Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [78]
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TOKYO INTERNATIONAL FORUM
A remarkable edifice in central Tokyo, the forum (Map; 5221-9000; www.t-i-forum.co.jp/english; 3-5-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku; 7am-11.30pm; JR Yamanote & Yūrakuchō lines to Yūrakuchō, main exit & exit A4b) is mostly used for conventions and events. Its prominent glass wing looks like a transparent ship plying Tokyo’s urban waters. In contrast, the west wing is a boxy affair of cantilevered, overhanging spaces and cavernous atria.
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MAID CAFES
As the popularity of manga spreads around the world, so does Akihabara culture – maid cafes, for example.
The nationally famous @home Café (Map; 3254-7878; www.cafe-athome.com/pics/?lang=en; 5th fl, Don Quijote Bldg, 4-3-3 Soto-Kanda, Chiyoda-ku; 11.30am-10pm Mon-Fri, 10.30am-10pm Sat & Sun; JR Sōbu, Yamanote lines to Akihabara, Electric Town exit), features live singing performances by its adorable staff; and in addition to being served lunch by a maid calling you ‘ojō-sama’ (mistress) or ‘goshujin-sama’ (master) for the duration, you can also play games with her for prizes and discounts.
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AKIHABARA
Akihabara (Map) began its evolution into ‘Denki-gai’ (Electric Town) post-WWII, when the area around the station became a black market for radio parts. In more recent decades, Akihabara has been widely known as the place to hunt for bargains on new and used electronics. Nowadays, you’re more likely to hear it called Akiba, the more common nickname among the manga and anime fans who are drawn by its gravitational pull, as Akihabara has morphed into the centre of the known otaku (geek) universe. The neighbourhood not only caters to the consumption of comic books and computer games, but also to the R&R of the consumers.
And thus, Akiba has helped to spawn an otaku culture of sorts, as maid cafes and cosplay (costume play) street performances have become their own phenomena that attract fans of Japan’s unique sub-pop cultures. You’ll see maids milling around Akihabara station with flyers advertising specialist maid cafes ranging in theme from cutesy pajama-party to (professional) foot massage to Catholic nunnery, but all featuring the staff in some version of the foofy maid uniform.
Ginza & Shiodome
GINZA
Ginza is Tokyo’s answer to NYC’s Fifth Ave. Back in the 1870s Ginza was one of the first areas to modernise, featuring a large number of novel (for Tokyoites of that era) Western-style brick buildings. Ginza was also home to Tokyo’s first department stores, gas lamps and other harbingers of the modern world.
Today, other shopping districts rival Ginza in opulence, vitality and popularity, but it retains a distinct snob value – conspicuous consumption remains big here. It’s therefore a superb place to window-shop and browse the galleries (usually free). Saturday afternoons and Sundays are the best, when Chūō-dōri and some smaller streets are closed to vehicles, allowing kimono-clad ladies to amble and toddlers to gambol down the middle of the boulevard.
Sony Building
Although essentially a Sony showroom (Map; 3573 2371; www.sonybuilding.jp; 5-3-1 Ginza, Chūō-ku; admission free; 11am-7pm; Ginza, Hibiya, Marunouchi line to Ginza, exit B9), this place has hands-on displays of Sony’s latest gizmos and gadgets – some that have yet to be released. It’s a good place to test-drive Sony’s latest digital cameras, laptops and idiosyncratic electronic ‘pets’.
Galleries & Museums
Ginza is packed with small galleries and museums, many with a graphic design focus. Though scattered throughout Ginza, they are concentrated in the area south of Harumi-dōri, between Ginza-dōri and Chūō-dōri.
Idemitsu Museum of Arts (Map; 5777-8600; www.idemitsu.co.jp/museum; 9th fl, 3-1-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku; adult/student ¥1000/700;