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The Shojo Beat Guide to Tokyo |
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MUST-SEE SIGHTS HANDPICKED FOR THE SHOJO MANGA FAN |
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by Maki |
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While you can always appreciate Japan from afar, there is nothing like experiencing the country's excitement, beauty, and culture in person. The minute the plane lands at Tokyo's Narita Airport, you will be in for the trip of a lifetime.
Despite its dense population (12.8 million people!), Tokyo is safe and easy to navigate. The most interesting areas for the shojo fan—such as Harajuku, Shibuya, and Shinjuku—are concentrated in west Tokyo. But don't forget to explore the east side, where you'll find the downtown area of Asakusa.
Since there's so much to see and do, we created a custom guide just for you. Our full tour should take about one week, but you can easily shorten it. To save space, we aren't publishing addresses here, but you can get them online at shojobeat.com/49travel. Enjoy the trip!
See the Sights
Start at the Asakusa district in Tokyo's downtown. Its old-school atmosphere will take you back to the days of the samurai. Here, you'll find the beautiful Sensoji Temple, Tokyo's oldest shrine. The alleyway leading up to the shrine is packed with tourist souvenirs and misspelled Japanese kitsch. The real gems, however, are the backstreets, which are lined with authentic craftsmen (such as kimono makers) who have been operating since the Edo period.
A short boat trip from Asakusa is the artificial island of Odaiba. We recommend you take the Himiko Water Bus—a cartoon-inspired, spaceship-style boat that takes you to the reclaimed port area. If you're looking for Neo Tokyo, here it is. The buildings look wonderfully science-fictionesque. Plus check out the Ferris wheel, artificial beach, theme park, and the relaxing onsen (hot spring).
While the east side of Tokyo is packed with sites, west Tokyo is where all the young people hang out. After hitting the groovy areas of Shibuya and Harajuku, don't miss the tranquil atmosphere of the Meiji Shrine behind Harajuku train station. Take a break to enjoy the seasonal flowers and manicured lawns.
Not so far away is the Roppongi district's "Art Triangle," which has the best art museums in Tokyo—the Mori Art Museum, The National Art Center, and the Suntory Museum of Art. The Mori Art Museum exhibits some of Japan's best contemporary art, including work by Takashi Murakami. Visit the observation deck for the spectacular 360-degree view; you can see Mt. Fuji on a clear day.
If Kitty-chan is your thing, head to Sanrio Puroland. Aside from the Kitty-themed shows, displays, rides, and theaters, there are plenty of shops to stock up on a lifetime's worth of Hello Kitty goods. Sanrio Puroland is about a 40-minute train ride from Shinjuku Station and can easily be done in a few hours.
And finally, the Ghibli Museum is an essential stop for fans of Hayao Miyazaki. (And isn't that all of us?) Jump on the cuddly cat bus from My Neighbor Totoro, hang out with the 16-foot-tall Robot Soldier from Laputa: Castle in the Sky, and watch animated shorts in the beautifully decorated Saturn Theater.
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Shop Till You Drop
Start at Harajuku. This area around Harajuku Station in Tokyo's Shibuya ward is the mecca for all things goth, lolita, punk, and every other subculture. If you don't have time to hit the 85-plus boutiques full of striped, furry, safety-pinned, and ripped garb, then head straight to the LaForet Harajuku department store for a one-stop shopping experience.
Continuing up Omotesando Dori (street) from LaForet Harajuku is Kiddy Land, a 60-year-old department store filled with toys and character merchandise. While it's meant for kids, adults will disappear into this vortex and reappear with shopping bags full of Astro Boy, Dragon Ball, Pokémon, and Domo-kun goods. Behind the high-fashion stores of Omotesando are backstreets filled with fantastic boutiques. Anyone who has seen the boys dancing at the park next to the Meiji Shrine will attest to the Japanese love of rockabilly, and shops such as 666, Pink Dragon, Miracle Woman, and Cream Soda are where all the hepcats get kitted out.
Shinjuku is another favorite shopping area, with most of the department stores concentrated at the train station's east exit. Kinokuniya Bookstore, at Shinjuku Station's south exit, has an unbelievable array of English and Japanese books. You could spend half a day in this towering eight-story mecca.
For more anime-related goodies, head to Akihabara. Tokyo's epicenter of geek offers a mishmash of toys, video games, and electronics that literally take over the entire suburb. Make sure to hit the Madarake Complex. Eight floors of dojinshi (self-published Japanese manga or novels), anime cels, cosplay outfits, manga, vintage comics, art books, vintage toys, CDs, and DVDs are crammed to a mind-boggling density.
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Fun Dining
The Japanese love of cute, over-the-top, and super-pop extends to Tokyo's themed cafés. The most famous are the maid cafés in Akihabara, such as M.I.A Café (that stands for Maid in Angels), where girls dressed as maids serve coffee and cake. It's a popular dating spot for high school couples.
Near Shinjuku Station, Le Aladdin is decked out Arabian style, while The Lock Up is themed like a jail. Christon Café offers up gothic style and religious imagery, but in a completely non-religious way as far as Japanese diners are concerned. And for a cool cyber experience, J-Pop Café in Shibuya looks like it traveled back from the future. And don't forget the street vendors. The cream-filled crepes, beloved in Harajuku, have people lined up down the block
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"The Shojo Beat Guide to Tokyo" has been edited for shojobeat.com.
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