments of pure delight that remind you this city doesn’t have to be all hustle and bustle. This revelation hits me while wandering through Ueno Park, where we stumble upon Toshogu Shrine tucked between the green space’s cultural treasures.
Built in 1627 to honour the Tokugawa shogunate’s founder, this Shinto sanctuary stands as one of Tokyo’s few survivors—weathering fires, war, and the devastating 1923 earthquake. Incense drifts lazily through the sacred space as we meander between bronze lanterns gifted by feudal lords centuries ago. The only sound is gravel crunching beneath our feet.
While strolling beneath the park’s canopy of cherry and ginkgo trees carries its own magic, a single afternoon can deliver you to world-class cultural doorsteps. The National Museum of Nature and Science brings Japan’s innovations to life through interactive exhibits and life-size whales. The National Museum of Western Art showcases Monet, Van Gogh, and Rodin masterpieces within a Le Corbusier-designed building. Meanwhile, Tokyo National Museum, Japan’s oldest and largest, houses treasures spanning samurai armour to ancient Buddhist sculptures and delicate kimonos.
Bargain Hunting Before Communal Soaks
From Ueno, we drift to Ameya Yokocho, a shopping arcade more appealing to serious bargain hunters than Harajuku’s costume party atmosphere. This historic bazaar becomes TV-famous every New Year when reporters hunt down Japan’s cheapest melons, but year-round, it’s where locals score genuine deals. We leave clutching discounted beauty products, ASICS sneakers at half the price, and a “Happy Smile Life” T-shirt that perfectly captures Tokyo’s infectious optimism.
After absorbing the market’s kinetic energy, we speed back to Mitsui Garden Hotel Ginza-gochome, chosen for its prime location, reasonable rates, and that magical amenity—a communal bath. If there’s a better way to decompress after Tokyo’s sensory overload, I haven’t discovered it.
The ritual flows simply: scrub thoroughly at your individual shower stall with complimentary toiletries, then slip into the blissfully hot communal bath. An unspoken camaraderie exists among fellow soakers, a shared appreciation for this nightly Japanese tradition. Padding back to my room in hotel-provided pyjamas, I realize I’ve never felt so squeaky clean or deeply relaxed.
Hidden Shrines and Secret Gardens
It’s also very doable to seek balance in Tokyo’s quieter spiritual corners. For starters, Akasaka Hikawa Jinja is where centuries-old trees shelter a shogun’s personal shrine in blissful solitude.
Tokyo harbours its own mesmerizing tunnel of vermillion torii gates at Nezu Shrine. This spiritual sanctuary delivers dazzle without the crowds, proving Tokyo’s best secrets often hide in plain sight.
While we sampled our share of shoyu ramen, Instagram-famous soufflé pancakes, and impossibly tender katsu sandos, our most memorable meal unfolded at Hotel Chinzanso’s epic buffet featuring unlimited sushi, beef tenderloin, and fresh seafood. The hotel grounds have enchanted visitors for centuries, and after our feast, we slip into its historic garden.
Mossy stone paths wind past trickling waterfalls and towering camphor trees, creating a dreamlike escape from Tokyo’s relentless energy. The glow of bamboo lanterns guides us to a three-storey pagoda, where we witness the nightly mist display that envelops the garden in a sea of clouds.
Where Ancient Meets Modern
The next day reveals another urban oasis hiding near bustling Tsukiji Outer Market. Hama-rikyu Gardens’ English pamphlet promises this former Imperial retreat is “Where sea breeze blows as a reminder of the Edo era.” Despite the charmingly Japanese-style phrasing, they’re absolutely right.
Positioned beside the Sumida River flowing from Tokyo Bay, the ocean air kisses our skin. Pebble paths weave through centuries-old black pines sculpted by patient gardeners into living art, their branches reaching with deliberate grace against Tokyo’s gleaming skyline. Once again, we’ve stumbled into a hidden pocket of Tokyo—lush, quiet, and impossibly serene amid the metropolitan buzz.
That’s Tokyo for you. Turn one corner and find yourself hurtling through the 21st century; turn another and step through a portal to feudal Japan. In this city of constant contradiction and delightful surprise, the most extraordinary discoveries wait just beyond the obvious for those willing to veer off the neon-lit path.
Tower Tribute
Rising 333 metres above the bustling metropolis, Tokyo Tower isn’t the city’s tallest (that title goes to Tokyo Skytree), but this crimson structure has watched over the city since 1958. Climb to its observation decks for sweeping views that stretch from the Imperial Palace to Mount Fuji on clear days.
Did You Know?
Underneath the train tracks at Yurakucho, you’ll find hole-in-the-wall yakitori stalls where the smoke, sake, and local salarymen create the perfect after-work vibe. These casual spots, known as yokocho, are some of the best places to experience Tokyo’s local food scene, with affordable meat skewers, cold beer, and a welcoming, no-frills atmosphere.
