Places I'm Visiting: Tokyo, 2026

I arrived in Tokyo just as it was getting dark. Flying into Haneda, rather than Narita, is not only more convenient but it affords rather stunning views of the city, in this case brightly lit as dusk deepened, with the roadways and rail lines clearly standing out. The Tokyo Sky Tree and its predecessor as a broadcast tower, Tokyo Tower, were prominently visible, as were a surprisingly large number of sports stadiums and tennis courts. The flight was generally smooth, although I never sleep on airplanes.

I chose a hotel in Jimbocho, the used book center of Tokyo, as it’s near one of my old workplaces and not far from where I once lived in Kagurazaka. It’s a familiar part of the city and quite convenient for getting around town, as Otemachi, a central hub, is only one stop away by subway.

 

Every time I return to Tokyo, I’m a little surprised at how much things have changed, although I should know better by now. Many more tourists than there once were. Digital advertising everywhere (including wall-sized digital display panels in Shinjuku Station that, miraculously, haven’t been vandalized). New buildings everywhere. I navigate by clinging to landmarks that have survived from the 1980s and 1990s and a kind of mental muscle memory that kicks in when riding the subway and the above-ground train systems. 

That said, much is familiar too. People wearing masks. Construction crews directing pedestrian and vehicle traffic in places where such assistance isn’t really necessary. Uniformed staff sweeping up the train platforms. Tiny cars. Automated taxi doors. Woman in skirts. Woman dressed up like anime characters. Ducks in the imperial Palace moat (in this case. Eurasian Wigeons). Odd uses of English. The sullen salarymen trudging off to work. It rained off and on almost the entire time, but I remembered to pack an umbrella and treated myself to a new, waterproof, backpack roomier than the one it has replaced.

I spent most of my time the first couple of days just wandering around old haunts and visiting a few stores I wanted to look at. I sold an extra camera body I brought with me at Fujiya Camera in Nakano, among the best camera shops in Tokyo. I visited a few stamp dealers, adding to my collection of Japanese stamps. I had lunch with Sebastian, the son of good friends who is living in Tokyo at the moment. We had lunch at a sort of sketchy Italian place that was once a Chinese restaurant. The sign was never changed. A chalk scribble on the façade noted "No Chinese Foods." 

I did a fair amount of walking – as always. The pedometer in my phone shows a ten-fold increase in daily steps. 

Among my indulgences was a memorable dinner at Chez Olivier, near Kudanshita, a Michelin-starred restaurant a short taxi ride from my hotel. The set menu (one of several; I chose the least extravagant of them and added wine pairings) was one revelation after another. Even the tiny initial appetizers were pretty fabulous – the pistachio mint polenta and the beet meringue especially. The “pre-starter,” which came after the appetizers, was a tiny pot of melt-in-the-mouth foie-gras mousse topped with roasted mushroom bits and tiny croutons that, somehow, in total managed to taste of hazelnuts. And it all escalated from there. Expensive, but I would have paid two to three times as much for the same meal in San Francisco. No regrets, despite a certain feeling of guilt; I recognize the privilege that such a meal represents.

From here, more exploring, further plans to meet up with old friends and then, later, off to new adventures elsewhere. Stay tuned.