48 hours in Tokyo

Coming to Tokyo? Only have 48 hours? Want your soul touched, mind stimulated, body put through its paces and to really feel this city? Then here’s what to do. 

All guidebooks and locals will recommend you visit Meiji Shrine. And you must. The Shinto Shrine (dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his consort Empress Shoken) is a tranquil sanctuary in this Blade Runner cityscape. The torii gates are 40 feet high and when you pass under them you are symbolically entering a sacred place. So leave your everyday worries at the gate and enjoy this serenely peaceful space enveloped by 120,000 trees in the heart of Harajuku.

Continuing with the tranquil and spiritual theme, book the tea ceremony at Hotel Okura (2-10-4 Toranomon, Minato-ku, tel. + 81 (0) 3 3582 0111) and impressively observe how making a cup of tea can be elevated to an art form. Sitting on tatami flooring, with the sound of trickling water coming from a nearby fountain, you’ll be served fresh green tea by a kimono-clad tea master. The experience will remind you that a cuppa is never to be rushed, only savored.

When you’re ready to kick it up a gear, head to the Adam and Eve spa in Roppongi (3-5-5 Nishi Azabu, Minato-ku, tel. +81 (0)3 5474 4455). This is not a posh place. You come here to get the benefits of the treatment, not to admire the clean, minimal lines of the interior design. The real McCoy, this spa just oozes authenticity with its raw, bare-bone operations. Book the Korean body scrub and have your skin stripped, polished and waxed to within a few layers of its life. As you disbelievingly glance at all your exfoliated tissue on the floor, you’ll remember this day as the cleanest you’ve been in your life. Also make time to enjoy the sauna and hot/cold baths.

Be ready to belt out the hits

To flex your mind, head to one of the art museums -- either the National Art Center Tokyo (7-22-2 Roppongi, Minato-ku, tel. +81 (0) 3 5777 8600), or Mori Art Museum (6-10-1 Roppongi, Minatoku, tel. +81 (0) 3 5777 8600). Located on the 53^rd floor of the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, the latter museum has remarkably novel and modern exhibitions. But really, you’re going for the 360-degree panoramic views 250 meters above sea level that the Tokyo City View observation deck provides (access is included with your museum ticket). Visit in the evening to see this illuminated metropolis dance before your eyes. Stop at Mado Lounge on the 52nd floor and sip on a cocktail if you wish to leisurely contemplate the bright lights from the comfort of a barstool.

No visit to Tokyo is complete without belting out some hits at one of Tokyo's ubiquitous karaoke bars. Whether it’s Elvis, Britney, Led Zeppelin, or the latest J-pop star, everybody has an inner Rock God or Pop Princess waiting to be unleashed on an unsuspecting audience. This is the time. With karaoke parlors everywhere, visit as a family outing, with colleagues after too much sake, or with a date if you want to croon your first romantic duet. Karaoke is good, clean fun for all so book that room, order some liquid courage if needed, fight for the mike, and let rip.