Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
190
Sightseeing in Tokyo Without Spending a Yen
While it could be argued that simply walking around Tokyo is a free cultural
experience, the city abounds in other free attractions and activities as well.
Here are some of my favorite free things in Tokyo:
• The Tokyo Metropolitan Government's 45th-floor observatories in Shinjuku,
offering surreal views of the city's never-ending sprawl (and on clear days
in winter, also of Mt. Fuji)
• Meiji Shrine, Tokyo's most venerable Shinto shrine, surrounded by a dense,
peaceful forest
• Harajuku, a lively neighborhood just outside Meiji Shrine, which is packed
with teenyboppers in all styles of dress and boutiques that cater to the
young (on Sun, kids in
cosplay
—costume play—gather near Harajuku Sta-
tion)
• Asakusa's Sensoji Temple, Tokyo's oldest and most popular temple, is sur-
rounded by shops selling a wide array of traditional goods, as well as a lot
of interesting kitsch
• Tsukiji Fish Market, one of the largest in the world
• East Garden, located next to the Imperial Palace and once the main grounds
of Edo Castle (my favorite part is the Japanese-style Ninomaru); free guided
tours are offered on Saturdays
7
Exhibitions change approximately four times a year to reflect the seasons, with most
displays concentrating on a specific theme such as bambooware or the works of a single
artist. Unfortunately, the exhibition space is very limited; you can tour the place in 30
minutes or less.
3-1 Kitanomaru Koen Park, Chiyoda-ku.
&
03/3214-2561.
www.momat.go.jp. Admission ¥420 adults,
¥130 college students, free for children; special exhibits cost more. Tues-Sun 10am-5pm (to 8pm Fri).
Station: Takebashi (5 min.).
The National Museum of Western Art (Kokuritsu Seiyo Bijutsukan)
Japan's only national museum dedicated to Western art is housed in a main building
designed by Le Corbusier and in two more recent additions. It presents a chronological
study of sculpture and art from the end of the Middle Ages through the 20th century,
beginning with works by Old Masters, including Lucas Cranach the Elder, Rubens, El
Greco, Murillo, and Tiepolo. French painters and Impressionists of the 19th and 20th
centuries are well represented, including Delacroix, Monet (with a whole room devoted
to his work), Manet, Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley, Courbet, Cézanne, and Gauguin. The
museum's 20th-century collection includes works by Picasso, Max Ernst, Miró, Dubuf-
fet, and Pollock. The museum is also famous for its 50-odd sculptures by Rodin, one of
the largest collections in the world, encompassing most of his major works including
The
Kiss, The Thinker, Balzac,
and
The Gates of Hell.
Plan on spending at least an hour here,
though frequent—and ambitious—special exhibitions may entice you to linger longer.
