Tokyo, marked
A tightly edited guide to where to stay, eat, shop, and wander.
The exact list I send when friends text me, “I’m going to Tokyo – what do you recommend?”
Tokyo surprised me in the best way. I fell in love with intimate vinyl listening bars, tried more new foods in a week than I had in years (perfect tonkatsu, beautifully paced tasting menus, late-night lemon sours, and the world’s best soft serve), and built my mornings around cafés that felt design-forward and deeply intentional.
I also put together a curated shopping list of Japanese brands that actually make sense to buy there – the pieces that are better, cheaper, or only available in Japan. Plus all the practical travel nuance I wish I’d known while planning: how to structure your days by neighborhood, what to book in advance, what’s worth the line, and what you can skip.
Every hotel, café, dinner, bar, and shop is pinned to a private Tokyo Google Map – organized, labeled, and ready to use – available exclusively to paid subscribers at the bottom of this issue.
Where to stay
Design-forward, well-located, and calm in all the right ways. Ordered generally from least to most expensive.
All Day Place (Shibuya) – Lively, cool, and right in the action. Compact rooms, good coffee downstairs, and an easy home base if you plan to be out most of the day.
K5 hotel (Nihonbashi) – A boutique design hotel in a converted 1920s bank. Scandinavian design with Japanese details.
Muji Hotel (Ginza) – Exactly what you’d expect from Muji: clean lines, soft lighting, compact but aesthetic rooms. A great base if you want to be in the middle of Ginza but retreat somewhere serene.
Trunk Hotel (Yoyogi Park) – Modern, minimalist rooms steps from Yoyogi Park, plus a rooftop pool overlooking the greenery. Ideal if you want nature nearby with Shibuya still walkable.
Hoshinoya Tokyo (Otemachi) – A splurge. A modern high-rise interpretation of a ryokan, complete with tatami rooms and a serene, top-floor onsen for a true reset above the city.
Cafés & bakeries
For jet lag mornings and mid-afternoon resets.
Truffle Bakery – Get the truffle salt bread, and whatever else catches your eye.