Daikanyama T-SITE

A short walk from Daikanyama Station is one of the metropolis’s iconic bookstores, Tsutaya at T-Site. Designed by Klein Dytham Architecture, the Tsutaya bookstore is celebrated not only for the beauty of its three buildings but also for the extensive selection of books, magazines, CDs, and DVDs. Tsutaya opens at 7 a.m., perfect for travelers who land before hotel check-in. You can have a coffee or a cocktail in the Anjin Lounge while perusing books. The concierges are specialists in a variety of topics to help guide consumers through the books, music, and movies.

The new T-Site shopping complex is home to the flagship store for the Tsutaya chain of video and book megastores. (Full disclosure: I made the logo for them.) There’s a beautiful garden next to the bookstore where I like to read. —Kashiwa Sato

A most gorgeous development is the T-Site - one can just hang out amidst the hip crowd, sip coffee or take in lunch. The flagship Tsutaya bookstore is here and it’s amazing. The whole development is a really sumptuous urban oasis that feels like Tokyo but does not look like the built-up city that you may see most of the time.

Print is alive in Japan. This is proved by the three buildings shelved with periodicals and books that Tsutaya occupies. Start on the ground floor with magazines collected from far-flung corners of the world. I don’t know how to read Kanji and I loved the experience of having to figure out what a title or a story was about by reading images. If you start to feel over-stimulated, you could grab a few books and get comfortable with a cup of coffee in the upstairs lounge. But don’t grab too many because the lounge is lined with 30,000 international magazines from the 60’s and 70’s for you to peruse. Tsutaya also stocks an impressive amount of English books in the Art, Architecture, and Design sections. Throughout the store you can find various displays showcasing products made in Japan. This bookstore is a perfect place to blend in with the locals and pick up a few gifts for home. Address DAIKANYAMA T-SITE / DAIKANYAMA TSUTAYA BOOKS 150-003317-5 Sarugakucho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo Store Hours 1F7:00AM-2:00AM 7 days a week 2F9:00AM-2:00AM 7 days a week

High! Standard is a rugged menswear shop situated along the backstreets of Daikanyama, about 5 minutes northwest of Daikanyama Station. This hilly laid back district is full of small windy streets where you’ll find thoughtfully designed shops selling beautiful trinkets and handmade goods you never knew you always wanted. Daikanyama is a great escape from the crowded streets of nearby Shibuya and has a plentiful supply of cafes and restaurants perfect for people watching and unwinding.

Tokyo’s laid-back Daikanyama, just south of the energetic Shibuya neighborhood, is a hilly district of narrow and winding streets, complemented by smartly designed boutiques and swank cafés. The highlight of Daikanyama T-Site, a tranquil shopping hub, is the Tsutaya bookstore flagship, a combination of three individual buildings wrapped in a façade of interlocking white T’s. Tsutaya is one of Japan’s largest booksellers and its store, with an interior of dark wood bookshelves and blond wood floors, is an ode to traditional paper-made books. The second level of Tsutaya’s main pavilion is crowned by Café Anjin, a contemporary lounge with an impressive display of vintage magazines and books encircling designer sofas, modern lighting, and intricately painted panels. Grab a cappuccino or cocktail, and order a meal off the iPad menus while perusing Japanese magazines from the 60s and 70s. Beyond Tsutaya, T-Site has an array of stores including the Daikanyama Kitamura Camera Shop, the Daikanyama Motovelo electric bike shop, and the Green Dog Daikanyama pet shop. Across from the Tsutaya complex sits the open and airy Ivy Place, a contemporary restaurant with outdoor seating on two terraces and a simple menu showcasing seasonal ingredients and seafood, like the Hokkaido scallops and grilled swordfish.