Tower Records in Shibuya gleams like a beacon, calling out to music and book lovers across the city and its inhabitant nationalities. It has recently gone under construction, so that what was once a peaceful book haven on the seventh floor has become a cool, sophisticated book/coffee shop on the 2nd. There are spaces for you to sit and read, with chargers for your laptop or phone, wooden floors, the best foreign book selection I’ve yet to see, and music which makes you stop and say “I LOVE that track!” The coffee shop serves taco rice, cakes, make-your-own hamburger sets and is decked out in a comfy, earthy style.

www.tower.jp
apan, Tokyo, Shibuya, Jinnan, １−２２−１４
+81 3 3496 3661
Google map: bit.ly/11odpBl

* Hollie is our Been there local for Tokyo. You can check out her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/tokyo-local-hollie-mantle.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/HollieMantle

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Go down to Yoyogi park on a Sunday afternoon and prepare to feel as though you’ve warped into a land without inhibitions. Just a 2 minute walk away from Harajuku station, men of indistinguishable age gather in a circle, wearing leather jackets, leather trousers, leather everything, and rock out to old tunes for the astonished eyes of the onlooking public. At some points it seems as though they’ve all gathered randomly, but then suddenly one will take centre stage and perform a solo dance and it begins to seem like a rehearsed, if not well oiled, routine.

Google map: bit.ly/WYRCCA

* Hollie is our Been there local for Tokyo. You can check out her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/tokyo-local-hollie-mantle.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/HollieMantle

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Go down to Yoyogi park on a Sunday afternoon and prepare to feel as though you’ve warped into a land without inhibitions. Just a 2 minute walk away from Harajuku station, men of indistinguishable age gather in a circle, wearing leather jackets, leather trousers, leather everything, and rock out to old tunes for the astonished eyes of the onlooking public. At some points it seems as though they’ve all gathered randomly, but then suddenly one will take centre stage and perform a solo dance and it begins to seem like a rehearsed, if not well oiled, routine.

Google map: bit.ly/11r8B20

* Hollie is our Been there local for Tokyo. You can check out her profile here:
www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/tokyo-local-hollie-mantle.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/HollieMantle

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Tower Records in Shibuya gleams like a beacon, calling out to music and book lovers across the city and its inhabitant nationalities. It has recently gone under construction, so that what was once a peaceful book haven on the seventh floor has become a cool, sophisticated book/coffee shop on the 2nd. There are spaces for you to sit and read, with chargers for your laptop or phone, wooden floors, the best foreign book selection I’ve yet to see, and music which makes you stop and say “I LOVE that track!” The coffee shop serves taco rice, cakes, make-your-own hamburger sets and is decked out in a comfy, earthy style.

www.tower.jp
2F, 1-22-14, Jinnan, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0041
+81 3-3496-3661
Google map: bit.ly/164yvHC

* Hollie is our Been there local for Tokyo. You can check out her profile here:
www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/tokyo-local-hollie-mantle.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/HollieMantle

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

Go on a week day to avoid the amazing mass of crowds pouring outside onto the street beside Omotesando Hills. If you’re a fan of the American branded ice cream then this shop wont disappoint. If you’ve never tried it you might want to dip in and see. I recommend getting your hands on some of the more daring and unusual flavours. Couch potato, a sweet potato based flavour, is definitely something I’ve yet to see on another menu in Tokyo ice cream shop menu!

Google map: bit.ly/UMwyub

* Hollie is our Been there local for Tokyo. You can check out her profile here:
www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/tokyo-local-hollie-mantle.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/HollieMantle

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

This stylish restaurant in Tokyo’s Daikanyama is decked out in dark wood, lending to the feeling of sitting out on the veranda of a holiday home. The restaurant is mid range with a modern European style menu. Think salads, fish plates, cheeses, pizzas and pasta. The portion sizes aren’t big, so in usual Japanese style I recommend ordering a few plates to share between two. With a great wine list and friendly, approachable staff this place makes for a great date spot or a posh lunch with friends.

16-15 Sarugakucho, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan
+81 3 6415 3232
Google map: bit.ly/VQXPe8

* Hollie is our Been there local for Tokyo. You can check out her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/tokyo-local-hollie-mantle.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/HollieMantle

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

For a younger crowd, one of the most appealing aspects of city living in Japan is the all night nature of the bars and clubs. Whether you go on a Tuesday night or a Saturday, the nightclubs are guaranteed to pull in a decent crowd. Muse nightclub is one of the places where any night of the week you can guarantee yourself a good time. Whether you’re a drinker, a dancer or a darts player, this multi story club offers entertainment on a variety of levels. Full of nooks, crannies and caves, you’re never left dry for somewhere to drink, sit and admire the crowd.

4-1-1 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo
+81 (0)3 5467 1188
Google map: bit.ly/U6OUpK

* Hollie is our Been there local for Tokyo. You can check out her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/tokyo-local-hollie-mantle.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/HollieMantle

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

A ride on the Lady Crystal can make an incredibly romantic date setting or a wonderful party venue, and is one of the best ways to get a really scenic night view of Tokyo’s Rainbow Bridge. There are a few different cruises to choose from: the lunch cruise (7,000yen), afternoon cruise (1,800 yen), the dinner cruise (12,500 yen) and the night cruise (3,800 all you can drink). The cruises are subject to good weather conditions and should probably be booked beforehand to avoid disappointment. I’d definitely recommend the one hour night cruise for an incredible view of the lit up bridge with the city lights nestled in the background.

