- Tokyo National Museum (Ueno Park, Taito-ku; tel. 03/3822-1111): Even professed museum-phobes should make a point of visiting the largest museum of Japanese art in the world, where you can see everything from samurai armor and lacquerware to kimono and woodblock prints. If you visit only one museum in Tokyo, this should be it.
- Edo-Tokyo Museum (1-4-1 Yokoami, Sumida-ku; tel. 03/3626-9974): Housed in a high-tech modern building, this ambitious museum chronicles the fascinating and somewhat tumultuous history of Tokyo (known as Edo during the Feudal Period), with models, replicas, artifacts, and dioramas. Guided tours in English are available for free.
- Mori Art Museum (6-10-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku; tel. 03/5777-8600): Tokyo's highest museum, on the 53rd floor of Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills, offers fantastic views of Tokyo along with innovative shows of emerging and established artists from around the world. And it's open late most nights, too, making it my top pick for a romantic cultural experience.
- Open-Air Folk House Museum (7-1-1 Masugata, Tama-ku, Kawasaki; tel. 044/922-2181): It's in the neighboring town of Kawasaki, but the 30-minute train ride to this "village" of 34 traditional houses and historic buildings in a beautiful wooded setting makes for a lovely, educational outing. And the photographs you'll get of thatched farmhouses and other architectural gems will make you feel you've left Tokyo -- not to mention the 21st century -- far behind.
Tokyo Travel Experiences
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The Vertical City
Been to New York City? Los Angeles? I hope so, because using them is the only way in which I can properly describe my first i... Continue reading »
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Disney Sea
Our Disney day had come! We got going relatively early in the morning, all pretty excited to get out and see what Disney Sea was lik... Continue reading »
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Getting our Bearings in Tokyo
On our first afternoon in Tokyo, we wandered around Shinjuku, slightly dazed from the overnight flight, but not doing to... Continue reading »
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Eat First, Ask Questions Later
We have been traveling for just shy of six months now. Just before we left on our trip, on a whim I downloaded 16 episodes of Malco... Continue reading »
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Exploring Tokyo
We checked the weather forecast, and decided that the first of our two full days in Tokyo would be our around-town day, and then the... Continue reading »
Popular Tokyo Hotels
- Imperial Hotel Tokyo
- New Takanawa Prince Hotel
- Park Hotel Tokyo
- Keio Plaza Inter-Continental Tokyo
- New Otani Inn Tokyo
- Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu
- Hotel Dai Ichi
- Shinjuku Prince Hotel
- The Westin Tokyo
- Khaosan Tokyo Annex
