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It’s time to take action Climate change is real and the signs are all around us: erratic and extreme weather patterns, wildfires and rising temperatures, just to name a few. And as the world comes to an abrupt standstill with the Inside coronavirus pandemic, we are finally being forced to really examine our relationship with nature. July – September 2020 At Time Out , we see it as our mission to help you get the most out of the city. In recent years, more and more green initiatives are popping up around Tokyo, and it’s now easier than ever to make smart choices that benefit, rather than harm, the environment. From recycling Friendly warning: these are unusual times, so please check that venues and upcycling to going vegan and switching to eco-friendly products, remain open before heading out. just a small change in lifestyle can have a big impact. So we hope this issue will inspire you to act now and support the global movement for a healthier Earth. â Join Tokyo in its efforts to go green and sustainable. See p12 Beyond vanilla Japanese ice cream flavours you should try PAGE 30 â CHAVATY Tokyo thrift The city’s best second-hand and consignment stores PAGE 32 Come over â for lunch and dinner RAGTAG WASARA Or we'll deliver to you Green fingers Food flicks via Uber Eats! Learn about the world of plants These documentaries will have at these botanical gardens you craving Japanese food PAGE 34 PAGE 40 â â

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â FEATURES AND REGULARS 04 Tokyo Update 06 Life in the time of coronavirus 08 How green is ? 12 Green is good 28 The New Normal interview series 30 Eating & Drinking 32 Shopping & Style 34 Things to Do 36 Art & Culture 38 Music & Nightlife 40 Film 42 Travel & Hotels

Cover Editor-in-Chief Editor Kasey Furutani Staff Photographers Aya Ito Advisor ORIGINAL Inc. Art direction: Steve Nakamura Lim Chee Wah Kaila Imada Hisato Hayashi Keisuke Tanigawa Phillip Huey Masashi Takahashi 101, 5-9-9 Hiroo, , Tokyo, 150-0012 Contributing Editor Staff Writers Editorial Assistant Kisa Toyoshima Paul Clark Executive Vice President +81 (0)3 5792 5721 www.timeout.com/tokyo Liquidroom 2F, 3-16-6 Higashi, Shibuya, Tokyo (Ebisu Station). Marcus Webb Mari Hiratsuka Youka Nagase Administration Ili Saarinen Akiko Toya Advertising and general enquiries: [email protected] Sub-editor Shiori Kotaki Designers Momo Ando Reina Iwabuchi President/Publisher Back cover image: Ryoji Iwata/ Kit Kriewaldt Tabea Greuner Zineb Bektachi Creative Solutions Hinata Matsumura Hiroyuki Fushitani Time Out Digital Time Out Group CEO 03 5774 0440 | timeoutcafe.jp 77 Wicklow Street, Julio Bruno Unsplash Jessica Thompson Saiko Miyasato Mao Kawakami Toshiyuki Seki London, WC1X 9JY Founder Emma Steen www.timeout.com Tony Elliott Check the website for the latest opening hours. +44 (0)207 813 3000 3 July-September, 2020 Time Out Tokyo MOST GOOGLED Is Tokyo tap water safe to drink?

Tokyo WITH THE NUMBER of vending machines in Europe and North America has ‘hard’ water Tokyo selling bottled water, you’d be forgiven (high pH, high mineral content). Soft water is for thinking there was something wrong with known for its gentle fl avour and aroma, and drinking water straight from the tap. The good it’s thought that Tokyo’s prestigious cuisine news is, there’s not: Tokyo’s tap water is safe owes some of its appeal to this soft water, to drink, and millions of people do so daily, which works well in mild, clean-fl avoured Update unboiled and unfi ltered. dishes like and . Soft water is also Tokyo’s water is subject to stringent recommended for brewing Japanese tea, as standards set by the city’s Bureau of it’s believed to help reduce bitterness and Waterworks and must meet more than 50 astringency. water quality standards to be considered safe The average human needs two litres of to drink, such as being free of pollution and water per day, as hydration is critical for brain harmful contaminants. The bureau manages and body function. Yet to turn on the tap and and protects the forests around the Tama fi ll a glass of water – then drink it – is a luxury River, Tokyo’s water source, and ensures aff orded by just a handful of countries in the water is purifi ed through a combination world, so we shouldn’t take it for granted. 2 of ozone and charcoal treatments. This Jessica Thompson removes pollutants, organic and inorganic With matter as well as reduces odor and taste. Harajuku’s newest shopping complex is home to Tokyo’s first city-centre Ikea. It also As water quality is ensured at the source and Five new sports a new Uniqlo outlet featuring the chain’s hottest collaborations as well as an not the outlet, you can drink the tap water not SEE MORE just in homes but metro stations, malls and interactive digital wall, where shoppers can browse the latest fashions. You’ll also find convenience stores – unless the signs restaurants scattered throughout the property, but we particularly love the open terrace TIMEOUT.COM/ say otherwise. TOKYO overlooking the greenery of the nearby Shrine and Yoyogi Park. If the water tastes diff erent to you at fi rst, it openings could be because Tokyo’s water is ‘soft’ (low Across from the shopping centre sits the new , complete with a new café pH, low mineral content), whereas much of and a lot more space. The historic old station building, which dates back to 1924, is set to be WABENO/DREAMSTIME torn down at a later date. In the meantime, you can still see it right beside the new station. in Tokyo à tinyurl.com/TOTWithHarajuku 3 4

1 PLAY! MUSEUM, EXHIBITION ROOM, SPECIAL EXHIBITION, 'KAOTEN.' OF TUPERA TUPERA Hana Biyori Play Museum Inside the lush Japanese garden run by Yomiuriland This new interactive art museum in Tachikawa offers amusement park, this spacious new greenhouse is the a whole lot of fun for both kids and adults. Currently, perfect spot to enjoy flowers blooming all year round. It’s also the museum is showcasing illustrations and videos

© SMALL WORLDS home to Japan’s first Starbucks inside a greenhouse, of Eric Carle’s ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’, along Small Worlds Tokyo complete with two massive aquariums featuring 50 species with an engaging installation by Japanese artist duo of fish. Plus, when the lights go out, guests are treated to a ‘tupera tupera’. Don’t miss the indoor Play Park with The world’s biggest miniature colourful projection show incorporating the on-site plants. several play zones for kids. theme park will make you feel like àtinyurl.com/TOThanabiyori àtinyurl.com/TOTplay a giant as you explore all three floors of the family-friendly space. 5 On the third floor you’ll find six thematic exhibitions including Tokorozawa Sakura Town the Global Village and Space This pop-culture complex in Saitama prefecture draws heavy Center, as well as special areas infl uences from manga and anime. Complete with a shopping featuring Sailor Moon and Neon mall, hotel, museum and event space, Tokorozawa Sakura Town Genesis Evangelion in miniature. is set to be fully operational after November, with some facilities You can also scan your body and opening earlier between July and October. The highlight will get a 1:80 scale model of yourself no doubt be the stunning Kengo Kuma-designed Kadokawa to place into this tiny world. Culture Museum, which also houses a stunning library.

àtinyurl.com/TOTsmallworlds KENGO KUMA© & ASSOCIATES, KAJIMA © CORPORATION àtinyurl.com/TOTsakuratown

Time Out Tokyo July-September, 2020 4 5 July-September, 2020 Time Out Tokyo THE PAST FEW MONTHS haven’t been easy, EVENTS ARE REIMAGINED to say the least. On top of the heartbreak of AND STILL EVOLVING postponing the much anticipated Tokyo When the pandemic hit, events and festivals 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, we’ve had were the first to go into cold storage. Many of to adapt to some dramatic lifestyle changes, this year’s biggest celebrations such as Fuji many of which will be with us for a while Rock and ’s Gion Matsuri have been yet. Although Japan never went into a hard cancelled. Smaller events, however, have lockdown like other parts of the world, staying proved slightly more resilient, transforming inside and going weeks without meeting into live-stream formats, helping people friends or loved ones was a struggle for all maintain a sense of connection while they of us. Even since the state of emergency – shelter in place. announced on April 7 – ended on May 25, it’s EATING IN IS THE NEW EATING OUT Now that coronavirus restrictions have been difficult to gauge just how safe it is to go At first, we worried Tokyo’s restaurants and eased, events are going through another stage back to eating at our favourite restaurants, let cafés would be asked to close when the state of evolution, this time incorporating the need alone hanging out with our friends again. of emergency was declared. Luckily, they for social distancing. Old-school drive-in In a city as vibrant and densely packed as remained open, but with severely reduced cinemas are making a comeback, with major Tokyo, weeks devoid of boisterous nomikai hours for dining in. Even now, restaurants cities around the world, from London to New (drinking parties), weekend get-togethers and have limited seating, so dinner at home has York and even Tokyo, hosting several pop-up late nights on the town have made the capital been a more frequent affair in the past few drive-in movie events. feel like an entirely different place. That said, months. Lots of us have taken to finessing our It’s a difficult time, no doubt, but we’re the city is now carefully resuming business culinary skills at home, but we also have more cautiously optimistic to see how events will as usual and we’re starting to get back some takeout options now than ever before. transform and reshape the way we socialise in Life in the semblance of normality. Tokyo might never Tokyo is chock-full of restaurant options, the near future. be the same, but this city’s been through hard from counter-style shops to romantic times before and we’ve always managed to bistros, but apart from the dedicated get back on our feet. Here’s how we’re moving joints, few places previously offered takeout forward in the face of the pandemic and what options. Now, even Tokyo’s most high-brow Tokyo will look like as it recovers from the restaurants are displaying takeaway menus recent disruptions. for the first time ever as a way to serve diners who’d rather minimise their time outside. TOGETHER, BUT APART time of Once we learned that washing our hands and WE ARE MORE TECH-DEPENDENT wearing face masks wouldn’t be enough to THAN EVER stop the virus from spreading, we all had to We’re the first to admit we’re addicted to our WHAT NEXT? forgo social gatherings and begin working phones, but months of social distancing It’s the height of summer, and while we’re from home as social distancing went from have highlighted how technology is more all normally basking on beaches, eating and new idea to new normal in no time. The stress of a necessity than a luxury. Apart from the drinking at street festivals or going on a well- and uncertainty increased tenfold without internet keeping us all entertained while deserved getaway this time of year, most of the ability to see friends and family members, self isolating, social media and video chats our plans for the season have been curtailed and the lack of physical contact left many of became the best way to keep in touch with by coronavirus restrictions and social coronavirus us feeling lonely. friends, family and even the boss. Between distancing rules. Summer doesn’t have to be Though people are cautiously starting that and the sudden switch to online learning a total loss to the pandemic, though. While to meet face-to-face again, the two-metre for students, we all had to temporarily some of the nearby beaches may be closed, We’re all navigating a new normal through technology, distance rule in public poses challenges of its abandon any plans for a digital detox. picnics at the park, beer gardens and heaps of own. With its crowded trains and busy streets, Like many countries, Japan has also been kakigori (shaved ice) are still on the agenda, social distancing and extra safety measures. Tokyo can be a social distancing nightmare. looking to use tech to help with tracking just with a few additional precautions. By Emma Steen If you want to minimise the risk when going the spread of the virus. launched a As for travel, Japan’s ban on foreign visitors out, try to avoid taking public transport prefecture-wide contact tracing system using from 111 countries and regions is in place at during rush hour – good advice even outside QR codes while the Japanese government has the time of print, but talks of a travel bubble of a pandemic – and stay clear of the busy released a contact tracing app called Cocoa with Thailand, Vietnam, Australia and New districts. Take this opportunity to explore for the whole country. Zealand prioritising businesspeople might your local neighbourhoods instead, or seek be the first step in reopening borders for out attractions that are off the beaten track. international travel. Of course, the pandemic is at different stages in different countries, ‘We’re cautiously meaning most governments still have travel NEW SAFETY PRECAUTIONS restrictions in place, but with any luck, it The days when masks were just for people optimistic to see how won’t be too long before we can welcome you with colds or hay fever are long gone. Now, back in Tokyo. face masks have become a global standard, events will transform with some gyms and supermarkets even denying entry to people without one. The and reshape the way we city has also seen the introduction of daily temperature checks at schools, galleries and socialise’ some workplaces to reduce the risk of virus clusters. At first, it seemed a bit strange to see businesses requiring everyone to give their hands a quick spritz of disinfectant before entering a building but, like masking up, Tokyoites have quickly embraced the new hygiene measures.

