Authentic Tokyo

By Mitch Moxley

odaiba

As the world's largest city, Tokyo can feel overwhelming. It's easy to be blinded by the neon lights, colossal video arcades and futuristic toilets. But there's no need to be intimidated. From sampling sushi at the world's largest fish market to taking a dip at a Japanese bathhouse, here's a pared-down list of Tokyo's finest authentic experiences.

Sushi from the source

Tokyo knows how to do sushi, and Kyubei, a small spot in the Ginza neighbourhood, is widely regarded as having the best. Lunch plates here range from $50 to $350. The house specialty is chirashi (scattered sushi), a bowl of rice flavoured with fine vinegar and topped with two layers of delectable fish.

If Kyubei is out of your price range, get your sushi from the source. All seafood restaurants in Tokyo – and many international ones – do their shopping at the Tsukiji fish market, the largest in the world. In the market's football field-size warehouses, rows of tuna line the floors like frozen torpedoes. Get there by 5 a.m. for the tuna auction. About 2,300 tonnes of fish, an eighth of the world's catch, pass through Tsukiji daily, worth nearly $20-million. Try some of the freshest sushi in the world at one of the many local vendors.

For dinner, take in the raucous atmosphere at one of the city's countless izakayas, or traditional Japanese pubs. Cheap but good Japanese fare and great atmosphere can be found at Doma Doma in Shibuya. The nama – draft beer – flows at Doma Doma, and the place can get loud on weekend nights. It's a good spot to get a head start on Tokyo's nightlife.

Kyubei, 7-6 Ginza 8-chones, Chuo-ku, 81-3-3571-6533

Tsukiji Central Wholesale Market, 5-2-1, Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, 81-3-3541-2640

Doma Doma, B1F, Minagawa Bldg., 1-22-10 Jinnan, Shibuya, 81-3-5728-1099

The best of everything

Looking for Japan's next big thing? Trend spotters will rejoice in ranKing ranQueen in JR Shinjuku Station. The store offers the top three to 10 bestselling items in a range of categories, from toothpicks to bath powder. The rankings, based on sales data taken from independent surveys and the Tokyu Hands department stores, change weekly.

If you're into shopping, head to either upscale Shinjuku or youth-oriented Shibuya. Browse Shinjuku's airport-size department stores, like Odakyu Department Store, with 16 floors of designer clothes, home fashions and dozens of restaurants. For the younger crowd, check out Shibuya's countless boutiques and match your previously worn army jacket with a pair of $300 Asics sneakers.

For a glimpse of the Tokyo of the future, take the train across Rainbow Bridge to Odaiba, a man-made island in Tokyo Bay. The architecture here is out of this world (think Blade Runner). On a clear day, you can see Mount Fuji from the observation deck of the Telecom Centre, which looks like a glass and steel version of Paris' Arc de Triomphe.

ranKing ranQueen, JR Shinjuku Station, Shinjuku-ku, 81-3-5919-1263

Odakyu Department Store, Shinjuku1-1-3, Nishi-Shinjuku Shinjuku-ku, 81-3-3342-1111

The spiritual side

Temples and pagodas are fine, but the best way to connect with your spiritual side is by soaking in an onsen. Onsens are similar to public bathhouses but with natural spring water. Onsens can be a meditative experience, a reprieve from the frantic pace of daily Japanese life. Etiquette is extremely important: Wash completely before entering, removing all soap from your body, carry a hand towel for modesty and keep talking to a minimum. Rest your tired bones at the Edo period-themed Oedo Onsen Monogatari, which pumps natural spring water from 1,400 metres below the ground.

Oedo Onsen Monogatari, 2-57 Omi, Koto-ku, 81-3-5500-1126

(Mitch Moxley is a Toronto-based freelance journalist who has written from Vietnam, the Philippines and Japan.)

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