Tokyo is an apex – the place where the east collides with the west, where the ancient fuses with the modern, and where the liberal mixes with the conservative. This is no more expressed than through the city’s urban design. With this half-day itinerary oriented around Omotesandō, one of the foremost ‘architectural showcase’ streets in the world, design lovers can get a taste of Tokyo’s traditional and cutting-edge architectural gems.
Stop 1: Omotesandō was created as the entryway to the Meiji Shrine. Surrounded by serene yet atmospheric expanses of dense green woodland, and built in the traditional nagare-zukuri style, this nearly 100-year-old shrine is emblematic of ancient Japanese design.
Stop 2: Take a short stroll up Omotesandō to the Aoyama district for an open-air architecture tour. This stretch of the avenue is home to a number of architecturally lauded fashion flagships, such as the Tod’s store by Toyo Ito and Herzog and de Meuron’s Prada building.
Stop 3: Whatever your plans for the afternoon, you’ll want to refuel. Do as Tokyo‘s high fliers do and grab a power lunch in the sleek confines of Beacon, an urban chophouse just a few minutes away on Shibuya Beacon.
Written by insider city guide series Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide to…
(Image: Alberto Carrasco Casado)
