Tokyo City Guide.
"The best meal of your life might take place in a basement, with eight seats and no English menu."
Bars & Pubs
BAR TRENCH, Ebisu
One of Asia's consistently most celebrated bars, regularly featured on the World's 50 Best Bars list. Head bartender Rogerio Igarashi Vaz has created something truly extraordinary in a narrow basement in Ebisu, without much fanfare. The aesthetic is reminiscent of a European speakeasy, the cocktails are based on Japanese ingredients, and the service takes its craft seriously without taking itself too seriously.
INSIDER:
Reservations are not possible. Arriving early makes it easier; otherwise, expect to wait outside. The bar seats about 20 people and is usually full quickly after 9 PM. Wednesday and Thursday evenings are the most pleasant nights of the week.
TWILLO, Location changes nightly
A mobile yatai bar that appears somewhere in Tokyo after midnight. Owner Shotaro Kamijo posts the location on X every evening beforehand. There's no fixed address, no menu to browse in advance, and whether you'll even get a seat is uncertain. Probably the most unique bar experience on this list, perhaps even in any city in this guide.
INSIDER:
Follow @Twillo0 on X. The location is usually posted between 10 PM and midnight. Those who arrive within 30 minutes of the post have the best chance; after that, the bar is usually full. Payment is cash only, the drink selection is limited, but a visit is definitely worth it.
NO ROOM FOR SQUARES,Nakameguro
A jazz bar in the basement by the Nakameguro Canal. A vinyl collection, low ceilings, serious music. The name comes from a Charlie Mingus album. You sit down for a drink and don't get up again for two hours.
BAR BENFIDDICH, Shinjuku
Hiroyasu Kayama grows his own botanicals and herbs and brings them directly to the bar. Ranked ninth in Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025. The drinks here are created from scratch, in a way that few other bars worldwide pursue so consistently.
THE SG CLUB, Shibuya
Three experiences in one building. Guzzle is on the ground floor, the speakeasy Sip is in the basement, and above it is the members-only cigar lounge Savor. Founded by Shingo Gokan, one of Japan's most renowned bartenders.
JANAI COFFEE, Ebisu
A coffee stand with a hidden cocktail bar behind it. To make a reservation, you first have to solve a puzzle on their website. You trace the logo on a touchscreen with your finger to unlock the booking page.
Food & Cafes
ZOROME, Mejiro
Chef Okada Yoshiaki spent over a year convincing Kyosui suppliers of his skill before they entrusted him with their product. The result: one of only 40 restaurants in Japan serving Kyosui-Unagi, a rare eel raised for over 18 months under natural conditions in Shizuoka Prefecture. The eels remain alive in tanks until an order is placed. Awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand. Counter seats offer a view of the entire preparation, from cutting to grilling over Binchotan charcoal.
INSIDER:
On Saturdays for lunch, they offer the special Ikada preparation, where the eel is grilled and served whole, without being cut. Reservations can be made in English via TableCheck. It's best to specifically request counter seats, from where you can observe the entire process, from the live eel in the tank to the charcoal grill. The restaurant is just a one-minute walk from Mejiro Station on the Yamanote Line.
MEN ZIN SAITO, Akihabara
A ramen spot in the heart of Akihabara that distinctly stands out from its surroundings. Features a rich broth, homemade noodles, small and focused. A moment of calm in one of Tokyo's loudest districts.
SUSHI MASA, Kudanshita
Open since 1861, run by the fifth generation, located in a former geisha district. Serves Edomae sushi with rice aged for three years in red wine vinegar. A storage box from its founding year is still in use today. History is embedded in every detail here.
YORONIKU, Aoyama
One of the most influential Yakiniku restaurants worldwide since 2007. Offers a multi-course Wagyu menu, including the signature Truffle Sukiyaki. It's best to make reservations at the original restaurant in Aoyama.
MYOJAKU, Nishiazabu
Awarded a Michelin star in 2026. Its philosophy embodies harmony, subtlety, and purity. Dashi is used sparingly to allow the natural flavors to shine. Currently the city's most celebrated Japanese restaurant.
Arts & Galleries
Old ink. Vibrant light. Walls beneath the ground.
TEAMLAB PLANETS, Toyosu
Four immersive spaces where the boundary between body and artwork blurs. Visitors walk barefoot through water gardens, immerse themselves in infinite light rooms, and enter spaces filled with flowers that react to their presence. Created by the Tokyo art collective teamLab, which holds the Guinness World Record for the most visited museum dedicated to a single artist collective, with over 2.5 million visitors in 2025 alone. In January 2025, a new area called Forest also opened, featuring twenty additional interactive installations. Tickets should be booked online in advance.
NEZU MUSEUM, Aoyama
Japanese and Asian art housed in a building by architect Kengo Kuma, nestled within a garden that feels completely detached from the city. Founded in 1941 by railway industrialist Nezu Kaichiro, whose collection survived the 1945 bombings that destroyed the original building. Over 7,400 pre-modern paintings, ceramics, lacquerware, and textiles are part of the collection, including seven National Treasures. The 17,000-square-meter garden features four traditional tea houses and a bamboo-lined path that filters out the noise of Omotesando even before you reach the entrance. The garden alone justifies a visit.