Time Out Tokyo July-September, 2020 6 July-September, 2020 Time Out Tokyo How Japan manages plastic waste

The minimum Japan classifi es recycling into three categories: charge for a material, chemical and thermal. So while single-use Japan says it recycles 84 percent of its plastic plastic shopping waste, 70 percent is actually incinerated to bag under be used as fuel (this falls under the ‘thermal’ the Japanese category of recycling). government’s new Source: Forbes Japan, 2019 plastic bag law (eff ective July 1). However, most stores are charging 1,500,000 between ¥5-¥10 How green The amount of plastic, in US tons, per bag. Japan exported to and other parts of Asia in 2017. This number fell 30-40 percent after China banned imports of most plastic waste the same year. To help manage the build up of domestic 5,760,000 plastic pollution, the Japanese government plans on enacting tons of plastic stricter regulations on dirty plastic, is Japan? which is unsuitable for recycling. Source: Mainichi Shimbun ¥1 We take a look at the environmental track records of Tokyo and Japan, In 2018, Japan incinerated about 5.76 and examine what the country and its capital city plan to do to move million tons of consumer and industrial plastic waste. towards a more sustainable future. By Emma Steen Source: Plastic Waste Management Institute, Japan GENERAL JAPAN STATS JAPAN'S LOVE OF PLASTIC 1 th China Plastic waste count 2 United States 3 India Japan 5 6.43 4 highest million tonnes Japan accounts for 3.4 percent Russia The amount of food still fit of the world’s CO emissions. 2 for consumption that was 5 Japan’s emissions are the fi fth highest in the world, behind wasted in Japan China, the United States, India and Russia. Source: Bureau of Environment, Tokyo

In 2016, annual food waste in Japan was estimated to be 6.43 million metric tonnes. That’s the equivalent of what the 13 million residents in Tokyo Metropolis eat every year. The government hopes to halve 30,000,000,000 626,000 8,900,000 this number by 2030 by recycling more food waste as animal feed and fertiliser, as well as converting the The number of plastic bags Japan The amount of PET bottles, in US The amount of plastic waste, in metric tonnes, 1.5 times higher remaining waste into energy sources consumes annually. This is tons, that Japan consumed in 2018. produced in Japan every year, making Japan such as methane. equivalent to 951 bags per second. Source: The Council for PET Bottle Recycling, the second highest consumer of single-use Japan’s average temperature has increased by 1.2ºC in the Source: Research by Ministry of Agriculture, Sources: Mainichi Shimbun; Bureau of Japan plastics in the world, coming in behind the US. past 100 years – that’s about 1.5 times higher than the Earth’s Forestry and Fisheries Environment, Japan Sources: Bureau of Environment, Japan; UN Environment average rise in temperature (0.74ºC) over the same period. Programme (2018 data) Sources: Tokyo Bureau of Environment; European Environment Agency

Time Out Tokyo July-September, 2020 8 9 July-September, 2020 Time Out Tokyo Half of Tokyo is still green 52.5 percent of Tokyo prefecture is occupied by green spaces (public parks, gardens and nature reserves), but slightly less than half of that is inside Tokyo’s 23 central wards. Most of the prefecture’s greenery is in the Tama region on Tokyo’s western outskirts, while the Izu and Ogasawara Islands in the Pacfi c Ocean – offi cially part of Tokyo – make up the rest. Source: 2018 data from Bureau of Environment, Tokyo

TOKYO TOMORROW By 2030... TOKYO TODAY 30% less emissions 37% 30% recycling rate renewable energy Tokyo also aims to reduce

Transport accounts for approximately 20 percent of Tokyo’s CO2 emissions. greenhouse gas emissions by 14.1% Source: Bureau of Environment, Tokyo 30 percent, through building In 2017, the recycling rate power in Tokyo generated renewable power plants, of municipal solid waste in by renewable energy Over the next decade, Tokyo promoting zero emission Tokyo was roughly 23 percent, plans to generate 30 percent of its vehicles, and using less but Tokyo intends to increase energy from renewable sources. carbon-intensive materials this to 37 percent by 2030. like wood in construction.

increase million in CO emissions By 2050... 4.2% 2 2.77 tonnes In 2017, roughly 14.1 percent of power In 2017, CO2 emissions in Tokyo In 2019, Tokyo produced in Tokyo was generated by renewable totalled 64.82 metric tonnes, a 4.2 roughly 2.77 million 100% renewable energy energy, including solar, wind, mini- percent increase compared to 2000. metric tonnes of total hydroelectric, geothermal and Source: Bureau of Environment, Tokyo waste (including biomass. Tokyo’s other energy sources industrial, combustible are liquefi ed natural gas, oil and coal. and landfi ll waste). Zero emissions Source: Bureau of Environment, Tokyo Source: Clean Authority of Tokyo Source: Bureau of Environment, Tokyo

Time Out Tokyo July-September, 2020 10 11 July-September, 2020 Time Out Tokyo Get behind these sustainable practices

Inner-city living and Transforming environmental consciousness don’t have to be mutually unsellable produce exclusive, as these Tokyo into condiments 2Farm Canning is the brainchild of Kanagawa- companies demonstrate. based Chie Nishimura, who transforms Whether it’s through urban commercially unsellable organic vegetables farming, reducing single-use into jams, , pestos and other kitchen plastic or combating food waste, staples in an effort to reduce food waste and these projects are breathing support farmers. The produce is earmarked to be thrown out due to commercial regulations new life into unused spaces, on colour and shape – nothing to do with the reconnecting us with nature, taste and nutritional value. promoting sustainability, and Nishimura was influenced by her student exchange days in Germany, where her host showing us that simple changes mother was an eco-minded vegetarian, hence can make a big difference. her determination to save the odd-looking By Jessica Thompson produce from going to waste. Now, Farm Canning goods are sold online and at markets, events and selected grocery stores such as Food and Company in Gakugeidaigaku. Free water refills Nishimura also runs a catering service championing these vegetables; enquire with MyMizu through her website. To combat Japan’s astronomical use à farmcanning.com of disposable plastic drink bottles – 1estimated to be around 180 bottles per person each year – the MyMizu app helps you locate water fountains and participating restaurants and businesses that offer free refills for your reusable water bottle. Launched just last year by founders Robin Lewis and Mariko McTier, the app boasts a growing list of locations and features. You can even log each refill to keep

track of the single-use plastic bottles, CO2 emissions and money you’ve saved by using a refillable bottle. The free app is available in English and Japanese on iOS and Android. à mymizu.co

Tokyo, along with the rest of Japan, is ramping up efforts to be more environmentally conscious and sustainable. We highlight 50 of the city’s newest and greenest initiatives, so you too can join in the revolution No plastic bags at Farmers Market at UNU for a better tomorrow. By the Time Out Tokyo team Since 2009, the Farmers Market at UNU has been using the forecourt of the United Nations University in Aoyama to connect Tokyoites with eco-conscious farmers from across Japan. This year, the market plans to 3ban plastic bags for vendors to encourage people to switch to reusable ones. But if you forget to bring your own, don’t worry – the market will offer second-hand (non- plastic) shopping bags and totes for free. Just pick one up and remember to bring it back on your next visit. à 5-53-70 Jingumae, Shibuya (Omotesando Station). farmersmarkets.jp. Sat & Sun 10am-4pm.

Time Out Tokyo July-September, 2020 12 13 July-September, 2020 Time Out Tokyo The green issue

Farming artisanal honey on the rooftops of Ginza The6 rooftop of the Pulp and Paper Hall building in central Ginza is abuzz, not with the clink of wine glasses or social chatter but with apiaries full of honey bees. The Ginza Honey Bee Project (also known as Ginpachi, a combination of ‘Ginza’ and the Japanese word for bees) was established in 2006 by Fight food waste Atsuo Tanaka, who was looking to create A farm day out at a greener Tokyo. with a bargain With its proximity to the Imperial Ecoeat in Machida tackles food Kurkku Fields Palace gardens, Hibiya Park, waste by selling products close to Hamarikyu Gardens and other 9 Less than an hour’s drive from expiry at steep discounts ranging from 20 to 90 central Tokyo, the 74-acre urban flower patches, Ginza makes a percent. There’s a wide range of options, from 4 in Kisarazu, Chiba surprisingly bountiful feeding ground Kurkku Fields fruit and vegetables that are slightly damaged, prefecture, is a sanctuary of sustainable for honey bees. The best place to grab discoloured or misshapen but still edible, to living and leisure. The sprawling a jar of the golden nectar is through the kitchen staples including instant noodles, property, surrounded by a lush forest, Ginpachi online shop. This made-in- packet drinks, canned goods, , crackers From offers a day trip’s worth of attractions: an Ginza honey also turns up in drinks and and mix. This is the perfect crusts to beer dishes at local restaurants and bars, from organic vegetable garden, chicken and store for eco-conscious shoppers or those on Here’s a product that makes the chocolates at Bulgari and cocktails at Bar dairy farms, a farm-to-table restaurant, a budget. Ecoeat even has English-speaking sustainable living much easier Takasaka to the yokan (traditional Japanese and art galleries featuring works by Yayoi staff to help with enquiries. 11to swallow: beer brewed from bread scraps. Kusama and Anish Kapoor. sweets) at Gokukua. à 3-1-12 Tadao, Machida (Fuchinobe Station). 042 851 9995. The appropriately named Bread Beer is a à gin-pachi.jp Kurkku Fields is set up to reconnect mottainai-ichiba.org/store/machida. 10am-7pm daily. collaboration between Bricolage Bread & Co urbanites with nature, provide in Roppongi, Anglo Japanese Brewing (AJB) educational leisure activities, and Recycling plastic into in Nagano prefecture, and environmental educate the public on sustainable activist community 530week. farming. Learn about the solar panels ‘fabric’ for fashion Paper recycling Shinobu Namae, owner of Bricolage which help power the farm, and the bio- Accessory brand makes its Bread and two-Michelin-star restaurant geo water purification system which Siwa made easy stylish range of handbags, wallets, L’Effervescence, is known for his passion for uses plants and microorganisms to Even as we move towards 8accessories and homewares using Naoron, the sustainability. He was looking for ways to filter wastewater. You can also purchase a more electronic lifestyle, company’s proprietary paper-like material, 10 upcycle the cast-offs from his bakery when a herbs and vegetables grown in the paper products are still unavoidable – luckily, which has a soft crinkly appearance. While chance meeting resulted in this golden idea. edible garden, along with free-range paper can be reused and recycling means it’s made from 60 percent recycled plastic The brew utilises the crust from the bakery’s eggs, fresh mozzarella and charcuterie. saving valuable forests. Masuda Shoten is a bottles using a traditional Japanese paper- signature pain de campagne, which imbues And if you can’t make it out to Kurkku paper recycling service; it collects cardboard, making technique called washi-suki, Naoron the beer with delicious toasty notes. It’s light Fields, simply purchase the produce newspapers, magazines, milk cartons and the is remarkably soft to touch. Plus, it’s flexible, and refreshing, and you can find the stylish, packs online. like from companies and individuals and gives water-resistant and durable, and can hold up minimalist bottles at the bakery and selected à 2503 Yana, Kisarazu, Chiba prefecture. 0438 53 8776. them a new lease of life as boxes, toilet paper to 10kg. Siwa is a collaboration between award- retailers in Tokyo – or buy it online from AJB. kurkkufields.jp. 9am-5pm, closed Wed. and tissues. If your collection is 200kg or more, à anglojapanesebeer.com winning product designer Naoto Fukusawa pickup is free. Otherwise, contact Masuda and Daio, a washi paper producer from Shoten for the fees, which are based on the Yamanashi prefecture with a history dating pick-up location and load. back over 1,000 years. Order Siwa’s products à masudasyoten.jp. Collection by appointment only. online or buy them from Tokyu Plaza in Ginza. à siwa.jp Give and take second-hand items for free A salad farm under the tracks You wouldn’t think of using the oft-forgotten spaces 5With Tokyo’s minuscule apartments averaging under the inner-city train lines for farming, but Tokyo at around 41sqm, there’s not much room Metro begs to differ. Tokyo Salad is a futuristic- for storage. Plus, getting rid of things often Turning discarded but still edible seafood looking hydroponic farm located in a sealed space involves paying a disposal fee to the local 12 under the Tozai line, where basil and salad greens are grown without council. Enter Mottainai Japan, a Facebook into delicious feasts the use of pesticides. Because of this group where you can list your unwanted items It’s estimated that thousands of tons of perfectly fine seafood are discarded farming method – using no soil or to find them a new home. Founded in 2014, annually at Toyosu due solely to cosmetic blemishes – a crab missing a 7 fertiliser – the entire plant can be eaten. the group now has over 32,000 members, claw or a fish with a knick in its skin. In 2016, Mottainai Action, a project dedicated The leafy produce is used by local with more than 300 posts a month offering up to curbing food waste, launched Uoharu, a seafood izakaya in Marunouchi that restaurants and hotels in their meals. pre-loved items for free, covering everything repurposes discarded seafood from Tokyo’s major fish markets. The venues also collaborate on special from furniture, kitchenware and household The menu is what you would expect from any good seafood izakaya, and at similar menus and events to promote urban appliances to sporting equipment, suitcases prices: plates of fresh , prawn , braised snapper, rolls with uni... farming in Tokyo. You can buy Tokyo and more. There’s no selling or buying allowed, The quick-thinking chefs come up with a new menu each day, based on what comes Salad produce directly from Hayashi so everything is free. If you’re just setting up a from the market. Since opening, the restaurant has spawned a smaller location in Fruit in Shibuya and Kichijoji. new home in Japan, this is a win-win for saving trendy Nakameguro, and a standing tempura bar, Tachiten-maru, in Shinbashi. à tokyosalad.com money and the environment. à Shin-Tokyo Bldg, B1F, 3-3-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda (Marunouchi Station). mottainai-action.com/en/mottainai_project.html. à tinyurl.com/mottainaijp 11am-2.30pm, 5.30pm-11.30pm (last orders 11pm); Sat 11am-2.30pm, 4pm-10pm (9pm), closed Sun & hols. ECOEAT TEXT: TABEA GREUNER

