(Kid-friendly) Tokyo Guide 2023

Where to eat, play, stay and drink– feat. Kagurazaka, Shinjuku, Kichijoji, Aoyama, Ginza and Ueno

Hi, Miso Girl here. I'm based in Wurundjeri Country and I’ve started this blog to share recipes and stories about food and wine.

This first post is a travel guide of my native Tokyo based on my January 2023 visit with my husband Alberto and my three-year-old son Massi, in which I will collate all the tips that my friends have been asking me for. Although there are countless articles and videos on the topic, what makes this timely is the fact that due to Covid, Australia had closed its international borders for nearly two years, and Japan too had restrictions on inbound travel until late 2022.

Even for myself, it was the first time in close to five years that I returned to Japan. Whilst Tokyo never sleeps, the past few years have been a time of particularly drastic changes, with massive development for the 2020/2021 Summer Olympics and the permanent closure of numerous venues due to the pandemic.

Travelling to Japan

As of January 2023, the number of flights to Japan have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels, with mainland China still closed to connecting flights, and many routes having been cancelled during the border closures. Coupled with factors such as high demand, fuel prices and the bottom line of airline companies, air tickets were much more expensive than before, if not completely booked out.

The few direct flights between Melbourne and Tokyo didn’t suit our tight schedule, so we ended up flying through Gold Coast Airport. One of our rationales was that if one leg were a domestic flight, there would be more flexibility in case of cancellations (which did happen on the return trip!).

Whilst Tokyo never sleeps, the past few years have been a time of particularly drastic changes, with massive development for the 2020/2021 Summer Olympics and the permanent closure of numerous venues due to the pandemic.

Tokyo has two international airports– Haneda is the closer one, but Narita handles the vast majority of international flights. Narita is located in the neighbouring prefecture of Chiba, so it takes at least an hour to get from there to Tokyo station. If you are staying in the west of Tokyo, the trip will take even longer, but there are various express train/ bus routes available directly from the airport.

Covid vaccination certificates, as well as immigration and customs documents, can be uploaded/ completed in advance through the official Visit Japan Web, so that you need only scan the QR code on arrival at Narita Airport.

Where to Stay

We stayed in Kagurazaka (more on the neighbourhood below), at the Hotel Vintage Kagurazaka. Although I had always stayed with my parents or sister on previous visits, Japanese apartments are not large enough to accommodate three additional people.

Our hotel room boasted more than 50 square metres (without being an expensive suite) which was loosely separated between a sleeping and living area, so we would not awaken Massi once he went to bed in the evening. By all means, it is not a hotel that offers room service or turn down service, but had everything we needed, including a spacious bathroom and craft beers in the vending machine.

In narrowing down a neighbourhood, it could be worth mapping out the destinations that you propose to visit and consider access routes. For some nightlife, for example, whilst izakaya (pubs) are everywhere, if you wish to go out clubbing, Shibuya or Roppongi would be your areas, and the queer bars of 2-chome are located in Shinjuku.

Many of the larger hotels are found around commercial centres such as Shinjuku (think Times Square) or Ginza (think Fifth Avenue), but traditional accommodation or airbnbs can be found in more residential districts.

By all means, it is not a hotel that offers room service or turn down service, but had everything we needed, including a spacious bathroom and craft beers in the vending machine.

Neighbourhoods of interest, with quirky shops and eateries, include Kichijoji (details below), Naka-Meguro and Shimo-Kitazawa. Yet at the end of the day, wherever you decide to stay, convenience stores or vending machines are ubiquitous and you will find small pockets of tradition in local shrines and temples.

Getting Around

Addresses in Japan are not organised by street name and number (in fact, with the exception of major thoroughfares, most roads are unnamed). There is a method to the madness, of course– we use the city district name and number, followed by the block number plus building number. The old capital Kyoto actually has its own system in addition to this (they also retain their own customs and even vegetable varieties).

As the philosopher Roland Barthes noted its “empty centre”, Tokyo essentially has a hole (albeit a green one) in the middle, i.e. the imperial palace, where none of us can enter. It’s as if Central Park in New York or the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne were closed to the public, and you just had the joggers circling around. So, if you’re studying the subway map and wondering how to get to that huge oasis, the answer is that you are not allowed to cross the moat!

Addresses in Japan are not organised by street name and number (in fact, with the exception of major thoroughfares, most roads are unnamed).

