Like all good travelers, you arrive in Japan clutching your must-see list, but one of the best things about Tokyo is the great experiences you can have just roaming around. The neighborhoods around the star attractions often deliver delights that are just as memorable as the thing that brought you there.
Here are the other Perfect Days in Tokyo, designed around only-in-Japan things I can’t let you leave without experiencing:
And here’s the new one, especially for Japanagram subscribers!
Perfect Day #7
The world’s most immersive digital museum, PLUS…
Destination: TeamLab Borderless
Side Quests: Tomo Museum, Zojo-ji Temple, Tokyo Tower, Memento Mori
TeamLab Borderless
You can’t come all the way to Tokyo and miss the world’s most incredible digital art museum.
From the ever-moving artworks that roam through the halls, so no room is ever the same twice…
to the infinity room of bubble spheres…
and the other immersive light and music wonders on display…
this is an only-in-Japan experience not to be missed. (Lots more info here, but Borderless is well worth the advance planning to go online, book your time slot, and buy your tickets. They tend to sell out, so it’s not a great idea to just show up and hope to get in.)
Once you’ve been wowed by Borderless, you may think everything else is sure to be a letdown, but think again! Right nearby are some very different—but also spectacular—only-in-Japan things to do and see:
An art museum that’s a work of art
A temple with hundreds of pinwheel-spinning Jizos,
Tokyo Tower’s killer view,
&
The all-cacao mixology bar
Here’s why they’re all worth seeing…
Tomo Museum
I love Japanese pottery & ceramics, and I think the Tomo Museum is the most fabulous ceramic art museum in all of Japan. It doesn’t just showcase exquisite works of art by Japan’s most gifted artists, it’s a work of art in itself.
I guarantee you’ll swoon over whatever is on display…
but after lingering in the spotlit galleries that artfully frame the works from every angle, you’ll also be relaxed and energized from spending time in this lovely place
•
Next, let’s amble over to one of the most iconic temples immortalized by woodblock artists…
Zōjō-ji Temple
My favorite thing here is to walk among the hundreds of red-capped Jizo figures with their spinning pinwheels.
Many of these are lovingly cared for by family members, and have their own personalities.
Stay to see one of the best ancient-meets-modern Tokyo sights of all: the centuries-old temple with Tokyo Tower in the background
•
Tokyo Tower
You can’t walk through this neighborhood without taking a few snaps of Tokyo Tower—exactly like the famous Paris landmark, except it’s orange and slightly taller.
If you’re there on a weekend of holiday, it will be lit up in colored lights, and if you spring for a ride up to the observation platform, you’ll be rewarded by an amazing 360° view of Tokyo, which is well worth seeing even without the projection mapping light show designed by Tokyo’s other famous projection mapping company, Naked.
•
And finally, let’s hop the train to the next station over and get a nightcap at Memento Mori! This mixology bar is about all things cacao…and (because Japan) it’s not a mere festival of chocolate drinks. The mixologist owner seriously explores everything cacao, from the bean juice to the husk, and blends them into delicious drinks that are like nothing you’ve ever tasted before—many are fruity, herbal and not at all sweet!
Memento Mori
•
Here are some details, so you can plan your day:
TeamLab Borderless: Open every day, 9:00-21:00
Musee Tomo: 11:00-18:00, closed Monday
Zojo-ji Temple: Open every day, 9:00-17:00
Tokyo Tower: Open every day, 9:00-20:30
Memento Mori: Monday-Friday 16:00-21:00, Saturday 2:00-21:00, closed Sunday
For more special days in Tokyo, check out these combos from my travel site
The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had:
If you know someone who’s planning a trip to Japan, send them to all the fun places I take my friends when they come to town:
Like all good travelers, you arrive in Japan clutching your must-see list, but one of the best things about Tokyo is the great experiences you can have just roaming around. The neighborhoods around the star attractions often deliver delights that are just as memorable as the thing that brought you there.
Here are the other Perfect Days in Tokyo, designed around only-in-Japan things I can’t let you leave without experiencing:
And here’s the new one, especially for Japanagram subscribers!
Perfect Day #7
The world’s most immersive digital museum, PLUS…
Destination: TeamLab Borderless
Side Quests: Tomo Museum, Zojo-ji Temple, Tokyo Tower, Memento Mori
TeamLab Borderless
You can’t come all the way to Tokyo and miss the world’s most incredible digital art museum.
From the ever-moving artworks that roam through the halls, so no room is ever the same twice…
to the infinity room of bubble spheres…
and the other immersive light and music wonders on display…
this is an only-in-Japan experience not to be missed. (Lots more info here, but Borderless is well worth the advance planning to go online, book your time slot, and buy your tickets. They tend to sell out, so it’s not a great idea to just show up and hope to get in.)
Once you’ve been wowed by Borderless, you may think everything else is sure to be a letdown, but think again! Right nearby are some very different—but also spectacular—only-in-Japan things to do and see:
An art museum that’s a work of art
A temple with hundreds of pinwheel-spinning Jizos,
Tokyo Tower’s killer view,
&
The all-cacao mixology bar
Here’s why they’re all worth seeing…
Tomo Museum
I love Japanese pottery & ceramics, and I think the Tomo Museum is the most fabulous ceramic art museum in all of Japan. It doesn’t just showcase exquisite works of art by Japan’s most gifted artists, it’s a work of art in itself.
I guarantee you’ll swoon over whatever is on display…
but after lingering in the spotlit galleries that artfully frame the works from every angle, you’ll also be relaxed and energized from spending time in this lovely place
•
Next, let’s amble over to one of the most iconic temples immortalized by woodblock artists…
Zōjō-ji Temple
My favorite thing here is to walk among the hundreds of red-capped Jizo figures with their spinning pinwheels.
Many of these are lovingly cared for by family members, and have their own personalities.
Stay to see one of the best ancient-meets-modern Tokyo sights of all: the centuries-old temple with Tokyo Tower in the background
•
Tokyo Tower
You can’t walk through this neighborhood without taking a few snaps of Tokyo Tower—exactly like the famous Paris landmark, except it’s orange and slightly taller.
If you’re there on a weekend of holiday, it will be lit up in colored lights, and if you spring for a ride up to the observation platform, you’ll be rewarded by an amazing 360° view of Tokyo, which is well worth seeing even without the projection mapping light show designed by Tokyo’s other famous projection mapping company, Naked.
•
And finally, let’s hop the train to the next station over and get a nightcap at Memento Mori! This mixology bar is about all things cacao…and (because Japan) it’s not a mere festival of chocolate drinks. The mixologist owner seriously explores everything cacao, from the bean juice to the husk, and blends them into delicious drinks that are like nothing you’ve ever tasted before—many are fruity, herbal and not at all sweet!
Memento Mori
•
Here are some details, so you can plan your day:
TeamLab Borderless Digital Museum: Open every day, 8:00 – 17:30
Tomo Museum: Open every day, 10:00 – 20:00 (except Tuesdays, when it closes at 16:00)
Zōjō-ji Temple: Open 24 hours
Tokyo Tower: Open every day, 9:00 – 22:30
Memento Mori Bar: Open every day, Sat & Sun 14:00 – 22:00, Mon – Fri 16:00 – 22:00
For more special days in Tokyo, check out these combos from my travel site
The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had:
If you know someone who’s planning a trip to Japan, send them to all the fun places I take my friends when they come to town:
•
Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly Japanagram newsletter, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
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