Three Days in Tokyo: A Local’s Take on the City’s Best-Kept Secrets

Nicolas Yuthanan Chalmeau knows Tokyo inside out. Born in Paris, he’s called Japan home for nearly a decade—running a clothing label, a creative agency, and a gallery that blends old and new. His advice for a three-day trip? Slow down and look close.

Start your mornings in neighborhoods like Shimokitazawa or Koenji, where vintage shops and quiet coffee stands reward the patient explorer. Skip the chain restaurants; instead, hunt for tiny soba joints or family-run izakayas tucked under train tracks. Yuthanan suggests spending an afternoon in Yanaka, a district that survived the war and still feels like old Tokyo. Its narrow lanes, wooden temples, and artisan workshops offer a glimpse of the city before the skyscrapers.

For Day Two, head to the craft districts of Kappabashi or the antiques market at Oedo. Yuthanan’s gallery, Galerie 21, sits in a converted warehouse in Higashi-Azabu, where contemporary ceramics sit alongside 200-year-old textiles. He believes objects tell stories—and Tokyo’s best souvenirs are the ones you can’t find online.

End your trip with a walk along the Meguro River, especially if the cherry blossoms are out. Or just get lost in a maze of backstreets. The city rewards those who wander without a plan. As Yuthanan puts it, “The best Tokyo moments are the ones you didn’t schedule.”