Tokyo

The main hall opens at 6am from April to September, half past six from October to March. Nakamise rolls down its painted shutters by early evening, but the grounds themselves never close: a crowd-free Kaminarimon means coming after dark.

The 46th-floor roof is the observatory itself, edged with glass and netting rather than railings. Wind or rain closes it without notice, leaving only the indoor floors. Sunset slots vanish from the booking site days ahead.

Gates open at sunrise and close at sunset, which shifts the hours every month. The approach from Harajuku is deep gravel, loud to drag a suitcase over. Wedding processions cross most weekend mornings.

One room is waded barefoot through knee-deep water. Trousers that will not roll up mean borrowing shorts at the door; the mirrored floors rule out skirts. Tickets are dated and timed.

The tuna auction starts at 5:30am and is over by about half past six. The upstairs window walkway opens at five, free and without booking. The open deck below runs on a lottery. Closed Sundays, public holidays and some Wednesdays, so check the calendar first.

A paid garden that bans alcohol and games at the gate. That is why nobody is fighting for lawn space even in blossom season. Closed Mondays outside cherry season and early November; last entry 30 minutes before closing.

From the top of the Yuyake Dandan steps the whole street lines up in one frame. Most shops shut before seven and many take Mondays off. An evening stroll has to start before sunset.

Second-hand shops and small live houses fill the lanes, most of them opening only after midday. Arrive in the morning and you get shutters. A walkway over the buried rail line strings together three stations, Higashi-kitazawa to Setagaya-Daita.

Chuo-dori turns pedestrian on Sunday afternoons and is cancelled outright if it rains. The used-parts dealers hide on the upper floors of the narrow buildings behind Radio Kaikan.

Closed Mondays and Fridays, and you are handed a plastic token at the gate to give back on the way out. Only the keep's stone base survives; from the top the Marunouchi towers line up. No charge.

The red-and-white lattice tower went up in 1958 to 333m, with the Main Deck at 150m. Its night lighting runs white in summer and orange in winter. The most photographed angle is from the grounds of Zojo-ji below, over the temple roof.

A 634m broadcast tower with decks at 350m and 450m; the ticket for the upper one is bought separately on the lower floor. Clear winter mornings often put Mount Fuji in the west-facing windows.

The park holds the Tokyo National Museum, several art museums and the zoo. The museum's rule is to close on Mondays. In cherry blossom season office workers spread blue tarps along the paths from the afternoon, saving ground for an evening party.

A market street under the elevated tracks from Ueno to Okachimachi, born as a postwar black market. Fishmongers, dried-fruit stalls and trainer shops are jumbled together. In late December New Year shoppers pack it so tight that walking becomes shuffling.

It begins just across the road from Harajuku Station's Takeshita exit. Crepe stands and teen fashion shops crowd the narrow lane, and by Saturday or Sunday afternoon the crowd moves one way only. Weekday mornings are far easier going.

Every crosswalk turns green at once, so people cross diagonally too. The statue of the loyal dog Hachiko outside the Hachiko exit is the standard meeting point. For the overhead shot, go up to a second-floor cafe window across the road or a paid rooftop.

Studio Ghibli's museum in Mitaka admits only with advance tickets for a set date and entry time. They go on sale on the 10th of the month before and sell out fast. It closes on Tuesdays, and cameras stay away in the galleries.

Two-storey wooden shacks pressed along six narrow alleys, each bar seating five or six. Many add a cover charge and post the amount on the door. Some take regulars only, so read the sign before you push in.

After the wholesale market moved to Toyosu in 2018, the outer-lane shops stayed. Shops tend to open at dawn, shut by early afternoon, and many close on Sundays, holidays and certain Wednesdays when the market rests. Signs ask you to eat at the stall.

A 599m peak under an hour from Shinjuku on the Keio Line. Trail 1 is paved enough for trainers, and a cable car covers the lower half. Trail 6 follows a stream and turns slippery after rain, so it is better saved for the way up.

A pond park a short stroll from Kichijoji Station, with swan pedal boats for hire. Locals joke that the pond's goddess Benzaiten is jealous, so couples who row together split up. Walk on past the park's far west side to reach the Ghibli Museum.

A Bunkyo shrine whose Edo-period buildings survive intact. Thousands of azaleas cover the slope garden, and the azalea festival runs in April. Beside the main hall stands a row of small red torii, a tunnel shot without the trip to Fushimi Inari.

A street of restaurant-supply shops between Ueno and Asakusa. Knife specialists and plastic food-model makers draw the most visitors. A giant chef's head on a corner rooftop marks the start, and plenty of shops close on Sundays.

Tokyo's grand sumo tournaments run here in January, May and September, 15 days each. Mornings bring lower-division bouts and empty seats near the ring. Basement-grilled yakitori counts as lucky: a chicken stands on two legs and never puts a hand down.

A garden whose pond is fed by seawater, rising and falling with the tide. The teahouse on the pond serves matcha with a sweet. A water-bus pier inside the garden runs boats up the Sumida River to Asakusa.