The addresses make no sense, and the Google map is worthless. In Tokyo, you’re better off without your phone so you can take in the spectacle around you. Real-world signposts will guide you.
SEE ALL THE CITIES WE LOVE
1. FOOD IS NEVER FAR
Red lanterns hang outside izakayas. For noodles, look for signs with steamy bowls. If you don’t want to muddle through ordering, pop into a conveyor-belt sushi joint and just grab what looks good as it goes by.
2. BETTER THAN UBER
You can’t go wrong with the Yamanote Line, the green loop on the subway maps (which are all in English, by the way). Trains leave every couple of minutes and stop everywhere you want to go.
3. THINK YOU’RE LOST?
It’s part of the police’s job to point you the right way; find them in buildings marked kōban. In touristy areas, they can even help in English.
This appeared in the March/April 2015 issue.