Making ramen from scratch is a very different lesson from stirring instant noodles into hot water. At Baba Ramen in Meguro, you work through the process with restaurant equipment and bilingual chefs, making noodles, broth, ramen components, and gyoza. The small group, capped at six, gives you room to ask questions and get useful corrections….
Shinjuku makes a fine classroom for Japanese food. This three-and-a-half-hour evening moves from neon streets and tiny Golden Gai alleys to two local izakayas, where you may eat more than 14 dishes, including chicken skewers, sashimi, handmade croquettes, dumplings, tonkotsu, and sake. I like the generous portions, since this is dinner rather than a few…
Tokyo’s Shibuya is easiest to understand after dark, when the crowds thin into side streets and the neon points you toward tiny izakayas. This three-hour walk takes you from the famous Scramble Crossing into Center-gai and Dogenzaka, with four local food stops along the way. I like the way the tour combines a full dinner…
Yoshimoto Comedy Night OWARAI turns a Tokyo evening into something wonderfully odd: a live comedy show built around physical comedy, mime, slapstick, and visual gags rather than long Japanese wordplay. Acts may include performers such as Wes-P and Yuriyan Retriever, both known for appearing on Got Talent, though the lineup changes. I like the close-up…
Mt. Fuji and Hakone make a powerful escape from Tokyo, especially when the mountain is clear. This private outing takes you from your hotel to high viewpoints, quiet forest shrines, pagodas, lakes, and Hakone’s volcanic sights without making you manage several trains and buses. I like the door-to-door transport, which matters when you are trying…
Tokyo Comedy Bar gives you something Tokyo rarely offers: a night out where you can laugh about life in Japan entirely in English. The small room, friendly host, and changing line-up create a social feel, while the comics tackle subjects from Japanese customs to the surprising survival skills of sea cucumbers. I like the one-minute…
Kabukicho changes character every few steps. One minute you are under a wall of neon in Tokyo’s best-known entertainment district. The next, you are in a narrow lane of tiny bars, beside a quiet shrine, or looking at vending machines with slot machine-style features. This tour gives you a quick way into that contrast, with…
Daikoku Parking Area is not a museum or a staged motor show. It is a real highway rest stop where the cars change from night to night. You might see classic Japanese sports cars, modern performance machines, luxury models, European cars, and the occasional American car. The fun comes from not knowing exactly what will…
Tokyo traffic becomes part of the attraction on this 90-minute go-kart tour, where you follow a guide through Shibuya, Harajuku, Omotesando, Tokyo Tower, and Roppongi. It is sightseeing with a helmet, an engine, and plenty of people waving from the pavement. I like two things right away: the guide handles the route while you concentrate…
Tokyo’s big three can be awkward to connect on your own, especially when you are still learning the city’s rail system. This four-hour bus tour links the Imperial Palace outer garden, Sensō-ji, and Tokyo Tower with a licensed English-speaking guide, giving you a useful first look at the capital. I like the efficient route and…
Insider guides, cultural deep-dives and current-affairs reporting on Tokyo and Japan, written by people who live here and go to the places they write about.