DESTINATIONS JAPAN | ASIA


of BEST


THE REST TAMACHI


Stay in Tamachi, in one of Tokyo’s main business wards, for gorgeous


Edo-era architecture and tree-lined canals. Book clients into the new, art-filled Pullman Tokyo Tamachi, and bag them a room overlooking the Shinkansen tracks so they can watch the space-age trains glide by.


YAESU


Yaesu is home to Tokyo Station – a destination in its own right, with hundreds of stores, bars and restaurants. Head to Ramen Street, in the basement, to dine at one of Tokyo’s ubiquitous – but fantastic – vending machine restaurants. The area is in the midst of a major makeover, spearheaded by the recent completion of the Tokyo Midtown Yaesu project, a 45-storey tower.


GINZA


Clients will find the city’s most luxurious hotels here (the Tokyo Edition, Ginza opens this year), as well as Tokyo’s largest malls. It’s also home to the world’s


largest Uniqlo store, where shoppers can customise clothing. Clients should consider visiting at the weekend, when main street Ginza Dori is pedestrianised.


WHY GO? A pocket-sized pit stop for all things kawaii (cutesy) and alternative, Harajuku’s main draw is a single pedestrianised street, Takeshita Dori, lined with some of Tokyo’s most weird and wonderful stores. At


HARAJUKU


the weekend, cliques dress up in their favourite fashions, from kawaii lolitas to goths.


WHAT TO DO Shops specialise in everything from manga-inspired fashion


to Hello Kitty merchandise, alongside boutiques filled with Japanese beauty products. Takeshita’s main drag can get crowded, so clients needing some time out should head to Yoyogi Park. The park backs on to the huge Meiji Jingu Shrine, a beautiful Shinto monument.


ASAKUSA


WHY GO? The narrow streets are lined with ryokans and izakayas (bars). It’s a quiet neighbourhood that makes a fantastic base – at one end of the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line but just a short hop from the 634m Tokyo Skytree, the world’s tallest tower, and easily accessible from Haneda airport, thanks to the Asakusa Line’s Limited Express service.


WHAT TO DO The star of the show is the seventh-century Sensō-ji Buddhist temple complex. The temple and its stunning Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate) are connected by the Nakamise-Dori Shopping Street, packed with souvenir stalls selling beautiful yukatas (summer kimonos).


² travelweekly.co.uk 28 SEPTEMBER 2023 37


PICTURES: Shutterstock/Korkusung, TTstudio


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