The most straightforward way of riding public transport is to put money on a rechargeable card (Suica and Pasmo are the main ones). The good news is that they are valid across the numerous companies that run the trains, trams and buses, and you can even swipe away to make purchases at certain shopping malls, vending machines and convenience stores.

Express trains and buses (destined for the airport or other regions) may require a separate ticket or seat reservations. Depending on your itinerary, there are also various discounts for tourists that may be worth looking into. Kids generally ride for free until 5 years old (inclusive), and pay half price until 12 years old (inclusive).

Travelling with children

Back in June 2019, we visited Alberto’s family in Italy when Massi was three months old. Barring some bouts of wailing cries (including on the plane), that was a fairly easy trip as he slept a lot and didn’t have separation anxiety yet. Alberto’s mother even took care of him for a week so that Alberto and I could travel to Puglia.

In June 2022, we returned to Italy with a three year old, but things didn't go as swimmingly due to an intense heatwave and the fact that Massi did not yet comprehend the concept of a vacation. Despite my attempts to prep him for the plane theoretically by using books, he had understood it as simply a ride and expected to return home after touchdown. He was quite confused and distressed when ‘the car’ waiting at Malpensa Airport in Milan was not our own.

But even compared to this experience just six months ago, his trip to Tokyo at three and a half was much smoother and he actually enjoyed it. It was predominantly due to the ease of verbal communication– the fact that he could express himself clearly and we could explain plans to him.

If your child usually travels in a car, it could be helpful to mentally and physically prepare in advance– you could practise taking public transportation and walking several kilometres a day before diving into the deep end in a foreign country.

Road safety remained one of the main issues–whilst in Australia, he is free to zigzag and loiter as long as he stays on the footpath, the streets in Japan were too narrow and crowded for any funny business. Although we didn’t take a pram, rolling one around would likely be tricky unless you stick to larger commercial districts.

It is an understatement to remark that Tokyo is densely populated, so although there are far fewer cars than one would expect in relation to its population (due to policy), pedestrians need beware as footpaths are often simply marked by a white line on the asphalt, if they exist at all. Moreover, even if there is a raised sidewalk, it is shared with push bikes.

The public transport system in Tokyo is comprehensive and punctual, but it sure is a maze. I had never thought twice about it back when I was navigating it on my own, but with a three-year-old in tow, I noticed anew how it involves many flights of stairs and dodging tsunamis of crowds.

If your child usually travels in a car, it could be helpful to mentally and physically prepare in advance– you could practise taking public transportation and walking several kilometres a day before diving into the deep end in a foreign country. Same with museum visits– it can be frustrating to encounter interesting things that cannot be touched, so best to get accustomed whilst still back home.

Overall though, Tokyo is a child-friendly travel destination that is safe, clean, and where you can buy anything, anywhere, at any time of day. Alberto, who had never been to Japan before, was impressed by the famous convenience stores. A caveat is that the packaged food does contain a hoard of preservatives, flavour enhancers and the like, but we overlooked that for a short stay. On the train from the airport into Tokyo, I enjoyed a rice ball filled with plump scallops, and Massi tried a little combination meal of salmon, rice and sausages.

Due to a strong corporate culture of wining and dining clients on entertainment budgets, there tends to be a divide between grown-up restaurants versus the family-friendly. Sometimes, the issue isn’t so much that a place is fancy than the fact that there simply isn’t very much space. That being said, even the more upscale eateries have a down-to-earth vibe and price point at lunchtime, which is when we dared to sit with a three-year-old at a teppanyaki counter.

Overall though, Tokyo is a child-friendly travel destination that is safe, clean, and where you can buy anything, anywhere, at any time of day.

Some venues have semi or completely private rooms, which we sought out for our traditional lunches such as tempura. As for dinner, yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) or noodles are quick and unfussy options. Sushi can range from a curated experience in which wearing perfume is frowned upon (as it interferes with everyone’s sense of smell), to much more economical alternatives. We enjoyed a family dinner at a casual sushi joint that was filled with office workers congregating for after-work drinks.

And now for an overview of a few select neighbourhoods– I should add that particularly with Covid restrictions still in place, it is prudent to pre-book activities (and even meals) if possible, to avoid disappointment/ queues.

