Tokyo for The Slow Weekenders: a Friday-to-Monday weekend
Paper lanterns, concrete, and the long slow river.
The weekend as rest. A hotel worth staying in, a hammam or a thermal bath, one unhurried sight each day, lunches that run into the afternoon, and early nights.
Friday: Baths and a quiet dinner
- Rikugien
A 1702 strolling garden with a pond, a tea house and a view of the hills. Walk it slowly and sit by the water.
- Spa LaQua
A hot-spring spa in Tokyo Dome City, with several baths and a sauna. Soak for an hour and rest in the lounge.
- Hantei
Skewers of seasonal vegetables and meat, fried in a 1927 wooden house. A quiet, slow dinner on the tatami.
Saturday: One garden and a long lunch
- Hama-rikyu Gardens
A seaside garden with a tea house on an island pond. Take matcha and a sweet and stay an hour.
- Lunch at Maisen Aoyama
A tonkatsu restaurant in a former bathhouse, with a garden view. Order the kurobuta cutlet and take your time.
- Nezu Museum
A Kengo Kuma museum of old Japanese art, with a garden and a tea room. Wander the quiet galleries and the garden.
Sunday: Tea and a bath
- Happo-en
A 400-year-old garden with a tea house and a koi pond. Book a matcha set and sit under the trees.
- Nezucafe at the Nezu Museum
A glass-walled café looking into the museum's garden of tea houses and a pond, with a light lunch and green tea. Sit by the window and take your time.
- Oedo Onsen Monogatari
An onsen theme park built like an Edo street, with hot spring baths and a foot bath. Wear the yukata they give you.
Monday: A gentle farewell
- Kyū-Iwasaki-tei Gardens
A 1896 mansion with a Western house and Japanese rooms. Take tea on the veranda looking over the lawn.
- Ueno Park walk
A walk around Shinobazu Pond, with lotuses and a small temple on an island. Sit on a bench by the water.
- Unagi lunch at Izuei
An eel restaurant by Shinobazu Pond, in a wooden building since 1863. Order the unaju and a pot of tea.