Vegan bento box

Whether or not you’re taking a shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo Station, please stop by The Bento Shop near platform 8, for their incredible vegetable (vegan) bento box. A must in Japan for first timers, but also repeat visitors. Thank me later!

Saido

A small resto in Jiyugaoka, with a focus on Japanese food like bento boxes, soba noodles and katsu curry. The food is more like art, as I often found to be the case across Japan. Book beforehand, listen to the staff’s explanation of where the ingredients are sourced from, and prepare your tastebuds for a treat!

Vegan Cafe PQ’s

An all-vegan cafe on Kappabashi street, with a seasonal and varied lunch menu. Depending on the season, you could try the hydrangea set, fig curry, black sesame latte, butterfly pea curry and lots of interesting flavors. They use fair trade chocolate, veggies from no till farming and organic grains, and offer a plethora of vegan desserts.

Even as someone who seeks vegan and preferably healthy, organic and gluten-free local food, I felt spoilt for choice in Tokyo. Get the HappyCow app, and you’ll find plenty of delicious vegan / vegetarian friendly places to eat in the city.
On one of my first days in Tokyo, I learnt that Japanese tea masters practice for several years before they can conduct a traditional tea ceremony. The tradition started as a peace and strategic offering among Japanese samurais, and often takes place in obscure, understated buildings – that open up into tranquil tea rooms. I absolutely love the accidentally vegan and incredibly colorful mochi cakes often served with matcha tea in tea ceremonies.

I was surprised to see a lot of tea ceremonies on offer across Tokyo now. This one is with a tea master with 20+ years of experience, and takes place close to Nishi-Nippori station, from where you can also walk down to the ancient Yanaka Cemetery and Nezu Shrine.

Soak in the calming beauty of a Japanese garden

I love all sorts of green spaces – forests, urban parks, plantations. But Japanese gardens take green spaces to a whole other level. Think calming water streams, small shrines and old bridges, spread amid semi-wild landscaped green areas.

Shinjuku Gyoen was the residence of a feudal family during the Edo era, and is now a national garden with 20,000+ native Japanese trees, orchids and cactii. Though best known for sakura (cherry blossom) in the spring, it is beautiful and serene all year around, especially in autumn. It’s a quick walk from Shinjuku station.

For something a bit wilder, consider following the green trail in Todoroki Valley, a short walk away from Todoroki Station. In the middle of residential Tokyo, this tree-filled valley has its own little river, old shrines, and ends with a stunning view of Todoroki Fudo Temple.