Time Out Tokyo July-September, 2020 14 15 July-September, 2020 Time Out Tokyo The green issue High fashion, low impact

Here’s proof that being eco-conscious doesn’t have to be drab. These Japanese brands are giving a second life to broken or unsold products that would otherwise have gone to waste. From vintage kimono and clothing to smashed pottery and used plastic umbrellas, see how these unwanted Comme ca Commune items have all been upcycled and Popular Japanese menswear brand Comme ca Commune has a repurposed to make beautiful, new polyester shoulder bag made from recycled plastic bottles. 15 Durable, lightweight and eco-friendly, the bag comes in three inventive new products. colours – beige, black and olive green – and retails for ¥4,599. It’s just the right By Kaila Imada and Tabea Greuner size to carry your smartphone, wallet, keys and earbuds, and the water-repellent zipper will keep all your items safe and dry. à Available at Shibuya Marui 6F, 1-22-6 Jinnan, Shibuya (). 03 3464 0101. tinyurl.com/ MaruiShibuya. Or shop online at tinyurl.com/commecabag. © METROPOLITAN EXPRESSWAY COMPANY LIMITED

SEE MORE Hataraku Tote bags Megumi Project TIMEOUT.COM/ Even Tokyo’s Metropolitan Expressway TOKYO Company is getting into upcycling with its Onagawa 13 Circulation Shutoko programme. One of its 16 The coastal town of Onagawa in Miyagi prefecture first products is the Hataraku Tote, a bag made from recycled was badly hit by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. tarpaulin street banners once used as road work notices and Megumi Project Onagawa gives local women a source of income, safety signs. Each of these durable, flexible and waterproof hiring them to upcycle vintage kimono and obi (sashes for bags boasts a unique pattern of large numbers and bold traditional Japanese dresses) donated from all over Japan into characters. Tote bags are ¥5,990, while the convertible fashionable accessories. Shop for a large variety of shawls (from backpack-tote will set you back ¥9,990. ¥3,800) and bags (from ¥4,800), or check out decorative items like à Available at Rootote Gallery Daikanyama Roo Street, 25-3 Sarugakucho, Shibuya pillow cases (from ¥5,000) and table runners (from ¥2,500). There (Daikanyama Station). 03 6416 1986. tinyurl.com/roototegallery. 11.30am-7pm daily. Or are also beautiful journals with covers made from kimono fabric shop online at tinyurl.com/shutoko. (from ¥2,300). Gifts from Japan don’t get much more authentic than this, and every purchase contributes to the town’s recovery. à Available online at megumiproject.myshopify.com (worldwide shipping).

Yeah Right!! Fashion label Yeah Right was D&Department founded in 2005 by designers Keita Tokyo Kawamura and Michiko Imura, 14 This homeware and lifestyle store in who set out to make unique garments from vintage 17 Setagaya offers a mix of mid-century modernist furniture, clothing. Its offbeat sportswear created from tableware, fashion and even repurposed goods. Items in repurposed fabrics even made an appearance at the store are sourced from across Japan – each has a label Tokyo Fashion Week in 2019. The brand sources its detailing its prefecture of origin, along with the date it was vintage materials from roughly a dozen secondhand first made. We particularly love the range of satchels and dealers, then turns the old clothes into streetwear From Lifestock tote bags made from deadstock fabric. and accessories including hats and patchy tote There are jewellery and shoe boxes covered in the same bags – all of which are available at the main boutique upcycled fabrics, too – they’re so stylish you won’t want to in Daikanyama or online. Keep an eye out for the hide them in the cupboard. eclectic cushions made from old rugs, too. à 8-3-2 Okusawa, Setagaya (Kuhombutsu, Den-en-chofu stations). 03 5752 0120. à Available at Samva, 2-5 Daikanyamacho, Shibuya (Shibuya Station). tinyurl.com/TOTddept. 12noon-6pm, closed Tue & Wed. samva.hiphop. 12noon-8pm daily, irregular hols. Or shop online KISA TOYOSHIMA at yeahright.jp.

Time Out Tokyo July-September, 2020 16 17 July-September, 2020 Time Out Tokyo The green issue

Ichie Ichie Tokyo Get 18 Ichie Ichie deals in dainty bags and cases crafted from used obi – the thick sash that’s wrapped and worn over the waist of a kimono. At the online shop, you’ll find sustainable a range of handmade accessories; there are clutches and cosmetics pouches, plus bags in all shapes and sizes, from convenient cross- body styles to totes. The small hanko cases are especially popular. They’re usually used to in the kitchen hold the traditional Japanese seal for signing documents, but you could also use a hanko case to keep small jewellery or loose coins. Looking to go green? Swap out your regular à Available online at ichieichietokyo.com. household and kitchen items with these eco- friendly alternatives. By Kaila Imada

Wasara dishware Wasara is a range of beautifully designed tableware made from Plasticity natural, compostable materials. Cheap, transparent umbrellas are everywhere 21 No, it’s not wood, but rather, fast-growing and in Japan, but sadly, too many of them – about sustainable bamboo and sugarcane pulp that would 20 80 million every year – end up in the bin. By otherwise be discarded. The designs reflect the upcycling discarded plastic umbrellas into cool, practical bags, brand’s Japanese sensibility and aesthetics, and sustainable fashion brand Plasticity aims to freshen up your look there’s a full range to choose from: plates, bowls, while tackling Japan’s plastic waste problem. The bags’ distinctive tumblers, wine cups and even bamboo utensils. design is achieved by pressing together multiple layers of used à From ¥550. Available online at wasara-shop.jp (delivery within Japan only). umbrella canopies. These durable, lightweight and waterproof bags are available online in three different sizes: a mini sacoche shoulder bag (¥8,000) as well as small (¥10,000) and large (¥13,000) totes. Kamenoko à Available online at plasticity.co.jp. tawashi scrubbers 24 Tawashi are traditional Japanese scrubbing brushes made from palm fibres. They’re generally used for cleaning root vegetables, but their gentle abrasive quality means tawashi can also help clean pots and pans without leaving scratches. In fact, it’s worth keeping two in your kitchen: one for food, and another for dishes. Just make sure you choose the right kind – coarse bristles are best for veggies while the softer ones made

NOZOMI PROJECT from hemp palm or sisal fibres are ideal for cleaning delicate fruit and tableware. After using Nozomi Project Straw Tokyo a tawashi, you’ll have a Sue Takamoto launched the wara straws hard time going back Beeswax wraps to a normal sponge. Nozomi Project to provide nozomi These all-natural Forget plastic – Minimal à (hope) to Ishinomaki in Miyagi drinking straws are From ¥407. 19 Living Tokyo has a better Available online at prefecture, an area devastated by the 2011 22 made from wara (straw) harvested from alternative: reusable food Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Local women pesticide-free wheat grown in Hinohara 23 shop.kamenoko- wraps made from cotton and organic beeswax. craft necklaces, bracelets, earrings and other tawashi.co.jp. Village in western Tokyo. They are A set of three wraps in different sizes is ideal fashion accessories from broken pottery left in the handmade, reusable and biodegradable. for covering anything you want to keep fresh, wake of the disaster and sell them via an English- What’s more, each set of drinking straws from cut fruit to bowls of leftovers. Beeswax language online shop. The matching necklace comes with a card detailing the wheat contains natural antibacterial properties, and earring sets (from ¥5,300) make great stalks’ provenance and date of harvest making these wraps both hygienic and eco- gift options. However, we love the simple and and processing. friendly. Each wrap should last about six timeless Misa cuff bracelets (¥5,000), featuring à ¥330 for a set of 10 straws. Available online at months to a year, depending on how often you a little piece of pottery encased in a gold, silver or warastraw.stores.jp. use it. If the material seems a bit stiff at first, copper frame. Each product line is named after just warm it up with your hands and then mold somebody important to the team, from family it to fit. and friends to the local heroes who lost their lives à Note: international shipping might be affected by the pandemic. à From ¥900. Available online at minimal-living-tokyo.com. during the natural disaster. Please confirm with the online store before ordering. à Available online at nozomiproject.com (worldwide shipping).

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Sashiko Canoha Getting back 28 This hidden gem in Ogikubo WHAT IS IT? sells handmade accessories with natural Sashiko is a traditional Japanese gemstones and beads. There’s also a studio stitching method originally used as KISA TOYOSHIMA hosting English-friendly sashiko workshops, a form of decorative reinforcement where you can embroider sashiko patterns to tradition during the (1603-1868). onto a handkerchief-sized piece of fabric. The art was born out of necessity, as Blue & White Classes last at least 90 minutes and the shop small scraps of fabric were stitched 27 This small shop in Azabu-Juban also sells a selection of sashiko tools, hosts regular sashiko workshops in English. Back before disposable, single-use onto worn-out clothing to reinforce it. including needles and thread, making it Sashiko is the process of stitching, and It also offers zaku-zaku workshops, which is a easy to start stitching as a hobby. Sign up items were a thing, sustainability the patched items are called boro. similar stitching method to sashiko, but using for the workshop via Canoha’s Airbnb page random stitches rather than a set pattern. was our only option. From WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL? or email [email protected]. If you prefer to buy a complete piece rather à mending and reusing broken This hand-sewing technique results 2F, 3-6-24 Amanuma, Suginami (Ogikubo Station). 080 9582 than DIY, you’ll also find plenty of items here 6684. cano-ha.com. 12noon-6pm, closed Thu & Fri. objects to reducing waste, it’s time in pieces that are unique and original featuring sashiko or zaku-zaku stitching. Sign to take some inspiration from the – no two items are ever alike. Today, up for the workshop via Blue & White’s website. many boro pieces featuring the sashiko past. These Japanese arts and à 2-9-2 Azabu-Juban, Minato (Azabu-Juban Station). 03 3451 0537. technique are considered works of art blueandwhitejapan.com. 11am-6pm, closed Tue. crafts are ancient traditions that more than pieces of clothing. Over time, we should all make into modern sashiko moved beyond just mending and became a form of decoration, habits. By Emma Steen, Kaila so you’ll find modern patterns and Imada and Kasey Furutani stitching done with regular fabric, too. If you’re looking to update your closet, sashiko is a great way to add a Kintsugi fashionable touch to your old threads.

