Private custom days in kaleidoscopic Tokyo
Insider days in Tokyo: helping you make sense of the city like an expert resident
Even if for one day, the best way to feel and be a part of it, and avoid touristic crowds and memes, is to think not by destinations but by keywords. What does Tokyo evoke to you? A little help is needed as tour operators and guides seldom consult with you about your envies, preferences and visiting styles. I do. Here are some hints: traditional, the quiet city, the hectic city, the über trendy, the contemporary architecture, food, where it is made, sold and tasted, what it means, how Japanese cooking is shaped, saké without complication, those drinks beyond saké, the green city, from parks to horticulture shops because at home, you tend for your garden maybe, the specialty coffee shops that matter, because you like a shot or two everyday and Tokyo is on the radar screen for exceptional brew, the backstreets of old days, the afterhour spots to relax and be a part of it.
The many beats of the city
Keen urbanites cruising the Ginza district when dusk sets in will feel that the city is changing, shifting from daytime routines to a more sophisticated Ginza. This shifting of mood applies everywhere, in every city, with specifics at each districts. Intelligent urban tour planning takes into account moods and the times of the day and night that are the best to feel Tokyo beats. Don’t venture in Shinjuku Golden Gai in daytime. Go at night. Skip Ningyocho on weekends. The district is slumbering. Go on weekdays, especially at early evening shopping time. All these knowledges on urban beats, when and where they matter, directions, destinations, best paths and hidden corners nurture and inform your customized day, or some days, that I will create for you only, based on your envies.
Even if for one day, the best way to feel and be a part of it, and avoid touristic crowds and memes, is to think not by destinations but by keywords. What does Tokyo evoke to you? A little help is needed as tour operators and guides seldom consult with you about your envies, preferences and visiting styles. I do. Here are some hints: traditional, the quiet city, the hectic city, the über trendy, the contemporary architecture, food, where it is made, sold and tasted, what it means, how Japanese cooking is shaped, saké without complication, those drinks beyond saké, the green city, from parks to horticulture shops because at home, you tend for your garden maybe, the specialty coffee shops that matter, because you like a shot or two everyday and Tokyo is on the radar screen for exceptional brew, the backstreets of old days, the afterhour spots to relax and be a part of it.
The many beats of the city
Keen urbanites cruising the Ginza district when dusk sets in will feel that the city is changing, shifting from daytime routines to a more sophisticated Ginza. This shifting of mood applies everywhere, in every city, with specifics at each districts. Intelligent urban tour planning takes into account moods and the times of the day and night that are the best to feel Tokyo beats. Don’t venture in Shinjuku Golden Gai in daytime. Go at night. Skip Ningyocho on weekends. The district is slumbering. Go on weekdays, especially at early evening shopping time. All these knowledges on urban beats, when and where they matter, directions, destinations, best paths and hidden corners nurture and inform your customized day, or some days, that I will create for you only, based on your envies.
Or maybe a food on parade Tokyo discovery
Food is important, isn’t? Food is the core dimension when visiting Japan. There are so many food to taste, a maze of cuisines to make sense of, so many unknown combinations. A food centered Tokyo discovery day ushers you into the knowledge of Japanese cuisine from the view point of an epicurean. The point is not about how to make sushi, but how to order sushi in a well balanced manner, to understand the dynamics of meals. You are saved from all the thinking, just focused on food appreciation and enjoyment. All food destinations are selected based on value that includes not only the plates but the meals environment down to the warmth of the cuisine experiences providers. Your envies, cravings and preferences are discussed and taken into account when designing your own private food day in Tokyo. Inquire.
Tips and suggestions on urban cruising in Tokyo
- It is less a matter of dress code and etiquette, more a consideration on fitting with the city but in Summer and in all seasons, skip the bermuda teeshirt smartphone ensemble.
- In Winter and the colder seasons, don’t do the Gore-Tex outfit. This is a city after all. Keep these for trekking in the countryside.
- Comfortable classy clothes offer a tremendous advantage: that of enhancing the sensation to be there and a part of it.
- The smallest rucksack is best. No rucksack is even better. Besides, all the shopping you may do en route can be delivered at your hotel the next day.
- Do not walk from morning till night. Urban cruising is not about accumulating miles, or kilometers and fatigue.
- In sultry Summer, start early, from 8:00 or before - yes, skip the hotel breakfast - and head back to your hotel after lunch till 5 or 6 pm. Do a Spanish nap, write your travel book, but by all means, enjoy a rest and a double serving day.
- It’s pitch dark from 5 pm in Winter. Plan accordingly.
- Pitch dark Tokyo means the city metamorphoses into a totally different environment. You might think this happens everywhere, but the fact is that Tokyo metamorphosis is way much more dramatic.
- Unless you believe in your strength, don’t start saké tasting in the morning.
- Saké is but one among a series of drink you want to discover.
- Lunch where busy people have lunch is a quick affair. If you intend to stay longer than the locals, start lunch at 1:30 pm.
- Or slurp down the noodles, head for the closest café, and be a local.
- Covered shopping streets are where urban Japan vintage heart still beats. They come in two categories these days: the faked, turned single street food-court with no more connexions with locals, and the eclectic well mixed shopping street with old and new thriving together (the Jane Jacobs loved streets).
When planning with Nextaroma, all these little things are taken care of for you only.