The double bind of travelling with a small human is that on the one hand, you risk the pressure of rushing to make appointments if you are ‘too organised’, but on the other hand, it is difficult to take the flexible, spontaneous attitude of our solo sojourning days. You just can’t win! I’ve come to the conclusion that the only way forward is to lower your expectations and take it easy.

Kagurazaka

The location of our hotel was a big hit with my family, as it was fascinating in and of itself, well connected (with multiple subway and bus lines within walking distance) and easy to get around by foot. It also had the least ‘touristy’ vibe out of any of our destinations.

Buildings in Tokyo traditionally have not been made to last centuries, wood being the material of choice, and the city prone to fires, floods, and earthquakes. Tokyo was also heavily carpet-bombed during WWII. Therefore, the extensive cobblestone laneways and well-preserved architecture found in Kagurazaka is quite rare anywhere else in Tokyo. The labyrinth paths have a local feel, one elderly lady even ducking into her kitchen to grab some sweets when she saw little Massi admiring the figurines adorning her home.

Kagurazaka is also one of the five Kagai (literally, ‘Flower-Districts’) of Tokyo, where, in the evenings, you can still catch a glimpse of Geishas hurrying to one of the many traditional restaurants tucked into the winding alleys.

Kagurazaka is also one of the five Kagai (literally, ‘Flower-Districts’) of Tokyo, where, in the evenings, you can still catch a glimpse of Geishas hurrying to one of the many traditional restaurants tucked into the winding alleys.

From our hotel, it was a short walk to the Yayoi Kusama Museum. We saw Ms Kusama’s art everywhere around town, as our visit coincided with her collaboration with Louis Vuitton, but this compact museum was definitely worth a visit, if not nearly large enough to do justice to the significance of her life and work.

Massi found the polka dots visually engaging, relished the immersive exhibits that Ms Kusama pioneered, and had a blast speculating on what he would encounter up the next flight of stairs, then joyfully announcing– “Pumpkins!”, with the five-story climb culminating in a cozy rooftop with a view.

Food

My university was one subway stop away from Kagurazaka, so I remembered vividly how incredible the dining scene is. In addition to specialised Japanese eateries, the area is well known for its French and Italian restaurants. We could have easily spent a week simply exploring Kagurazaka, with historical attractions and hospitality venues integrated into its residential streets.

Unlike at ‘Japanese restaurants’ abroad, traditional restaurants in Japan focus on a certain type of food such as sushi, soba or tempura.

We went out for lunch at Tori-jaya, a restaurant serving chicken dishes in a traditional setting. They are famous for Oyako-don, a rice bowl topped with dashi (broth)-rich eggs with chicken (‘oyako’ means parent-and-child), and Massi adored their silky Udon, or thick wheat noodles.

Later, I was tempted to “purchase the entire shop” at Akomeya, a deli selling rice and everything that accompanies it such as toppings and condiments. There, I picked up a delicious bento box to devour on the train en route to the airport, and they also have a café for eating in.

Notable venues that we missed due to the new year’s holidays and full bookings include NODO, which serves cuisine and wine from Friuli and Slovenia in a traditional Japanese residence, and Crazy Pizza, with natural wine, neapolitan pizza, and pizzoccheri (buckwheat pasta from Alberto’s hometown in Lombardy).

Sake

With my mother watching Massi as he slept in the hotel room, Alberto and I partook in a Kaiseki dinner at Sen. Kaiseki cuisine is a traditional, multi-course meal consisting of small bites of exquisitely prepared, seasonal ingredients. From lantern fish liver to lily bulbs, the chef used delicacies that I hadn’t been able to find in my time abroad, in a delicate menu executed skillfully with painstaking attention to detail.

The highlight of the evening, however, was the sake called Bodaisen, from a temple in Nara prefecture. Traditionally, sake has been brewed in some temples, much like beer and wine in monasteries. “Bodaisen” was the oldest documented sake, described in a book written in either 1355 or 1487. It was made in ceramic jars (like amphora!) and not in today’s three-stage process. In 2021, a research group revived this method at the original site, the birth place of sake, and produced a limited 500-bottle run that is not listed for export.

Alcoholic drinks carry spiritual significance in many cultures, but sake is special in that it uses rice itself, which is the staple food in Japan that was historically used as currency.

The word ‘sake’ in Japanese means alcohol in general, so make sure to order ‘Nihon-shu’ (literally, 'Japanese alcohol'). Alcoholic drinks carry spiritual significance in many cultures, but sake is special in that it uses rice itself, which is the staple food in Japan that was historically used as currency. For example, wine, on the other hand, is made from grapes specifically grown for this purpose.

