Topic: Tokyo
Some info scrapped from the CBS forum:
I was for a trip in Tokyo in April, and i just have few info:
For vinyls, Tokyo is crazee (but very expansive); you can check this:
A lot of records shops for electro are in Shibuya (and, maybe, it's one of the good spot to stay): if you start with Disk Union (easy to find, near the big HMV), you can ask there to find the others one (sometimes hard to discover, because inside buildings: it's the case of the Paradise Records, just near the Union, for italo, disco... but extremly expansive). A lot of vinyls shops are in this part; you will find easily (as Manhattan records).
For restaurant: all are cool. But don't expect to have english menu, it's pretty rare....Same thing in Shinjuku: start with the Vinyl Record Shop (Part 1, 2, 3, 4), all in Nishi-Shinjuke 7 Chome, Shinjuku-ku. Inside, it's like in London Shops....but in 1984 (and bigger)! all the New Wave it's here. You will also in this part of town impressive bookshops.
Other cool sport that i remember are: Ropongui and Evisu (nice and cool bars / restaurants everywhere). At the Ueno Station, you can find a big Toy Shop ... perfect for plastics robots....
Surely some Robotsan will have better information for you....any way, have a good trip in this marvellous city!
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yu can always check the club listings in metropolis (also a good place to find out about festivals, markets, K1, live concerts, ballets and so on )
http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/recent/li … p#clubbing
module is a nice little place, club yellow in nishi-azabu is also really worth checking - something of an institution, and a very good (large!) sound system. very nice and consistent atmosphere. nishimura playing there tonite!
http://www.club-yellow.com/contents.htmlUnit, Air and the Liquidroom can be really good depending on who's playing (Unit can be very desolate feeling if a bit empty, but it's classy. Air always seems to have a nice atmos when not too packed and has the cafe up top which is nice for chilling)
other stuff:
the Mori art museum in the roppongi towers is soo good, a really really nice big space and also one of the best views of tokyo from the observation room, very different and multi-angled view. at night time it can break your heart
www.mori.art.museumWatari-um is a nice little gallery and that part of Aoyama is quite nice to wander around too
www.watarium.co.jpit's a bit of a cheesy thing to do but if you are ready to spend 2000 yen on a nice cocktail, when
i finally went up to the bar at the top of the Hyatt, it was actually fun and another unique view. of course it's a good way to end an evening checking the yakuza and mysterious goings on in the back streets of roppongiin springtime there are some key places to go to see the cherry blossoms, my favourite two would be the Aoyama cemetary and by the river in Meguro. Especially in the daytime it's not too crowded and the blossoms fall like clouds over the side of the river. It's a really nice walk to get off at Naka-meguro and follow the river right along, to Meguro-dori. Turn down it and continue past Yamate-dori and the Claska hotel where you can stop for a drink or get your poodle groomed. If you don't like designer hotels there are also little junk shops where you can buy used robot figurines, crazy monsters, records, old electronics (uh, unless the law made all that stuff disappear..)
oh yeah, if you have time and the blossoms are still out, it's really really great to go to 'downtown' yokohama... the hood of classic detective show Hama Maiku and just such a good atmosphere. Favourite 'hanami' (cherry blossom viewing parties) was there, by the river in Sakuragicho. There are labourers, immigrants and bums all having their parties on rugs on the footpath and grilling while you walk under this magic canopy of blossoms and find a table and chair to drink your beers. Downtown styles: sitting in the gutter looking at pure heaven. It's a such a cosy and unique side to Tokyo.
Also in Sakuragicho you can find classic 'standing drinking' bars - real 1940s classic downtown vibe- the curry museum, i never went but it looks worth a visit, disneyland-ish entrance and japanese curry is the bomb.but if you don't want to go to Yokohama, you can also try wandering the back streets of Asakusa or Ochanomizu, find an outdoor table at one of the oldschool drinking/grilling places. Or go down the market street by Ueno station at dusk. You might find a nice pair of sneakers too. Have some grilled chicken with drunk businessmen.
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and from me:
As far as well known tourist attractions, the Sunshine 60 observatory in Ikebukuro is really great !
I'd also recommend going to Odaiba just for the sights (Fuji telebi building, Rainbow bridge). The Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation is also in Odaiba. Cool stuff, check the website.
I guess you already know all about Akihabara, Shinjuku and Harajuku (which are all must go places in their own right). After watching the kids on Harajuku bridge, go the Meiji Shrine it is a famous spot but it really is worth the visit.
For lesser know places, check the TRAVEL GUIDE TO ODD TOKYO:
http://www.hellodamage.com/top/tokyo-tour-guide/
And a google map with places described in the guide:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&am … 51782a0919
If you're even slightly into anime or otaku stuff, you should go to Nakano broadway (second link). It is mall entirely dedeicated to otaku shops (except for the ground floor): figures, toys, you name it, it's there. There's also a cool shop dedicated only to 80's electronic music, the guy speaks decent english (I picked up a kraftwerk t-shirt there last time).
Kiddy land in Omotesando and Yamashiroya just across the Ueno station are two very cool toy store.
If you come across a CoCo Ichibanya (a curry restaurant chain), EAT THERE !
all the food is so delicious in Japan...
And of course Shibuya which is only like heaven on earth if you're into j-girls.
Shinjuku and Shibuya is definitely where the action is, if you can do stay there, but it might be expensive (places to be = $$$). So if you can't, I'd recommend staying as close as you can but near a Yamanote line station (most important train line in Tokyo).
Any station west of the Yamanote line is fine (from Ikebukuro to Shinagawa), but the closer to Shibuya and Shinjuku the better.
Staying near a Yamanote station will also make getting around a lot easier, since most important places in Toyko are stops on that line anyway.
Oh and once you're tired of the buildings and neon light (does that ever happen ?), check out Shimokitazawa and Koenji, two neighborhood that are very different from the big places: very laid back, lots of bars, izakayas, live music, small retro and vintage shops, and a young crowd that isn't into Louis Vuitton bags (which for some kind of weird reason is japanese girls' major obsession). Village Vanguard in Shimokitazawa is an fun retro book-toys-magazine-weird stuff shop.
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