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Claska
Tokyo, Japan
Those with the time - or inclination - to delve beyond Tokyo's tourist-tempting hotspots will be the ones who return, again and again, knowing there are ever-more surprises waiting to be discovered down the city's infinitely alluring labyrinth of backstreets.
16 September, 2019
Visitors to Tokyo never fail to get carried away by a giddy sense of expectation at seeing the city's throbbing neon lights, softly lantern-lit bars and sci-fi-like, skyscraper-filled skyline. With the unexpected and jerks of surprise - such as salarymen walking pet cats, or middle-aged women dressed in head-to-toe leather jiving to old school rock and roll in public spaces on a Sunday afternoon - lurking around every corner, Japan's vast capital lives to entertain, whatever the time of day.
Yet the ear-blasting clatter and jangle of pachinko parlours sitting alongside the eye-assaulting shop fronts of areas such as Harajuku can often threaten to overwhelm, and for first-time visitors the main difficulty in traversing this bustling, buzzing city can be finding a space to breathe. But for every high-rise heavy street, there lurks an escape route into another dimension; a teeny alleyway filled with non-descript doorways through which haven-like tea rooms, tranquil gardens, secret sake bars and stylish sushi counters await, offering a welcoming, embracing calm.
So how to uncover Tokyo's tranquil alter ego? Our advice: ditch the standard guidebook and wander the city's streets without aim; Tokyo is a city of vibes rather than landmarks, and each of its neighbourhoods unveils a different side of its endless faces. Stroll the neon-lit backstreets of Shinjuku and you'll find the futuristic city of the future, so often portrayed on the big screen, materialised in real life. Or while away a day along the leaf-lined streets of Yanaka, snacking from shops whose time-worn facades recall a Tokyo of centuries passed.
Those with the time - or inclination - to delve beyond Tokyo's tourist-tempting hotspots will be the ones who return, again and again, knowing there are ever-more surprises waiting to be discovered down the city's infinitely alluring labyrinth of backstreets.
hotel
Tokyo, Japan
hotel
Tokyo, Japan
hotel
Tokyo, Japan
hotel
Tokyo, Japan
hotel
Tokyo, Japan
hotel
Tokyo, Japan
hotel
Tokyo, Japan
hotel
Tokyo, Japan
hotel
Tokyo, Japan
hotel
Tokyo, Japan
hotel
Tokyo, Japan
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2 Chome-4-7 Koenjikita Suginami City Tokyo 166-0002
hotel
Tokyo, Japan
hotel
Tokyo, Japan
hotel
Tokyo, Japan
hotel
Tokyo, Japan