While Japan’s capital usually brings to mind skyscrapers and neon lights, there are still spots where visitors can get a feel for tradition and the art of living when the city was called Edo.
One gem people don’t want to miss is the Shunkaen Bonsai Museum in Edogawa Ward. Created by award-winning bonsai artist Kunio Kobayashi, the serene garden and tatami rooms showcase around 1,000 bonsai, each a perfect tiny landscape that has been carefully tended and shaped. The collection includes maples, plums, cherries and other trees that array themselves with the colors of the seasons, all in miniature. For those wanting to learn more, the museum offers basic bonsai-tending classes in both English and Chinese so visitors can experience firsthand the delicate touch required by this ancient art.
After a little less than an hour by bus and train, visitors are back in the vibrant, young neighborhood of Shibuya, where they can experience Tokyo’s iconic scramble crossing and take a selfie with the famous Hachiko statue. For shopping, food and art, there are the glittering Shibuya Hikarie, Shibuya Stream and Shibuya Bridge.