Sep 23, 2022

As Japan officially reopens to international travellers from October 11, we're rounding up the top places in Tokyo and Kyoto to help you reacquaint yourself with the Land of the Rising Sun. Words by Greg Goodmacher.

I walked Shinjuku streets aflame with Bladerunner-like neon lights and lifelike digital cats larger than school buses, yet I was close to tranquil gardens in centuries-old temples.

My camera caught slender cosplay-attired, blue-haired ladies and immense kimono-clad sumo wrestlers. Offerings of Japanese sake and Coca-Cola bottles stood at old diminutive shrines in front of towering metallic buildings. I tasted smoky yakitori with workers in street-level Yurakucho restaurants that shook when commuter trains passed overhead.

Best things to do in Kyoto and Tokyo, now we can visit again

I sipped an exquisite cocktail of matcha, rosemary and honey in a luxurious Shibuya hotel with a bird’s-eye view of the honeycomb metropolis.

Since moving to Japan in 1993, I’ve repeatedly travelled through almost every prefecture, and been constantly enchanted by the never-ending creative dualities.

As the country opens to international visitors, there is no better place to observe this blending of old and new than on the Golden Route, a path that introduces Japan’s visitors to its modern mega- capital Tokyo, the ancient capital Kyoto to the west, and adjacent wonders.

Tokyo travel

Tokyo Station

Nearly 500,000 travellers flow daily through Tokyo Station’s confluence of the subway, commuter and bullet train lines. The streams of passengers inside the station can quickly engulf first-time visitors who do not realise the station is a work of art. Designed to represent Japan’s emergence in the 1900s as a world power, the station’s red brick exterior and high domes on the station’s Marunouchi side communicate the stately history of a bygone era.

The Kitte Building’s grassy terrace is a great vantage point for admiring the sleek new bullet trains and the old-style station reflected in the sunset-tinged windows of adjacent ultra-modern buildings.

Best things to do in Kyoto and Tokyo, now we can visit again

Sumo wrestling

Watching live matches of Japan’s national sport in a sumo stadium is an exotic experience. Sumo and the Shinto religion share a long history, so ancient rituals and ceremonies play a significant part in wrestling matches. Wrestlers, wearing only loincloths, compete on a raised platform to topple or push opponents outside an enclosed ring. These wrestlers – whose average weight exceeds 150kg – occasionally land on spectators sitting near the ring.

Watch matches at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan, Japan’s largest sumo stadium, in January, May and September. Learn the lore at its free Sumo Museum, open year-round. Walking towards the museum, I encountered dozens of gigantic sumo wrestlers wearing colourful kimonos. Several smiled and posed for photographs.

Tokyo robots

From grinning and tail-wagging therapy robots to dancers and ones that perform surgeries, Japan leads the world in manufacturing robots. Some greet visitors at department stores and information centres.

The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (Miraikan) encourages speaking to, playing with, and touching an astonishing array of simple and advanced robots. Visitors leave with new ideas on the ethical implications of robots in our future.

Replica foods in Tokyo

Japan also leads the world in creating mouth-watering food replicas. These are the ones we point at when we can’t read Japanese menus. Ganso Shokuhin Sample-ya has jaw-dropping food displays and food-based artworks created with wax and plastic.

Workshops on making tempura, cabbages and more in the “kitchen” are reasonably priced, quick and fun. Under the tutelage of fake food artisans, even beginners like me craft authentic-looking food souvenirs that astound friends.

Senso-ji temple

Senso-ji temple in Asakusa is Tokyo’s most ancient, most photographed and most famous. The temple was destroyed by bombing in World War II, and it was rebuilt to resemble how it existed centuries ago. Senso-ji’s buildings and atmosphere are colourful, unlike many centuries-old wooden temples and shrines.

Many Asakusa shops sell oddball Japanese curios. Others offer traditional products, like horsehair toothbrushes, and innovative beverages, like matcha beer. Visitors often rent kimonos and stroll the temple grounds.

The atmosphere turns more solemn as you pass through the Nakamise shopping area into the heart of the temple grounds. Observe the residents and learn how to light incense, bow, make offerings and perform other religious activities. Temple monks still regularly hold weddings, funerals and other sacred events.

Return at night for a relaxing ambience. Lights shine on Senso-ji’s 53m-high pagoda and up nearby Tokyo Skytree (634m) tower. Illuminated, so close together, they encapsulate Tokyo’s modernity and antiquity.

Tropical islands in Tokyo

If metropolitan Tokyo’s crowds get too much, hop on a plane or ferry to one of Tokyo prefecture’s 11 visitable islands. A 55-minute flight from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport lands you on Hachijo-jima, a wedding destination for Tokyoites.

After hiking volcanic trails or snorkelling in the warm sea, melt into a natural outdoor beach hot spring as the sunset paints the waters. Further from Tokyo, the Ogasawara Islands require a 24-hour ferry journey, but the opportunities to dive near wild dolphins and for whale watching are said to be worth it.

Kyoto travel

Inception, Nijo Castle, Kyoto, Japan

Temples and shrines in Kyoto

One could spend years in Kyoto, with 17 UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites and over 2000 shrines and temples, regional cuisine, kabuki theatre and world-class architecture.

Storied Kiyomizu Temple, dating back to 778AD, is Kyoto’s premier attraction. Believing that water from a spring on the grounds promoted health, longevity and success in exams, pilgrims came to drink the water, which you can still do today.

Best things to do in Kyoto and Tokyo, now we can visit again

Pilgrims also believed in the power embodied in a statue of Kannon, a bodhisattva of compassion. Hundreds jumped off the 13m-high platform. They hoped they would survive and Kannon would bless them. Authorities finally banned this activity in 1872.

The temple grounds also house a matchmaking god. Those who can walk between two “love stones”, separated by 18m with eyes closed, will find partners.

Travel by rickshaw

After alighting the bullet train in Kyoto, try something slower and older. Antiquated but appealing, rickshaws are making a comeback. Hiring human-leg-powered vehicles to cruise various parts of Kyoto reduces greenhouse gas emissions and employs young locals.

Best dance clubs in Kyoto

After a fulfilling day of paying respects to Kyoto’s olden gods, drink and dance with the young spirits of Kyoto. Dance till 5am at Chambers or hit Club Metro, which holds live concerts and a well-known drag night on the last Friday of every month.

Kyoto International Manga Museum

The Kyoto International Manga Museum is arguably where the world’s foremost comic book artists and researchers colour the world. Join the manga maniacs at the “Wall of Manga”, 200m of shelves with more than 50,000 manga books. View comic-inspired art, meet and be drawn by up-and-coming artists, and join manga workshops at this manganificent museum.

Luxury ryokan

The harmonious blending of ancient Japanese buildings with chic modernity, French and Japanese food, and relaxation with convenience are signature qualities of Suiran, a Luxury Collection Hotel. Nestled on the banks of the Katsura River, with private onsen baths in most rooms, breathtaking gardens, and a traditional tea house , you would not leave the premises if the concierge did not have so many suggestions for enjoying Kyoto.

The Gion District

Many say that the Gion is the heart of Kyoto. This district includes machiya, old-fashioned wooden townhouses. The Gion Shirakawa area, with its willow and cherry trees alongside a cobblestone path and bamboo fence, evokes the past.

Chances are high that you will see geisha strolling down the road on their way to perform dances and play games and musical instruments with guests. I suggest impulsively entering one of the traditional restaurants you’ll pass while in the Gion. Offer sake to fellow diners and staff to make new friends. Don’t miss Minamiza, the elaborately designed kabuki theatre.