24 hours in Tokyo
STORE IT It’s easy to be obsessed with Tokyo’s department stores, especially the subterranean food halls with their dazzling array of exquisitely packaged crackers, sweets and cakes. At Ginza, visit the three Ms — Matsuya, Mitsukoshi and Matsuzakaya — or stroll to the newer Daimaru at the historic Tokyo subway station. COSTUME PLAY If you fancy yourself in a cute maid’s uniform, Shibuya 109 at Shibuya Crossing is the place to go. It’s several dizzying floors of fashions in the Japanese kawaii (cuteness) style, from furry pantaloons to rabbit hats. shibuya109.jp/en/ DO IT YOURSELF For the best store in the world for homemakers, don’t miss Tokyu Hands flagship store at Shibuya. It sells everything from fabulous handyman’s satchels to fluorescent toothbrushes. There are things here you never knew you wanted, but they are impossible to resist. tokyu-hands.co. jp/foreign.html COMME AND ALL Tokyo’s major shopping boulevard, Omotesando in Aoyama, houses flagship stores of major Japanese brands such as Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto. Don’t skip the backstreets, though, which are dotted with boutiques, galleries and cute cafes. GARDEN You can’t go past the Kengo Kuma-designed Nezu Museum of Japanese and Asian art. The former residence of art collector Nezu Kaichiro, who turned his home into a beautiful gallery and walled garden, is now open to the public. The garden is exquisite in every season and an oasis of tranquillity in lively, fashionable Aoyama. nezu-muse. or.jp/en/ BAR HOPPING Late at night, things really get going in Golden Gai, a tiny fragment of old Tokyo tucked into six alleys in a corner of Shinjuku, the entertainment district. Some of the bars seat only about six, and tourists with cameras are discouraged. It’s fun, funky and noisy, even if some of the ramshackle buildings look like a fire risk. POST-CRUISE HOTEL The Palace Hotel occupies Tokyo’s most prestigious address, 1-1-1 Maranouchi, on the gardens and moat of the imperial palace. Closed in 2009 for a major rebuild, it has emerged as Tokyo’s most stylish hotel.