8 Memorable Things to Do in the Japanese Capital

For film buffs (and especially Quentin Tarantino buffs) this is a can't miss: Gonpachi, an eatery located in Roppongi, is the restaurant that inspired the director as the setting for his now legendary Uma Thurman-versus- Lucy Liu and her Yakuza squad Kill Bill showdown. It's not exactly the same, but the open center, raised landing, wooden stairways and general traditional aesthetic are very similar (in actuality, the restaurant was reimagined on set in Shanghai). Case in point: it's easy to see the gleeful gore and camp of that cinematic moment, and, beyond that, the food is quite good, too.

The Aman Tokyo is an exceptional property, with soaring-ceilinged rooms and a perfectly pitched sense of discreet luxury that is typical of the hotel company’s understated approach to design. It offers guests a number of activities, including a sushi making class at Ginza Iwa Hanare—which only seats 7 people—with a master chef named Katsuaki Suzuki. Learn to prepare everything from akami tuna to uni sea urchin, and savor every bite. Then, take a class in Iaidō swordsmanship (Iaidō is an ancient, graceful Japanese martial art). Attendees will learn the basics of samurai etiquette, but then get to finish the class by swinging a very real (and very sharp) katama blade.

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Yes, it’s touristic, but it’s one of those can’t-not-go type of excursions. Shinjuku’s Robot Restaurant is a literal riot—a panoply of hyper-color and throbbing neon and Daft Punk-meets-Cirque du Soleil revelry that’s too wild to really put into words. Technically, it’s theater—you’ll be watching a show—but the narrative is inexact (it’s loosely got an animals/humans versus artificial intelligence thing going), yet spectacle, in and of itself, is the star. Even the waiting room is a trip, replete with arcade strip lighting and mirrored…well, everything. See it to believe it. 

If only for the Instagram opportunities, stop by Totti Candy Factory for their famous polychrome cotton-candy. It is the size of a traffic cone and dyed the pastel colors of a rainbow. Some have even been known to wear the confection as a hat. 

Though the main section of the historic Hotel Okura Tokyo—built in 1962, and considered a landmark of mid-century modernist Japanese design—has been demolished, the South Wing is still standing. And it is just as glorious as the glory days. The Hotel Okura has a Wes Andersonian vibe apparent without feeling made for a set; old stationery fills every counter, chits are still signed, the packaging is lushly overdone, pretty much everything is monogrammed, and there are an absurd amount of uniformed bellhops in the entryways and elevator vestibules. All in all, and wonderfully so: it still feels lost in time. Let's hope it stays this way when its new wing opens next year. 

Yayoi Kusama is one of Japan’s leading contemporary artists. Her influence is so great and her fandom is so large (how many social media photographs have you seen of her “Infinity Mirror Rooms”?) that it makes perfect sense for Kusama to have her own museum. Opened just last year in Shinjuku, the foundation hosts exhibitions dedicated to this eccentric creator. This summer’s program is called “Here, Now, I have Reached the Grandest Start of My Life.” It traces Kusama’s earlier days—including childhood drawings that “capture her hallucinations.” Understandably, the venue is popular—call your hotel concierge in advance to arrange for tickets, which must be booked beforehand.

Tokyo has its fair share of venues-with-views (many of its luxury hotels are located atop skyscrapers). No vista, however, is as iconic as The New York Bar's, which is located on the 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt in Shinjuku. This hotel, in particular, was made famous by the movie Lost In Translation—you almost never hear the Park Hyatt mentioned without some reference to the film. But don't go to this bar for that. Go for the jaw-dropping vignettes of an endless city, the buzzing vibe, the transcontinental elegance and, maybe, an espresso martini to help offset the jet lag. It is a night to remember. 

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Tsukiji Market is in its final days, and, because of such, a visit to this wholesale fish emporium is all the more urgent. This industrial, odorous and frenetic place, where freshly caught tuna are auctioned before dawn for eye-watering prices and where, later in the day, wanderers can enjoy sushi snacks on-the-go while perusing all manners of marine life (including some very exotic, hard-to-believe-they're-edible species), is a literally living Tokyo legend. However, in October, Tsukiji will shut down and relocate to a modernized and cleaner venue called Toyosu. We say: experience the nitty-gritty side of it, while you still can.