City Guide: Tokyo
Explore the energy and care that fills Japan’s capital, with thoughtful design at every turn.
As the FRAMA team becomes more and more enmeshed in Japan’s largest city, we’ve been grateful to get to know Tokyo’s ins and outs in a way that is only possible through repeat visits and the trust and generosity of local friends.
Over the course of recent visits, we’ve had the Japanese concept of “forest bathing” top of mind. The idea of forest bathing or “shinrin-yoku” is a practice of spending time in nature in full immersion, to slow down, take time for the senses, and reduce stress by taking in the environment around you. Remarkably, this is possible to do in the center of the city thanks to Tokyo’s incredible park culture, but it also brought to mind the possibility of its inverse. The energy we felt from exploring the electric city made us wonder—could the concept of city bathing have something to it as well?
Discover our favorite places to eat, stay, and explore in the country’s seemingly-endless capital—with thoughtful design at every turn—and see for yourself if the power of city bathing is sometimes the recharge we need.
1. Eat & Drink
Suba VS
A small, beautiful space with standing room only to enjoy delicious soba noodles and a thoughtful selection of natural wines. The palette of the room mimics that of its menu—with raw concrete walls, gravel floors, and wooden walls that pare down the space to its essential ingredients.
Grandfather’s
One of the archetypal Tokyo bars defined by its simplicity: one small rectangular space with someone—often the same person—playing records and making drinks behind the bar. Grandfather’s is much loved, and Land Bar Artisan and Jazz Blues Soul are other favorites in this delightfully location-specific category.
Tonkatsu Maisen Aoyama
Traditional tonkatsu dishes (breaded pork with rice) served in a beautiful space—high ceilings with wooden detail. Ask to sit in the back room.
Studio Mule
If Grandfather’s, Land Bar Artisan, and Jazz Blues Soul are examples of the best in class of an old guard of Tokyo bars, Studio Mule comes in with the new. At first glance its set-up is similar to its peers, but its wine list and its record selections are unequivocally youthful—natural wines fill the glasses here, and sounds from the bar’s own Mule Music label fill the small space.
Slow Wine
A new wine bar from Ryo Yamaguchi, the founder of the menswear brand Ernie Palo. Design is unsurprisingly at the forefront of the space, in an old two-story house that’s been renovated with careful material selection and excellent speakers to complete the experience.
AC House
A space for new Japanese cooking—book the tasting menu and put yourself in their hands for the evening.
Vent
A nightclub with a uniquely zen design sensibility. No phone use is allowed, and much of the interior is in raw concrete and dim lighting. A live tree in the middle one of its many bar rooms is an incredible connection to the outside world while techno thumps through the minimal space.
Sowado
An entrance to remember—and some of the most exciting cooking in Tokyo at the moment. There is no sign, so follow your instincts and its point on Google Maps to let yourself in through a discreet grey door. Once inside, the room is alive with sound and smell. Settle in at the kitchen’s counter (which forms an oval around the chefs grilling in the center of the large room) to try their charcoal grilled signatures. House-made plum wine is also an essential companion.
Streamer Coffee Setagaya-Daita
This coffee shop is nothing special—if anything, one of the more American chains in the city. That being said, it makes it onto the FRAMA guide solely as a geotag for the incredible view of Mount Fuji from its entrance. Arrive at its doors and turn around to take in the view—then wander through the neighborhood, which is quite residential and has some welcome pedestrian areas with food stalls and small shops.
Fuglen
An Oslo-based coffee and cocktail stop that has a charming presence in Tokyo. Stop for something from their beverage list after a walk through Yoyogi Park.
Coffee County Tokyo
For a more purposeful coffee pilgrimage, visit Coffee County Tokyo in Setagaya for some of the best in the city, in a minimal, warm interior that matches their menu.
The Blind Donkey
Opened by Jerome Waag, the former chef of Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, The Bling Donkey is in a class of its own in Tokyo. Their menus are a portrait of what food producers are growing at that moment—visit to learn a bit about what’s in season locally in the most delicious way.
Sabasu
In the same building as the charming Mu Hen Ko guest house—lucky for guests staying in one of their suites, and fortunately open to the public for the rest of us. Sabasu is one of the establishments that maintains Japan’s reputation as a contemporary destination for wood-fired pizza, in a small space filled with mid-century design.
2. Shop & View
Shibuya Parco
Visit FRAMA’s first permanent retail space outside of Denmark: a dedicated shop-in-shop at Tokyo’s Shibuya PARCO. Located on the third floor of one of Tokyo’s most forward-thinking department stores—a wonder to behold in itself—the FRAMA space transcends conventional retail, creating an immersive environment.
