Tokyo Neighbourhood Guides

Pick the area, pick from the options, go where the mood takes you. These guides work as reference cards — dip in whenever you're nearby.

Shimokitazawa

Tokyo's indie neighbourhood. Vintage shopping, live music, record stores, great coffee, no chains. Like a small town inside the city.

Miura — tiny izakaya, no English, incredible
Bear Pond Espresso — famous Angel Stain latte
Haight & Ashbury — best vintage Levi's in Tokyo

Nakano Broadway

Retro shopping complex full of Mandarake stores — manga, vintage toys, collectibles. Also great for secondhand watch shopping. Less touristy than Akihabara.

Koenji

Tokyo's counterculture neighbourhood. Record shops, punk bars, vintage stores. More edge than Shimokitazawa.

Sokkyou Records — jazz, experimental, ambient
Koenji Look Street — dozens of vintage shops

Daikanyama

Tokyo's most sophisticated neighbourhood. T-Site bookshop, great coffee, boutiques, architecture. Very calm, not many tourists.

T-Site Daikanyama — the most beautiful bookshop in the world
Onibus Coffee — best coffee in Tokyo

Ginza

Tokyo's luxury district. Department stores, galleries, flagships. The basement food halls (depachika) are worth a trip alone.

Dover Street Market Ginza — six floors of extraordinary curation
Muji Ginza Flagship — biggest Muji in the world
Itoya Stationery — 12 floors of pens and paper

Akihabara

Electric Town. Anime, manga, gaming, electronics. Great for teenagers. Mandarake Complex, Super Potato retro gaming, Yodobashi Camera.

Asakusa

Old Tokyo around Sensoji Temple. Go super early morning. River cruise down the Sumida to Hama-rikyu Gardens, then walk into Ginza.

Nakameguro

Tokyo's coolest neighbourhood. Canal lined with cherry blossoms in spring, independent shops year-round. Onibus Coffee, Traveler's Factory, Cow Books.

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