In One Day

Seeing the top sights of Tokyo in a single day requires a very early start, discipline, and a bit of stamina. This "greatest hits" tour begins with an early-morning spin through Japan's largest fish market and a sushi breakfast, and includes a garden tour, a cruise, a museum stop, swanky shopping, a Kabuki play, and a great meal. Start: Subway to Tsukijishijo or Tsukiji.

1. Tsukiji Fish Market

You'll need a very early start here, but if you've just flown in from the other side of the globe, you'll be suffering from jet lag anyway so you should be wide awake by 5am. Head to Japan's largest wholesale fish market for an action-packed morning. After boats unload their catches from around the world, seafood auctions are held from about 4:40 to 6:30am. Wholesalers then set up stalls, hawking about 450 different kinds of seafood. The market is closed Sunday, holidays, and some Wednesdays.

Sushi Dai -- For the freshest sushi breakfast you'll ever have, head to this tiny sushi bar (tel. 03/3547-6797) on the market grounds.

Take a taxi from Tsukiji Fish Market to Hama Rikyu Garden, or walk for 20 minutes.

2. Hama Rikyu Garden

There are better, more famous gardens elsewhere in Japan, but Hama Rikyu Garden is the best Tokyo has to offer. Created more than 300 years ago, today it features a traditional Japanese garden complete with moon-viewing pavilions, teahouses, and other vestiges of its Edo-era origins, as well as a bird refuge. The garden opens at 9am daily.

3. Sumida River Boat Cruise

Inside Hama Rikyu Garden is a pier, where you can board a sightseeing boat for a cruise up the Sumida River to Asakusa. In the days of old Edo (present-day Tokyo), taking a boat was the most popular way to reach Asakusa and its famous temple, and though the scenery has changed, it's still the most relaxing and interesting way to reach this destination. Boats depart Hama Rikyu at 10:20am and 10:50am, with subsequent departures every half-hour or hour.

4. Nakamise Dori

Asakusa is one of Tokyo's oldest neighborhoods, filled with narrow lanes, traditional Japanese homes, and shops selling handmade crafts and souvenirs. At the heart of Asakusa is Nakamise Dori, a narrow pedestrian lane lined on both sides with booths selling a wide variety of Japanese souvenirs -- a good place to stock up on inexpensive gifts for the folks back home. On side streets radiating from Nakamise Dori, shops offer traditional crafts.

5. Sensoji Temple

Nakamise Dori leads straight to Tokyo's oldest and most popular temple, founded in 628 to house the Buddhist goddess of mercy and happiness. Destroyed during World War II and lovingly rebuilt with donations from the Japanese people, it attracts 20 million worshipers a year, giving it a festive atmosphere virtually every day.

Chinya -- Take your shoes off at the entrance to this long-established restaurant, located near the entrance to Nakamise Dori, where you'll sit on tatami mats as you cook your own reasonably priced shabu-shabu or sukiyaki meal at your table. Located at 1-3-4 Asakusa (tel. 03/3841-0010)

Take bus no.23 from Kaminarimon Dori in front of Nakamise Dori to Ueno Station; or take the Ginza subway line three stops to Ueno.

6. Tokyo National Museum

This is the most important museum to see in Tokyo, if not all of Japan. It houses the country's largest collection of historic treasures, including swords, samurai gear, lacquerware, ceramics, Buddhist sculptures, calligraphy, woodblock prints, and much, much more. Its most priceless treasures are Buddhist statues, masks, and other religious works of art from Horyuji Temple in Nara, founded in 607. Closed Monday.

Take the Ginza Line from Ueno Station to Ginza Station.

7. The Ginza

The Ginza is Japan's most fashionable -- and expensive -- shopping address, home to international designer boutiques, art galleries, and huge department stores. My favorite department store is Matsuya on Chuo Dori, with everything from Japanese folk crafts to designer togs for sale, plus an art gallery, restaurants, and a huge food emporium in its basement.

8. Kabukiza Theater

If you've managed to stay awake this long, a few minutes' walk from the Ginza is the Kabukiza Theater, where you can see performances of Kabuki with its gorgeous costumes; plots that revolve around love, loyalty, revenge, and other easy-to-understand themes; and great stage presentations. If you don't want to stay for a whole performance, which can last the better part of a day, you can opt to come for one act. (Keep in mind that performances end by 9pm.)

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Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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				Frommer's Tokyo, 10th Edition Author: Beth Reiber Pub Date: May 27, 2008 Price: $17.99				Related Titles: Comrades and Strangers: Behind the Closed Doors of North Korea Frommer's Beijing Day by Day, Official U.S.O.C. Edition, 1st Edition Frommer's Beijing, 5th Edition

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