12 Spots to Frequent in Tokyo if You Want to Be a True Local

Yoyogi Koen, Shibuya

Of all Tokyo’s green spaces, the city’s fourth largest, Yoyogi Koen (‘koen’ means ‘park’ in English), has the most character. A beautifully laid out park, with sprawling grass lawns, quieter wooded areas, a good sized pond and well-placed walkways and fountains. Stroll through on a Sunday afternoon and you’ll find drum circles, hula hoopers, dance troupes and the odd game of ultimate frisbee. It’s great for an after dinner walk with ones’ beau or letting the littles burn off steam. Weekends typically include exciting international culture festivals and fares.

Ichiran Ramen, Shibuya

No one does hot bowls of ramen quite like the Japanese and every true Tokyo local, has a handful of ‘favorite’ ramen shops — Ichiran is one such list topper. Aside from their heavenly ramen, they’ve gone a step further and made the experience of enjoying ramen Japanese style an inclusive affair. By preparing their menu items and ordering lists in English, the process of ordering Japan’s ultimate comfort food has never been easier. They specialize in a type of ramen called ‘tonkotsu ramen’ which is made from a sinfully delicious pork-based broth. With multiple locations around Tokyo, finding a nearby shop is never difficult. However, the Shibuya location is perfect as a post shop-till-you-drop recharging station.

United Nations University Farmers’ Market, Aoyama

One of the city’s longest running weekend farmers’ markets, this one is highly favored by locals. A beautiful mix of fresh produce, ready-to-eat snack and drink offerings, and plenty of handmade goods, this is great either before or after brunch. It’s also the perfect place to see how salt-of-the-earth, garden-fresh items integrate with the metropolitan vibe of the Earth’s largest city. Fun to walk through with kiddos or alone, the market is a great way to remember there’s more than high-rise buildings and concrete to be found in the heart of Tokyo.

Big Echo Karaoke, Ikebukuro

Literally translated as ‘empty orchestra’ the term ‘karaoke’ makes perfect sense when you think about it. It’s also one of the signature ways Tokyoites of all ages love to spend a few hours de-stressing. Tokyo has no shortage of karaoke outlets, few, however, make it easy for the Japanese illiterate to participate. Big Echo is one company who’s made an honest effort in that department and has machines with English settings. It’s not uncommon to see groups of non-Japanese gathering in the Big Echo lobbies waiting for their turn with the mic. There are plenty of Big Echo shops around the city as it’s a popular chain, but Ikebukuro is one of Tokyo’s hang out hubs and worth spending an evening in.

Bayside Marina, Yokohama

Technically not in Tokyo, Yokohama and Tokyo are two cities that have grown so big they’ve bumped into each other thus representing the greater area of Tokyo. The Bayside Marina has a completely different look and feel from central Tokyo and is a place locals love to go to when feeling the need for something low key. The open grassy areas are perfect for a picnic with friends or a late afternoon snooze. Chinatown isn’t far away and there’s some fantastic food, shopping and entertainment venues — the Ferris Wheel view from the top is fantastic at sunset if you can time it right.

Roppongi Hills, Roppongi

One of Tokyo’s high-fashion havens and modern architectural gems, this is a great place for window shopping, catching a film, imbibing in quality fare and marvelling at both art and Tokyo’s cityscape from the Sky Deck 52nd floor’s observation tower. Roppongi Hills is a place locals often end up when they want to go out but can’t figure out exactly what to do. There’s plenty of options and things to do and see for all budgets. It’s especially good for garnering artistic inspiration and is a favorite among creatives. Weekdays and mid-week evenings are the best times to meander — weekends draw significant crowds though, it’s easy to understand why after touring the grounds.

Verve Coffee Roasters, Shinjuku

A tiny shop with sparse seating options, this is best reserved for to-go orders. That said, they make some mean craft coffee, are hip on the latest trends in the global coffee universe, and have a great location — near one of the exits at the world’s busiest train station. On a nice day, watching trains at the public outdoor seating areas in the plaza (coffee in hand) is strangely therapeutic.

Ueno Koen, Ueno

Located in one of Tokyo’s old school districts, Ueno Koen is a one-stop hub of experiential culture. In spring, it’s one of the city’s cherry blossom viewing meccas and is fantastic for panda viewing at the zoo. With five museums, a 2,000 seat performance theater, sprawling green spaces and more, Ueno Koen is a place one can happily spend anywhere from a morning to several days meandering.

Omohara Tokyu Plaza Starbucks, Omotesando/Harajuku

Before ’tisking’ that a global coffee chain outlet made the list, visit this one. Occupying space in Tokyo’s iconic fashion sub-culture hub, this specific location is an oasis. They did an incredible job selecting and designing this space and once you visit, popping in for a cuppa’ will become a must. Mid-afternoons are the best times to take a coffee break here if you want a seat on one of the patio deck’s swinging chairs.

Mori Art Museum, Roppongi

This museum is part of the Roppongi Hills complex. There are two things that make it fantastic: a) the unique exhibits change regularly b) the season pass includes access to the Tokyo City View observation deck. At only 6,000¥ annually and with fantastic perks, it’s a small investment with a lot of bang. There’s few ways to enjoy Tokyo where one can immerse themselves in creative inspiration, relish an incredible sunset view, and finally look out over the sprawling nighttime cityscape and not drop gobs of cash each time.

Tsutaya Electric Town, Futakotamagawa

Technically at the threshold of Tokyo’s back door, Electric town is a short train ride outside the city center. For book lovers, introverts, coffee hounds, fashionable & functional technology wi-fi geeks who love the bookshop meets coffee shop vibe, this is the place to hang. Be it to browse travel or design books, commandeer a workspace and tap into the free wi-fi or find a unique gift item for a friend ‘disappointing experience’ is never a phrase one will utter here.

Tokyo Hands, Shibuya

The first response to, “Do you know where I can find …. in Tokyo?”, is practically always, “Try Tokyo Hands.” It’s that way for a reason. Tokyo Hands is this city’s one stop shopping/DIY go to ‘they have what you need when you need it’ place of legend. It doesn’t take visitors and newbies long to learn why. The Shibuya location isn’t the only one, there are plenty to choose from — it’s just one of the biggest. Ikebukuro is another great location housing all the things. Try either and see how long it takes before you’re sending people there, too.