www.crystal-yc.co.jp/
+81 3-3450-4300
Google map: bit.ly/TS8Aya

* Hollie is our Been there local for Tokyo. You can check out her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/tokyo-local-hollie-mantle.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/HollieMantle

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

This chain can be found at most of the bigger stations in Tokyo; Shinjuku, Shinagawa and Shibuya. If you’re a cake addict then this place will make you squeal with delight. Piles of wonderfully flavoured muffins; cranberry and ricotta, carrot cake, oreo (which they will heat up for you!), giant danish pastries, lavish white chocolate and fruit scones... It’s easy to just wonder round the luxury deli items for hours on end. Some of the goods here make great presents for foodie lovers and especially for people who live in Tokyo who have trouble getting their hands on foreign products. I’d especially recommend trying any of their seasonal beverages; the chestnut cream latte is the type you’ll have dreams about for weeks afterwards.

www.deananddeluca.co.jp
2-18-1 Konan, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Atre Shinagawa 2F
+803 6717 0935

* Hollie is our Been there local for Tokyo. You can check out her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/tokyo-local-hollie-mantle.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/HollieMantle

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

If you have a bit of a soft spot for the old classic, then Japan is an incredible country in which to indulge your interest. It’s rare to walk down the street without seeing someone donning a pair of Alice tights, or without a stopwatch shaped handbag. This theme has been continued in Tokyo’s upmarket Ginza, where you can dine at an Alice themed restaurant. The tables are shaped like the playing cards, the menu is a pop up apparition of the white rabbit, and the waitresses are all either playing Alice or the Mad Hatter. Even the food comes shaped to fit the decor, with caterpillar sushi rolls and Cheshire cats in the ice cream. It’s quite a small place so I’d definitely recommend booking before to ensure your trip down the rabbit tunnel, but even waiting is a pleasure, enshrouded as you are in floor to ceiling page extracts from the book.

www.diamond-dining.com/alice/index.htm
Taiyo Building 5th floor, 8-8-5 Ginza Chuo Ku Tokyo T 104-0061
+81 (03) 3574 6980

* Hollie is our Been there local for Tokyo. You can check out her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/tokyo-local-hollie-mantle.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/HollieMantle

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

All over the globe the world is seeing a rise in the ingenious idea of a book and coffee shop fusion. In a land where boundaries are pushed to the limits of imagination this idea goes one step further.
The three two-tiered Tsutaya bookshops in fashionable and serene Daikanyama are designed with a theme of ‘home away from home’ in mind. Read, relax, have a coffee, listen to music; this is a space in which you can be at home without being alone. Choose from “Ajin”; the lounge-bar where you can recline on a leather sofa and place a drinks order via ipad for a taste of life in the future, or Starbucks where you can sit inside at one of the breakfast bars and charge your laptop or phone, or alternatively outside with the patio heaters and cosy Starbucks blankets. If you enjoy a spot of people watching then you’ll enjoy this vantage point as the local well-to-do walk past with their dogs and offspring.
With the winter chill setting in and the outdoors becoming more and more a mission impossible, this is a place you can keep warm and toasty whilst relaxing in the cool breeze and early setting sun.

store.tsutaya.co.jp
+81 03 6738 3838
Google map: bit.ly/TUfgKi

* Hollie is our Been there local for Tokyo. You can check out her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/tokyo-local-hollie-mantle.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/HollieMantle

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

On the top floor of the cerulean tower lies a cafe-by-day, bar-by-night space ideal for a first date, an indulgent coffee, or a moment alone with a cocktail and your thoughts. Here you are at once secluded from the city and it’s enchanted voyeur as it sprawls below you like a miniature model village.
The live evening jazz at the weekend is so soothing as to seduce you into a sweet sleep, with the soft lights of the city the only thing discernible against an impenetrably back sky.
The drinks from this dazzling vantage point overlooking Shibuya and Shinjuku don’t come cheap, so save this place as an inspired pre or post dinner drinks location for a date you want to impress.

26-1 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-8512
+81 33476 3398
Google map: bit.ly/S6FoTO

* Hollie is our Been there local for Tokyo. You can check out her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/tokyo-local-hollie-mantle.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/HollieMantle

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends

There’s something about the word “Roppongi” which makes most expats in Tokyo shudder. It’s notoriety as a roaring, rowdy night spot is a reputation you approve of when you’ve had a beer or two and deplore when you’re sprawled on the pavement the next morning hoping you wont add any unwanted decoration to the pavement.
The Roppongi Hills Public Art and Design Project has seen to it that no more decoration is required here. Dotted around outside the glamourous Hills building (famous for the Mori art museum and high class boutiques) lie giant, endearingly haphazard sculptures which are spectacles worthy of tourist attention in themselves.
I’d recommend going at night when the backdrop of the office-light stars help create a perfectly melodramatic mood for viewing the giant spider, who rests his spindly, monstrous legs over one of the entrances of the Hills. Behind this, an enormous rose emerges from the ground, reminiscent of something from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
The fantasy world of art and sculpture follows this theme of random bursts of creativity through to the street outside. Rather than sit on a traditional wooden, plastic, or often as the case may be, no bench at all, the public seating areas surrounding the hills have also been transformed with a pinch of imagination. Choose from a giant ice cube, an ice chair, modern white and black seating pebbles or a marble sofa.
Morning or night, pavement or majestic marble couch, Roppongi is designed with going out in style in mind.

Google map: bit.ly/Tc6ERx

* Hollie is our Been there local for Tokyo. You can check out her profile here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/articles/tokyo-local-hollie-mantle.jsp and follow her tips here: www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/travellers/HollieMantle

I agreeI disagree

1.  
2. Send to friends