Tokyo Neighbourhoods
- Cathy@zusetsu
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
I love walking through Tokyo. The more I've been introduced to the neighbourhoods of Tokyo, the more I love the city. It's a fascinating city to walk.
The neighbourhoods are closely connected, but each has its own unique vibe. Many of the residential streets are quiet and interesting.
Local people cycle past as azure winged magpies chatter overhead and lead the way.
I've discovered that Tokyo is so much more than the places I first visited all those years ago: the vibrant neon areas of Shibuya Crossing and Akihabara, and bustling Asakusa.
Tokyo is bougie districts full of smart cafes and restaurants, and cool creative bars. It's about smart residential areas, quiet neighbourhoods and interesting streets and individual shops which attract serious Saturday browsers.
Coffee culture is huge, with cafes incorporating bean grinders and careful coffee making.
Vinyl record players add to the laidback vibe.
These villages are interconnected by cool urban design, but also relaxing parks and riverside walkways. Tokyo is green, and beautifully planted with flowers. These green spaces help to make this enormous city very liveable.
Tokyo also has intriguing older areas too, which give a glimpse into the Tokyo of the past.
Come with me as I walk through some of these fascinating Tokyo neighbourhoods!
Nakameguro
Nakameguro has a gorgeous riverside location famous for its cherry blossom in spring and the bright pink lanterns which line the river. The river runs through the neighbourhood bringing a tranquil, airiness to the village. The walkways either side of the river are connected by enchanting bridges.
There is a famous Starbucks Reserve here in Nakameguro, but within a few short metres there are some wonderful coffee-bean grinding cafes of more interest. If you look carefully past the Nakameguro shops and restaurants you can see the beginnings of the neon at Shibuya, but this place is tranquil and very pretty.
It's here that you will find a classy chocolate shop where you can drink hot chocolate matcha. There is a select sake shop, wonderful restaurants. It's a very attractive area.
We love the converted garage cafe which serves different flavour tofu donuts as you sit looking at a wall of spanners! It's Tokyo quirky, original and inventive, and always so much fun!
Meguro
Loosely following the Nakameguro river east brings you near to the Meguro Sky Garden. It's a lovely planted space where grapevines trail across metal supports, and vegetables are carefully tended underneath. We're walking on the roof here, and it has been expanded creatively. Apartments surround us, and the garden provides a cherished opportunity to connect with nature, to slow down from the busy pace of city life.
As the river narrows through Meguro below, there is a lovely long flowery pedestrian walkway, where exotic butterflies flutter around pink and orange cherry pie flowers, and white egrets stalk in the shallows.
The Tokyo skyline of tall shops and offices, and bridges with snaking trains and cars are still a part of the backdrop, but the variety of the plants and shrubs is considerable, and the water sounds and bird songs make this a beautiful area to be.
Daikanyama
Daikanyama is a beautiful neighbourhood which connects with Nakameguro. Famous for its T-Site, the large bookshop which is amazing to look around, it is also the location of the beautiful Kyu Asakura House which was built in 1919 and is a rare example of a historic villa in Tokyo.
Shops and cafes in Daikanyama are stylish. In the winter we went to an intriguing cafe which is situated in an old Edo house.
Shibuya
From Daikanyama it's a short walk into the heart of Shibuya. Shibuya is always fun, with its big screens, diagonal crossings, and its circulating vans blasting J-Pop! Check out the cool shops and keep an eye out for cosplay!
Meiji Jingu
From Shibuya it's tempting to walk to the beautiful Meiji Jingu Shrine, Harajuku, and affluent Omotesando.
Den-en-chofu
We took the train to Den-en-Chofu, then, starting at the Pelican Cafe we walked through the leafy neighbourhood towards the broad stretch of the Tamagawa river.
We climbed up the stone stairway to the Tamagawa Sengen-jinja Shrine, where there was a sweet ceremony for a couple and their new baby.
The shrine has a lovely atmosphere.
The nearby hydrangea garden was bursting with beautiful blooms - many different types - all delicately shaped and coloured.
Jiyugaoka
From Den-en-chofu we made our way to lively Jiyugaoka. I love Jiyugaoka. It's got a definite village feel. When we went this time there was a food fair set out near the central station, and we tried hot sauces and peppers!
Schoolchildren were invited to try out careers - the firefighters had the advantage with their shiny red fire engine! Some girls under an awning had been making bracelets. It was too tempting! I bought a starry bracelet, saying hoshiiii!! It was only later that I realised that this could easily have sounded like I want!!
We made our way to the beautiful Koso-an teahouse. It's gorgeous, a proper dark wood teahouse with tatami floors and a view over a tiny, jewel-like teahouse garden lit by lanterns.
Koso-an serves bowls of freshly whisked matcha with sweets, and all sorts of delicious matcha desserts too.
Shinagawa
Smart skyscrapers line the serene riverside at cool Shinagawa. The long riverside walk is airy and cool, and it's a nice place to spend time. You will find good cafes here too.
Yanagibashi
We made our way to the area around Yanagibashi, catching a cute local mikoshi procession as we passed.
We walked along the Sumida river looking at the boats in the shadow of the fantastic Sky Tree.
Tokyo Dome
We entered the serene gardens of the Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens, and as we admired the beautiful iris gardens and the wooden walkways and pools, great cheers went up from inside the nearby Tokyo Dome where a game was playing, and great screams filled the air from the nearby rollercoaster!
Tokyo is all things all at once: serene, historical, thoughtful, embracing nature, modern, inventive, quirky, exhilarating!
Kagurazaka
And this brought us to the astonishing historic area of Kagurazaka, where we met our lovely family for dinner. What a beautiful area!
Prominent is the Zenkokoji Temple. But there are fascinating narrow lanes leading away from the main street hiding preserved older properties, geisha houses, and kaiseki restaurants. There's even an old bath house still in use called Atamiyu.
I was thrilled to discover this area. And it goes to show, that Tokyo has many different faces, and it's a beautiful city to walk around!
I hope you've enjoyed coming with me on our walk around some of the lovely Tokyo neighbourhoods. What's your favourite part of Tokyo?
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