There are various grades of sake depending on whether it is only made from rice and culture, or contains additives such as distilled alcohol which helps draw the rich aromas back into the liquid (from the residual solids). There are also differences in brewing methods (such as long fermentation at a lower temperature), as well as the question of how much of the rice’s outer layer is polished. The outside contains more protein and fat, which makes it challenging to manage the taste.

A bottle of sake could be expensive because it has been made from a high grade of rice, which has then been polished down to around half, with no additives. Skill and care is needed to draw out the fruity aroma from what is simply white rice (c.f. grapes!) at the end of the day.

Sake is very sensitive to fluctuations in temperature and distribution routes are notoriously complicated. Nailing good value for money is even more difficult when based abroad– when I am overseas, I tend to choose from the clean and dry end of the spectrum, as it is harder to go wrong. In Japan, however, particularly when travelling to different regions or at a trusted restaurant, it is possible to be more adventurous.

The bottle we had on this night was transcendental– the depth of aroma and taste was complex, defying words, and we could only describe it vaguely, as “positively life-changing” and “like sipping God’s tears”. It was akin to no other sake I have ever known, with a closer impression to skin contact amber wine.

Coffee

There is no doubt that the hipster cafés of Kagurazaka deserve a shout-out. Independent cafés in Japan tend to open later than one may expect, around 10 or even 11am. First of all, espresso machines are not common, and neither are takeaway coffees, so cafés are often a place to sit down for a chat. Busy commuters down coffees in cans or make a solo stop at a franchise if they need a quick breakfast, instead of opting for a comparatively pricey brew that is roasted in-house.

There is no doubt that the hipster cafés of Kagurazaka deserve a shout-out.

Akha Ama Coffee near Akagi Shrine specialises in organic coffee from the north of Thailand. Alberto enjoyed their espresso, with a perfect crema (froth) on top, more than any other coffee on the trip. Unfortunately, we arrived just as Massi was having a difficult moment (he was upset that I was forced to physically steer him away from oncoming traffic), but the barista was very kind, preparing him lukewarm milk and handing out stickers.

The staff at Elm Green Coffee and Swing By Coffee were also passionate and friendly. UNPLAN was a hostel/ guest house around the corner with a café that interested us, if their espresso machine had not been out of order during our stay.

Shinjuku

Kagurazaka is in the district (ward) of Shinjuku, so one evening Alberto and I took the bus to Shinjuku proper, where the Tokyo metropolitan government is headquartered, and millions of commuters pass through the station each day.

This train line to the west is known for a bit of counter-culture, contrasted with the older, more traditional vibes of the north and east of Tokyo.

First, we made a stop at Omoide-Yokocho, a series of passageways bordering the train tracks that are lined with tiny bars. Some venues had outdoor seating even in the middle of winter, where we saw some kids and babies (overall, we saw very few young children in Tokyo).

After passing by a string of ramen and yakitori (chicken skewer) joints, we chose a Karaage place (perhaps more accurately characterised as a booth) specialising in fried chicken thighs. Sipping hot Shochu, we enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere, although the smoke from all the grilling and cigarettes can be irritating on the throat. Golden-gai is another destination for miniscule bars (in my mind, it is more for after-meal drinks into the night, but there will always be affordable food around if you feel peckish).

We then made our way to Kabuki-cho, also known as the red-light district run by mobsters, as we had bookings at Una-tetsu, which specialises in grilled eel (unagi). Unlike at ‘Japanese restaurants’ abroad, traditional restaurants in Japan focus on a certain type of food such as sushi, soba or tempura. It takes years to learn the craft, and the staff are deeply knowledgeable about their work.

I had selected this venue because of the option to eat eel without the standard sweet-and-salty-marinade, just grilled plain with soy sauce and wasabi on the side. Every part of the eel is utilised, from fried spine/ fins, to the liver, submerged in a clear broth. They let you choose your own glassware for the sake, which is always a fun touch, and perched at the counter, we devoured charred vegetables and fluffy eel grilled before our eyes and served in countless different ways.

