Page 23 - DreamScapes Magazine | Fall/Winter 2025

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.
PHOTOS: JODY ROBBINS | TOKYO CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU
exists among fellow soakers, a shared appreci-
ation 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 spir-
itual 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 impos-
sibly 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 water-
falls 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 dis-
coveries wait just beyond the obvious for those
willing to veer off the neon-lit path. DS
FALL/WINTER 2025 DREAMSCAPES 23