Tokyo Budokan

In Katsushika-ku, it features Taishakuten Temple (帝釈天) with its cozy shopping street that rivals Asakusa in liveliness while being much more authentic, lacking the overseas-tourist kitsch. The district's biggest claim to fame is being the setting for "Otoko wa tsurai yo", Japan's longest-running movie series, and the hero of the series, Tora-san, can be seen every block of the way from the life-size statue in front of the train station to caricatures and movie posters in every shop. Down by the river past the temple there is a museum dedicated to the movie series, as well as a hand-rowed boat that carries passengers between the shores (¥100 one way fare), the last of its kind in Tokyo. You might want to cover the 7 gods, a series of temples around the neighbourhood, get a free map at the station.

This intimate museum features a wonderfully recreated Tempo-period (1830-1843) neighbourhood - complete with homes, shops, narrow alleyways, and even the local rubbish dump. Wander about, peering in windows and entering buildings furnished with household goods and Edo-period bric-a-brac. Light and sound effects create the illusion of a whole day passing from day to night in the space of a few minutes. Pair it up with a visit to the huge Edo-Tokyo Museum in nearby Sumida ward, just a couple of stops away on the Toei Ōedo subway line.

Not the most famous of Tokyo's gardens, but is quite lovely and uncrowded. It was created in the Edo period, and took its present form during the Meiji Era, under the ownership of the founder of Mitsubishi. The ancient-looking pavilion was built in 1909 to host Lord Kitchener on his visit to Japan.

The largest Shintō hachiman shrine in Tokyo.