Perspectives
Tokyo’s Lost-Child Stone and Other Overlooked Stories
A small stone beside a Tokyo bridge can explain something a monumental building does not: how people found one another, how food reached the city or
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PerspectivesHow to Look at a Japanese Garden: Water, Stones and Views
A Japanese garden becomes easier to enjoy when you stop treating it as a collection of objects to identify. You do not need to know every
PerspectivesWhy Tokyo Has European-Style Mansions and Palaces
A European-looking mansion in Tokyo is not an accidental piece of scenery borrowed from another country. Buildings such as Kyu-Iwasaki-tei, the Maeda residence,
ItinerariesMiyazaki in Tokyo: Ghibli Museum and NTV Clock
Tokyo offers two very different connections with Hayao Miyazaki. The Ghibli Museum in Mitaka requires an advance plan, while the large mechanical clock at Nippon Television
ItinerariesHachiko, Godzilla and Gundam: Tokyo’s Symbols
Hachiko, Godzilla and Gundam reveal three different ways Tokyo creates recognisable images. Hachiko connects the story of a real dog with the everyday habit of meeting
ItinerariesOld Town in Two Hours: Quiet Streets Before an Evening at Second City
Old Town offers a different rhythm from Chicago’s downtown towers. A church steeple rises above residential streets, a private row house carries a significant social
ItinerariesTemple or Shrine? Read Tokyo’s Visible Details
In Tokyo, a Buddhist temple and a Shinto shrine can stand close together and share familiar-looking roofs, lanterns and counters offering amulets. The first useful
ItinerariesWhy Japan’s Roads Begin at Nihonbashi
Nihonbashi matters as more than a bridge with handsome lamps. In the early seventeenth century it became the starting point of the main roads connecting Edo
RecommendationsWhat to book in Tokyo ahead of time—and how to keep the plan flexible
A useful Tokyo plan is not a calendar filled with prepaid appointments. It is a small number of visits that genuinely matter, surrounded by enough flexible
RecommendationsMoscow from above: choose a viewpoint for your day
To see Moscow from above, first decide what kind of view you want: a broad panorama from a hill, a high observation floor behind glass or
ItinerariesEnge: Station Architecture, a Hilltop Church and Football
Enge puts three different urban experiences within a compact outing: a monumental railway station, a church on a hill and a museum devoted to international football.
RecommendationsMoscow in the evening: choose a river walk for the light
Moscow changes after daylight fades. A pale wall stands out against blue sky, glass towers become less solid, and light breaks into shifting bands on the