Where to take friend who is visiting from Berlin and has seen the usual places?

Question

Friend of mine from Berlin is here now and I wanna hang out with him today but I'm always taking friends/guests to the same places (Shibuya, Harajuku, Shinjuku). Has anyone other places in mind?

korinna · Answer

koenji is prob your best bet if he's from berlin. it's got that same DIY punk energy with all the live houses and tiny record shops. the moon tower building is worth checking out just for the weirdness of it, and you can grab okonomiyaki at hiroki for like 800 yen which is stupid cheap for tokyo these days

the thrift stores there are way less picked over than shimokitazawa too, especially if you go on a weekday. my buddy found a 70s levi's jacket for 3000 yen last month. just wander the backstreets between the station and the park, you'll find something interesting

kaethchen · Answer

take him to kichijoji. it's got harmony hall for a drink and a nice walk around inokashira park, way more chill than shinjuku. then hit up the backstreets for tiny yakitori places, way better than the tourist traps. my go-to is a spot called isomaru suisan if he wants something a bit different but still japanese

fee · Answer

If he's from Berlin, he might appreciate something that feels like a different side of Tokyo. Head to Shimokitazawa. It's got that grungy, second-hand vibe that reminds me of parts of Neukolln, but it's totally its own thing. You can wander the narrow streets, hit up a tiny basement live house if there's a show, and grab a curry at a place like Rojiura Curry SAMURAI. It's a good contrast to the big neon districts.

janet · Answer

fwiw, if he's into food as experience rather than just eating, take him to tsukiji's outer market. not the inner wholesale part, that's tourist hell now. but the outer market has tiny stalls where old guys have been grilling unagi for 40 years. grab some tamagoyaki from one of the vendors, it's like 100 yen and still warm. then walk over to the nearby shrine area, it's quiet and most tourists skip it

iseloreeckel · Answer

I'd take him to Odaiba but not for the usual stuff. Skip the shopping malls and go straight to the Miraikan science museum, then walk along the beach past the statue of liberty replica. There's a tiny onsen called Oedo Onsen Monogatari that's touristy but still genuinely fun, and the view of Rainbow Bridge at night from the deck is something most visitors miss. It's a totally different Tokyo than what he's seen, more futuristic and spaced out, and it'll make him laugh that you have your own Statue of Liberty.

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