SHIBUYA, HARAJUKU & SHINJUKU
Exploring Tokyo’s wacky side is on the agenda today, and you’re straight into the thick of it, starting at the world’s busiest intersection in SHIBUYA. Aptly known as The Scramble, the SHIBUYA CROSSING is a famous network of pedestrian crossings outside Shibuya Station. Take the Hachiko Exit and join the throngs of people (up to 3000 during afternoon rush hour) that surge across every time the light goes green – it’s all very orderly, though, this being Japan and all. On the opposite side of the road, the second floor of Starbucks is a popular spot to watch the crowds from above.
It's one stop on the JR Yamanote Line, or a 20-minute walk straight up trendy Koen-dori (the road immediately to the left when you come out of Starbucks), to HARAJUKU, the epicentre of Tokyo’s pop-culture scene. If you’re walking, you’ll pass Jingu-Bashi Bridge on the way, where teenagers sometimes hang out in the latest variety of sub-culture street fashions; otherwise, make a beeline from the station for busy TAKESHITA-DORI, a colourful street awash with sweet shops, pink boutiques and stores selling all kinds of little kawaii (“cute”) trinkets. You probably won’t get too far along here before your kids are begging you for one of the giant rainbow-coloured candy-floss cones that every other person seems to be carrying – Totti Candy Factory does the best.
After the sensory overload of Takeshita-dori, nearby MEIJI-JINGU [open daily sunrise to sunset | free], a serene shrine in a tranquil wooded setting, provides the perfect antidote; it is dedicated to Emperor Meiji, considered the father of modern Japan. Enter the grounds through the huge torii gate just behind Harajuku Station and follow the gravel path past the offerings of sake barrels (bestowing good luck on the brewers) and round to the main complex. Here you can pay your respects – amongst other things, Meiji-jingu is a good place to pray for family safety – pick up an omamori lucky charm or write your wishes on an ema (a wooden tablet) and hang it alongside all the other requests dangling outside the main shrine building.
It’s probably lunchtime by now, so head north to the TAKASHIMAYA DEPARTMENT STORE in SHINJUKU, where you can pick up picnic provisions from the store’s amazing basement food hall – from the shrine’s northern entrance, follow the walkway (signposted “Yoyogi Station”) for 300m, then cut under the tracks by the station, turning left and then bearing left again onto Meiji-dori; Takashimaya is about 400m up here, on the left (around 15 minutes’ walk in total from Meiji-jingu’s northern torii). You can choose from sushi, sashimi, onigiri rice balls, swanky wagyu beef bento boxes and everything in between, plus there’s a Kit Kat store that specialises in unusual flavours such as strawberry cheesecake and green tea. Have your picnic up in Takashimaya’s rooftop gardens or take it to nearby SHINJUKU GYOEN [open daily sunrise to sunset | ¥500, students ¥250, under-16s free], one of Tokyo’s loveliest parks, especially if you’re here during cherry blossom season.
In the afternoon, head west to the TOKYO METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT BUILDING, where the spectacular city views from the towers’ observation decks [open daily until 10.30pm] are made all the better by the fact that they’re free. Tokyo stretches out into the distance, though the most remarkable sight is of Shinjuku just below you; come up here at dusk and you’ll see the district’s blanket of neon start flickering into life. The TMGB is just under 20 minutes’ walk from Takashiyama, mostly along Koshu-kaido; from Shinjuku Gyoen, you might want to take the Maranouchi Line from Shinjuku-Gyoemmae Station to Nishi-Shinjuku Station. To come full circle at the end of an active day, walk back to SHINJUKU STATION, the busiest train station in the world, for the metro ride to your hotel.
TOP TIP Harajuku is a great place to try one (or more) of Tokyo's cult CAFÉS, where food and drink play second fiddle to the theming. The most famous are the animal cafés, where you can pet a kitty over coffee (try Cat Café MOCHA Harajuku, one of the few cat cafés that allows under-13s) or feed some little hedgehogs their lunch or dinner (Harry Hedgehog Café). But you can also try the wacky Alice in Wonderland-esque Kawaii Monster Café or catch a show at the Robot Restaurant, a riotous extravaganza that’s best for older children.
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