There's plenty in Tokyo that doesn't look like Generic International Business Land, but taking a day trip to Kamakura is a good way to escape the central city. By this point, Kamakura is part of the Tokyo-Yokohama-Chiba megalopolis, but it is a small enclave with a different feel.

You might want to read up on the Kamakura Period (1185-1334) in Japanese history, when Kamakura was the shogun's capital. That will help you understand what you are seeing.