Tokyo is a city of dazzling contrasts — serene temples and tea ceremonies stand side-by-side with sky-high department stores crammed with bizarre electronic gadgets. In one moment, you’re bowing in quiet reverence; in the next, you’re jostling through the famous Shibuya Crossing, camera in hand, swept along with hundreds of tourists filming the human tide.
I went to Tokyo with my Gen Z daughter – we both learned loads
A father-daughter adventure in Tokyo
In July, I travelled to Tokyo with my 17-year-old daughter, Celia. I had questions. How would a mid-fifties dad keep up with a tech-obsessed teenager who wanted nothing more than to shop? And how would the teenager cope travelling with a dad more interested in exploring the city’s cultural history? Could I survive Tokyo’s gadget-saturated shopping districts? And — for someone who has never enjoyed afternoon tea— how would she cope with one of the country’s famously formal tea ceremonies?
We agreed on one rule: keep open minds and try as much as possible in our few days in the city.
Shopping overload
Celia in the busy shopping district of Shinjuku
The intensity of Tokyo is stunning. Do anything, buy anything, at any time. As an avowed non-shopper, I was out of my depth in “Don Quijote” a teen haven my daughter Celia insisted we check out. In the middle of the megawatt Tokyo district of Shinjuku sits this discount shop with all the subtly of a punch in the face crammed to bursting with items heading straight to landfill (in my view). Celia was in heaven. I was in survival mode.
A few blocks away from this cathedral of commerce is the Sony Store. I might be a technological philistine, but even I was stunned by a demonstration of a pair of £4000 speakers with sound quality that made it seem like we were actually standing at a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert. The same culture that creates some of the world’s leading tech produces things that create gaudy crazes selling in millions. But I wasn’t in the market for any of the 1000s of phone accessories, and couldn’t justify £4000 on a speaker.
The teenager had done her TikTok research and found out that the next shopping place to hit was Takeshita-Dori – Brick Lane, meets Portobello Road meets Carnaby Street. We dive in and out of shop after shop, in part picking places based on the quality of the air conditioning. Turns out Dad is not that bad a shopper and I try on a very cool reclaimed denim jacket from an achingly avant-garde shop called Non Conformist – I get the thumbs down from my co-shopper. But Celia’s jeans and top are a hit. All shopped out, it’s time to relax.
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Baseball, Japanese Style
One stark, and rather lovely, point of difference between the UK and Japan hits you if you attend a professional sports event. We went to a baseball game. The stadium is packed for a match between the Hiroshima Carp and the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. We are sitting next to the Hiroshima fans whose chants are being orchestrated in perfect harmony while their team bats, before politely handing over to the home team to sing their ditties. There is zero menace, no aggression, no mocking, no unrealistic claims to be greatest team the world has ever seen – surely these are essential components to a fan’s repertoire? The Zen side of Japan dominates at sporting venues. I rather like it, and find myself joining in the “lets go let’s go, go, go Sa-wa-lii” song for one of the Swallows stars. A hit for both father and daughter.
Imperial Palace
The greatest hits of Tokyo include the Imperial Palace. Massive, clean-lined architecture is inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. Huge granite walls surround the interior that can only be seen with a ticketed guided tour. We line up at 9am hoping for ticket – we are double lucky. Not only do we get a ticket but are told that we will witness the new US ambassador getting his credentials. From a distance he looked very self satisfied with his mini motorcade, but I couldn’t read the expression on the face of his Japanese host.
History and quiet corners
The parks and temples in Tokyo are central to the Zen side of things. We head to the Shitamachi Museum in Ueno Park to learn about the history of Tokyo. It is a small museum with the most wonderfully gentle guides explaining the history, that over the past 100 years has seen plenty of death and destruction. The Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923 and subsequent fire destroyed nearly half of the entire city.
We are reflecting on the fear of fire and instructions in the event of an earthquake as we continue our wander through Ueno Park dropping in on a Buddhist Temple to possibly our favourite part of Tokyo – the Yanaka district. Just a few miles from the madness of Shinjuku, the area couldn’t be more different with temples dotted around and a large cemetery. We have a coffee stop and chance upon a beautiful traditional café (Kayaba Café) serving delicious chocolate brownies. ‘Traditional’ means sitting on the floor. As I try to relax on the bamboo, I lean against a wall that turns out to be a sliding door that now doesn’t slide quite as well. Chairs are the way forward for me. Celia is again embarrassed by her father but the Yanaka area is a big hit for both father and daughter.
A Culinary Jackpot
Simon and his daugher Celia in Tokyo
We are staying in Akasaka district – more by luck than judgment I had booked into a fantastic part of town. It has a media industry commercial centre, but from our perspective the best thing was the massive range of affordable restaurants. If Celia and I came to Tokyo with slightly divergent sightseeing agendas, we were united on a ‘try everything’ food front. Of course great sushi but also specialist restaurants serving Sichuan Chinese, udon noodles, ramen, Korean BBQ and all for prices several notches less than London.
Tea Please
Neither of us are overly spiritual people but amongst the highlights of our visit to Tokyo was a tea ceremony. It was educational, interesting and genuinely enjoyable. Would recommend. The beautifully precise movements and sounds that our host created in performing the tea ceremony are a perfection of form and function. No movement is wasted; every move is deliberate and significant. I loved it and to my surprise and delight so did Celia.
From Tokyo to Kyoto by Bullet Train
Like any big city, Tokyo can be pretty intense but to escape there are lots of day trips to consider. We chose a joy ride on the bullet train to Kyoto with the added bonus of contributing our distinctly average photos to the billions already taken of Mt. Fuji along the way. With an early start we manage to see Kyoto’s famous Fushimi Inari Taisha Temple with the 1000s of red gates and a bamboo forest but wish we’d spend more time in the Gion District, famous for being home to artists including the fascinating geishas. Like rare wildlife, we were lucky to see a fully made up, geisha walking, untouchable, godlike to an appointment. I would have loved longer to sip tea in the Gion District and as a budding mechanic, Celia treated me to a full explanation of the technology behind the Bullet trains.
Sky-high farewell
Back at base, we visit the Tokyo SkyTree, and from the viewing deck at 450m have a wonderful vantage point to see all the places we have visited as well as how much more there is to see in this vast city. Imagine the relief of the engineers after the tower withstood the 9.1 magnitude earthquake just before officially opening in 2012. We are apparently in one of the safest places to be should a quake strike – thankfully this assurance goes untested. The achingly cool alongside the tradition. This mix makes Tokyo a fantastic place to bring teenagers.
We loved the blend of frenetic intensity and calmness.
Getting to Tokyo
British Airways, Japan Airlines and ANA fly direct to both Haneda and Narita airports. Haneda is much more central to Tokyo. Visit the Japanese Tourist Office for more information on booking a trip.
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