Free: All time Located just besides the lively and noisy Harajuku district, the Meiji Jingu Shrine and its large forested area makes a pleasant and serene stroll. It is also less of a tourist-trap compared to the Senso-ji Temple. Enter through the massive torii gate that is made of 1,500-year-old cypress, and find yourself walking...

Free: All time G-Cans Project is not exactly located in Tokyo, but an hour train-ride away. It can be a fun offbeat half-day trip. The actual official name for G-Cans Project is the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel. This world’s largest underground flood water diversion infrastructure was built from 1992-2009, costing some $3 billion....

Free: All time Kappabashi-dori, a.k.a. Kitchen Town, is a street in Tokyo which is almost entirely populated with shops selling everything that has to do with kitchen. The name is derived from the Japanese folklore creature, Kappa, that used to be prevalent in the neighbourhood back in the days. Learn more about Kappa at the Sogenji Kappa-dera...

Free: All time Sogenji Temple is a shrine dedicated to the Japanese mythical creature, Kappa. Some sort of water-goblin, with turtle and humanoid characteristic and the size of a child, Kappa has been in the country’s folklore from back in the days. Kappa supposedly inhabit ponds and rivers. While they’re usually seen a mischievous trickster,...

Free: All time Tokyo has its fair share of free quirky museums, from Eyeglass Museum, Parasite Museum, Button Museum, etc. It’s fun for those wanting something out of the box. But a sewer museum? I guess people are into different things. And if your thing is sewer, head over to Rainbow Tokyo Sewerage Museum in...

Free: All time Toyota runs one of the world’s largest auto showrooms in Odaiba, where about 150 vehicles if some 70 different models are on display. Admission is free. Not only does the showroom have many odd models found nowhere else, it also allows visitors to climb into some of them. The car models range...

Free: All time Gundam Front Tokyo is a theme park based on the popular anime series “Mobile Suit Gundam.” It was opened in 2012 and is located on the seventh floor of a shopping complex, DiverCity Tokyo Plaza in man-made island of Odaiba. While most of the features in the theme park charge admission fee,...

Free: All time The Rainbow Bridge connects northern Tokyo Bay and the Odaiba waterfront man-made island in Tokyo. Walking over the Rainbow Bridge can save you money if you’re visiting Odaiba. The bridge has two separate walkways on the north and south sides of the lower deck. The north side offers views of Tokyo skyline,...

Free: All time Odaiba is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay built upon what was originally a set of man-made fort islands of the Edo Period. In the 1980s, a massive development project was undertaken to make Odaiba what it is today, a popular shopping and entertainment district. In the area, you’ll find everything...

Free: All time Just who is Hachiko? He’s a Japanese Akita dog from the beginning of the 20th century that’s famous for his unwavering loyalty. Brought up by a university professor, Hachiko used to greet his owner at the end of his workday at Shibuya station. The pair did this routine for a year or...

Free: All time Shibuya Crossing is one of the most famous intersection in the world. It’s like the equivalent of Times Square to New York City. Its scramble crossing which stops vehicles in all directions to allow pedestrians to inundate the entire intersection has become an iconic look of Tokyo. It is often featured in...

Free: All time “There’s no such thing as a free lunch?” There actually is! Visit one of the depachikas in Tokyo and you’ll find out why. Depachika is a contraction of the words Depato (department store) + Chika (basement). As the name suggests, depachikas can basically be found in the basements of most department stores...