WHAT IS IT? The word ‘kintsugi’ is spelled with the kanji for ‘gold’ and ‘joinery’, and that pretty much sums it up. This is the traditional Japanese art PHOTOBEARD/DREAMSTIME Furoshiki of mending broken pottery using gold powder to create shiny new veins joining the pieces WHAT IS IT? together. Rather than disguising the cracks, Furoshiki are traditional Japanese kintsugi highlights the object’s history and turns cloths used for wrapping and carrying a scar into something transformative, unique personal items. During the Edo period and beautiful. (1603-1868), furoshiki became popular The origin of kintsugi is believed to date back as a way of transporting a change of to the repair of shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa’s clothes to and from public bathhouses. broken tea bowl in the Muromachi period (1336- The cloths were also a useful way to 1573). The shogun’s craftsmen filled the cracks make sure there were no mix-ups with with lacquer and gold, and the art of kintsugi other people’s belongings. Not long Karakusaya was born. With so many ways to tie furoshiki Musubi after that, people started using furoshiki 29 Brightly coloured for wrapping and storing food, kimono – from wine bottle holders to tote bags – it 31 furoshiki cloths deck the walls of WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL? and even gifts, making furoshiki the can be hard to know where to start. This Kintsugi isn’t just decorative: highlighting this otherwise sleek white shop reusable shopping bags of their day. furoshiki shop holds free sessions from time the cracks with gold represents wabi-sabi, a Kuge Crafts To-An to time, teaching new owners nifty knots to get in the backstreets of Harajuku. Japanese philosophy which includes finding The Kuge family – Accidentally damaged your WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL? started. If you want to stock up on furoshiki, Originally from Kyoto, the store’s beauty in imperfection. Kintsugi also illustrates 25 26 funky patterns fit right in with Yoshiichiro, Yoshiko and their son Shu favourite bowl? Bring it to To-An, where Furoshiki cloths are traditionally Karakusaya sells a wide array of designs mottainai, a refusal to waste, because instead – run Kuge Crafts, a studio in Suginami you’ll learn the art of kintsugi and have handmade from cotton or silk using in different types of fabric. You can even trendy Harajuku, and Musubi often of throwing away the broken pieces, the item is specialising in Japanese ceramics a chance to repair it yourself. Located natural dyeing techniques. The modern customise your cloth by getting it embroidered collaborates with up-and-coming repaired. and pottery. The venue offers one-day inside a bookstore in the traditional ones may be commercially made, but for an additional fee. designers on limited-edition The fact that kintsugi celebrates rather than kintsugi workshops where you’ll learn Ueno neighbourhood, To-An will they still come in an endless variety à 3-4-6 Nihonbashi Ningyocho, Chuo (Ningyocho Station). 03 3661 furoshiki. Choose from over 500 conceals the scars also adheres to the Japanese the traditional technique. The materials, help repair your broken pottery in of colours and patterns, which is part 3938. karakusaya.co.jp/tokyo.html. 11am-5pm, closed Sat, Sun & hols. different effortlessly cool furoshiki concept of mushin, a Zen state of mind that’s including broken pottery sourced from small classes (maximum four people) of what makes them so much fun. On cloths – they make perfect practical about accepting change as it comes. It’s a way of antique markets, are all provided and the under the supervision of experienced top of their beautiful designs, these souvenirs. acknowledging the damage as an essential part intimate class size will let you work with instructors. The two-hour class will give cloths are reusable and incredibly Kamawanu à 2-31-8 Jingumae, Shibuya (Harajuku, Meiji- of the thing itself, just as life’s challenges shape an instructor individually. The friendly you hands-on experience, from applying versatile: you can tie them up to turn Kamawanu prides itself on crafting jingumae stations). 03 5414 5678. tinyurl.com/ 30 TOTkyotomusubi. 11am-7pm, closed Wed. us into who we are. family will even explain the history of the lacquer to finally dusting with gold them into tote bags and slings to carry long-lasting furoshiki using traditional Kintsugi is generally done by professionals, kintsugi over tea while you wait for your powder. It will take a few days for the your shopping or lunch box, or even techniques. Look out for furoshiki sporting but there are some workshops in Tokyo where work to dry. finished product to dry, so if you’re use one as a decorative throw for a side seasonal patterns such as cherry blossoms, you can try kintsugi for yourself. à 1-34-10 Narita-higashi, Suginami (Shin-Koenji returning home after the workshop, table. Furoshiki also make fantastic goldfish and autumn leaves – each with its Station). 03 6761 8880. teshigotoya-kuge.com. Wed, Thu don’t fret – To-An can ship your kintsugi, gift wrapping, which the receiver can own auspicious meaning – or opt for one of the 2pm-4.30pm, 6.30pm-9pm; 1st & 3rd Fri of the month even internationally. then reuse – no more torn and crumpled more modern prints. They’re so fashionable 10am-12.30pm, 2pm-4.30pm; Sat 10am-12.30pm, à 4-14-3 Higashi Ueno, Taito (). 03 5830 paper in the bin after a birthday, and you could even wear one as a scarf. 2pm-4.30pm; 2nd & 4th Sun of the month 10am-12.30pm, 2666. to-an.tokyo. Classes from 10am-9pm (last class at definitely no more need for single-use à 23-1 Sarugakucho, Shibuya (Daikanyama Station). 03 3780 0182. 2pm-4.30pm. Reservation only. From ¥8,000. 7pm) daily. Reservation only. From ¥3,500. plastic bags. tinyurl.com/TOTkamawanu. 11am-6pm, closed Tue.

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Go vegan VEGAN RAMEN

Veganism is on the rise – and not just for ethical and While these ramen restaurants are not environmental reasons. Sure, plant-based food farming exclusively vegan, they offer slurp-tastic emits far fewer greenhouse gases, but vegan cuisine is that are free of any also getting better and better. Gone are the days when animal by-products. vegan dishes were all about replicating meaty flavours. Modern vegan cuisine is distinct, vibrant and delicious in its own right – and these popular vegan restaurants in

Tokyo prove just that. By Youka Nagase KISA TOYOSHIMA Izakaya Masaka Hidden among the cool restaurants in Shibuya Parco’s Chaos Kitchen, this old-school eatery serves up vegan versions of classic izakaya dishes. The highlight is the 35mock , made with soy meat instead of chicken, which comes in five different flavours: grated radish, Chinese black vinegar, Sichuan style hot and spicy, sweet and sour, and . The gyoza are also popular, filled with minced veggies and soy meat. We recommend the teishoku (set meal), which comes with a bowl of rice, soup and pickled Jikasei Mensho mustard greens for about ¥1,200. The delicious vegan à Shibuya Parco B1F, 15-1 Udagawacho, Shibuya (Shibuya Station). 03 5422 3020. tinyurl.com/TOTimasaka. dandanmen (¥860) at this Sasaya Cafe 11am-10pm daily. Shibuya Parco noodle joint is indistinguishable38 from the original meaty version. This spacious café a few The creamy sesame broth is mixed with sansho blocks from Tokyo Skytree pepper for a numbing, spicy kick, while the noodles only serves plant-based are made from quinoa, so they’re lower in carbs 32food and dessert, all made with ingredients and gluten. The ramen here is served in gigantic sourced from local organic and pesticide- translucent cups, which fi t perfectly in one hand, so free farms. The spacious warehouse-like you can easily drink every last drop of broth. building is a rare find in Tokyo; not only àShibuya Parco B1F, 15-1 Udagawacho, Shibuya (Shibuya is there plenty of seating but it’s also Station). 03 3464 5111. tinyurl.com/TOTJikaseiMensho. wheelchair- and stroller-friendly. We 11am-11.30pm daily. recommend the Indian curry plate, which comes with two different curries, plus appetisers, brown rice and a salad, available from 11am daily. For takeaway, bring your own reusable containers – the café’s cutting down on single-use plastic. à 1-1-10 Yokokawa, Sumida (Tokyo Skytree Station). 03 3623 6341. sasayacafe.com. 8.30am-6pm daily. Universal Alaska Bakes and Zwei Cafe This Scandinavian- 36 37style vegan café in Nakameguro serves From baguettes and croissants to freshly baked goods and light meals. Try Superiority Burger and aromatic herb focaccia, the popular lunch plate, with brown rice, all the goodies at this vegan bakery salad, soup and three appetisers for just Chipoon This popular New York vegan burger joint has made its are free from eggs, milk, butter and Veganic To Go ¥1,200. Don’t miss the bakery section From the chef-owner of way to Tokyo and boy, does Superiority Burger live up honey. We recommend the Veganic To Go’s vegan burgers are right at the entrance, where you’ll find upscale Ginza restaurant to its name. The meat-free menu offers the store’s two roll, which has a naturally sweetened some of the best in the city – they’re fresh-from-the- bagels, focaccia, Renge Equriosity comes a 33signature burgers: the classic Superiority Burger (¥800) with lettuce, white bean paste mixed with amazake overflowing with fresh veggies and muffins and cookies – all meat-, dairy- fun,39 casual restaurant serving vegan burgers and tomato, mock cheese and pickles, and the Sloppy Hide, a vegan (a sweet fermented rice drink) in the 34the buns are packed with hemp and flax seeds. The and egg-free. noodles in the heart of Harajuku. The standard take on a sloppy joe (¥800). There are Japan-exclusives, too, like the New centre of a satisfyingly chewy bread roll. plant-based meals here are also organic and contain no à 2-5-7 Higashiyama, Meguro (Nakameguro Station). meat-free noodle dish (¥700) features a light Japan Creation burger, which features yuba (tofu skin), herbs, onions, The goods are baked three times a day artificial ingredients. Plus, the portion sizes are huge. 03 6425 7399. fb.com/alaskazwei. 11.30am-9pm shoyu-based broth fl avoured with a dash of pickles and mushroom mayo (¥900). Don’t miss the housemade gelato, – early morning, around midday and Hey, vegans can pig out, too. (last orders 8.30pm), Wed 11.30am-4pm (3.30pm), Fri and lemon, and topped with seasonal vegetables. where you get to pick from three seasonal flavours (¥700). in the afternoon – guaranteeing bread à Nogizaka Studio 1F, 7-4-14 Roppongi, Minato (Nogizaka Station). 03 6434 0211. 11.30am-10.30pm (9.30pm). Takeout is available for most dishes, so they’re à B1F, 2-31-7 Jingumae, Shibuya (Harajuku Station). 03 6432 9360. instagram.com/ that is fresh-off-the-oven no matter 25.veganic.jp. 11.30am-5pm (last orders 4.30pm), Sat 11.30am-9.30pm (9pm), perfect for a picnic at nearby Yoyogi Park. superiorityburgerjapan. 11am-6pm, Sat & Sun 11am-8pm. when you visit. closed Wed. àLaforet Harajuku 2F, 1-11-6 Jingumae, Shibuya (Harajuku, à 5-9-1 Daita, Setagaya (Setagaya-Daita, Shimokitazawa Meiji-jingumae stations). 03 6804 2123. tinyurl.com/ stations). fb.com/universalbakes. Wed-Sun 8.30am-6pm, TOTchipoontokyo. 11am-9pm daily. closed Mon & Tue.

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is a show-stopper – a bowl of fermented An Di Japanese tea leaves crowned with an Be a locavore Innovative Japanese- array of nuts and vegetables, including Vietnamese toasted coconut, sesame seeds and crunchy cucumber. Produce comes from You’ve never tasted 43 farmers throughout Japan as well as the Vietnamese done this way. While dishes Farmers Market at UNU. Tokyo’s farm-to-table restaurants on An Di’s menu may sound familiar, Tables are for two and four people, with take great pride in the provenance head chef Chihiro Naito has reimagined only 24 seats available, so you’ll need to classic Vietnamese fare – think rice of their produce. Chefs collaborate book ahead of time. The omakase dinner paper rolls, pho and bánh xèo – with with local, independent farmers and is ¥7,500 (plus tax) while the weekend Eatrip local Japanese ingredients, resulting in a lunch course is ¥5,900 (plus tax). If Produce-driven producers to draw inspiration from medley of fresh, vibrant flavours. you opt for the alcohol pairing, expect Formerly from two-Michelin-starred dining in a tranquil what’s in season. This sustainable innovative and lots of natural wines Tokyo restaurant L’Effervescence, Naito setting approach, which lets nature take from Japan and abroad. 44 executes each dish with great refinement. à 3-42-12 Jingumae, Shibuya (Omotesando Station). Eatrip feels like a sanctuary of calm in the lead in the kitchen, makes for There are elegantly arranged rice paper 03 6447 5447. andivietnamese.com. 5pm-11pm Tokyo’s bustling streets. To reach this creative and delicious dining. More rolls (¥1,200) full of seasonal herbs, but (last orders 9pm), Sat & Sun 12noon-1.30pm (last orders), rustic restaurant, you’ll stroll up a stone the crowd-pleasing tea leaf salad (¥1,800) importantly, it’s a great way to taste 5pm-11pm (last orders 9pm), closed Mon. path surrounded by lush greenery before the best of Japan while supporting coming to a charming old wooden house with an open kitchen and dining space. local farmers and reducing your Owner-chef Yuri Nomura sources some carbon footprint. of her produce from her parents – a By Jessica Thompson culinary teacher and organic farmer – along with a network of producers across the country. We recommend going for the tasting menu (six courses, ¥6,000; eight Pignon courses, ¥8,000), which features Cosy bohemian FARO modern Japanese dishes accented with bistro European flavours. Expect dishes like grilled seasonal vegetables served with 40Owner-chef Rimpei Yoshikawa’s dishes black bean hummus, seared sea bream are a map of his travels through Europe, Faro with cabbage cream, as well as grilled North Africa and South America, and Vegan-friendly Yamagata beef with wild mountain his time working in Bordeaux, France cuisine vegetables, black garlic puree and – but recreated with local ingredients. 42 with elegant desserts Mimolette cheese. The desserts are not Fresh vegetables come from the Farmers to be missed either; we love the crisp Market at UNU and Tom’s Farm in Chiba, The seasonal menu at Faro is a persimmon with funky sake lees beef comes from Gunma, and seafood celebration of Japan’s bountiful fresh cream and roasted ice cream. comes directly from a fishmonger in produce. And it’s all made possible by à 6-31-10 Jingumae, Shibuya (Omotesando Station). Owase, Mie prefecture. the close connection executive chef 03 3409 4002. restaurant-eatrip.com. 6pm-12midnight Be sure to try a seafood dish – like Kotaro Noda and dessert chef Mineko (last orders 11pm), Sat 11.30am-3pm (1.30pm), Sun the smoked Spanish mackerel with Kato have with local farmers, fishermen

