If You Like

Nightlife

Wining and dining, cocktails with class, the sultry sounds of jazz, other live performances, or clubbing and carousing—you'll find it all, and more, beneath Tokyo's neon-soaked night sky where the city's popular nightspots are open till the early-morning hours. Tipping isn't customary, but some upscale establishments may have extra service charges that range from a few hundred yen to a few thousand. Karaoke clubs and Izakaya—traditional watering holes—are ubiquitous and provide a great way to mix with locals. All-night revelers might want to consider the likes of Shinjuku or Roppongi, but more tame entertainment is available in Shinjuku's many cinemas and theaters. Follow that up with a leisurely stroll through the bustling nightlife.

Montoak, Shibuya. This supercool three-story lounge in the Omotesando high-fashion district offers cocktails and canapés to those in the know.

Sekirei, Akasaka. On sunny days nothing beats having a drink at this inexpensive outdoor bar on the grounds of the Meiji-Kinenkan complex.

Sweet Basil 139, Roppongi. Come for dinner or just a drink at this upscale club featuring a variety of musical performances, considered by many to be Tokyo's best.

Natural Wonders

Tokyo is an urban paradise for traveler and resident alike. That doesn't mean, however, that local Japanese sensibilities—steeped in centuries of cultural appreciation for nature—have been paved over. Much like inner-city cherry blossom viewing, tiny veranda gardens, and well-groomed parks, nature's more awesome wonders are well preserved too—albeit just outside the concrete jungle. If you pine for more pristine surroundings follow the lead of the locals.

Every year roughly 300,000 Tokyoites and visitors scale nearby Mt. Fuji during peak climbing season (July and August). It's an opportunity a local saying deems "foolish" to pass up (or to do more than once). Some 2.5 million are said to visit Mt. Takao's Yakuoin Temple annually, treading trails in its surrounding bucolic beauty. Thousands take to Nikko National Park to see Kegon Falls and other natural wonders, especially when foliage begins to bloom in spring.

Fuji-san, in Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park, is well within reach of the big city. Whether you climb to the summit or view it from afar, beautiful, snowcapped Mt. Fuji is bound to make an impression.

Mount Takao in Takao National Park is just an hour away and offers an array of hiking trails as well as the 12-century-old Yakuoin Temple.

Kegon Falls is about two hours from Tokyo in Nikko National Park. You can view Japan's most famous waterfall from either the top or the bottom of the 318-foot drop and make a day of enjoying this shrine-peppered scenic park.

Onsen

Japan is perched on a geothermal gold mine and onsen (hot springs) are everywhere. Locals consider bathing in these hot springs to be a near-ritual experience, with unique healing properties attributed to the water. These baths are more about self-pampering than getting clean, but give yourself a thorough shower before your soak. Proper etiquette demands it.

There are indoor and outdoor pools of different sizes, with varying temperatures to choose from, but the ones outside are best if you want to admire the natural setting. Some places may also offer a sauna or professional massage. Afterward, retire to the casual dining room for a light meal or some sake, and lounge at a low table on a tatami (straw mat) floor, where napping is permitted.

Oedo Onsen Monogatari, at Yurikamome Telecom Center in Odaiba, pays homage to this tradition at an Edo-period-style facility with all the trimmings; it's the city's finest.

Hakoné Kowakien Yunessun Resort is just 90 minutes by train from Tokyo in the Kanagawa Prefecture. The area is famed for its abundance of onsen resorts and inns, from the budget to the lavish. The resort offers an exquisite traditional onsen, water amusement park, and bathing-suit-only grounds. Visitors can even soak in green tea and sake.

Kusatsu Onsen, three hours from Tokyo and some 1,200 meters (3,937 feet) above sea level in Guma Prefecture, is for those with a generous itinerary. Japanese have flocked to it for centuries for all manner of cures, including one from the most dreaded disease—lovesickness.

Baseball

It's fair to say that baseball is as much a national pastime in Japan as it is in the States. The Japanese have adopted and adapted the sport in a way that makes it a fascinating and easy-to-grasp microcosm of both their culture and their overall relationship to things Western. The team names alone—the Orix BlueWave and the Hiroshima Carp, for example—have an amusing appeal to Westerners accustomed to such monikers as the Yankees and the Indians, and the fans' cheers are chanted more in unison than in U.S. ballparks. The season runs from April through October.Same-day baseball game tickets are hard to come by; try the respective stadiums or various ticket agencies. You can buy tickets for pretty much any event at convenience stores, such as Lawsons, 7-Eleven, and Family Mart. That said, the two main ticket agencies are Ticket PIA (03/5237-9999), with various locations nationwide, mainly in department stores, andCN Playguide (03/5802-9999). Depending on the stadium, the date, and the seat location, expect to pay from ¥1,700 to ¥8,000.

The 45,600-seat Tokyo Dome is home to the Yomiuri Giants. 1-3-61 Koraku, Bunkyo-ku. 03/5800-9999. www.tokyo-dome.co.jp/e. Subway: Marunouchi and Namboku lines, Koraku-en Station (Exit 2); Toei Oedo and Toei Mita lines, Kasuga Station (Exit A2); JR Chuo line, Suido-bashi Station (West Exit).

The home turf of the Yakult Swallows, the city's second team, is Meiji Jingu Baseball Stadium, in the Outer Gardens of Meiji Jingu. 13 Kasumigaoka, Shinjuku-ku. 03/3404-8999. Subway: Ginza Line, Gaien-mae Station (Exit 2); JR Chuo line, Shinanomachi Station.