We picked up the ladies at their hotel in Asakuksa and took the Ginza line to Nihonbashi. The weather forecast was not good, so we included two museums that they were interested in.

The ladies already went around the Kansai area, of course visiting the ancient capitals of Japan Kyoto and Nara, so we wanted them to experience the Edo era and the modern capital Tokyo.

Central Tokyo

We started in Nihonbashi, which was the center area of business during the Edo era. Even today, Nihonbashi is still one of the main business centers in Japan.

At the Mitsui Memorial Museum, (https://www.mitsui-museum.jp/english/english.html), there was an special exhibition on business and culture in 17th Century Tokyo. Mitsui is one of the biggest conglomerate groups in Japan. Echigoya is the original name for the store when it was founded.

(You are allowed to take pictures only in this room in the museum)

We were just looking at fruit in the most expensive, famous fruit shop in Japan, which is in the same building.

Next, we went to Ginza by metro. Ginza is a popular, upscale shopping district with many department stores, boutiques etc.

The ladies had a big breakfast so they weren’t really hungry for a whole lunch, so we had tea time in a nice café in Ginza which is popular among everyday Japanese people.

While walking around Ginza, we headed for Otemachi.

Otemachi is the top business area in Tokyo. It is located around the imperial palace. We went to the Idemitu Museum of Arts in Otemachi, (http://idemitsu-museum.or.jp/en/), which had an exhibition on Image Chaining in traditional Japanese art. The museum is very popular, and you can see the Imperial Palace from the lobby.

After that we walked to Tokyo station. Normally during this time there are many summer events scheduled outside in Otemachi, but unfortunately, because there was a typhoon approaching, there was none, and we had to take the underground road. We wanted them to take a picture in front of Tokyo station, but it turned out to be a very rainy photo.

Northern Tokyo

Then, we finally made our way to Nippori by the JR line to explore the Yanaka/Nezu area, which was specifically requested by the ladies. The Yanaka/Nezu area is located in Nothern Tokyo, where the Showa era feeling still exists today.

They really wanted to explore the area, so we were lucky that the rain had slightly subsided by this point.

We took a break at a tasty Japanese sweets shop. The ladies tried kuzumochi and ice cream monaka.

The final place on the program was Nezu Shrine. Nezu Shrine is a very old shrine, with an impressive red Torii (shrine gate), and lots of beautiful greenery.

Finally for dinner, we went to a deep-fried skewers restaurant, the building of which is an important tangible property, a historic site that has been around for many years. The ladies liked the deep-fried skewers, and they were easy for them to eat. They went well with beer! The ladies thought that among all the Japanese beers, Kirin Beer was the best.

The ladies spent the day exploring Tokyo much in the same way as a normal Japanese person would. They were very pleasant, beautiful, intelligent, and energetic. We had a great time, and we hope that the Italian ladies did too.

If you are interested, check out our ‘Exploring Japan’ page on the Yanesen (Yanaka/Nezu/Sendagi) area and the Otemachi area.