Best temples, parks, and museums in Tokyo
 

I have been to Japan many, many times, but have never been sightseeing in the traditional sense.

I am looking for recommendations re the best temples, parks, and museums in Tokyo. I have a healthy list of places to try (food-wise) and intend to visit Akihabara for anime-related needs. Completely open to other recommendations.

I will be going next month (mid-August) and will be staying in Shinjuku (Park Hyatt). I am currently batting around the idea of taking a day or two to go to Hakone.

Thanks!

Really? Right in the middle of the worst of the summer heat/humidity AND during the height of Obon? Sounds like a potential horror show, especially for travel in and around the country.

Can you change your dates?

As for favorites, I'd say Hibiya Park near Ginza for a nice place to sit and enjoy for a bit, as well as Ueno Park for site-seeing. The multi-building National Museum complex is in Ueno Park too, right across from Ueno Station. I'd also be sure not to miss Hama-rikyu Imperial Garden, near Tsukiji.

My favorite museum is the Edo-Tokyo Museum in Ryogoku (Sumo Town), which is one stop past Akihabara on the train. While there, you could stop in at the tiny sumo museum right next-door at the Kokugikan Arena if you wish.

There are temples all over Tokyo. One of the classics is Senso-ji (Asakusa Canon) in Asakusa. There is a nice water-taxi that travels between Asakusa and Hama-rikyu if you decide to see both.

Comiket is also in mid-August. Depending on your needs, I'd probably avoid Akihabara a day or so before/after in case out-of-towners will be hitting up both. More people + heat + humidity + tiny stores + insufficient air conditioning = more scents ...

+1

At least he's not going to Kyoto in August. I have never suffered from the heat as much as when I spent two weeks in Kyoto in August for a "dry run" of a student trip, after spending the earlier part of the summer in China. When I went back to Tokyo for a day before flying home, it actually felt comparatively cool, because the air moved occasionally.

My recommendations

1. Meji Jingu shrine - Not the prettiest, but i always enjoy walking through the woods towards the shrine. It's a respite from the noisy loud Harajuku.

2. Yasukuni war museum (Yasukuni shrine) - Just to read/listen to the alternative views of the history of WWII from the Japanese perspective.

You can't tour the imperial palace, but you can walk through the grounds via Hibiya Park and visit the little museum that contains a rotating collection of the imperial art collection.

In Ueno, the Shitamachi Museum offers glimpses of life in prewar Tokyo, complete with rooms and "shops" furnished with authentic period artifacts.

The town of Kawagoe offers a neighborhood of Edo-period buildings that survived somehow.

But why not buy a guidebook such as the Insight Guide to Tokyo and discover things that we have never even heard of?

You can join a free guided tour of parts of the Imperial Palace. However, prior registration is required. You can refer to this website for details to register. If time permits, it is a nice experience to visit the Palace:

https://sankan.kunaicho.go.jp/english/about/koukyo.html

Depending on how broadly your anime interests range, I'd recommend the Sudio Ghibli Museum: http://www.ghibli-museum.jp/en

"Spirited Away", "My Neighbor Totoro", etc. were all Ghibli productions.

Tickets available at any Lawson convenience store. It is a museum aimed at children but I really enjoyed it anyways. Great gift shop too.

Nice collection of temples and little parks in Yanasen:
http://www.gotokyo.org/en/tourists/g...ourse/004.html

And it's within striking distance of the big national museums in Ueno.

That's new since my last trip, then.

+1

I went a few years back and loved it! Recommend that you book online (or call them to book your dates first), then collect your tickets at Lawson.

You can also ask your concierge to assist you with the booking. I had issues with collecting my tickets from the machine and got the concierge to assist.

You did know about it, but must have forgotten:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/japan...ace-tokyo.html