Bunkyō

Sip matcha looking out over a Japanese garden

Many of Japan's landscape gardens have a teahouse where you can stop for matcha, whisked powdered green tea, with a small seasonal sweet. Walk the paths first, then sit and look out over the pond, moss and trees from your seat. No tea ceremony knowledge is needed; just sip and enjoy the view.

Step inside palaces and old mansions

Tokyo keeps a number of grand buildings you can walk through: a palace used for state guests, the homes of an imperial prince and of former daimyo (feudal lords), and a school about 100 years old. Walking from room to room, you notice what photos miss: the staircases, the light fixtures and the decoration that changes in every room. Some open only on set days or during exhibitions, so check before you go.

Wait for fireflies to glow over water at dusk

For a few weeks from late May into June, fireflies come out after sunset and drift as soft yellow-green lights over ponds and streams. Walk slowly along the water in a garden or at a shrine and wait for them to appear. The dates shift each year with the weather, so check before you plan, and keep flash and phone screens off so you do not disturb them.

Step into the tropics inside a greenhouse

On a rainy or cold day, a greenhouse lets you walk among huge tropical leaves and flowers in warm, humid air. Around Tokyo there are glasshouses at botanical gardens, at a university garden and even at a butterfly house. Many of them are closed on Mondays, so check the day before you go.

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