AN DI 11.30am-5pm (3pm), closed Mon. cashew nut sauce (¥1,500) – which and other producers. beautifully showcases the freshness of Noda’s signature dish is his the fish and Yoshikawa’s passion and award-winning jagaimo (Japanese expertise. The house-made merguez potato) spaghetti, which is a textural sausage (¥1,900), which comes with a extravaganza of blanched and crunchy punchy harissa paste, is a good option, potato tendrils in a dashi broth. What We Are The Farm sets Faro apart from its competition too, but the guacamole is the crowd Casual dining with vegetables pleaser, made with ample citrus, herbs La Blanche in Ginza is that the restaurant’s vegan and jalapeños, then topped with fresh Stylish French fare dishes (like our favourite, lotus root in abundance tomatoes and seafood (¥1,600). With and seaweed ravioli) are as carefully 45Kale is an obvious favourite at We Are The Farm, appearing in Indomitable chef deftly executed dishes celebrating constructed as the meaty options, like everything from caesar salad to beer. The restaurant, which Kazuhisa Tashiro offers great-value fresh flavours, it’s easy to see why 41 the paprika-poached ise-ebi (Japanese has six locations in Tokyo and one in Kanagawa, sources prix fixe dinners (from ¥7,000) at this this laid-back neighbourhood joint spiny lobster) with leek and herb- fresh produce from its own farm in Chiba prefecture, so Aoyama institution. Tashiro regularly has been consistently popular since infused sauce. you can rest assured that the vegetables are fresh, always visits farms, meets with producers and opening in 2010. The lunch and dinner set menus seasonal and free from pesticides and chemicals. brings back the very best ingredients. à 16-3 Kamiyamacho, Shibuya (Shibuya Station). 03 3468 can be made vegan/vegetarian, if you Try the house favourite appetiser, tomatoes with kale pesto He then transforms them into elegant 2331. pignontokyo.jp. 6.30pm-10.30pm, closed Sun & hols. wish. Lunch offers ¥5,000, ¥8,000 and creamy fresh burrata (¥1,450), or opt for the Miyazaki garnishes and vegetable-forward dishes, and ¥10,000 options (four, five and six wagyu sirloin steak, served with pickled onions, seeded such as a deeply aromatic jerusalem courses respectively) while dinner is mustard and shaved beetroot (¥2,900). The vegetable- artichoke soup topped with shaved ¥20,000 (non-vegan, 10-plus courses) based desserts and cocktails are a must; you can’t go wrong black truffle. La Blache’s signature or ¥12,000 (vegan, 10-plus courses). with the cheesecake (¥400) and cucumber gin terrine of sardine and potato is served Always save room for sweets – Kato’s and tonic (¥780). with anchovy cream and potage – it’s an famous herb garden dessert is a gorgeous à Keiken Bdlg B1F, 1-5-16 Meguro, Meguro (). 050 5597 2632. allfarm. impressive pairing of -rich and pastry topped with cream and a garden’s co.jp. Mon 5pm-12midnight, Tue-Sun 11.30am-3pm, 5pm-12midnight. salty flavours. worth of edible herbs and flowers. à Aoyama Pony-Haim 2F, 2-3-1 Shibuya (Omotesando à Tokyo Ginza Shiseido Bldg 10F, 8-8-3 Ginza, Chuo Station). 03 3499 0824. 12noon-2pm (last orders (). 03 3572 3911. faro.shiseido.co.jp/en. 1.30pm), 6pm-9pm (8.30pm), closed Wed, 2nd & 4th Tue 12noon-3.30pm (last orders 1.30pm), 6pm-11pm (8.30pm), of every month. closed Sun, Mon & hols.

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Tokyo 2020 are now set Olympics , The sustainability games Jul 23-Aug 8 2021 Japan’s futuristic for and the Paralympics Aug 24-Sep 5 2021 The Tokyo ���� Olympic and Paralympic Games are much more than just a sporting green cities competition. They are an invitation to the world to discover Japan’s traditional and modern culture. They also aim to support and promote areas affected by the ��11 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Since the Fukushima nuclear disaster in In support of the recovery efforts for these affected areas, the international sporting ��11, Japan has had more incentive than event will host baseball and softball games in Fukushima, while the torch relay was ever to transition to sustainable living with initially planned to kick off in the Tohoku region before the Covid-19 pandemic clean energy and green urban designs. Firms delayed the Games by a year. Now, the Games will have two goals: helping the Tohoku including Toyota and Mori Building Company region and supporting the world as it slowly recovers from the deadly coronavirus. have plans paving the way for a brighter, more Not only that, the Games are also aiming to set a new standard for sustainability. energy-efficient future for Tokyo and Japan. Here are the ways Tokyo ���� is using the three R’s – reduce, reuse and recycle – to While the projects may take years to complete, create a sustainable international event that puts green above gold. these pioneering designs are setting a higher By Kasey Furutani standard for urban spaces everywhere. By Emma Steen Reduce 46 The first step in sustainability is to use what we already have. In 1964, Tokyo hosted the first Olympic and Paralympic Games in Asia – the momentous event represented Japan’s remarkable recovery from World War II. Many former venues from the 1964 Games will be used for the Tokyo

2020 Games as well. Yoyogi National Stadium © BIG-BJARKE INGELS GROUP will host handball and badminton; table tennis will be at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium; and the Nippon Budokan, the inaugural host of Woven City, Shizuoka judo in 1964, will be the karate venue in 2021. Artificial intelligence (AI) might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think 50 about sustainability, but carmaker Toyota is betting that AI and robotics can help build a more sustainable way of life. The company intends to start building a test city Reuse in Shizuoka prefecture in 2021, with the goal of having 100 The Athletes’ Village – the apartments 47 © DBOX FOR MORI BUILDING CO. percent renewable energy and zero-emission cars. For the that will accommodate sports people from all latter, Toyota has developed hydrogen-powered hybrid cars, over the world – will feature an outdoor plaza which will drive on three-lane roads: one lane for cars, a second made from locally-sourced timber. The plaza The Toranomon- lane for bicycles, scooters and pedestrians, and a third lane will host events, shops and places for athletes Azabudai Project, Tokyo that resembles a linear park to maximise green space. to relax between competitions. To build it, 63 Mori’s most colossal undertaking by far is Zero-emission cars aren’t all that’s involved in Toyota’s city local governments donated timber from their this Tokyo neighbourhood redevelopment of the future. Homes will come complete with AI robots to prefectures to create a space that represents all of 49 project focussed on creating a lush garden space linking assist with everyday tasks like taking out the trash and even Japan, not just Tokyo. The timber is labelled and schools, shops, offices and apartments in the same area. performing health checks. The houses will be made from will be returned to the prefectures once the plaza The total cost is expected to be ¥580 billion and Mori has sustainably grown wood and built using traditional Japanese is dismantled, to be repurposed for park benches, commissioned designer Thomas Heatherwick and Pelli wood joining techniques. Like the rest of the city, residential school buildings and other public spaces. Clarke Pelli Architects to design the buildings for the new buildings will feature solar panel roofs and a water filtration neighbourhood. Heatherwick, who is famous for visionary system. Underground hydrogen cells will store power for the Recycle structures like The Vessel in New York, is inspired by the idea city. Once Woven City is built, 2,000 Toyota employees and Tokyo 2020 organisers took 6.21 million old of reintroducing greenery to densely populated cities that their families will 48 have become covered in concrete. move in, turning the phones and extracted 32kg of gold, 3,500kg of silver and 2,200kg of bronze, and upcycled them into 5,000 Olympic Though the Toranomon-Azabudai Project includes the city from a proof of medals. The torch bearers will wear a uniform made from construction of three skyscrapers to accommodate the school, concept into what recycled plastic Coca-Cola bottles. The podiums, which workplaces and homes, the complex will also be covered in the company calls a are made from post-consumer plastic in collaboration 24,000sqm of lawns, gardens, trees and water features. In ‘living laboratory’ for with Olympic partner P&G, along with smaller amounts of addition, 100 percent of the neighbourhood will be powered greener technology. marine plastic waste, will be re-utilised after the Games. by renewable energy, meeting the target recommended by à woven-city.global Even the Olympic torch is made from aluminium that was sustainability advocate The Climate Group. As monumental used to build temporary housing for displaced families as the project is, the neighbourhood will be opened in the

in the aftermath of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. not too distant future. Construction has already begun at the © BIG-BJARKE INGELS GROUP All the major components for Tokyo 2020 have a story border between Toranomon and Azabudai districts, with the project set for completion in 2023. IMAGE SUBJECT TO CHANGE to tell, one that illustrates Japan’s commitment to making this one of the greenest and most sustainable Olympics in à tinyurl.com/ToranomonAzabudai

the Games’ history. PHOTOS: © TOKYO 2020

Time Out Tokyo July-September, 2020 27 July-September, 2020 Time Out Tokyo The Covid-19 coronavirus Welcome pandemic is changing our world in unprecedented ways. In a new series of conversations with experts in a wide range of to the new fields from design to electronic music, we’re looking at how the virus has transformed city life and what other changes Chiaki Hayashi Tomoe Makino normal are still on the horizon The co-founder of creative agency The country manager of Tripadvisor Loftwork, which operates a number Japan believes the pandemic can of venues and platforms connecting help rebalance the tourism industry people in the sharing economy, tells us and society that groups, rather than individuals, ‘The movement restrictions currently in will thrive after the pandemic place have devastated the travel industry. Jean-Michel Jarre But people’s desire to go out and experience The electronic music artist and ‘Until now, typical bonds of co-existence have new things hasn’t disappeared, so I’m formed around family, locality and company. confident that travel will bounce back once the Unesco goodwill ambassador But from here on, I think new bonds will form restrictions are lifted. explains how the pandemic around groups. I think this will involve the ‘The coronavirus crisis is causing a shift could positively impact bonding of people based not on age or place of in thinking, from “what can be done online” birth, but shared values and aspirations. My to “what can’t be done online” [...] When creative industries current take on the post-coronavirus world is we can’t actually go outside, I think online ‘The good thing would be to take that such groups will come to play key roles in communities and virtual worlds are about to advantage of this crisis, to think about society and go on to build a new world.’ become a lot more “real” than before.’ how to create and invent a new economy à Read the full interview at tinyurl.com/TOTHayashi. à Read the full interview at tinyurl.com/TOTTomoeMakino. for culture and to realise that if we don’t do anything, probably fifty percent of culture worldwide may disappear. ‘It’s a little bit like after a war. After each war, you have people thinking differently. You could take the example of Japan. After the Second World War when the country was in a very tragic and dark state, suddenly

