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3 Great Places to Relax with a Paperback in Tokyo
by guest writer Emily Wood
As fun as it is, travelling can be exhausting. All those weeks of planning and anticipation, followed by a flurry of flights, trains and traffic. Tokyo is an incredible destination, full of attractions and new foods to taste, but sometimes you just need a bit of time during your day to relax with a trusty paperback. These 3 places on the tourist trail allow you some time to rest and revitalize before you continue on your exploration of terrific Tokyo.
Ueno Park is handily located on the Yamanote circle line in central Tokyo. It is home to a number of different tourist attractions. This includes Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art and Ueno Zoo. But most importantly it has many different trees to nestle against with a good book. If the weather takes a turn for the worst, then you can head into one of the many cafes in the Park with your choice of travel companion whether it be Austen, Rowling, Grisham or even Murakami himself. Do bear in mind, though, that Ueno Park gets extremely crowded in the spring when the famous sakura bloom.
Address: Ueno Kouen, Ikenohata 3-Chome, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Hours: 5:00am~11:00pm
Access
2 min walk from Ueno Station (JR Yamanote, Ginza, and Hibiya lines)
5 min walk from Ueno-Okachimachi (Oedo line)
1 min walk from Keisei-Ueno Station (Keisei line)
After taking an obligatory amazed selfie among the trendy masses as you make your way through the intersection known as "the Scramble," head up to Starbucks on the first floor of the Tsutaya Building. It’s the perfect place to relax with your book, away from the somewhat overwhelming urban chaos below. Most seats offer a view of the crossing where you can watch amused as your fellow tourists all attempt to take that perfect Shibuya crossing shot before the lights turn red.
Check out this view you get of the infamous Scramble from this Starbucks in the video below!
Address: QFRONT 1F 21-6 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Hours: 6:30am~4:00am
Access: Hachiko Exit of JR Shibuya Station
If the incredible landscapes conjured up by your favorite author aren’t enough, then take a trip to Tokyo tower. With a reasonable entrance fee of 900 yen, you can stand eye-to eye with skyscrapers, and then take a seat and get lost in the landscape of your own imagination. There is even a mailbox on the observation deck. It's an ideal place to send that postcard to your grandma to let her know you’re still alive.
Here's the view from the tower at night.
Address: 4-2-8 Shibakoen, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Hours: 9:00am~11:00pm (last entry 10:30pm)
Entrance fee (Main Observatory): 900 yen
Access
5 min walk from the Akabanebashi Exit of Akabanebashi Station (Oedo Line)
7 min walk from Exit No. 2 of Kamiyacho Station (Hibiya Line)
6 min walk from Exit No. A1 of Onarimon Station (Mita Line)
10 min walk from Exit A6 of Daimon Station (Asakusa Line)
15 min walk from the North Exit of JR Hamamatsucho Station (JR lines)
The next time you feel fatigued from the rigorous day-to-day schedule of a tourist, put your trusty paper travel companion into your backpack and head to one of these locations.
About the author
Emily Wood is an ESL teacher and travel enthusiast. By day she teaches nursery rhymes to adorable Japanese children, and by night she tries, in vain, to forget said nursery rhymes. She has traveled around much of South-East Asia, and is always hoping that her next destination will bring her closer to finding real cheese.
As fun as it is, travelling can be exhausting. All those weeks of planning and anticipation, followed by a flurry of flights, trains and traffic. Tokyo is an incredible destination, full of attractions and new foods to taste, but sometimes you just need a bit of time during your day to relax with a trusty paperback. These 3 places on the tourist trail allow you some time to rest and revitalize before you continue on your exploration of terrific Tokyo.
Ueno Park Tokyo
Ueno Park is handily located on the Yamanote circle line in central Tokyo. It is home to a number of different tourist attractions. This includes Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art and Ueno Zoo. But most importantly it has many different trees to nestle against with a good book. If the weather takes a turn for the worst, then you can head into one of the many cafes in the Park with your choice of travel companion whether it be Austen, Rowling, Grisham or even Murakami himself. Do bear in mind, though, that Ueno Park gets extremely crowded in the spring when the famous sakura bloom.
Information
Ueno Park | 上野公園Address: Ueno Kouen, Ikenohata 3-Chome, Taito-ku, Tokyo
Hours: 5:00am~11:00pm
Access
2 min walk from Ueno Station (JR Yamanote, Ginza, and Hibiya lines)
5 min walk from Ueno-Okachimachi (Oedo line)
1 min walk from Keisei-Ueno Station (Keisei line)
Starbucks at Shibuya Crossing
After taking an obligatory amazed selfie among the trendy masses as you make your way through the intersection known as "the Scramble," head up to Starbucks on the first floor of the Tsutaya Building. It’s the perfect place to relax with your book, away from the somewhat overwhelming urban chaos below. Most seats offer a view of the crossing where you can watch amused as your fellow tourists all attempt to take that perfect Shibuya crossing shot before the lights turn red.
Check out this view you get of the infamous Scramble from this Starbucks in the video below!
Information
Starbucks Shibuya TSUTAYA LocationAddress: QFRONT 1F 21-6 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Hours: 6:30am~4:00am
Access: Hachiko Exit of JR Shibuya Station
Tokyo Tower
If the incredible landscapes conjured up by your favorite author aren’t enough, then take a trip to Tokyo tower. With a reasonable entrance fee of 900 yen, you can stand eye-to eye with skyscrapers, and then take a seat and get lost in the landscape of your own imagination. There is even a mailbox on the observation deck. It's an ideal place to send that postcard to your grandma to let her know you’re still alive.
Here's the view from the tower at night.
Information
Tokyo Tower | 東京タワーAddress: 4-2-8 Shibakoen, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Hours: 9:00am~11:00pm (last entry 10:30pm)
Entrance fee (Main Observatory): 900 yen
Access
5 min walk from the Akabanebashi Exit of Akabanebashi Station (Oedo Line)
7 min walk from Exit No. 2 of Kamiyacho Station (Hibiya Line)
6 min walk from Exit No. A1 of Onarimon Station (Mita Line)
10 min walk from Exit A6 of Daimon Station (Asakusa Line)
15 min walk from the North Exit of JR Hamamatsucho Station (JR lines)
The next time you feel fatigued from the rigorous day-to-day schedule of a tourist, put your trusty paper travel companion into your backpack and head to one of these locations.
About the author
Emily Wood is an ESL teacher and travel enthusiast. By day she teaches nursery rhymes to adorable Japanese children, and by night she tries, in vain, to forget said nursery rhymes. She has traveled around much of South-East Asia, and is always hoping that her next destination will bring her closer to finding real cheese.
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THIS ARTICLE IS BASED ON INFORMATION FROM 07 11,2016 Author：DiGJAPAN! Editorial Team
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