Akihabara, Tokyo’s “Electric Town,” is a colorful playground for anime, manga, gaming and electronics enthusiasts. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
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Tokyo makes it exceedingly easy to get the perfect shot. From Akihabara’s kaleidoscopic anime billboards, multi-floor video game stores and eccentric cosplay restaurants to the hypnotic mayhem of Kabukicho, where partygoers bar-hop beneath a looming Godzilla head, the megalopolis is a picture-perfect playground. But it’s not all dizzying arcades and glowing love hotels. The Land of the Rising Sun also resonates with matcha-latte aesthetes who’d rather document their OOTD beneath a tangle of power lines in the thrift-shop mecca of Shimokitazawa or in front of one of the country’s five million–plus vending machines.
After many visits and encounters with tourist traps, I’ve learned that no amount of Instagram likes is worth losing an afternoon waiting in line (though those micro-pig and owl cafes in Harajuku certainly have their kawaii appeal). Every second counts in the megacity’s supersized sprawl, so stop staring at Google Maps, wander off the tourist trail and let the dynamic destination surprise you. If your lost-in-Tokyo walks are anything like mine, you could end up in a retro coffee shop frozen in time, where cigarette smoke lingers, credit cards are useless and no Instagram carousel could capture its dusty, lived-in charm. Devour more of Tokyo’s limitless visual buffet—minus the throngs of tourists—below.
Stay Where Design Steals The Spotlight
Many of Tokyo’s top hotels soar above tourist-packed districts in shimmering skyscrapers and come with 360-degree vistas of the neon maze that practically likes itself. For me, Tokyo’s coolest stays aren’t exclusively in the clouds—they’re design-driven boutiques that keep things intimate and closer to the ground.
Sleep inside a glittering, sushi-themed dreamscape at art hotel BnA Wall’s “Sushi Wars” room.
Sushi Wars, Mako Watanabe, BnA_WALL, photographer Tomooki Kengaku.
You don’t have to exhaust yourself zigzagging from museum to museum in search of an immersive art experience. Instead, head to the once buttoned-up financial hub of Nihonbashi, now brimming with minimalist cafes, chic watering holes and creative stays like the 26-key BnA WALL, where guests sleep inside an art installation. Each room, individually designed by local artists, embodies a distinct mood—from meditative to viscerally vibrant. Want your feed to make followers pause mid-scroll? Book “Sushi Wars,” whose name aptly sums up its delightfully out-there aesthetic.
Nearby in Nihonbashi, a 1920s bank building hides K5, a 20-room boutique where every inch of the space begs to be photographed. Ambiently lit guest rooms are outfitted with lush plants, jewel-toned accents that warm the building’s concrete bones and custom details like hand-dyed curtains framing beds. The head-turning aesthetics continue downstairs at the crimson–drenched Akai Bar, a Lynchian lair that’s reason enough to check in.
Trunk (Hotel) Yoyogi Park’s rooftop oasis features an infinity pool with verdant vistas.
Courtesy of TRUNK
In Tomigaya, a laid-back enclave in Shibuya sprinkled with cool-kid coffee shops, wine bars and artisanal boutiques, Trunk (Hotel) Yoyogi Park feels right at home. Opened in 2023, the seven-story luxury property sidesteps flashiness for subtlety and fits right in with the neighborhood’s hip and mellow vibe. Inside are 25 sun-flooded, soul-soothing guest rooms, each with greenery-filled balconies, earthy hues and Japandi minimalism that make you forget the frenetic Shibuya Crossing is just a short stroll away. Then there’s the rooftop oasis, exclusive to hotel guests, complete with a jacuzzi, fire pit, oyster bar and a scene-stealing infinity pool that seems to dissolve into the verdant expanse of Yoyogi Park, making you feel like you’re sunbathing inside a Studio Ghibli-esque postcard.
Discover Hidden Nightlife Gems With Big Personality
Follow fashionable Tokyoites to Gold Bar at EDITION for gothic-glam interiors, bespoke cocktails and low-lit speakeasy vibes.
Nikolas Koenig
The Tokyo EDITION, Toranomon’s Kengo Kuma–designed 31st-floor lobby, with its fern-fringed, Buddhist-temple-inspired layout and Blade Runner–style skyline views, is a magnet for content creators. But Gold Bar at EDITION is the hotel’s clandestine hotspot, quietly concealed on the ground floor. The shadowy speakeasy is decked out in gothic-glam fashion, featuring a fluted marble bar, low-slung leather couches, a black-veined marble fireplace, a dramatic white vaulted ceiling and gilded artwork. The crowd is designer-clad and camera-ready. If you pull yours out, be discreet—there’s a good chance someone famous is sitting just a few sumptuous sofas away.
Good luck finding Open Book in Golden Gai’s maze of pint-sized bars.
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Google Maps will be your best friend when trying to locate Open Book, a hole-in-the-wall in Golden Gai’s labyrinth of miniature bars and tourist swarms. Once inside this shoebox-sized, wood-paneled drinking den, you’ll immediately feel its homey warmth and see how it got its name via floor-to-ceiling shelves crammed with old books once owned by the bar owner’s late grandfather, novelist Komimasa Tanaka. Before opening a book, claim a spot at the bar, open a tab and order an impeccably crafted lemon sour. Made with brown-sugar shochu, syrup from domestically grown, pesticide-free limes and slices of Hiroshima lemon, it’ll be love at first sip.
This Kabukicho kissaten transforms into The 27 Club at night, a retro-futuristic hotspot featuring nightly entertainment.