YUKIHIDE TONEGAWA you had a new generation of artists thinking differently. It gave us Butoh, it gave us artists such as Mishima and Taku Yamada Maki Tezuka Kinya Tagawa Kurosawa; suddenly all these artists The CEO of Chura-boshi, an The former star host and the chairman The CEO of design studio Takram sees were taking advantage of the tragedy organisation promoting eco-tourism of Smappa! Group, which operates this as an opportunity to break loose of war to try to express themselves in a different way. Fortunately our days in Gifu prefecture’s Hida-Furukawa businesses in Shinjuku’s nightlife from the conventional and instead are not as dark as those, but it’s just an region, on how the pandemic district Kabukicho, discusses the revamp, reset and restructure the way GIBSON RALPH example to see that after a crisis, there may change our views on tourism future of Tokyo’s bars and clubs we live and work is sometimes a window to try to change our perspectives.’ and city life ‘The host profession will change. We’ll have ‘New things and ideas are born out of Toru Iwasa Toshiko Mori à Read the full interview at tinyurl.com/TOTJarre. ‘Personally, I think the effects of the to live with fear and uncertainty even after instability. Our society is also fluctuating The CEO and creative director of Jiyujin, The New York-based architect talks coronavirus crisis on the tourism industry the coronavirus outbreak, and probably between two worlds: the pre- and post- a magazine publisher and hotel/ about the role of design in shaping life will not be entirely negative. Thinking won’t be able to host the kind of big parties we coronavirus worlds. Like a beach that about how to deal with the coronavirus is did before. Moving from table to table while cultivates diverse species, a society “on the ryokan operator, explains why we after the pandemic obviously important, but it’s not as simple as serving large numbers of guests will have to be edge” has the dynamism necessary to bring should look beyond big cities ‘The big question is how to create public spaces just containing this virus: it’s about building shelved for a while. about new things and ideas. ‘With 16 years of experience, I can say that which include social distancing measures, à For the full series of The resistance – or immunity, if you will – against ‘Clubs might have to limit their staff ‘How should we adjust to instability in the countryside is what really drives the improved ventilation and sanitation, and New Normal interviews, see any unpredictable events that may occur numbers and accept only guests with society? It’s extremely difficult to always generally a better experience for everybody. Japanese economy. Both food and people, the tinyurl.com/TOTnewnormal. in the future. reservations, or become “reservations-only” choose the right answer from a pool of fundamental components of the economy, ‘Open spaces for public use are essential, ‘First, I think the coronavirus crisis, even host clubs in order to survive. Some of the hypotheses that all look equally convincing. come from the countryside. We’re in a difficult and I think we need to be finding open spaces more so than the triple disasters of March business will also move into the online sphere. But innovation thrives when ideas are situation right now, but I still feel the age of the in a variety of facilities, such as plazas – why 2011, has truly exposed the pitfalls of But it’s not that straightforward […] Simply exchanged at high speed between people who countryside approaching. I’m looking forward have a large, purely decorative tulip bed when centralising all activity into big cities. I feel like trying to substitute online interactions for the think in different ways. I think we should all to more people moving out of the big cities, you can instead create a space that encourages the concentration of everything into Tokyo, real thing won’t work. To succeed, I think you take an active approach and use this crisis as an bringing new ideas with them and building people to walk around, where the flowers are and the understanding that living in the big have to approach the online sphere as a new opportunity to construct new social systems new communities.’ able to be enjoyed?’ for the post-coronavirus age.’ city is worth it in terms of income, social status, market and be very detail-oriented.’ à Read the full interview at tinyurl.com/TOTIwasa. à Read the full interview at tinyurl.com/TOTToshikoMori. education and access to medical care, might be à Read the full interview at tinyurl.com/TOTTezuka. à Read the full interview at tinyurl.com/TOTTagawa. about to change.’ à Read the full interview at tinyurl.com/TOTYamada.

Time Out Tokyo July-September, 2020 28 29 July-September, 2020 Time Out Tokyo At Nanaya, you can choose from seven different green tea ice creams, each with a different concentration of potent matcha. The most popular order is number seven, the scoop with the Eating & highest grade and intensity of matcha. If you’re a sweet tooth, choose a lighter colour; the deeper the shade of green, the more bitter the matcha flavour. Otherwise, get a combination of two to Drinking compare. Apart from matcha, Nanaya also serves SAKE other tea-flavoured ice creams such as hojicha and Sorry kids, these boozy scoops are only for the over- (infused green tea); there’s also chestnut 20s. Newly opened in March, Sakeice specialises in in autumn. Prices range from ¥380 to ¥730, ice cream flavoured with the quintessential Japanese depending on the matcha’s level of intensity. tipple. There are two types of sake ice cream here, one à Nanaya, 2-7-12 Shibuya, Shibuya (Shibuya, Omotesando stations). of which changes seasonally, but they are all made with 03 6427 9008. tinyurl.com/TOTnanayaaoyama. 11pm-7pm, closed Tue. rice alcohol from the acclaimed Otokoyama brewery in Hokkaido, which relies on natural spring water for its sake. The level of alcohol in each scoop (¥500) probably isn’t enough to get you tipsy, but the subtle sweetness of the rice brew compliments the creamy texture of the ice cream, making for a perfect frozen treat. For youngsters, however, the shop offers classic strawberry and vanilla, which are non-alcoholic. à Sakeice, 1-7-5 Asakusa, Taito (Asakusa Station). sakeice.jp. 10am-6pm daily.

FRESH MILK à SESAME Shiroichi’s cones are something to marvel at. These soft serves are Fragrant, nutty sesame is used to season an abundance unusually long and thin, so you’ll want to devour yours quickly before of Japanese dishes and , but sesame ice cream is it melts or topples over. That’s not hard to do, though – the fresh milk still hard to come by outside of speciality shops. Gomaya frozen treat is utterly irresistible. Shiroichi’s ice cream stands out Kuki offers not one but four different sesame variations from the rest as the store doesn’t boil the milk to make the sweet treat. in its scoops for ¥550 each: two black and two white, with Instead, fresh milk from Hokkaido is used to make ‘raw’ ice cream so varying degrees of intensity, and all made with premium that the rich dairy flavours are enhanced. Cones are ¥440 and for an sesame from Mie prefecture. You can get a mix to compare extra ¥50, you can get a topping of organic black honey. the black and white flavours, or ask for the goma shio à Shiroichi, 1-7-7 Jinnan, Shibuya (Shibuya Station). 03 3461 5353. shiroichi.com/shopinfo.html. (sesame salt) ice cream for something even more special. 11am-7pm daily. à Gomaya Kuki, 4-26-22 Jingumae, Shibuya (Harajuku, Meiji-Jingumae, Omotesando Lick bait stations). 080 7961 8516. tinyurl.com/TOTgomakuki. 11am-7pm daily. Swap your regular ice cream with these unique JAPANESE PLUM Japanese flavours: matcha, sesame, sake and more. Vegans usually get stuck with sorbet when it comes to finding dairy-free ice cream. That By Emma Steen isn’t the case at Premarché Gelateria, where, on top of fruity sorbets, the store also serves TOKYO HAS ITS FAIR SHARE of quality gelato shops, with flavours vegan gelato that’s so creamy you’d never ranging from classic chocolate to salted caramel, but let’s face it believe it’s completely milk-free. Japanese – you can find those flavours in any other city. Trade your run-of- varieties here range from shiso sorbet to the-mill ice cream selection for something more exotic and Japan- roasted sweet potato gelato, but the tartness specific, like sakura, roasted green tea or ume plum. You might even of the refreshing kishu nanko ume (Japanese discover a new favourite flavour. plum) makes it especially popular in the summertime. Pick one flavour for ¥600 or two for ¥700. à Premarché Gelateria, 2-9-36 Kamimeguro, Meguro (Nakameguro HOJICHA Station). 03 6303 0141. gelato.organic. 12noon-6pm, closed Thu. Chavaty operates as a tea shop serving classic treats like scones, but the store also serves delectable tea-flavoured ice cream (¥480) that are worth stopping by for when exploring the backstreets of Omotesando. Hojicha, or roasted green tea, has an earthy, toasty richness that makes it perfect for desserts, especially in the summer. To ensure that its soft-serve has the same depth of flavour year-round, Chavaty sources its tea leaves from different prefectures across Japan according to season. à Chavaty, 4-6-9 Jingumae, Shibuya (Harajuku, Meiji-Jingumae, Omotesando stations). 03 3401 2378. tinyurl.com/TOTchavaty. 10am-8pm daily.

Time Out Tokyo July-September, 2020 30 31 July-September, 2020 Time Out Tokyo Rinkan TOKYO’S Rinkan specialises in designer clothing, accessories and sneakers. There are a few Rinkan shops around the city, each offering a well-curated selection of luxury labels from BEST Japan and abroad. The Shibuya location, also the flagship store, features sleek interiors and Shopping well-designed display cases that will make you feel like you’re in a designer boutique. The selection here ranges from Dior tees Consignment and ready-to-wear Louis Vuitton to Hermès jewellery and cult sneakers. and vintage & Style à 2-33-5 Kitazawa, Setagaya (Shimokitazawa Station). 03 3465 7066. gsc-rinkan.com. 12noon-7pm daily. stores

Ragtag You can easily find Ragtag around Tokyo, with locations in Shibuya, Shimokitazawa and even Kichijoji. The selection here is mainly designer, and you can get some really good deals especially if you’re on the hunt for Japanese labels such as Sacai or Issey Miyake. The Cat Street outlet is the largest, with floors dedicated to menswear, women’s fashion and even one just for designer handbags. The menswear section contains a sizeable selection of streetwear, especially from Supreme, Off White and Yeezy. à6-14-2 Jingumae, Shibuya (Harajuku, Meiji-Jingumae stations). 03 6419 3770. tinyurl. Thrift or treat com/TOTragtag. 11am-8pm daily. Give your old clothes a second life, or go thrifting for fashion treasures at these consignment stores in Tokyo. By Kaila Imada

Rinkan

TOKYO IS HOME to a thriving vintage and consignment retail scene – there are neighbourhoods known specifically for their second-hand shops. A plus point about consignment shopping in Tokyo – or Japan for How to consign that matter – is that generally, most items are in very good condition, which is ideal if you’re on If you’re here to sell rather than to buy, you’ll be glad to know that it’s really simple to consign the hunt for designer fashion. your items in Tokyo. You’ll also get cash on the spot after your items are appraised, so you won’t The city has a good range of stores from high- have to wait for them to sell. Some stores offer payment in store credit rather than cash, so a to low-end, so you’ll have plenty of options, quick selling trip could easily turn into a buying spree. whether you’re looking for a steal of a deal on an authentic luxury handbag or just some cheap quirky T-shirts. Shimokitazawa is probably the Bring your items to the store along Be sure you’re ready to part with any Bazzstore Kinji most well known area for thrift and consignment 1 with some form of ID, like passport, 4 items you bring in. While most stores Bazzstore has a number of outlets This expansive thrift store might be a bit shopping. In Shimokita – as the locals call it – residence card, etc. will let you pick and choose what to sell across the city, including in Harajuku overwhelming at first, but it’s definitely you’ll get stores showcasing Hermès scarves and or take back with you, some will only buy and Shimokitazawa. The shop carries worth exploring fully. Prices here are the latest streetwear right beside racks of vintage You’ll have to wait for your items to the whole lot, so you won’t see your items a wide range of clothes, from Zara reasonable, and you’ll get a mix of frocks and old-school military gear. 2 be appraised. If the store needs again after dropping them off. basics to rare collabs and coveted contemporary fashion, vintage duds and Koenji is another haunt that offers a good mix more time, you might have to leave a Japanese labels such as Comme even cheap costume jewellery. The range Treasure Factory Style of shops, though the selection here leans more phone number so the staff can call you Think about what you’re selling, too. des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto. is also heavy on the trends, so if you’re Treasure Factory Style is a good place to start your Tokyo towards vintage than contemporary fashion. when they’re ready. 5 If it’s more high-end designer labels, Alexander Wang handbags and looking to stock up on cheap Hawaiian thrift adventure. The store offers a mix of contemporary Tokyo’s western suburb of Kichijoji is also home head to a shop that carries similar items Balenciaga wallets can often be found shirts or tie-dye tees, this is your spot. designer and non-designer clothing and footwear for to a host of vintage fashion stores and is well You’ll receive an itemised list for a better buy-back price. Do note amongst the shelves, and the shop Don’t miss the rack of Japanese souvenir men and women. There’s also a fair number of handbags, worth the trek out west. Harajuku shouldn’t be 3 detailing the target resale price that most stores only take things for the usually carries a decent selection of jackets or sukajan, which may contain accessories and even backpacks. Keep an eye on this overlooked either. The bustling backstreets of along with the percentage of your cut. current season, so don’t expect to sell sneakers and accessories. a hidden treasure or two. There’s even a Koenji store for some designer steals or maybe a pair of rare Tokyo’s streetwear hub are home to a plethora of winter coats in summer. àBazzstore Shimokitazawa East Exit, 2-31-3 Kitazawa, selection of used kimono, too. limited edition Nike sneakers in its bargain pile. used clothing stores that cover everything from Setagaya (Shimokitazawa Station). 03 6407 1405. àYM Square Harajuku B1F, 4-31-10 Jingumae, Shibuya à4-4-15 Koenjiminami, Suginami (Koenji Station). 03 5305 3366. tf-style.com. sneakers and athleisure to upcycled fashion and bazzstore.com/shop010. 12noon-10pm daily; purchasing (Harajuku, Meiji-Jingumae, Omotesando stations). 03 6406 12noon-8pm, Sat, Sun & hols 10am-8pm; purchasing hours 12noon-7pm, Sat, Sun & hols designer trends. hours 12noon-9.30pm daily. 0505. kinji.jp. 11am-8pm daily. 10am-7pm.

