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Nakameguro Canal
basement. It’s a favourite of presidents, prime ministers and royalty (and is priced to match). Afterward, consider visiting the nearby Imperial Palace (1-1 Chiyoda, Chiyoda; 011-81-3-3213-1111; closed, only gardens open; free admission), surrounded by moats and manicured gardens. It’s a great spot from which to catch a postprandial glimpse of snow-capped Mt. Fuji.
numerous prepared food vendors and
28 restaurants—reigns over them all.
Here you can find singing fish- and fruit mongers, Hokkaido melon caramels, white strawberries and dozens of sakes, wines and shochu (distilled spirits made from barley, sweet potato, buckwheat or brown sugar). If you have only 24 hours in the country, be sure to set aside some time for a visit to Takashimaya, as it exemplifies edible Japan in one space.
Where Locals Go:
Uobaka (Toma Building, B1, 2-2-19 Ginza Chuo; 011-8-3-3563-4100; dinner for two,
$120) is not for vegetarians. This wood paneled subterranean restaurant in Ginza specializes in seasonal seafood—squid, mackerel and sea bream—that’s so fresh it’s sometimes brought to the table squirming on the plate. Can’t get (or afford) a table at Jiro’s? Then follow locals to Sushino Midori (17-6 Daikanyamacho, Shibuya), in the Shibuya Mark City department store. Many say its fresh fish is on par with Jiro’s, but it costs a tenth of the price. Lucky diners will be seated at the sushi bar, where they can order cuts
of mouth watering scarlet otoro, pearly hotate (scallop), amaebi (sweet shrimp) or gingered shirasu (baby sardines).
Need a break from seafood altogether?
Gyu-kaku (Tops House, 8th floor, 3-20-8 Shinjuku; gyukaku.ne.jp) is an affordable and cheerful chain of yakiniku, grilled- meat restaurants favoured by students and often hidden on the upper floors of skyscrapers. Here charcoal grills glow atop tables, and guests cook their own slices
of high-end cuts, such as Kuroge Wagyu, marbled spareribs and dense slabs of pork. A 90-minute all-you-can-eat deal is popular and fills up on weekends.
You’d Be Surprised:
Most visitors assume all Tokyo neighbourhoods are as bustling as Shinjuku, but this is a myth. Those in need of tranquillity will find no shortage of urban sanctuaries. One quiet stretch
in particular is the, lined with cherry trees, independent boutiques and cosy
The ever-stylish New York Grill (3-7-12 Nishi-Shinjuku, 52nd floor, Shinjuku) was famous for its atmosphere long before its role in the film Lost in Translation and is beloved by tourists and locals alike for its rich selection of Japanese whiskeys and marbled Wagyu beef. Consider splurging on a Hibiki Highball at the New York Bar, on the building’s 52nd floor, and taking in the mute neon sprawl of the Shinjuku district below you.
Just next to the Meiji Shrine (1-1 Yoyogikamizonocho, Shibuya), surrounded by the 175 woodsy acres of Yoyogi Park,
is a stack of decorative kazaridaru (sake barrels) that have been offered to the shrine’s deities by generations of sake brewers around the country. Visitors interested in buying their own sake can go to the food hall of the Shinjuku district’s Takashimaya (5-24-2 Sendagaya, Shibuya), one of the largest depato (department stores) in Japan. A depato almost always has a food court in the basement, and
the selection of goods at most of them can cause euphoria among food lovers. This branch—with more than 2,700 square feet of food retail space, including
restaurants. Here you’ll find Hashidaya (1-15-8 Kamimeguro, Meguro; hashidaya.com, site in Japanese;), a two-story wood tavern specializing in nabe, hot pots stuffed with carrots, snap peas, enoki mushrooms and fragrant gingered chicken balls that are cooked at the table. Its upstairs tatami- mat room overlooks the canal. Across the canal is Izakaya Nakame no Teppen (3-9-5 Kamimeguro, Meguro; ), a speakeasy style izakaya. Its hidden entrance is a Lilliputian door; guests must knock first and then duck to enter the cavernous dining room. Here grilled sardines, seared beef, cod
roe gratin and charred pumpkin slices are washed down with chu-hai (highballs made with shochu) by locals.
Kyoto Tried-and-True:
Nothing delivers “Old Japan” better than Kyoto’s ryokan, where ornate multicourse kaiseki meals are still served privately in-room to overnight guests. Hiiragiya (Nakahakusancho, Fuyacho Anekoji-agaru)
is a standout in Kyoto. The 28-room, sixth-generation inn features dishes such as simmered razor clams with bamboo
Entrance to Meiji Shrine
Kyoto
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