I’m both trying to plan a trip from my family who are coming to visit this winter, and get into the habit of exploring the city again now that pandemic regulations are slowly being pulled back and events are actually happening again.
What are some of your favorite things to do in Tokyo that don’t make the “Tokyo guide book” so to speak? I’ll of course share some of mine as well.
If you’re into fighting games like Street Fighter or Guilty Gear, Shot Bar Lucy in Jinbocho runs events are throughout the week. It’s s really small and personal atmosphere, and a good way to meet people and practice Japanese. It seems that they’re operating fully again now.
It’s not exactly a secret, but Enoshima and Atami are incredibly fun places to visit during the summer. I took some friends to Enoshima when they came to visit and it ended up being the highlight of their trip.
If you’re into musical instruments, Ochanomizu has a really comprehensive collection of music shops. Guitars, brass, violins, synthesizers, etc. However if you’re specifically into synthesizers eurorack, FiveG music in Harajuku is the place to go.
Shimo-Kitazawa is apparently pretty popular for both used clothes shopping and small music clubs. Unfortunately I haven’t had a chance to check out the music clubs yet but my office is nearby and I have a good time walking around there on my lunch bags l breaks.
I just found out about a cafe space for indie game devs called asobu in Shibuya today. I’m gonna check it out sometime soon, but if your part of that scene it might be worth checking out.
Akihabara is obviously a huge tourist hotspot, and all the anime and video game stuff gets a lot of attention, but there’s a lot more that it has to offer if you dig past the surface. Maybe it’s because there haven’t been a lot of tourists, or maybe it’s just that it’s accessible, but I’ve enjoyed hanging out there a lot recently. Specifically, if you’re into building PCs or DIY electronics stuff, there are some fantastic shops. Everyone knows Retro Potato, but I think BEEP is a lesser known but arguably superior retro game shop. I know Akiba isn’t exactly a hidden gem but I’ll be honest I kinda wrote it off as “the place where you can buy anime figures” for too long.
That’s all I’ve got off the top of my head. I used to spend every weekend going out and exploring a new part of the city but the pandemic, WFH, and familiarity turned me into a bit of a shut-in. I’m looking forward to getting back out there again.
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