DESTINATIONS ASIA | JAPAN


YANAKA


WHY GO? It’s easy to miss, despite being a short walk from anime-mad Akihabara, but Yanaka is worth a spot on any traveller’s radar. This area has a distinctly villagey feel and is one of Tokyo’s oldest neighbourhoods.


WHAT TO DO


Backing on to Ueno Park – great for cherry blossom-spotting during the spring – Yanaka is made up of narrow lanes weaving past ancient izakayas and craft stores. The latter are what Yanaka is known for, making it ideal for picking up everything from pottery to Japanese washi paper. Visitors to Shinimonogurui boutique can design a wooden hanko – a seal used in place of a signature. Advise clients to keep an eye (or ear) out for the talented buskers who serenade visitors on stringed shamisen instruments.


SHIBUYA


WHY GO? The area, packed with shopping malls, hotels and restaurants, recently emerged from a massive makeover. Relatively new attractions include Shibuya Sky, an observatory atop a skyscraper, and Shibuya Stream, a riverside skyscraper that is home to restaurants and a hotel.


WHAT TO DO The neighbourhood is home to the legendary neon-drenched Shibuya Crossing. Every time the little green men appear, hundreds of people (many wielding selfie sticks) navigate the world’s busiest junction. For the best views, head to the Starbucks overlooking the crossing. At JR Shibuya Station, clients should look for the statue of Hachikō, a dog that became a national hero after walking to the station to meet his owner every day, continuing to do so for almost a decade after the man died.


expert ASK THE rt Simon Richards,


product manager, InsideJapan


“As Japan gets more popular, Tokyo gets busier. So it’s


worth exploring some of the city’s lesser-known districts.


One is Yanaka – this is a low- rise, more traditional Tokyo with shops and street food businesses that have been in families for generations.


There are also several shrines. The district provides a great insight into pre-war Tokyo.”


BOOK IT


InsideJapan offers five nights’ B&B at Tokyo’s Pullman Tokyo Tamachi hotel, with Japan Airlines flights from Heathrow to Tokyo’s Haneda airport. Prices start at £3,198, including an IC prepaid transport card with ¥3,000 (about £16) credit. insidejapantours.com


38 28 SEPTEMBER 2023 travelweekly.co.uk


PICTURES: Shutterstock/Dasian, f11photo


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