While we try our best not to wax eloquent about the wonders of Japan, our recent visit makes it near impossible - the people, the culture, the food, the sights, the sounds - everything in and about Japan is a treat for all your senses. The people are kind and courteous and will go the extra mile even if their English isn’t as strong; the food is light, delicious with a medley of flavours bursting in your mouth; the streets and public bathrooms are sparkling clean, and the architecture is pristine and meticulously maintained. For these reasons alone, Japan provides a veritable wonderland for travel enthusiasts and design lovers alike. Japan has a beautiful history and a strong creative culture. The country provides an interesting dichotomy between a rapidly growing corporate sector, juxtaposed against the deeply traditional backdrop that still prevails. Fresh off a recent visit to the Land of the Rising Sun, we bring to our readers (and especially the design lovers!) our list of top 10 must-do and must-see items.



Harajuku District

The creative culture of Tokyo is on full display on the weekends in the Harajuku district. It is filled with young people dressing in the kawaii style (Japanese for 'cute') which consists of young women dressing in fluffy, girly outfits, with exaggerated glittery makeup, long lashes, and high chunky heels, reminiscent of a 'Lolita' look! If you're interested in playing dress-up in this style, a good place to shop is the Milk Boutique. There are a plethora of stores that cater to this aesthetic. Seeing it for the first time, tourists may consider this gimmicky, but it is, however, a very important part of youth culture in Japan. The World Connection store is styled to resemble a kawaii bedroom with character goods, unconventional jewellery and flavoured candy, as well as lifestyle items. Check out Takeshita Street: the lane teems with such wacky merchandise. And if you want to get your fill of food while being inspired, Kawaii Monster Café is a thrilling combination of weird and fascinating (more on that below)!

Itoya Stationery Store

For those who are obsessed with stationery, this place is a shrine of sorts. The aesthetic of the store is very minimalistic, in true Japanese style, letting the quirky, cool stationery take centre stage. Five storeys offer different themes per floor, such as pens, papers, organizers and even make up! This behemoth of a stationery lovers' heaven can be found in the middle of the very busy shopping district of Ginza.



Mori Art Museum

The Mori Art Museum is a contemporary art museum in the Roppongi Hills area. Located in the Mori Tower, it doesn’t have a permanent collection, rather it houses the works of contemporary artists and has featured fine art paintings from luminaries such as Ai Weiwei, Bill Viola and Takashi Murakami. What is additionally inspiring about the Mori Art Museum is that it has a sky deck that provides one with panoramic views of Tokyo, leaving the most uninspired in sheer awe of this incredible, bustling metropolis. For those daunted by the 500 yen access to the sky deck, the museum itself offers sprawling views of Tokyo as well.



Akhibara

For those obsessed with manga and anime, Akhibara will provide a sumptuous feast for inspiration. It is popularly known as the electronic capital of Japan, where the anime and manga craze is most evident. The streets are littered with various stores and video game parlours all dedicated to the genre. K-Books is one such multi-storied building that houses one of the largest collections of all kinds of books concerning anime and manga. If you feel like getting inspired firsthand by playing video games, Club Sega is a must visit. They have every kind of game, from traditional video games like Dragon Ball Z to crane games with a plethora of prizes that are yours for the taking - from stuffed toys to PSPs!



The Temples

Japanese temples provide a serene break from the hustle and bustle of the cities, even with the throngs of tourists all around. Whether you visit Shinto shrines or Buddhist temples, with big sprawling complexes or small corners, one thing you will certainly be struck by is that even where there is a sense of opulence with gilded roofs or ornaments, Japanese architects have ensured there is a sense of modesty, by exemplifying the famous Japanese restraint in their architecture. A good first stop is Senso-ji temple in Tokyo. Meiji Jingu Temple is an amazing complex within the Yoyogi park and whether you want to stroll around for some spiritual peace or gain some inspiration from picturesque lakes, the visit to Kiyomasa’s well is a must. Similarly, Fushimi Inari (so famous, it is an emoji!) is a massive complex in Kyoto. The climb up to the summit of the temple, surrounded by orange tori gates, is breathtaking, both literally and figuratively.



Stores

The MoMA Design Store is housed in the Gyre building in Omotesando, which itself is an architectural treat. With black, slanting glass panels completed by a white staircase, Gyre houses some fashionable mainstays, including the MoMa Design Store. Various trinkets and artistic pieces, from Issey Miyake’s Bao Bao bags to Keith Haring prints, ensure that you will not only have the opportunity to pick up the most unique presents for your loved ones (if you can bear to part with them!) but also that they are not cliché, rather, highly unique and novel. WachiField is a store that thrives on the whimsical. Spanning over two storeys, with a dizzying selection of whimsical accessories and clothes as well as Japanese illustrative art store, WachiField also has a small café where you can recharge your batteries after browsing through this incredible store.



Ishibe Alley

Ishibe Alley seems to feature on most savvy tourist's itineraries when they visit Japan and we made sure it was included on ours as well! However, we were unaware that Ishibe Alley is just a residential street and nothing more. Why does it make it to almost every tourist guide to Kyoto? For one simple reason - it is unlike anywhere else in Japan. The area is quiet and residential. Being a narrow alley, it is very easy to miss, but it has stunning, immaculately-preserved wooden houses built in the traditional Japanese manner, which make you feel like you have instantly been transported back in time. If you are lucky enough, you may even spot a geisha, which will make the experience even more surreal.



Mount Fuji

There are simply not enough reams that can be written about the beauty and majesty of Mount Fuji. A few hours away from Tokyo, Mount Fuji is on the island of Honshu and, according to UNESCO, is considered a holy site which has inspired artists and poets for centuries. A saying in Japanese goes “a wise person will climb Mount Fuji once in their lifetime, but only a fool would climb it twice.” The climb looks easy enough but as you get higher, it certainly gets more treacherous. Nevertheless, climbing this mountain and marvelling at the views as you ascend or descend, are an exercise - both in spirituality as well as in physical prowess. No mountain anywhere else in the world has been as much of a muse to artists around the world.



Theme Restaurants and Cafes

Japan revels in the wacky. Cat cafes, bird cafes and even owl cafes are ubiquitous all over Tokyo and Kyoto. Getting some kitty cuddles while sipping on a latte may provide you with some inspiration, and if that doesn’t work, go crazy at themed restaurants. Maid cafes are a popular concept where the servers are dressed in French maid costumes and decorate the foam on your latte with quirky designs. If you're seeking something darker, Lock-Up would be right up your alley. A novelty horror dining experience, the Lock-Up is themed around a haunted prison. Monsters may attack you while you eat petrified-looking food in your cell. And if that is a little too out there, there are highly kitschy options available, such as the Robot Restaurant in Shinjuku. The space thrives on going all-out on the wackiness factor and ensures all its patrons revel in its unabashed tourist trap vibe, with memorable performances from all sorts of 'robots.'



Edo-Tokyo Museum

Last but not least is the Edo-Tokyo Museum, which provides an intricate understanding of Japanese history and culture. The museum focuses heavily on the Edo period (1600-1800), but also displays exhibits from eras prior and post, such as depictions of life during and after World War II. The structure of the museum is modelled after a storehouse in the Kurazukuri style, with an imposing façade. Adjacent to the museum is the Ryogoku Kokugikan, a sumo training facility.