For the little ones

Kabukicho can be accessed from the East Exit of Shinjuku Station. On the south side is the large department store Takashimaya. The topmost floor of department stores have an array of restaurants, and the ones overlooking the train tracks at Takashimaya Shinjuku are great for kids as they offer endless entertainment IRL in the form of multi-coloured trains gliding by in a non-stop loop.

Past Shinjuku Gyoen Park is the Tokyo Toy Museum, housed in a retro former schoolhouse in Yotsuya (we also found a Fire Station Museum nearby). This was a charming attraction complete with craft lessons and traditional toys for children to try, with a focus on handcrafted and wooden products.

Kichijoji

Kichijoji is 15 minutes west of Shinjuku (on the train), and consistently ranks at the top of desirable suburbs in Tokyo. This train line to the west is known for a bit of counter-culture, contrasted with the older, more traditional vibes of the north and east of Tokyo. I am likely biased as this was my ‘hood back when I lived in Tokyo, but Kichijoji is chock-full of small businesses in hospitality and retail specialising in anything you can imagine.

To the south of Kichijoji station is the sprawling Inokashira Park, famous for its boating lake bordered by cherry trees that bloom majestically every spring. There is even a small zoo inside the park, but this time we were after the Ghibli Museum. Even though Massi has never actually watched a Ghibli film, he loved climbing over the plush ‘Cat bus’ from "My Neighbour Totoro", and noticing all the gorgeous little details in the stained glass windows.

We then enjoyed a beautiful Teppanyaki lunch at Nishimura, also in the red-light district (Anyone notice a pattern here? Just ask my sister–whenever I book accommodation, whether it be in Barcelona, Paris or Athens, the area is always “gritty, tottering on the cusp of gentrification”).

The punchline is that the course, with a crab salad, a cheesy omelette, and later, garlic rice, culminated in… a 50 gram steak (not a typo!)

I don’t often eat Teppanyaki in Japan and was envisioning the showy Vegas-type antics from the United States, but our experience was subdued and sophisticated. The punchline is that the course, with a crab salad, a cheesy omelette, and later, garlic rice, culminated in… a 50 gram steak (not a typo!) Japanese cuisine is an exercise in restraint, but this was next level as there was practically more garnish than meat. Truly though, with the amount of marbling, you couldn’t stomach a large cut.

On Bread

Although I could write entire articles on various themes in Kichijoji (Curries! Ramen! Pastries!), I would like to close with a mention of sourdough. As Alberto noticed, Japanese food is generally quite soft, and whilst many people eat bread at breakfast, a pillowy texture is celebrated (hence the shoku-pan). Nevertheless, there are bakeries that satisfy our love of rock-hard country loaves.

On the north side of Kichijoji station, Dans Dix Ans uses domestic wheat (which is rare, as plains are limited in Japan) and other organic ingredients. My mother had saved their Christmas Stollen for us to savour, which Alberto (from the north of Italy) approved of. Liberté, on the other hand, hails from the 10th arrondissement in Paris and imports flour from France. On the south side of the station, a stone’s throw from Inokashira Park, Epée runs a bustling boulangerie and bistro. Finally, I can’t omit Pain de Philosophes in Kagurazaka, which is also a sell-out destination, although we missed it this time due to the new year holidays.

Aoyama

After a lunch of contemporary soba at Ryan in Shibuya (not far from the infamous zebra crossing), we walked down ‘Cat Street’ toward Harajuku. This area around Omotesando is a shopper’s paradise, with everything from designer flagships and vintage boutiques to storefronts overflowing with cartoon characters and every micro-trend in between. Alberto and I had hoped to score some rare bottles on a strip dotted with wine shops (no 501, Virtus, Dive to Wine), but we ran out of time.

Meiji Shrine and the adjacent Yoyogi Park provide a tranquil forested haven between the hectic urban centres of Shibuya and Shinjuku. New Year’s Day is the most important holiday in Japan, and millions of people would have attended Meiji Shrine in the first days of the new year to offer their prayers.

Meiji Shrine and the adjacent Yoyogi Park provide a tranquil forested haven between the hectic urban centres of Shibuya and Shinjuku.

We had dinner at Yamakasa just off of Aoyama Boulevard (yes, a street with a name!), which specialises in the cuisine of Hakata/ Fukuoka, in the south of Japan. Geographically, Japan stretches long north to south, and travel was historically difficult due to the fact that roughly 70% of the terrain is mountainous. There is great regional variation in the food culture, which is not accurately represented abroad, even compared to, say, Italian restaurants that may focus on the particular cuisines of, say, Emilia, Veneto or Sicily.

