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Special ward in Kantō, Japan
Photo: Ellywa at Dutch Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Taitō (台東) is a northeastern ward of Tokyo. Talk to a Tokyoite about "downtown" (下町 shitamachi), and he will think of the Taito district: the train station of Ueno, where migrants from the deep north first arrived in their search for a better life, and the temples of Asakusa, once a boom town full of prostitutes and gangsters, now again a boom town full of tourists. Stuck in a low-rent post-war time warp, here Japan's hypermodernity takes a bit of a breather, with such quaint oddities as bustling street markets and even the occasional wooden house.
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朝倉彫塑館
Sculptor Asakura Fumio (Artist name Kōso 1883-1964) designed this atmospheric house himself. It combined his original Japanese home and garden with a large studio that incorporated vaulted ceilings, a 'sunrise room' and a rooftop garden with wonderful neighbourhood views. It's now a reverential museum with many artist's signature realist works, mostly of people and cats, on display. This is a wonderful place to stroll and contemplate the meaning of life. You must remove footwear before entering the museum, but cannot go barefoot, so you must wear socks.
A small gallery showing the work of contemporary artists, the building is a former sento, or bathhouse.
下町風俗資料館付設展示場, shitamachifū-shiryōkan-fusetsu-tenjijō
Many buildings scattered around the Yanaka district survived the bombings of World War II, including this former sake store built in 1910. Characteristic of Meiji-era architecture, the building now houses a small museum of sake and beer equipment.
浄閑寺
Arguably the most visible reminder of the tragedy of the lives of the prostitutes who lived and worked in Yoshiwara. This is where many of the prostitutes were buried when they died, as the brothels would just unceremoniously dump their corpses at the back entrance to the temple.
Make your own replica food or sample food (sampuru) out of wax. This shop, in Tokyo's Kappabashi restaurant supply district, offers onsite workshops and at-home DIY kits to make food from wax. Workshops are usually conducted in Japanese. If you don't want to make it yourself, then you can buy the company's readymade options from the store, or order some of the more elaborate pieces for delivery. A souvenir keychain, made from a durable plastic by the company's artisans, will set you back ¥1,000–2,000.
葵丸進
Tempura, Tempura, Tempura. Aoi Marushin is the largest tempura restaurant in Tokyo!
弁天山美家古壽司
This is a very small, very expensive sushi restaurant in Taito. If you are a sushi buff this is that place for you, with fantastic sushi and great ambiance.
Located in the heart of the traditional Yanaka neighborhood, this Persian/Turkish restaurant goes all-out on the "dining experience": you sit on the carpeted floor, they make you wear middle-eastern garb, and dessert includes a hookah (water-pipe) to puff on! And all the while, the owner wanders from table to table making wisecracks in Japanese. The set dinner course (¥2000) is guaranteed to leave anyone stuffed.
ルワン
A cigar bar that serves coffee, alcoholic drinks, and desserts. There is a large cigar selection, in particular from the Dominican Republic.
ホテル寿陽
Very nice cheap hotel, prices ranging from ¥3200 for a single (¥2980 with a discount coupon printable from their web page, includes cleaning service every other day) to ¥6400 for a double (¥5960 with coupon). Internet access available in the lobby, five PC's and Macs available; wireless and ethernet support for laptops.
ホテルニュー紅陽
Do not expect too much from this hotel. Usually a line for the shared showers.
ツクバホテル
Old but functional business hotel offering small but cheap rooms. Free wireless, free PCs, coin laundry, used to dealing with foreigners.
ホテルヴィラフォンテーヌ東京上野御徒町
Mid-range hotel. Rooms have en-suite toilet. Staff speaks English. Simple breakfast included. Free internet (through LAN cable) in rooms. Rooms are quiet and pleasant. 5 minutes walk from Shin-Okachimachi Station.
行燈旅館
Run by the same family as New Koyo, this is a well-kept ryokan north of Ueno.
アネックス勝太郎旅館
Smallish Japanese-style tatami rooms with en suite bathrooms and A/C in a modern (2001) 3-story building (elevator available) on a quiet residential street. English spoken. WiFi; free use of computer in the lobby; coin washer/drier (ask for detergent at front desk).
旅館 澤の屋
Well-known and popular ryokan, all rooms Japanese style with tatami floors. 2 rooms with bath, the 10 others share two Japanese-style baths and showers. Good neighborhood to simply wander and look at the houses and gardens. Free internet and LAN points in all rooms. Coin operated laundry. Really friendly helpful staff. Closed 29 Dec-3 Jan. Quote from book by owner "I stay here not because it is cheap but because it is friendly".
かっぱ橋
A more offbeat shopping option, it is best reached from Tawaramachi station on the Ginza line. This is Tokyo's restaurant wholesale district, which sells plastic food, metal spatulas, deep fryers and an immense variety of affordable crockery. Some shops sell only in wholesale quantities, but many are happy to sell single items and factory-made Japanese pottery (which to the casual eye is indistinguishable from the handmade kind) can sell for as little as ¥100 a piece. Another bargain is high-quality Japanese kitchen knives, which are generally much cheaper in Japan, but due diligence is required, since some of the flashier knife shops aimed at tourists resell cheap Chinese-made junk. Many stores here are closed on Sundays.
田窯
A particularly good boutique specializing in handmade Japanese pottery. The discount racks outside are downright cheap at several hundred yen a pop, but more expensive items on the second floor may run into tens of thousands of yen. Don't miss the trays of wacky decorative chopstick holders.
貴和製作所
5 floors of plastic baubles of all shapes and sizes. Three shops in Asakusabashi alone, the largest near exits A4 and A2 of the metro.
茶舗金吉園
An old-school tea shop near the entrance to Yanaka Ginza, just follow the smell of roasting tea. They prepare their own blends, which are uniformly excellent: try the slightly bitter Snow Plum (雪の梅 Yuki-no-Ume, ¥600 per 100g) or the unusual Yanaka Midori (谷中みどり, ¥600-1000 per 100g), a mix of roasted tea stems (the cheapest tea) with tea-ceremony grade matcha (the most expensive tea). Ask to see the private garden and if they're in a good mood they just might let you have a peek.
後藤の飴
A traditional Japanese candy (ame) shop at the very end of Yanaka Ginza, everything sold here is made on premises and quite cheap (¥100+).
Ueno Station is the major hub, connecting together northbound Shinkansen passengers with the JR Yamanote line, the subway Ginza and Hibiya lines, and the Keisei trains to Narita.
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