Shinjuku, just after rain
The city switches on, one window at a time.
Dusk over the western towers. From up here the whole metropolis looks like something you could pick up in two hands.
Nakamise street, Asakusa
Lanterns all the way down.
Paper lanterns lean over a shopping street that has been selling the same souvenirs for three hundred years.
Sensō-ji, Asakusa
A temple older than the city around it.
Through the gate: incense, stone, and a five-storey pagoda that has been rebuilt more than once and never moved.
Shibuya crossing
Four hundred people, one green light.
The screens change colour and everyone moves at once. It only looks like chaos from above.
Odaiba waterfront
The last train, the last ferry, the last light.
Across the bay the towers keep their lights on. Pick a district, walk it slowly, and be back before the trains stop.
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Districts
Six places worth slowing down for
The flight crosses the city in five minutes. These take longer — each one is a short walk from a station on the loop.
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Shibuya Crossing
The world’s busiest pedestrian scramble. Cross it once, then watch it from the window above.
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Sensō-ji
Tokyo’s oldest temple, reached through a shopping street strung with paper lanterns.
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Nakamise Street
Two hundred metres of stalls under awnings, selling fans, sembei and the same lucky charms since 1688.
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Tsukiji Outer Market
Narrow lanes of seafood stalls, knife shops and tamagoyaki on sticks, open well before dawn.
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Rainbow Bridge
The suspension span over the bay, lit white in winter and warm gold the rest of the year.
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Odaiba Seaside Park
A boardwalk, a small beach, and a skyline that turns its lights on across the water.
Food
Four things to eat standing up
Every one of these is a counter, a cart or a window. Order, eat it there, hand the sticks back.
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Tonkotsu ramen
Pork bone broth simmered overnight, thin noodles, a marinated soft egg on top.
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Takoyaki
Octopus batter balls turned with a pick until crisp, then painted with sauce and bonito flakes.
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Yakitori
Charcoal-grilled skewers, salted or glazed, eaten standing at the counter.
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Melon pan
A sweet bun under a thin cookie crust, warm from the case, usually eaten walking.