This is actually the one restaurant that my sister and I never miss, every time I visit Tokyo from overseas. Bookings are highly recommended, for the earliest possible time slot– the ingredients are freshly flown in from the island of Kyushu, so when we got there at 9pm, their signature meat dishes were all sold out.

On Natural Wine

From Omotesando, it is a short cab ride or a long stroll to Nishi-Azabu, with Roppongi not far beyond. Just off the main intersection at Nishi-Azabu is Bunon, a wine bar pairing natural wine with Japanese food in a renovated traditional residence (yes, I have a type, okay?) The menu, which changes daily, is masterfully curated by the owner, who is the third generation of a family of fishmongers. You can find shark heart in the sashimi section, as well as fish semen (which is not considered weird in Japan). Vegetables are grown on a dedicated farm in Karuizawa, in Nagano prefecture.

You can find shark heart in the sashimi section, as well as fish semen (which is not considered weird in Japan).

I had a chat with the sommelier, who was not shy about popping bottles even though I was only drinking by the glass. Asked what kind of wine I preferred, I responded, “TBH, I like my reds bordering on vinegar.” I mean, the whole point of wine is to capture that sweet spot in time when the fermented grape juice is still wine and not vinegar, and I like to push that boundary.

I was offered a Merlot/ Cabernet sauvignon/ Cabernet franc from Pierre Rousse in Languedoc. Organic farming, no destemming, spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, no filtering, filtration or added sulfites– she really hit the nail right on the head. As seen in the photo below, sake and whiskey are available as well.

Ginza

If the previously mentioned areas in the west of Tokyo were generally young and alternative, the east side of Tokyo is the historical heart of the capital. Ginza, in particular, elegantly preserves tradition.

We had tickets to the Art Aquarium hosted at the historic Mitsukoshi Department Store, where Noh masks and Ukiyo-e prints are displayed alongside diverse goldfish in ornamental tanks and intricate flower arrangements. This exhibition too, was toddler-approved by Massi. We then descended to the Depa-chika, or ‘basement of the department store’, where two floors are packed with everything food and drink.

Down the main thoroughfare toward Shimbashi, Hakuhinkan Toy Park is a 123 year-old, multi-story toy store. They even had a magician entertaining us with tricks as we waited for their 11am opening. In addition to the fact that they sell every kind of toy and character merchandise on earth, there are numerous opportunities to test them. At three years old, Massi was content enough with the robotic dogs and bunnies, but on the top floor, there is a racecourse where you can race miniature cars against the backdrop of the real-life highway outside the window.

We had walked to Ginza from the Tsukiji Outer Market, with stalls hawking the best seafood and beyond to top restaurants and tourists alike. We would have been perfectly happy to roam around and feast there (although standing-room only, cold cans of beer are available, as well as the natural wine shop and bar Shubiduba, where you can BYO food), but as we were on the way to a tempura lunch, we contented ourselves by snacking on massive raw oysters, succulent scallop and grilled squid.

Toyosu

The professional fish market, aka the ‘inner’ market, recently relocated to Toyosu, accessible via the monorail. Although we were not able to wake up early enough to view the famous tuna auction, we did eventually make it down to Toyosu. This day, the 5th of January, was the opening of the new year for the industry auctions, with television cameras already camped outside at 4am. According to news reports, the lucky bidder for a 212kg tuna fish caught off Aomori prefecture paid 36,040,000 yen, or roughly $277,000 USD.

In Toyosu, we attended teamLab Planets TOKYO, which is on until the end of 2023. This is an immersive art installation that involves stepping through a shallow pool with images projected on the surface, and other sensory experiences. Massi enjoyed, again, speculating what would be waiting around the corner: “I hear running water…” and was not disappointed, with entire rooms of padded floors and walls to crash into, and mirrored spaces with giant balls to roll around.

Toyosu is also home to KidZania, an activity centre where children can pretend-play various occupations such as pilot, nurse and so on. The programs are quite elaborate, as actual corporations act as sponsors. Some are also provided in English.

Ueno

Asakusa is another area of interest that we had to pass on this time, highlights including the iconic Sensoji Temple and the Tokyo Sky Tree observatory, as well as Kappabashi Shopping Strip which sells every conceivable cooking utensil.

