Japan's Greatest Hits

Shibuya Hikarie & d47 Shokudo

The 34-storey mega mall Shibuya Hikarie opened last April near the iconic Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo’s most youth-centric neighbourhood, and sought to become an enclave for a more well-heeled and sophisticated set of shoppers. Nearly a year on, Hikarie has secured a spot in the luxury retail rotation, and there’s a plethora of reasons to visit: an impressive selection of high-end fashion and lifestyle brands spread across 8 floors, two levels of buzzy dining, and even a five-storey Tokyo Orb Theatre (which, for theatre-lovers, will be showing the musical adaptation of Victor Hugo’s Notre Dame de Paris from February 27 until March 17).

While it’s all too easy to while away the hours strolling the vast complex, don’t leave without paying a visit to the eighth floor creative space that is “8/”, a multidisciplinary collective that encompasses galleries, shops, an open art forum, and arguably the star of the show – café d47 Shokudo. Paying homage to the 47 prefectures that make up Japan, d47 serves a stellar menu highlighting local specialties from each of these regions – try the grilled Saury fish from Hokkaido, the Tokushima-style hand-pulled noodles with chicken tail, or the melt-in-your-mouth Okinawan pork belly simmered in awamori and brown sugar. If you’ve only got time to stop in Tokyo, stopover here to taste all of Japan!