Landing in Tokyo is like landing on another planet, with few or no familiar faces.
But don’t let that put you off.
There are many reasons why it should be on your 2025 bucket list – and ten of them are below, from sumo wrestling to fascinating temples and world-class hotels.
GETTING AROUND IS A cinch
The city is safe and easy to navigate: the metro signs are in English and the lines are color-coded.
IT IS A POWERFUL BUDGET
It’s incredibly cheap. In this year’s Post Office Travel Money report, Japan topped the list as the cheapest long-haul destination, thanks to the pound performing well against the Japanese yen.
SUMO WRESTLING
Harriet Sime watches a sumo wrestling match in Tokyo (file image) and says ‘it’s exciting to experience such an ancient and traditionally secret sport up close’
Sumo wrestling as a spectator sport is seeing growing interest among foreign tourists in Tokyo, resulting in dining experiences popping up all over the city during the official sumo tournaments (basho), which take place six times a year (January, May and September). , are not in action.
At the Asakusa Sumo Club in the heart of Tokyo, tourists sit on tables around a 4.5-meter-wide clay-filled ring known as a ‘donyu’ to watch two former professional sumo wrestlers face off in a competition of three rounds.
The two-hour interactive show begins with a traditional geisha dance before the MC introduces the wrestlers and guests are presented with sake and trays of chanko-nabe – a hearty chicken and shiitake mushroom stew traditionally eaten by wrestlers, along with edamame and tofu. -packed rice and fried chicken. Before the first round begins, the wrestlers, dressed in red and black mawashis, throw handfuls of salt into the ring as a symbol of good luck.
And then they move away, pushing, punching and grabbing in an attempt to maneuver each other to the ground or out of the ring (winning techniques).
It’s exciting to experience such an ancient and traditionally secret sport up close – and a must-visit when exploring Japan (getyourguide.co.uk).
WORLD CLASS HOTELS
Harriet checks into Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo At Otemachi
There’s a lot of competition when it comes to luxury hotels in Tokyo, but one hotel that stands out among the five-star crowd is Four Seasons Tokyo in Otemachi.
Occupying the top six floors of a 39-storey apartment building, the site offers the best of both worlds – right in the heart of the city’s busy, skyscraper-filled financial district, yet just meters from the 280-acre expanse of the Imperial Palace, where the emperor and his family live, and which can be explored on foot for free.
The hotel offers probably one of the best breakfast buffets in the world (think fried local treats from the on-site bakery, trays of miso soup and udon noodles topped with salmon roe, bubbling on tap). But beware: it’s virtually impossible to tear yourself away from the expansive spa, with five treatment rooms, Japanese-style pools and a 20-metre pool with sweeping views over the city (you can see Mount Fuji on a clear day ). day).
Fancy a ride on the bullet train? Tokyo Station, where bullet trains whiz by every two to three minutes, is just a 10-minute walk away (fourseasons.com/otemachi).
SHIBUYA CROSS
Shibuya Crossing stops all cars every 80 seconds as up to 3,000 people wait for the lights to turn green before scrambling in all directions across five crosswalks
A visit to Tokyo, one of the busiest intersections in the world, isn’t complete without a trip to Shibuya. Instead of directing the flow of cars and pedestrians at the same time, the Shibuya Crossing stops all cars every 80 seconds while up to 3,000 people wait for the light to turn green before scrambling in all directions across five crosswalks.
Yes, it’s full of tourists, but that adds to the chaos. For the best vantage point, go to the Starbucks on the north corner and have a cup of coffee while watching the ant-like figures running around below.
The intersection is most impressive after dark on Friday or Saturday evenings, when the crowds are at their greatest and neon-lit by the signs and flashing TV screens above.
TSUKJI FISH MARKET
Harriet at the Tsukji Fish Market, one of the world’s largest fish trading centers
Hundreds of tightly packed traders sell an encyclopedic array of creatures – some dead, some alive – at the Tsukji Fish Market, one of the world’s largest fish trading centers.
Make sure you dine at one of the restaurants spilling out from the market stalls, most of which specialize in, you guessed it, seafood.
Not a fan of fish? There’s plenty on offer for meat lovers and vegetarians, from smoker stalls with plates of marbled Wagyu beef to counters stacked with omelettes on sticks (in fact, every variety of food seems to be presented on wooden sticks).
There is also a range of specialist gift shops, selling everything from kitchen knives to wellington boots.
To get the most out of it, you need at least three hours.
MEIJI JINGU TEMPLE
Choose Meiji Jingu (above) over the packed Senso Ji Temple, says Harriet
Tokyo’s largest shrine is dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken, whose reign (1868–1912) coincided with Japan’s transformation from an isolationist state to a modern nation.
The main shrine is built of cypress wood and is set in a wooded forest, but occupies only a small part of the vast forested grounds, which contain some 120,000 trees collected from all over Japan, and several towering wooden torii (entrance gates). If you go here on a Saturday, you might be able to attend a local wedding, where a procession follows the bride, who is dressed in a white hood, called a wataboshi, and walks under a giant red parasol. It feels a world away from the nearby neon-drenched districts of Shibuya and Shinjuka.
Exit the south gate and you’ll pass a huge wall of beautifully painted hanging sake barrels, donated by brewers of the national drink from all over Japan. (It’s also a beautiful place for photos.)
Choose Meiji Jingu instead of the crowded Senso Ji Temple (the city’s most visited). Controversial, I know…
BULLET TRAIN
Hop on a bullet train in Tokyo for a fast ride through cities, farms and past snow-capped Mount Fuji
The Japanese people did not invent, but perfected, train travel.
Instantly recognizable by its distinctive sloping nose and sweeping aerodynamic curves, the Shinkansen was the world’s first high-speed train and quickly became known as the bullet train. The trains travel at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, whizzing passengers on bento boxes through towns, farms and past snow-capped Mount Fuji. The carriages are quiet, spacious and offer reversible seats.
If you’re traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto, pre-select a seat on the right for views of Fuji.
Thrift stores
With the pound strong against the yen, there has never been a better time to buy some cheap vintage clothes in Tokyo. A former farming village in the city’s west, Shimokitazawa is a hip creative neighborhood with a lingering old-Tokyo vibe and one of the largest concentrations of thrift stores in the city.
Narrow, mural-painted streets are lined with coffee shops and stylish stores full of vintage clothing, battered books and vinyl records.
Be sure to visit Flamingo, Joe’s New York Exchange and Chicago, all of which house carefully organized racks of clothing to suit every style and subculture. It’s the perfect antidote to hectic city life.
VIEWS, VIEWS, VIEWS
As you step into a high-rise building or a rooftop bar, you are bound to be awed and inspired as the vast landscape of Tokyo unfolds and stretches far into the land beyond, as if you have landed on a planet of endless cities.
Dress for cocktails at Park Hyatt Tokyo – which was featured in Lost in Translation – on your first night in Tokyo. A perfect introduction to one of the world’s best cities.
Landing in Tokyo is like landing on another planet, with few or no familiar faces, says Harriet