Capsule hotels to gaming districts: Seven things to know before you visit Tokyo

A neon-drenched, Bladerunner-esque metropolis stretching as far as the eye can see, Tokyo can seem overwhelming.

But Japan’s capital is a city that should be on every traveller’s radar – which is why we’ve decided its high time for some myth-busting.

For example, an exploration of Tokyo doesn’t need to break the bank, and its metro system is – despite the misconceptions – surprisingly easy to navigate.

Here’s our ultimate bluffer’s guide for anyone visiting Tokyo for the first time…

Get an IC card

An IC card is Japan’s version of London’s Oyster and navigating Tokyo’s tangle of metro lines will be much easier with one of these, rather than single-journey tickets.

They can be purchased at all metro stations, which is also where you’ll need to top them up (using cash only).

A top tip: grab one of the limited edition cards (bonus points if you nab one of the Hello Kitty-themed versions).

If you’ve purchased a JR Rail Pass for travel beyond Tokyo, remember these can also be used on Tokyo metro lines.

Get your game on

If Tokyo’s got a soundtrack, it’s the noise of pachinko machines (Japanese pinball machines) and the electronic ditties played when punters get lucky on Tokyo’s ubiquitous claw machines that involve using metal claws to grab prizes.

Fancy trying your luck?

Head to Namco Tokyo, a six-storey fun palace packed with arcade games and capsule toy machines.

You’ll find the complex, which opened in early 2023, in Shinjuku’s Tokyu Kabukicho Tower, and there’s a bar and food court, too.

We recommend Parfaiteria Bel’s cute Pacman-themed parfait.

Sleep in a capsule hotel

Every visitor to Tokyo should spend at least one night in a capsule hotel, where rates can be as low as £15 a stay.

Usually, it works like this: you check in on the ground level, before storing everything barring your nightwear, toiletries and any other essentials (such as your phone) in a locker.

You’ll then head upstairs to the area containing the sleeping pods, which are usually in a soundproofed room, separated from the toilet and shower areas.

Pods typically have a power point and a light, and a privacy shutter.

One of the most popular capsule hotel brands is Nine Hours – you’ll see these throughout Tokyo, and this particular brand operates several female-only capsule hotels, too.

Snack on street food

One of the best places to satisfy hunger cravings are Tokyo’s depachikas – basement food halls where you’ll find everything from rare white strawberries to street food such as yakitori (skewers of grilled chicken).

Many department stores have rooftops where you can soak up fantastic city views while you feast on depachika delicacies.

You’ll find some of the most spectacular depachikas in the basements of popular department store Daimaru, which you’ll find throughout Japan.

Get to know Tokyo’s neighbourhoods

Tokyo’s slick metro network means that you can stay further out from the busier areas and still enjoy easy access to Tokyo’s most famous landmarks.

Our favourite new openings include the slick Pullman Tokyo Tamachi, which you’ll find in a former warehouse district and just a few metres from the brilliant Tokyo Port sake brewery.

In recent years, a number of wallet-friendly hotel chains have cropped up in lesser-known neighbourhoods, too.

Our favourite? Hoshino Resorts’ Omo brand. Perks for guests include discounts at local businesses and complimentary guided tours from so-called Omo Rangers.

We recommend the brilliant OMO3 Tokyo Akasaka, which is almost next door to the stunning Akasaka Hikawa Shrine.

Toast Tokyo

Don’t miss the chance to check out one of Tokyo’s brilliant izakayas – tiny pubs you’ll find in every Tokyo neighbourhood.

That said, Tokyo’s also got one of the world’s best bar scenes.

Top spots include Shinjuku’s Bar Benfiddich, which recently made it onto the World’s 50 Best Bars list, and where owner Hiroyasu Kayama serves up some seriously experimental cocktails, and the Tokyo Edition, Toranomon’s Gold Bar, an art deco-themed watering hole famous for its classic cocktails.

Feeling hungry? Head to the hotel’s Jade Room + Garden Terrace for delicious Western-Japanese fusion cuisine.

Enjoy an art attack

Japan is jam-packed with art and especially of the digital kind.

One of the best places to visit is teamLab Planets Tokyo. a mind-boggling collection of immersive installations that opened this year.

We won’t spoil the surprise but expect to see super-sized glowing orbs that change colour when touched, huge rooms in which flowers are projected on to the knee-high water you’re standing in and fragrant greenhouse-style spaces filled with thousands of orchids, which rise up and lower as visitors pass through.

For the ultimate art fix, stay at the brilliant Park Hotel Tokyo in Minato.

This hotel is famous for its art suites – rooms given spectacular makeovers by artists.

We recommend the Mount FujiRoom, created by artist Shiki Taira, who has adorned it with incredibly beautiful images of Japan’s most famous mountain.

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