Time Out Tokyo July-September, 2020 32 33 July-September, 2020 Time Out Tokyo in Tokyo. By hidden gardens andgreenhouses botanical majestic flora atthese Study up onJapanese andworld life The plant greenhouses. gardens and botanical these of theOgasawara Islandsat thetropicseven about learn and inMeguro nature reserve garden, explore a rose largest gardens. ofZen beauty to thesculpted gardens contrast offerastark aplacetothese or just relax, research forscientific used Sometimes and greenhouses. wide array gardens ofbotanical gardens, Tokyo a boasts also traditionalJapanesefor its Knownour busymetropolis. of calmrightinthecentre of Ueno, butthere are pockets ofand theshoppingstreets excitement ofShibuya Crossing to takeabreakfrom the IT MIGHTFEELIMPOSSIBLE Time Out TokyoTime Wander through Tokyo’s July-September, 2020 Things Kasey Furutani to Do

Closed Mon(Tue ifMonishols).¥500, junior highschoolstudents¥200, FREEforyounger children. à temple. outthe nearbyJindaijiBuddhist check and orchids. To going, thatcalm vibe keep warm, too yougets canalways among1,300-plus tropicalsucculents relax plants, in thegreenhouse with garden, filled botanical ofthe45-hectare exploringtherest before planted. Stop andsmelltheroses garden inTokyo, rose thelargest Gardens boast withover and5,200flowers 400different types inwestern Tokyo’sLocated Chofucity, a30-minute trainridefrom Shinjuku,theJindaiBotanical Gardens Botanical Jindai 5-31-10 Jindaiji, 4pm). Motomachi, 9.30am-5pm(last entry Chofu(Chofu Station).0424832300.tinyurl.com/TOTJindaiGarden. ume plum and cherry blossom trees blooming in spring and azaleas insummer. inspringandazaleas blooming trees Iftheweather blossom plumandcherry 34

JINDAI BOTANICAL GARDENS ¥100, schoolstudentsandyounger. FREEforprimary Mon (Tue ifMonishols), Dec29-Jan3.¥250, juniorhighschoolstudents 4pm),tinyurl.com/TOTYumenoshima. 9.30am-5pm(lastentry closed à 1,000kmfrom thecity. about Islands, located endemic to Tokyo’s Ogasawara sub-tropical palm,whichis andthePacificbeauty pines showcasing suchasscrew trees indigenous ofOgasawaraPlants andtheTraveler’s Tree, domeisthethird one,fascinating featuring andcacao.such asmangoes However, themost royal alongwithwarm palmtrees climate fruit, a waterfall, whiletheTropicalgrows Village complete with replicatesarainforest Edge exotic plantlife:Woody Ferns atWater’s three approximatelyin its 30m-tall domes. greenery floraandJapanese rainforest plants, containstropical Dome Tropical Greenhouse from anincinerationplant,theYumenoshima landfillandusingheat onareclaimed Located Greenhouse Dome Tropical Yumenoshima students (IDrequired)¥250, FREEforyoungerchildren. closing time, closedMon (Tue ifMonishols). ¥500, andhighschool university 9am-7pm, Oct1-Mar149am-4.30pm, greenhousecloses30minbeforegarden Mar15-Sep309am-6pm,tinyurl.com/TOTShinjukuGyoen. Jul1-Aug 20 à arepamphlets available. as evergreen English information plants. marsh arabica,aswell suchasthecoffee altitude plants Okinawa andtheOgasawara Islands,tropical high- and cultivate tropical from endangered plants one, withanaimto conserve is aneco-friendly datingfrom 2012, in 1875.Thecurrent building, and renovated construction sinceits multipletimes rebuilt hasbeen The greenhouse ofplants. species withapproximatelygreenhouse 2,700different hometo a sprawling isalso property 58.3-hectare ofthecitycentre. is aquietoasisintheheart The Tokyo’s famous garden, ShinjukuGyoen most Greenhouse Gyoen Shinjuku 2-1-2 Yumenoshima, Koto (Shin-KibaStation).0335220281. 11 Naito-machi, Shinjuku(ShinjukuStation).0334410151. The first two domes focus on tropical and ontropical and two focus The first domes

YUMENOSHIMA TROPICAL GREENHOUSE DOME

SHIBUYA FUREAI BOTANICAL CENTRE

INSTITUTE FOR NATURE STUDY last entry 4pm),last entry closedMon(Tue ifMonishols), dayafterhols.¥320, FREEforhighschoolstudentsandyoungerchildren. à Plain. oftheMusashino original grasslands Robogarden, thewaterfront gardens: thetree-lined wetlands andthe ofSuisei here, too. hasthreedifferent botanical preserved nature reserve The20-hectare today. standing in ),andisstill mansionruins there aresome Infact, still SanukinokamiYorishigevilla ownedby Matsudaira (lord oftheTakamatsu domain find theFabled Pine, anancientpinetreedatingbackto 1664,whichtowered over a thanthat.Here muchlonger you’ll in1962butthelandhasahistory established of theNational ofNature Museum theInstituteforNature andScience, Study was Shirokanedai? Apart Who knewthere was smackbanginthemiddleofposh aforest Institute Nature for Study 5-21-5 Shirokanedai, Minato (Meguro Station). 03 3441 7176. tinyurl.com/TOTinMeguro. 9am-5pm (Sep-Apr until 4.30pm; 5-21-5 Shirokanedai, 9am-5pm(Sep-Apruntil4.30pm; Minato(MeguroStation).0334417176.tinyurl.com/TOTinMeguro. 35 day afterhols.¥100, FREEforpre-school children. 5.30pm),TOTShibuyaFureai. 10am-6pm(lastentry closedMon(Tue ifMonishols), à displays monthly. thatchange Japan’s intheexhibitionhall,with andinsects plants andtoys andto about blocks madefromlearn wood childfriendly –kidsareis also welcome to play with and drinksbrought from centre home. Thebotanical welcome terrace withfood to relax ontheupstairs visitorsare trees, anddragon including baobabs city. Surroundedby more than200tropical plants, airinthemiddleofbustling breath offresh Shibuya near This smallgreenhouse Stationisa Centre Botanical Fureai Shibuya 2-25-37 Higashi, Shibuya(Shibuya Station).0354681384.tinyurl.com/ July-September, 2020 Time Out TokyoTime

SHINJUKU GYOEN GREENHOUSE Time Out TokyoTime on thecloud Museums enjoy for free. By onlinefortheir exhibits theworld to inTokyo museums The best have put à Takao. Mt by river Kiyotaki of leaves autumn the enjoying children young and warriors of priests, scene alively see you can where Kano, Hideyori by ‘Maple Viewers’ painting 16th-century the is catalogue online the in exhibit intriguing particularly One depict. they stories of the descriptions detailed with complete textiles, and ceramics sculptures, including items over 100 precious examine to able be you’ll exhibition, online this In of Asia. parts other as well as country the from artefacts of historical collection extensive an boasts museum 1872, in national Japan’s oldest Established NationalTokyo Museum tinyurl.com/tnm-vtour Culture July-September, 2020 Art & Art Emma Steen Steen Emma à 1916. in completed painting, ‘Water Lilies’ eye out for Monet’s Claude an famous Keep museum. the through tour aguided you’re taking though as masterpieces selected about learn and watch you can so curators, museum the by videos English-subtitled featuring slideshows are there descriptions, century. 20th early up the to Renaissance the from works as well as museum) of the foundation the form which Matsukata, Kojiro industrialist Japanese late the by (works procured Collection Matsukata the includes selection online comprehensive Its art. Western of collection home Japan’s to is 1959, preeminent in museum elegant Established this NationalThe Museum of Western Art tinyurl.com/nmwa-vtour Rather than simply panning across each art work and reading the the reading work and art each across panning simply than Rather

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'PARTING SPRING', 1916, KAWAI GYOKUDO. © THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, TOKYO Kasey Furutani By Kasey Furutani or countrywide. delivering, eitherwithinTokyo andbreweriesbars are now ofJapan’sSome top craftbeer Want to avoid crowded bars? be hoppy worry, Don’t to your doorstep. and delivered stouts straight made-in-Japan IPAs, these saisons the summer with and kickstart up your own balcony garden beer online ordering and delivery. Set craft beer,finest available for of Japan’sstore, some tasting try convenienceneighbourhood them a twist. Japanese IPAs while simultaneously giving or American beer emulating Belgian the country, with smaller breweries in hand, started getting other is just of alcohol. Craftart beer, on the like Japanthe seems has perfected SAKE, WHISKY,EVEN WINE Time Out TokyoTime July-September, 2020 Instead of popping into of Instead popping the Nightlife Nightlife Music & – it – it

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FAR YEAST BREWING schmatz.shop. Orderonline, inTokyo delivery only. à banana andclove. alighter, Sommerhase, its of withnotes more delicate beer thehefeweizenupanotch with takes Japan. also Schmatz crafted in taste butis100percent a distinctively German has water from HokkaidoandMtFuji,Schmatz sourced six- and24-packs(from inTokyo. ¥3,900)to homes Using beer, wheat style delivering in hefeweizens,aGerman its brandsinJapan,is beer Schmatz German One ofthebest throughout Japan. à overtones. hasjuicy whiletheKaguaSaison pepper sansho Japanese The KaguaRouge, in particular, roasted maltwith mixes tasteandaroma. cuisine-inspired ale hasastrongJapanese each foranat-home occasion; are special perfect Kagua ales the hoppy, overly butnot bitter, Tokyo IPA.Thefragrant a fruity, for cango drinkers whileexperienced palesaison theTokyo shouldtry newbies six-pack). Craftbeer White, andIPAs saisons (frominspired blondes, ¥2,564fora andbred inTokyo,Born Far Yeast Tokyo- Brewing makes Nakameguro StationSquareBldg, 1-22-4Kamimeguro, Meguro(NakameguroStation). 2-6-8 Shibuya, Orderonline, Shibuya (ShibuyaStation).faryeast.stores.jp. delivery SCHMATZ FAR YEAST BREWING BREWING YEAST FAR July-September, Out Tokyo 2020Time

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CHEF’S TABLE Episode: Niki Nakayama Kuyashii – the feeling when somebody puts you down and you are driven to succeed to prove them Film wrong – is Niki Nakayama’s primary motivation as a chef, as she explains in this episode in the Netflix series ‘Chef’s Table’. Born in Los Angeles to Japanese parents, Nakayama grew up in a family where the role of women was only to support men. Determined to prove her independence, Nakayama moved to Japan, where she became enamored with kaiseki cuisine. Now NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES, UGLY DELICIOUS, EXCLUSIVELY STREAMING SEASONS 1 AND 2 running her own Michelin-starred restaurant N/naka in Los Angeles, UGLY DELICIOUS Nakayama serves her version of Episode: modern kaiseki cuisine – the food is You might think an episode set in Japan would focus on noodles or fish, but meticulously inventive, but it’s the in the very first episode of ‘Ugly Delicious’, host David Chang (chef and owner journey that led to it all that’s truly of the Momufuku restaurant group) goes to Japan hunting for pizza. Along eye-opening. with food writer Peter Meehan, Chang embarks on an international journey à Available on Netflix. meeting pizza purists in Brooklyn and chefs in Japan who are re-creating classic Naples-style pizza while also putting their own spin on it. Pizza lovers in Tokyo might recognise the restaurants Savoy in Roppongi and Serinkan in Nakameguro. It’s a timely reminder that Japanese culinary prowess extends beyond traditional . à Available on Netflix.

