Concierge Choice

Top Sights

• Happo-en
  On weekdays, you can book a traditional tea ceremony at the Muan Teahouse, and enjoy a stroll through the extensive Japanese gardens, with or without lunch or dinner included.
  
  Shirokanedai 1-1-1, Minato-ku
  Tel: (81-3) 3443 3111
• Kabuki-za Theater
  The stylised movements and dramatic make-up and costumes of Kabuki make for a truly local and unique performing arts experience. The Kabuki-za Theater in Ginza, dating back to 1889, offers matinees and evening shows, with English audio phone commentary available.
  
  Ginza 4-12-5, Chuo-ku
  Tel: (81-3) 3541 3131
• Meiji Shrine
  Just minutes from the ultra high-end fashion mecca of Omotesando Hills, pass through the cypress torii gates to enter this heavily wooded oasis, a favourite among bird watchers and nature lovers. Visitors during late April to early May will be treated to some extra local colour, with traditional dance, theatre, music and archery events taking place between April 29 and May 3 for the Shrine’s Spring Grand Festival. From mid May to early June, the iris garden is a charming spot for an early morning stroll.
  
  Shibuya-ku, at Harajuku and Meiji Jingumae stations
  Tel: (81-3) 3379 5511
• Mitsukoshi Food Floor
  Japan’s oldest department store, Mitsukoshi is the Harrods of Tokyo. The basement food floor of the Ginza branch should not be missed.
  
  B1-B2/F, Mitsukoshi Department Store, Ginza 4-6-16, Chuo-ku
  Tel: (81-3) 3562 1111
• Ueno Park Museums
  Art, culture and history buffs should allow ample time for Ueno Park, where the world’s largest collection of Japanese art can be seen at the Tokyo National Museum, a complex including the Gallery of Horyu-ji Treasures by MOMA architect Yoshio Taniguchi. Also within the park are Le Corbusier’s National Museum of Western Art and the National Science Museum, with plenty of hands-on exhibits for kids.
  
  Tokyo National Museum / Gallery of Horyu-ji Treasures
  The Power of Dogu
  15 December 2009 – 21 February 2010
  
  Hasegawa Tohaku: 400th Memorial Retrospective
  23 February – 22 March 2010
  
  Gilt Bronze Buddhist Statues, Halos, Repousse Buddhist Images (including Important Cultural Properties)
  Through 11 April 2010
  
  Metalwork (including National Treasures)
  Through 11 April 2010
  
  Tel: (81-3) 3822 1111 or visit the Tokyo National Museum  website.
  
  The National Museum of Western Art
  Frank Brangwyn Exhibition
  23 February – 30 May 2010
  
  Watercolors and Drawings from the National Museum of Art
  23 February – 30 May 2010
  
  Ueno Koen 7-7, Taito-ku
  Tel: (81-3) 3828 5131 or visit The National Museum of Western Art  website.
  
  National Museum of Nature and Science
  Permanent exhibits address evolution, biodiversity, dinosaurs, progress in science and technology, hands-on experiments, woodland wonders and more. In February and March, two short films, “Green Murmur” and “The Changing Earth and its Mantle: Earth’s Amazing Interior,” will be shown at Theater 360, a unique spherical venue offering a 360-degree field of vision. The January showings are “Blue Brilliance” and “World of the Dinosaurs.”
  
  Ueno Koen 7-20, Taito-ku
  Tel: (81-3) 3822 0111 or visit the National Museum of Nature and Science  website.