184 marieclaire.com.auTOKYU HANDS
Daiso fans, look sharp: Tokyu
Hands department store offers
even more inexpensive trinkets
and souvenirs you never knew
you needed. You’ll likely lose
hours marvelling through each
shopping aisle, so make sure
you’re in comfortable shoes
when you enter this emporium
of everything.
tokyu-hands.co.jpKYOTO
A city that conjures romantic
images of temples, geishas and
gardens also serves up incredible
night-life, design and art. A visit
here should take in the temples,
but spare time for cobblestone
laneway-wandering, noodle-
slurping and some seriously
seductive sake-sampling. From
the “old world” in Southern
Higashiyama to the bright
lights of Downtown, it’s easy
to navigate your way around
this brimming former capital.DO NOT MISS...
PRADA
The Prada flagship store
(left) is everything architecture
should be: refined, elegant and
timeless. Created by Swiss ar-
chitects Herzog & de Meuron,
the six-storey building, situated
in the serious shopping district
of Aoyama, is one of the most
distinctive structures in Tokyo.
And just around the corner is
Omotesando Hills, the brain-
child of Japanese architect
Tadao Ando, brimming with all
manner of high-end design.CHERRY BLOSSOMS
A city that goes nuts for cherry
blossoms has got to be pretty
wonderful, and if you’re lucky
enough to be in town in late
March or early April, you’ll see
how blossom fever takes over
Tokyo. Literally thousands of
blooms turn on a delicate
display, so pack a picnic and
secure a spot at Ueno and
Yoyogi parks, Koishikawa
Botanical Gardens or, if you
can handle the crowds,
Chidorigafuchi, where the
blossoms surrounding the
ancient moats of Edo Castle will
take your breath away (above).LIFESTYLE