Casica
A shop, café, and exhibition space that embodies the notion of wabi-sabi. With two locations in Tokyo, their Koto City location now houses a small selection of FRAMA Care products alongside their collection of plants and antiques.
Beams Roppongi Hills
A new stockist for FRAMA Care products, and the most beautiful location of the hugely popular retailer in the city with plenty to browse close by—Roppongi is a densely packed shopping locale.
Coverchord Nakameguro
A charming clothing and home goods shop with wooden floor beams and a winding footprint—which is now a stockist for FRAMA Care. Situated on the Meguro River, the shop is in a location that is a pleasure to wander through: stopping at tiny spaces filled to the brim with vintage clothing, and the delightful Cow Books for secondhand and new selections alike.
Vacant/Centre
Vacant is a difficult space to define: in the best ways. Founded by Yusuke Nagai to express his concept of Cultural Placeology, the space opens itself to collaboration and sits somewhere between a gallery and a shop. Honored to have been a collaborator, it’s a constant source of inspiration for FRAMA in its honest simplicity, and respect for the power of design.
Hakujitsu
A must-visit for antique and local ceramics in the city.
Lemaire
Perhaps a surprising inclusion given Lemaire is a French label—but it has proven itself to be an essential stop during a visit to Tokyo given their decision to open in a traditional Japanese home in a residential neighborhood. Visit to see their renovated kitchen as you try on the latest collection.
Yaeca Home + Apartment
Another clothing and home goods store that offers a moment of calm as soon as you step into their space. Yaeca is bright and full of natural materials, and surrounded by a lush garden.
PORTER Omotesando Flagship
Founded in 1935, Yoshida&Co is tremendously respected for its Made in Japan approach to simple, utilitarian nylon and leather accessories. At their Omotesando Flagship, they carry an extensive selection of the brand’s offerings, sometimes host collaborative pop-ups, and have a collection of trinkets and print materials on the top floor.
DAIKANYAMA T-SITE
A sprawling department store best known for its books and homewares. Make sure to visit with plenty of time to spare.
Graphpaper Nagoya
Graphpaper’s newest location in the city—with also houses a selection of books and records displayed on a counter designed by FRAMA, with a neighboring cafe to enjoy any items you might find.
Okura
If you can only make one stop that illustrates the culture of indigo dye in Japan, Okura (Blue Blue) is an excellent choice.
Sukima Hender Scheme
A small, unassuming shop for hand-made leather goods and accessories, house in a warehouse space defined by raw concrete and iron design.
3. See & Do
The Japan Folk Crafts Museum
An incredible insight into Japanese craftsmanship in Japan. It’s notable for its selection of works by ceramicists Kawai Kanjirō and Tomimoto Kenkichi, but the greatest impression from a visit may be that it's sometimes the most mundane objects by unknown artists that tell the greatest stories.
Sogetsu Plaza
A department store with a small plaza that includes Isamu Noguchi works.
21_21 Design Sight
A modern building designed by Tadao Ando, which is worth a visit even to see from the outside. The museum houses rotating exhibitions of contemporary Japanese design—a welcome counter to a day of antique and historical spaces, which shows the fascinating narrative of Japanese design values into the present.
Kyu Asakura House
An astonishingly-preserved two-floor Taisho-era mansion that can be toured in its entirety. Built in 1919, the house—and its garden—is a beautiful portal back in time.
Yoyogi Park
An essential reprieve from its surrounding Shibuya neighborhood. Visit the Meiji Shrine at sunset and enjoy the walk through its storied trees which muffle the bustle of what lies just outside its gates.
4. Stay
Mu Hen Ko
Mu Hen Ko is a small, five-room guest house in the Akasaka neighborhood of Tokyo—furnished in collaboration with FRAMA, and with the middle ground between Scandinavian and Japanese design sensibilities as a guiding force.
Trunk House
The Trunk Hotel group has some wonderful locations in the city—particulalry their edition right at the edge of Yoyogi Park—but their Trunk House experience is truly something special. In a lightly renovated wooden house that was originally erected in the early 20th century, the home is a space to be grounded in the bustle of the city today.
The Okura Tokyo
A historic space with unparalleled hospitality. Discover views of Fuji from the Starlight bar, the preserved 1962 lobby design by Yoshiro Taniguchi (recently renovated—by his son), and lighting installations by architect Lina Ghotmeh.
Onsen Ryokan Yuen Bettei Tokyo Daita
A traditional ryokan—come prepared to adjust to small spaces, enjoy the onsite onsen bathing experience, and be delighted by the quiet neighborhood surroundings.
The Cerulean Tower Tokyu Hotel
For an excellent experience in the center of Shibuya, the Cerulean Towel offers an unbeatable perch. And the best complimentary pajamas for your stay.
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