88 unmissable things to do in Tokyo

Eat one-month-old sushi...and 87 other great things to do in Tokyo. Whether you're dancing at the world's coolest virtual nightclub, or with the fools of Awa Odori, there's always something going on in the neon city. Time Out Tokyo has your ultimate guide.

1. Join a Dommune...

The brainchild of multimedia front gunner, Naohiro Ukawa, Dommune (that's 'commune' using the next logical step forward: 'c' becomes 'd') is the ultimate in 21st century nightclubbing. The nightly talk presentations and DJ performances are received by tens of thousands of listeners around the world via U-Stream, though the club itself can hold no more than about 50 lucky punters. This intimate-meets-viral setup has caught the imagination of the some of the world's most sought-after turntablists, and a great name is guaranteed most weeks of the year.
Dommune map and opening hours

2. Take a bath, Edo-era style...

Ever found yourself wondering what bathing may have been like back in Japan's late middle ages? We'll be honest with you — we'd find you more than a bit strange if you answered 'yes' to that question, but not as peculiar, perhaps, as the fact that there's a place in Tokyo that you can actually go and recreate the experience. That place would be Oedo Onsen Monogatari, a kind of bathing theme park popular enough to suggest that you're not alone in your absurdity.
Oedo Onsen Monogatari map and opening hours

3. Do the Budokan...

An odd suggestion this, because — as far as the venue itself goes — there are few places in Tokyo that do their job more unsatisfactorily. However, there’s no escaping the fact that the Budokan holds an exalted place in rock music history, and has done ever since The Beatles became the first band to play there (1966) and sparked riots amongst Japan’s right-wing community. Since then, anyone who is anyone has recorded an album Live at the Budokan, from Bob Dylan to Blur, from Cheap Trick to, er, Dream Theatre.
More information on the Budokan

4. Have a beer, call it an education...

They’ve been pumping out Yebisu’s golden delight since February 28, 1890, so they’ve had plenty of time to get it right. Beer Museum Yebisu (admission free) pays homage to one of Japan’s favourite brews, and is a genuinely interesting distraction. Of particular note is the advertisement hall, which displays posters through the ages (the clearly tipsy kimono-clad models from the 1920s can attract crowds), though many visitors motor through to the end, where the tasting starts...and continues...and continues some more.
Beer Museum Yebisu map and opening hours

5. Get snap happy...

Occupying a four-floor building in one corner of Ebisu Garden Place, Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography boasts a large permanent collection and brings in leading lights of the photography world for regular star-studded shows. The small Images & Technology Gallery in the basement presents a multimedia history of optics, featuring tricks such as morphing, and the occasional media art exhibition. Well worth an afternoon of your time.
Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography map and opening hours

6. Catch a double bill at one of Tokyo’s oldest cinemas...

The Waseda Shochiku Cinema in Takadanobaba is already over 50 years and counting, making it one of the city’s oldest and most characteristic venues. Films are shown in a variety of languages, with Hollywood flicks featuring as highly as Japanese movies, all presented on classic 35mm prints. There are only double bills on offer, so set aside an afternoon and make the most of it.
Waseda Shochiku Cinema map and opening hours

7. See some loveable freaks...

SuperDeluxe in Roppongi has found its own inquisitive little niche, and is recognised as one of the foremost experimental spaces in the city. Regular meets include Cal Lyall’s Test Tone events, which offers the stage up to artists of a generally noise-driven bent, and Morgan’s Organs, in which ex-Mott the Hoople keyboardist and long-time Tokyo eccentric, Morgan Fisher, pushes whichever boundaries take his fancy of a given evening, providing they can be pushed with his collection of keyboards and drum machines of varying age and reliability. Highly recommended.
SuperDeluxe map and opening hours

8. Eat the parts of a pig other countries don’t reach...

Let’s get to the meat of the matter: we’re talking pig testicle sashimi here; asadachi in Japanese. If, for some reason best kept to yourself, the idea appeals, then head to Shinjuku’s Albatross bar, where swine testes are offered up as a delicacy.
Albatross map and opening hours

9. Visit Lady Liberty...

What’s perhaps most surprising about the replica of the Statue of Liberty in Odaiba is that it’s not Japan’s only one. At least two more exist (one in Shimoda, one in Osaka), though neither command views as impressive as those afforded Tokyo’s lucky Lady. Overlooking Tokyo Bay and Rainbow Bridge, she has held her ground since 2000, back by popular demand having originally been a temporary fixture for ‘The French Year of Japan’, 1998-1999.
The Odaiba Statue of Liberty stands closest to Daiba Station, Yurikamome Line, exit 1

10. Rock with the rockabillies...

The Rockabillies of Yoyogi Park — five words that summon up an image as surreal as the reality. Why do these ageing gentlemen gather on Saturdays and Sundays in Yoyogi Park, dressed in ripped leathers with their thinning hairlines teased into half-metre-high quiffs? Will we ever have an answer? If so, it probably won’t come from the rockabillies themselves, who apparently prefer to be called ‘Roller-Zoku’, and seem largely impervious to the massed crowds that gather to watch them. And watch them you should, just once, before you leave Tokyo. Just don’t try to join in. We've tried before, and the rockabillies weren’t best pleased...
Yoyogi Park map and opening hours