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Both Tokyo‘s largest and oldest Buddhist temple, Senso-ji is one of the city’s must see sights. The streets leading to Senso-ji are filled with souvenir shops where you can find tapestries, kimonos, kitschy key chains, and finger foods. Surrounding the temple you’ll also find yatai (food stalls) selling Japanese favorites like yakisoba (fried buckwheat noodles) and okonomiyaki (savory pancakes with a mix of ingredients including eggs, noodles, beef, octopus, squid, and green onion). Inside Senso-ji receive your omikuji (fortune) and if it’s not to your liking leave it behind on the wall of bad fortunes. Take your time exploring the grounds around Senso-ji, which are rich in pristine Japanese landscape design.

In the outer market of Tsukiji, I bought a knife at this amazing shop and the experience stuck with me. Any cook knows a great knife makes all the difference, and here they have such a vast variety of knives, at various prices, that anyone can find something here. After selecting my purchase, the third generation owner put my name on the knife by hand. Who knew knives could be so personal? Keep in mind that this is a cash only shop. Tsukiji Masamoto Tsukiji 4-9-9

If Manhattan’s famous music club CBGB were reimagined by a Japanese food fiend, the result would be Tatemichiya. The izakaya, or Japanese-style tapas bar, in Tokyo’s Daikanyama neighborhood, is the brainchild of punk-music fanatic Yoshiyuki Okada. He plastered his tiny space in posters of the Clash and the Sex Pistols—bands also heard on the house soundtrack—and serves dried shishamo (smelt) and ei hire (skate fin), above. Bonus for purists: Okada is one of the few izakaya owners who still grills his yakitori the old-school way, on coals. B1, 30-8 Sarugaku-cho, Shibuya-ku, 81/(0) 3-5459-3431. This appeared in the May/June 2012 issue.

There’s a special word in the Korean language for “heaven”. More specifically, an edible embodiment of heaven consisting of an incredibly chewy wheat flour pancake stuffed with a molten medley of brown sugar, cinnamon, honey and peanuts that combine to form one of the most delicious sweet things a human can put in their mouth. That word is hotteok (or hottoku in Japanese), and in Tokyo it is spoken at Jonno Hotok in Shin-okubo, the city’s version of Koreatown. Jonno Hotok is a series of franchise food stalls which dot the neighborhood that dish out this Korean street food to the throngs of hungry pedestrians cruising the neighborhood’s streets in search of even more food (of which there is plenty to choose from). In addition to the traditional brown sugar and honey version, they offer several stuffing variations such as corn with cheese, adzuki bean jam paste, and chapchae (glass noodles), all for 200 to 300 yen in pocket change. Likewise, although hotteok is usually a wintertime snack in Korea, Jonno Hotok sells them every day year-round from 11 in the morning until 10 o’clock at night, so there’s really no excuse not to treat yourself (except your pants size, perhaps) to one or three of these little pieces of oral paradise.

To celebrate and honor the sakura,the Japanese hold hanami parties by picnicking under the blooming trees from morning through evening. If you have the opportunity to visit Japan during this period, you’ll witness thousands of people gather in parks, socializing over sake, tea, and bento boxes. Many local department stores and restaurants will even sell special edible treats created especially for this event.

Hiroyasu Kayama is both scientist and bartender at this bar on the ninth floor of an office building. Kayama has a collection of dried herbs, spices, and even bugs on the shelves behind the bar. The best seats are at the counter, where you can watch as Kayama creates from scratch a Campari using cochineal insects. To witness the red color come to life gets your mouth wet for the drink that awaits. The absinthe made with wormwood should also be on your radar. Best to tell Kayama what cocktails you like and let him recommend something for you.

The bartenders at Ben Fiddich don’t complicate your experience with a menu. Tell them your mood and sit back while they craft something according to their whim. Say, a whiskey drinks filled with burnt herbs whose smoke steams your glass or a homemade Campari Negroni.

Near Shinjuku Station you’ll find Takashimaya Times Square, which includes the Takashimaya department store and a large branch of Tokyu Hands. The depachika, or basement food floor, at Takashimaya has some excellent food counters for sukiyaki and both Japanese and Western sweets. Home cooks can pick up all of their pantry staples at Kinokuniya supermarket, which also has a colorful variety of prepared foods and seafood counters with takeout sushi, and the wine and spirits department hosts jizake vendors who offer samples of local sake. The rooftop garden has seating for impromptu picnics, so you may want to pick up some sake—just remember to ask for a small cup.

Competition among 100-yen shops, the Japanese equivalent to an American dollar store, is resulting in cool outlets filled with fun items for the home and office. Seria, in particular, has a surprising selection of tableware, kitchenware, stationery, and housewares. DIY fans will have a heyday carefully perusing the selection of things you didn’t know existed but now must have, and many items like the tableware items are surprisingly high quality and beautifully designed. Gifts that are easy on the wallet and cool for friends back home include kawaii (cute) washi tape in fun designs, organizers for home and for travel, and other souvenirs. This Seria shop is a short walk from Shinjuku Station, but there are branches throughout the city.

Residents of Japan spend loads on designer label clothes often. They also generally live in tiny apartments. When they purge old stuff, including high end fashion designers and local Japanese finds, it ends up Ragtag. There are several locations but go to the one where the coolest residents and stores are: Shibuya.

Pilgrim Surf + Supply launched in Brooklyn a few years back and the Japanese immediately took a liking to their trim tailoring and cool surfwear so much, the owners opened their own shop in the style hub of Shibuya.

In this week’s episode of Unpacked by AFAR, we explore the travel impacts of the world’s fastest-growing consumer technology: ChatGPT.