Kagurazaka

A 300-year-old tidal garden in the middle of Tokyo's skyscraper district — the only garden in the city with saltwater ponds replenished by Tokyo Bay. Originally the shogunate's private duck-hunting grounds, it now offers extraordinary views of Shiodome towers reflected in ancient lotus ponds, with a teahouse on an island reached by wooden bridges.

An old shopping arcade town that gentrified into Tokyo's most eclectic neighbourhood — vintage shops, curry restaurants, and tiny jazz bars coexist with a 100-year-old covered shotengai. The Awa-Odori festival in late August fills the streets with over 10,000 dancers and a million spectators — the largest summer street festival in Tokyo.

Tokyo's alternative to Kyoto's Fushimi Inari — a serene 1,900-year-old shrine with a tunnel of 200 vermilion torii gates winding through a wooded hillside in Bunkyo. In April, the azalea garden (3,000 plants across 100 varieties) turns the shrine grounds into a labyrinth of pink and red. Usually crowd-free on weekdays.