The 27 Club
The 27 Club isn’t your typical venue in Kabukicho, Tokyo’s sleepless nightlife hub and red-light district. Originally a cabaret club that opened in the 1970s, it now operates by day as 27 Kissa, a nostalgic nod to the idiosyncratic kissaten (Showa-era coffee shop). Imagine: plush velvet banquettes, chrome tables and a small stage illuminated by the original lights as locals sip coffee and dig into pillowy omurice. The menu also features classic kissaten (and highly Instagrammable) sweets, including cream sodas in mouthwash hues of green and blue, towering ice cream sundaes and elaborate fruit parfaits.
At The 27 Club, Tokyo’s top pole dancers perform beneath neon lights.
The 27 Club
Come evening, 27 Kissa transforms into The 27 Club, channeling the electric energy of its address. Patrons trade coffee for highballs as the space morphs into a prismatic discotheque. On any given night, expect dazzling performances—from pole dancers to sequined drag queens to powerhouse vocalists—all beneath the glint of disco balls and mirrored ceilings. Whether you’re here for black coffee or a night of debauchery, you can always count on a retro-futuristic experience that lingers long after you step back into Kabukicho’s ever-heaving streets.
Chain-Smoke, Sip Coffee And Time-Travel To 1978 At A Cat-Themed Kissaten
At Shinjuku’s retro Cafe Arles, cats lounge as guests enjoy coffee, cigarettes and Showa-era charm.
Alex Catarinella
Craving another classic kissaten experience with a twist? Head to the cozy and intimate cat-themed Cafe Arles, tucked behind the bustling streets of Shinjuku. But don’t mistake this dimly lit hideaway for one of Tokyo’s famous cat cafes. Stepping inside feels like time-traveling to 1978, when it first opened—think cigarette-smoke clouds, steamy coffees, creaky chairs and a relaxing jazz soundtrack. The space is a visual feast of Showa-era clutter, with mismatched furniture, manga-lined bookshelves and feline kitsch tucked into every corner, from figurines and cat paintings to the toilet paper holder in the bathroom.
Be sure to put your phone down and savor your bowl of Neapolitan pasta and melon soda—but always keep it close by, as today could be the lucky day when one of the owner’s two cats chooses your table for its next nap.
Capture Good Fortune, Quiet Charm And The Purrfect Picture At The Lucky Cat Temple
At Gotokuji Temple, a sea of maneki-neko figurines create one of Tokyo’s most Instagrammable scenes.
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For those seeking a spiritual and photogenic alternative to the tourist-heavy Sensoji, also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple, consider venturing to Gotokuji, a residential pocket of Setagaya Ward whose unhurried charm feels worlds away from the frenetic energy often depicted on TikTok. Here, the chaos quiets to the whoosh of passing cyclists and the shuffle of locals along narrow, curved streets lined with mom-and-pop shops selling all things maneki-neko—those good-luck cat figurines waving their paws at you from shop windows across Japan. At the end of one such street sits Gotokuji Temple, which, according to local folklore, is the birthplace of the maneki-neko, as evidenced by the hundreds of ceramic, hand-painted cats of all sizes artfully displayed on tiered shelves within the temple grounds. Just hope it’s your lucky day and the figurines aren’t sold out at the temple’s gift shop—they make a far better souvenir than anything you’ll find at the airport.
Experience A Mishmash Of Traditional And Modern In One Of Tokyo’s Coolest Neighborhoods
SCAI The Bathhouse is a contemporary art gallery in Yanaka, a neighborhood that retains the nostalgic charm of old Tokyo.
SCAI The Bathhouse
Get your contemporary art fix at a 200-year-old sento (communal bathhouse) turned gallery in Yanaka, a neighborhood untouched by World War II bombings, whose narrow streets dotted with compact wooden homes and family-run shops preserve a rare glimpse of old Tokyo. You can still sense its former life when stepping through SCAI The Bathhouse’s curved, tiled entryway, past its original lockers, into a minimalist space of white walls, concrete floors and a lofty ceiling punctuated by skylights. Things may look a bit different now, but the gallery stays true to its roots as a neighborhood gathering spot—only now folks mingle around bold art installations instead of soaking nude together in steaming baths.
Occupying a century-old wooden house, Kayaba Coffee is a beloved Yanaka mainstay.
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A quick coffee break at Kayaba Coffee is a must when in Yanaka, and luckily, it’s just down the street from the gallery. You can’t miss it: it’s the two-story wooden house from the early 1900s that’s picturesquely perched on the corner. Pro tip: snag a coveted floor seat in the tatami room upstairs, then order what I’d argue is the best egg sandwich in town—which is saying a lot because in Tokyo even the sandwiches at 7-Eleven taste Michelin-starred.
Go On A Wild Retro Ride At Japan’s Oldest Amusement Park
Step back in time at Asakusa Hanayashiki, Japan’s oldest amusement park.
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Skip tourist-clogged, overpriced Tokyo Disneyland and keep things classic at Asakusa Hanayashiki, Japan’s oldest amusement park. Open since 1853, this carnival-sized playground packs around 20 rides and attractions, including a haunted house and a merry-go-round, proof that real fun still comes in small, old-school packages. It’s also home to Japan’s oldest roller coaster, which rattles past the rooftops of Asakusa, and an irresistibly adorable ride where a flock of swan-shaped cars circle a shallow pool of water, allowing you to capture your mini Swan Lake moment. It’s just one of endless endearingly kooky moments that could only happen in Tokyo.
AloJapan.com