KAKEHASHI WASHOKU: BEYOND SUSHI JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI THE BIRTH OF SAKE NO RESERVATIONS Tokyo-born chef Nobuo Fukuda always felt Traditional Japanese cuisine, known as An unremarkable subway station in Ginza This captivating documentary offers a rare Episode: Tokyo out of place growing up in Japan. At the age washoku, is one of only three national is home to a particularly remarkable sushi look at life as a sake brewery worker, told of 20, he moved to Arizona to take a job as cuisines – along with French and Mexican restaurant: Jiro Sukiyabashi. It’s the first over one production cycle at Tedorigawa, ‘No Reservations’, the late Anthony Food Tube a dishwasher in a restaurant kitchen. Over – to be placed on Unesco’s register of sushi restaurant in the world to receive a 144-year old sake brewery in Ishikawa Bourdain’s 142-part series on world the next few decades, he opened several Intangible Cultural Heritage. Through three Michelin stars, and counts a long prefecture. Follow the laborious sake- cuisines, is the starting point for many Learn the history, flavours successful Japanese restaurants in the interviews with famous chefs and industry list of celebrities as its diners, including making process from start to finish, which foodies. It’s impossible not to share his joy and techniques of Japanese US and even received a prestigious James figures, this documentary explores the David Beckham, Arnold Schwarzenegger is still done by hand at Tedorigawa, and get as he hunts through Tokyo for a kitchen knife, revels in the technicolour sensory cooking with Anthony Bourdain, Beard Award. When Fukuda was born, his depth and range of Japanese food. and, of course, Barack Obama. a deeper understanding of what goes into father wrote that he wanted his son to be ‘Washoku: Beyond Sushi’ covers the ‘Jiro Dreams of Sushi’ is a sentimental creating Japan’s delicate national drink. overload of the Robot Restaurant, goes bar David Chang, Jiro Ono and more. kakehashi, or ‘a bridge between Japan and different ingredients in traditional portrait of the owner-chef Jiro Ono, who The gruelling work, harrowing hours hopping in Shinjuku’s Omoide Yokocho, Warning: these documentaries other cultures’. In this documentary, you’ll Japanese cuisine as well as introducing opened the ten-seater restaurant in and harsh weather are balanced by scenes and eats sushi, and chicken sashimi. witness Fukuda’s journey as he slowly you to the principles and philosophies 1965. The documentary also provides an revealing the close bonds between the Bourdain was beloved for his charismatic, will induce serious cravings huskily delivered wit, and even more so for for Japanese food. becomes that bridge. More than a portrait that underlie Japanese cooking, including insight into Japanese shokunin (artisan) brewery workers, their home lives and of a chef, it’s a look at how food can change religion, nature and a strong emphasis culture. As the 85-year-old Jiro puts it, reverence for their craft. Directed by Erik his unflinchingly honest approach to food By Jessica Thompson cultures and attitudes. on umami. ‘even at my age, after decades of work, I Shirai – formerly a cinematographer on ‘No when all other food-travel shows at the time were overwhelmingly glossy in their tone. à vimeo.com/ondemand/kakehashifilm. à vimeo.com/ondemand/washoku. don’t think I have achieved perfection. Reservations’ – the slow pace of ‘The Birth of But I feel ecstatic all day – I love making Sake’ makes this film poetic to watch. He’s in fine form in this episode, which makes us miss him even more. sushi. That’s the spirit of the shokunin.’ à Available on Netflix. à Available on Apple TV (regional restrictions may apply). à Available on Netflix.

SALT, FAT, ACID, HEAT STREET FOOD ASIA Episode: Salt Episode: Osaka ‘Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat’ is a four-part Netflix series dissecting the With most dining done indoors, street food doesn’t loom quite as large in Japan. But fundamentals of cooking with chef Samin Nosrat. In the ‘Salt’ Osakans move to the beat of their own drum, and street food is widely celebrated in episode, Nosrat travels to Japan to explore this quintessential this cosmopolitan city, the second largest in Japan. element as a raw ingredient and seasoning in Japanese cuisine. In this episode of the Netflix series about street eats, you’ll visit the outdoor and Guided by Yuri Nomura of renowned Tokyo farm-to-table standing seafood restaurant Toyo Izakaya, where the energetic owner is as much a restaurant Eatrip, along with cookbook author and long-time performer as a chef. There are also introductions to other food institutions in Osaka, Japan resident Nancy Hachisu, Nosrat visits a salt farm in such as (octopus balls) specialist Umai-ya, and Fue, which is widely known and meets a fifth-generation brewer. for its savoury . The episode also features a spirited cast of Discover how Japanese salt is made from seaweed, that is local Osaka chefs in between its main narrative. for much more than just soup, and how real soy sauce has a rich, à Available on Netflix. caramel-like flavour.

NETFLIX ORIGINAL, SALT ACID FAT HEAT, EXCLUSIVELY STREAMING à Available on Netflix. TOP IMAGE: NETFLIX ORIGINAL, CHEF’S TABLE, EXCLUSIVELY STREAMING NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES, STREET FOOD: ASIA, EXCLUSIVELY STREAMING

Time Out Tokyo July-September, 2020 40 41 July-September, 2020 Time Out Tokyo Travel & Hotels

Waste materials are upcycled 5into something new Showing sustainability really is a team effort: two Travel & dozen local artisans work to upcycle old kimono, fabrics and koinobori fish-shaped streamers (like the ones that fly on Children’s Day, May 5) into bags, jackets, soft toys and other goods. At the Kuru-kuru Craft Center, you can buy these beautiful products ACADEMY WASTE ZERO Hotels and even create your own. There are workshops to design your own zori sandals, learn crocheting or practise saori hand-weaving. à 94-4 Shimohiura, Fukuhara, Kamikatsucho, Katsuura-gun, . 090 7627 4455. kamikatsu.guide/spots/215. 9am-5pm, closed Thu. RISE & WIN BREWING CO. Model Craft beer brewing made 6more sustainable Built from scrap material salvaged from town demolished buildings, Kamikatsu’s Rise & Win Brewing Co. is literally a monument to Locals separate sustainability. Its eye-catching facade, made Eight ways Kamikatsu is working their garbage into from discarded windows, is a gorgeous piece of to become a zero-waste town. dozens2 of categories design, too. By Tabea Greuner Customers can bring their own bottles to fill

Kamikatsu residents are up with Rise & Win’s Portland-style craft beer, POLESTAR CAFE encouraged to separate their but the brewery also offers reusable growlers LOCATED ON THE ISLAND of Shikoku and garbage into a whopping 45 for takeout. You can even pair your pint with surrounded by lush nature, Kamikatsu in categories, including one for some barbecue for lunch (reserve ahead). Local sustainable café offers a homestay programme Tokushima prefecture is a small town with metal caps, one for diapers and Moreover, the venue also doubles as a for visitors Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center 7 a big ambition: it plans to reuse and recycle sanitary napkins, and another general store, selling Kamikatsu’s speciality TRANSIT GENERAL OFFICE INC. SATOSHI MATSUO all of its waste by the end of 2020. The first for mirrors and thermometers, product, green tea, as well as nuts, Cafe Polestar doesn’t just serve delicious dishes made from fresh local produce, it also initiatives started in the early ’90s, which to aid recycling. The town also sweet potato chips and other dry goods by follows strict sustainability guidelines. The building uses high-quality heat-insulating paved the way for the laudable zero-waste recommends residents to either People turn food waste weight. Once again, it’s BYO containers, but material and double glazing to save energy. Things that typically come wrapped in layers target, set in 2003. This vision has not only avoid using disposable items or 3into compost you can purchase a sustainable shopping bag of plastic, like straws and wet towels, have been replaced with eco-friendly alternatives. turned the town of roughly 1,500 people into purchase products that can be made from old newspapers. Plus, customers who bring their own tumblers get a discount on takeout coffee. a tourist destination welcoming more than disposed of safely and easily. Town residents used to burn organic rubbish in their Rise & Win’s second brewery, Kamikatz If you’re interested to know what life’s like in a zero-waste town, sign up for Cafe 2,000 visitors every year, it has also made à Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center, 7-2 Shimohiura, gardens, but in the ’90s, the town gave each household a Stonewall Hill Craft & Science, follows the same Polestar’s INOW Kamikatsu homestay programme. Spend 14 or 30 days in Kamikatsu Kamikatsu a local and international model Fukuhara, Kamikatsucho, Katsuura-gun, Tokushima composter to turn food scraps into organic fertiliser. eco-friendly ethos. Set inside an old lumber and stay in a private room of a traditional Japanese house. During your stay, you can for sustainable living. prefecture. 050 3438 8110. zwtk.jp/zwcenter. mill, the brewery produces a refreshingly experience the town’s zero-waste philosophy up-close and try a range of activities: study 9am-5pm daily. aromatic craft beer made from discarded yuko up on traditional farming techniques at local organic farms, practise cooking traditional citrus provided by local farms, who use Japanese cuisine with local and seasonal ingredients, learn about Kamikatsu’s 45 the fruit juice to produce sauce and different garbage categories, and more. The town’s Zero Waste Second-hand dressings. In return, Stonewall Hill offers its à 32-1 Hirama, Fukuhara, Kamikatsucho, Katsuura-gun, Tokushima prefecture. 0885 46 0338. cafepolestar.com; INOW Kamikatsu: 1Academy sets the blueprint 4items are free spent grain to local farmers to use as compost. inowkamikatsu.com. 10am-5pm, Sat, Sun & hols 10am-7pm, closed Thu & last Fri of the month. à Rise & Win Brewing Co., 237-2 Hirama, Masaki, Kamikatsucho, Katuura- Kamikatsu’s Zero Waste Academy is a non- The Kuru-kuru Shop at gun, Tokushima prefecture. 0885 45 0688. kamikatz.jp/en/toppage.html. profit organisation established to promote Kamikatsu’s waste collection 11am-5pm, Sat, Sun & hols 10am-6pm, closed Mon & Tue. the town’s 2003 Zero Waste Declaration. It centre is the town’s very own also provides advice on how to modify social second-hand emporium, systems and habits in order to eliminate providing reusable items for Holiday sustainably at the town’s zero-waste hotel waste. For example, the academy encourages free. Clothes, tableware and manufacturers to consider implementing household items are all available 8The Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center is playfully shaped like a question mark to a repurchase program for old products, in – and visitors are welcome to take encourage people to think about their relationship with waste. While the body of the order to make recycling easier and eliminate whatever they like. However, question mark is home to the waste collection centre and the Kuru-kuru Shop, the illegal waste dumping. It also advocates for only locals are allowed to drop off town’s brand-new zero-waste Hotel Why forms the dot. local governments to stop burning waste, and unwanted items. Every product Designed by architect Hiroshi Nakamura, who was also responsible for the town’s dumping it into landfills. that goes into and out of the Rise & Win building, Hotel Why is made from local cedar wood, along with discarded Thanks in part to the Zero Waste Academy’s shop is weighed to calculate the doors and windows – the entire building puts the environment first. Plus, the rooms’ pioneering methods, other Japanese towns amount of waste saved each year amenities are sourced from eco-conscious brands. have adopted Kamikatsu’s eco-friendly by reusing instead of just throwing During your stay, immerse yourself in the surrounding nature through exciting measures, including Minamata in Kumamoto things away. activities such as fishing, trekking or kayaking. Be sure to also join a workshop at the prefecture, and Ikaruga in Nara prefecture. à 7-2 Shimohiura, Fukuhara, Kamikatsucho, Zero Waste Center to learn more about the town’s recycling strategy. à 98 Nakayama, Fukuhara, Kamikatsucho, Katsuura-gun, Tokushima Katsuura-gun, Tokushima prefecture. zwtk.jp/ à Hotel Why, 7-2 Shimohiura, Fukuhara, Kamikatsucho, Katsuura-gun, Tokushima prefecture. 080 2989 1533. TRANSIT GENERAL OFFICE INC. SATOSHI MATSUO prefecture. 090 2783 3404. zwa.jp/en. zwcenter/. 9am-5pm daily. tinyurl.com/Hotel-Why. Rooms start at ¥26,400 for two people. TRANSIT GENERAL OFFICE INC. SATOSHI MATSUO

Time Out Tokyo July-September, 2020 42 43 July-September, 2020 Time Out Tokyo STAY SAFE

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