We did stop at the massive Ueno Park, which houses a number of spectacular museums and a large zoo.

From Ueno station, you can follow the Ameyoko open-market stalls (selling clothes, fresh fish, spices, you name it) to Okachimachi, where we stopped at Yanshan Ajibo.

The Ajibo Group runs a number of authentic Chinese eateries in various Tokyo locales, with this one specialising in lamb dishes from the northeast of China. They offer a selection of natural wines that you casually choose out of the fridge.

The other venue we loved in Okachimachi was Cafe 229, a hole-in-the-wall gallery/ bar space that offered glasses of skin contact Damijan wines from Friuli.

Last but not least, Vineria il Passaggio is a natural wine bar in Nihombashi that I had my eyes on. Mr Satake is the sommelier (or should I say, shaman?) His philosophy requires a whole separate post, but in a nutshell, the man is not content to match you (or your food) with a wine– he is on a mission to bring out the full potential of the drink. This may involve burning sage, as well as serving wine in abalone shells.

This reminded me of the difference between western medicine and traditional eastern medicine (the latter taking a more holistic approach)– whilst normally we may simply choose the shape of the glass and adjust the temperature of the wine, Mr Satake is interested in balancing our reception of the beverage. Amongst other things, he ‘reads’ the energy of:

1. the room (hence the sage); plus

2. the individual customer in that moment (as energy levels fluctuate);

3. as well as himself, because the manner in which he pours will influence the taste.

Mr Satake gives very specific instructions of how to sip the wine (I was allocated a shallow terracotta bowl which I was advised to hold with both hands so that it does not disintegrate), including a directive to avoid shifting the vessel around so as not to disrupt the optimum angle.

There are so many variables when it comes to the consumption of wine, from the terroir right down to the cork quality. Mr Satake gives very specific instructions of how to sip the wine (I was allocated a shallow terracotta bowl which I was advised to hold with both hands so that it does not disintegrate), including a directive to avoid shifting the vessel around so as not to disrupt the optimum angle. Note his library of books (not on wine but everything else from art to physics and neuroscience).

My favourite part of all this is how both in person and on social media, Mr Satake openly shares the process of his discoveries and revelations about this approach. Unlike some settings that are a one-way interaction of the sommelier teaching us about the wine, there is a sense of camaraderie in solving life’s mysteries together. His exuberant exclamations when he senses a ‘drop’ in energy levels (of the wine, the atmosphere, or himself) is humorously juxtaposed with his deadpan explanations of esoteric principles.

Other Destinations

There are myriad activities to keep children occupied, including theme parks and aquariums, but here are some additional attractions that offer lessons in history and culture:

• Tokyo (then called Edo) became the capital of Japan in 1603. For more information about the past, Edo Tokyo Museum is located in Ryogoku, in the east of Tokyo. For those lamenting the fact that few old buildings have been preserved in the city, a note that historical buildings of cultural significance have been relocated to Edo Tokyo Open Air Architecture Museum (Koganei, in the west of Tokyo).

My hot tip is that there are wonderful short (or even day) trips from Tokyo which you can take without bringing all your luggage along.

• Aside from skiing in Hokkaido, the typical itinerary for the first time traveller to Japan tends to include a trip on the bullet train to Osaka/ Kyoto in the west (I, too, am originally from the west of Japan).

As intriguing as the regional diversity is, the added travel can be taxing, particularly with kids. My hot tip is that there are wonderful short (or even day) trips from Tokyo which you can take without dragging all your luggage along. Just leave the bags at your accommodation or a station locker, and escape the metropolis for nature hikes and hot springs.

• Serene Nikko is two hours north of Tokyo. Tour the ornate Toshogu Shrine, as well as Lake Chuzenji and Kegon Waterfall. Kids (and adults) can dress up in kimonos and ninja costumes to take a trip back in time at Edo Wonderland.

• Less than an hour south of Tokyo, Kamakura was once the capital of Japan around the 13th century. Numerous shrines and temples, museums and galleries, cafés and restaurants can be found where the mountains meet the sea. Don’t miss the bronze statue of the Great Buddha, which is over 10 metres tall.

As you can tell, I have a penchant for:

1. Impossibly packed schedules;

2. Forays into the wrong side of the tracks; and

3. Funky drinks in historical architecture.

If this is your jam, hit me up and I would be delighted to share more details. Thanks for reading!

xoxo, Miso Girl.