Tokyo Holidays

Tokyo holidays are the whole shebang. This is land of robots, ramen and the Rainbow Bridge. A next-gen capital that breathes new energy into you whilst also leaving you breathless. It’s home to the Hama-Rikyu Gardens, Hello Kitty and Harajuku fashion. You’re 6000 miles away from the UK in a city where 8 million bicycles are ridden every day and roughly 3000 people intersect the Shibuya crossing at any given time. It’s hard to imagine this place was once a whisper quiet fishing village or that there were never steely skyscrapers, Cosplay cafes or real-life Super Mario carts racing along the streets. 

For a ginormous capital city, there are still pockets of quiet. Solace seekers follow incense smoke to Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples lined with cedar trees (Meiji Jingu) and decorated with red paper lanterns (Senso-ji). The furiously stylish follow the sound of cicadas to the serenity-filled gardens of Nezu Museum and flock to the incredible ‘crystal-cut’ Prada Building for retail therapy. View hunters head to the top of Tokyo Skytree for the plummiest of cityscape sights; on cloudless days Mount Fuji is visible, and hungry travellers test out the skills of maestro sushi chefs. There are more Michelin starred restaurants here than any other city under the sun. 

Tokyo runs on thoughtful efficiency. The streets are super clean, trains turn up on time nearly all the time (late is never more than 0.18 seconds) and Tokyoites bow at 45 degrees to show respect. You’ll find Blade Runner style tech to bowl you over including high speed bullet trains, VR restaurants and the Science Museum’s Honda-built humanoid robot and lots of cultural treasures found by stepping through the gates of the Imperial Palace, sitting down for a Kabuki show and shopping for local gifts such as ceremonial Mizuhiki knots and furoshiki wrapping cloths. As you would expect, the whole place is perpetually evolving. The latest creative opening is Toranomon Hills Glass Rock, a trapezoid marvel where you can buy magma books, sip space-themed beers and, of course, dine in a Michelin starred restaurant.