NANZUKA, Harajuku
Founded in 2005 in a Shibuya basement, now a three-story gallery in Harajuku. Shinji Nanzuka treats street culture, illustration, and design as serious subjects, on par with fine art. Hajime Sorayama, Keiichi Tanaami, Kenny Scharf. The gallery has particularly focused on artists working at the intersection of pop culture and fine art, a combination still met with skepticism by most traditional Tokyo galleries. Monthly rotating exhibitions, free admission.
Hotels
AMAN TOKYO, Otemachi $$$
Housed on the top six floors of the Otemachi Tower, above the Imperial Palace Gardens. A 30-meter-high atrium lobby features Washi paper lanterns and a Zen garden of water, gravel, and stones, designed by Australian architect Kerry Hill, responsible for several of the world's most renowned Aman hotels. There are only 84 suites, each with a deep Furo bathtub, central to Japanese bathing tradition, and on clear days, views extend to Mount Fuji. The Aman Spa boasts Tokyo's longest swimming pool at 30 meters, along with onsen-style hot baths and steam rooms. It offers the most complete luxury experience Japan has to offer, and for many guests, it's the primary reason for their visit.
INSIDER:
It's best to request a room on one of the higher floors with a southwest view, as Mount Fuji is only visible from this side on clear mornings, typically in winter. Arva, the hotel's restaurant on the 33rd floor, applies European techniques to Japanese ingredients and is worth a reservation even if you're not staying at the hotel.
TSUKI TOKYO, Ginza $
A 31-room boutique hotel tucked away in the side streets between Tsukiji Market and Ginza. Rooms are minimalist, with wooden floors, white walls, and simple Japanese design details. Some rooms feature a Hinoki cypress wood bathtub. Imabari towels and complimentary coffee in the lobby are provided, and for breakfast, it's just a short walk to Tsukiji Market. One of the best value-for-money options in central Tokyo.
K5, Nihonbashi $$
A 1920s bank building converted into a 20-room boutique hotel in Nihonbashi. Featuring copper-clad elevators, high ceilings, wood accents, and no televisions. Instead, guests can enjoy an in-room record collection. The ground floor houses the Caveman restaurant, and the Brooklyn Brewery is in the basement. One of the city's most thoughtfully designed hotel conversions.
Hidden Gems
Three ways to see the city differently.
GOLDEN GAI, Shinjuku
Two hundred bars spread across six narrow alleys, each with space for five to eight people. Each bar has its own theme, its own regulars, and its own unwritten rules. The alleys are private roads, and photography is prohibited without permission from the local business association. Some bars welcome strangers, others prefer not to. The only way to find the right spot is to go in and see. There are no reservations, no recommendations. You choose an alley, choose a door, and ask if there's room. That's all the guidance you need.
SHIMOKITAZAWA, Setagaya
A district full of vintage shops, small jazz clubs, independent theaters, and affordable restaurants that has barely changed while the rest of Tokyo modernized around it. After the war, writers and artists settled here, and in 1975, a jazz club called Loft opened, quickly followed by others. This made the district a creative hub that has never truly ceased to be one. A handful of narrow alleys still recall the structure of Golden Gai, though few of them remain. There's no single destination, no specific point to check off. It's best to come with a free afternoon and no plan. The district will fill both on its own.
CHUREITO PAGODA, Fujiyoshida
A five-story pagoda on the hillside above Fujiyoshida, about a 90-minute train ride from Shinjuku. Built in 1963 as a peace memorial in honor of the nearly 1,000 local residents who lost their lives in the war, it is part of the Arakura Sengen Shrine complex, which dates back to 705. From the top of the 398 steps, the pagoda stands in the foreground with Mount Fuji directly behind it, creating one of Japan's most photographed scenes. It's best to arrive early in the morning before the light changes and the crowds arrive. Every minute of the journey is worth it.
Working from Tokyo
What you should know before opening your laptop in Japan
Workation: Key Facts:
- Who needs it: Any employee working remotely from Japan for an employer abroad
- Digital entry registration: required before boarding
- 90-day rule: visa-free entry covers short-term remote work for up to 90 days
Visa-free entry
Who can enter visa-free: EU, UK, USA, Canada, Australia, and most other nationalities. Duration of stay: up to 90 days. Purpose: Tourism, business meetings, short-term work. Required document: valid passport.
For longer stays:
- Digital Nomad Visa: for freelancers and remote workers staying longer than 90 days
- Business Manager Visa: for company representatives
- Work Visa: requires sponsorship by a Japanese employer
Work from Tokyo
Few travelers know that Japan requires digital entry registration, which must be completed before boarding. We handle the entire process for you, from entry registration to documentation for longer stays, with confirmation before your trip even begins.
