Piss Alley, northwest of Shinjuku in Tokyo.Credit: iStock
Planning a six-day visit to Tokyo, enjoy walking and exploring. Any suggestions for an itinerary? R. Silber, Manly NSW
Tokyo needs interpretation. While I'm entertained and distracted by Tokyo it becomes a far richer experience if I have a guide, as I discovered late last year when I took an Urban Adventure tour with Intrepid, urbanadventures.com. Highly recommended, and there are several options.
As well as the great temples, gardens and cultural institutions – Senso-ji, Tokyo National Museum, Meiji-jingu, Rikugien – it's the strange and weird side of Tokyo that fascinates.
Shinjuku Crossing is one of the world's busiest, visit in the evening and stand back when a human tidal wave surges across. In the same area the twin towers of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office have observatories on the 45th floor and they're free. A subset of the Shinjuku nightlife district, the bars of Golden Gai are a popular hangout for arty types, intellectuals, journalists and academics. Most bars and eateries here are tiny but look for one with an English menu and squeeze in. My personal favourite is Kodoji, a photographer's hangout.
Tokyo takes street fashion fantasy to extremes and the place to see it is Harujuku's Takeshita Street on the weekend. Just to the north is the Togo Shrine, a little gem at the other end of the cultural spectrum.
For one-stop shopping take a look at Coredo Muromachi, a gallery of desirable things you never knew you wanted.
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