Find your bearings
Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo sits high above the city’s sleek skyscrapers and modern shops in Nihonbashi, which, at first glance, appears every inch the business district. Yet its contemporary façade hides a rich heritage. Upon wandering the streets surrounding this hotel, a closer look within modern retail complexes reveals countless generations-old family businesses, from knife artisans to seaweed merchants.
Feed your mind
For a whistle-stop tour of Japanese culture, head to Ueno Park, a seven-minute ride on the Ginza subway line. On its expansive grounds are a host of museums, including Tokyo National Museum – home to woodblock prints, old tea ceremony tools and ancient Buddha statues, as well as the National Museum of Art, the National Museum of Nature and Science, and Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum. There are also lotus ponds, temples, shrines, a zoo, cafés, concert halls and quality people-watching opportunities. The place is also a cherry blossom season hot spot – with intense crowds of picnickers packed tightly under the cloud-like pink blooms of its hundreds of trees in springtime.