Page 23 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Japan

A land of dramatic contrasts, Japan rewards visitors
who have the luxury of time. This itinerary is the
perfect introduction to the country.
2 WEEKS

in Japan

Day 1 easily absorb your morning. Indulge your
sweet tooth at Marion Crepes for lunch
Start in Tokyo, getting your bearings by (www.marion-crepes.com), then take the
jumping aboard the Nihonbashi loop of metro to Ikebukuro for more pop culture
the free Hinomaru Limousine sightseeing madness on Otome Road. Be sure to
bus (www.hinomaru.co.jp). Get off at Showa call into K-Books (www.k-books.co.jp) and
Dori Street for a spot of Japanese paper- take tea at Swallowtail, the butler café
making at Ozu Washi (www.ozuwashi.net), (www.butlers-cafe.jp). Round off your dive
followed by lunch at Mitsukoshi’s huge into Tokyo’s subcultures at the Robot
food hall (p110). Next, walk to the Imperial Restaurant (www.shinjuku-robot.com).
Palace (p112). If the weather is good,
check out the gardens; otherwise, the free
Intermediatheque museum will keep you Day 4
entertained (www.intermediatheque.jp).
For dinner, try Edomae – the original Rise and shine before the dawn for an
Tokyo-style sushi – at Yoshino Sushi early morning visit to the Toyosu Fish
Honten (3-8-11 Nihonbashi), followed by Market (p138). Copy the locals and power
a nightcap at the bar at the top of the up on some early morning ramen, before
Mandarin Oriental Hotel, overlooking the hitting the shopping mecca of Ginza
neon-lit city (www.mandarinoriental.com). (p106). Ginza Six is the district’s largest
shopping complex, which even has a Noh
theatre in its basement – buy a happy
Day 2 hour ticket before 2:30pm to see part of
Once dismissed as a clubbing hotspot, one of the plays staged here (kanze.net).
Roppongi (p90) has fast developed a After browsing the shops for the rest of
reputation as a cultural hub. Purchase the afternoon, arrive early (no reservations)
the ATRo Saving ticket and spend the day at Umegaoka Sushi no Midori Sohonten
exploring the Roppongi Art Triangle; the (www.sushinomidori.co.jp) for a sushi dinner.
Mori Art Museum, which specializes in
contemporary art, is up first. Pause for Day 5
lunch at Afuri (afuri.com), famed for its
delicately scented ramen, before contin- Board the shinkansen to Kyoto. After
uing your whistle-stop art tour at the arriving in under 2.5 hours at the striking
National Art Center and the Suntory Kyoto Station (p189), make your way to
Museum of Art. Stick around Roppongi as Toji Temple (p188) for an intro duction to
the evening draws in; there’s no place Kyoto’s religious heritage. Marvel at the
better for a night on the town. 1,001 goddess statues in Sanjusangen-do
(p189), then grab lunch at Tsuruki Mochi
Day 3 Hompo Shichijo (561 Nishinomoncho).
Next, head to the Fushimi Inari Shrine
Today you’ll meet Tokyo’s quirky side. Start (p186), where a pretty tunnel of torii lead to
on the brash and bustling Takeshita-dori great views over the city. Return to central
in the Harajuku District (p94); packed with Kyoto come evening for a riverside stroll
trendy boutiques and vintage stores, it’ll and dinner at Gyoza Shop Gion (p195).
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