Autumn 2025. We – Sam and Danny, Michel and Wille, and Timothy – are travelling to Japan for a quite classic tour of the Land of the Rising Sun. We are flying separately as we used miles. On the planning: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Osaka, and Expo 2025, Hiroshima, Himeji, Miyajima, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Hakone, and back to Tokyo. Three weeks plus some extra days.

Prior to the group trip, I – Timothy – am solo in Tokyo. Using artificial intelligence, I concocted a busy four days featuring Ito on the Izu Peninsula and Sawara, also known as Little Edo. I also end this Journey Across Japan with a solo spell in Minato, near Taito and Tamachi Station.  

On Monday 29 October, on Thanh‘s suggestion, I went to explore the Omotesandō area of Shibuya. 

Omotensandō

Omotesandō is one of Tokyo’s most elegant and architecturally striking avenues, a broad, tree-lined boulevard that connects the bustling entrance of Meiji Shrine in Harajuku with Aoyama-dōri, straddling the Shibuya and Minato wards. 

Originally laid out during the Taishō era (1912–1926) as the front approach (omote-sandō) to Meiji Shrine, it has since evolved into one of the world’s most celebrated showcases of modern architecture and luxury fashion design. Today, Omotesandō blends history, artistry, and commerce in equal measure — often drawing comparisons to Paris’s Champs-Élysées for its refined atmosphere and high-end shopping.

The avenue is lined with stately zelkova trees, whose symmetrical canopy adds to the district’s serene and dignified character. Beneath them rise a collection of remarkable buildings designed by some of Japan and the world’s most celebrated architects. 

The Louis Vuitton flagship store, completed by Jun Aoki in 2002, displays understated elegance in glass and steel, while Toyo Ito’s Tod’s building (2004) plays with concrete and light, its exterior shaped like an abstract grove of trees. 

Nearby, Dior Omotesandō, by the architectural duo SANAA (Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa), gleams in translucent layers, and Gyre, by Dutch firm MVRDV, brings playful dynamism with its stacked spiral design. Collectively, these buildings have made Omotesandō a living gallery of 21st-century design and a pilgrimage site for architecture enthusiasts.

Omotesandō Hills

At the heart of the avenue stands Omotesandō Hills, designed by Tadao Ando and completed in 2005. This sleek shopping complex replaced the ageing Dōjunkai Apartments, a beloved modernist structure dating from 1927. Ando’s design respects the scale of the old building while reinterpreting it in minimalist concrete and glass, with a distinctive spiralling ramp that gently rises through six floors of shops and galleries. 

Inside, international brands share space with high-end Japanese fashion houses, cafés, and beauty boutiques, while occasional art and fashion exhibitions add a cultural dimension. Even visitors uninterested in shopping often walk its length simply to admire the architecture — a rare fusion of luxury retail and spatial poetry.

You’re not supposed to take photos inside… 

Ura-Harajuku

Beyond the flagship stores and designer façades, Omotesandō’s charm extends into its side streets and back alleys, collectively known as Ura-Harajuku. These quieter lanes host independent cafés, concept stores, and small galleries — the creative counterpoint to the avenue’s polished grandeur. 

Nearby landmarks such as Laforet Harajuku, Kiddyland, and the Oriental Bazaar remind visitors that this district bridges the youthful exuberance of Harajuku and the mature sophistication of Aoyama.

Omotesandō also hosts events that reflect Tokyo’s cosmopolitan spirit, including the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Japan’s largest celebration of Irish culture. And thanks to the area’s modern infrastructure, visitors enjoy conveniences such as the ‘Omo-Free‘ Wi-Fi network, which provides free connectivity along the boulevard and within Omotesandō Hills.

For travellers exploring on foot, the best way to experience Omotesandō is to begin near Meiji-jingumae Station, where the spiritual calm of Meiji Shrine contrasts with the fashion-forward energy of Harajuku. 

From there, a leisurely walk down the avenue reveals the layered character of modern Tokyo — reverent of tradition yet relentlessly innovative. Whether admiring the architectural geometry of Tadao Ando’s concrete, browsing the sleek displays of Dior and Louis Vuitton, or relaxing in a designer café amid the zelkova shade, a visit to Omotesandō offers a glimpse into Tokyo’s most refined blend of culture, design, and urban beauty.

Sunny Hills: pineapple cakes from Taiwan

Located in a quiet corner just off Omotesandō, Sunny Hills Minami-Aoyama is a striking blend of contemporary design and traditional craftsmanship — and one of Tokyo’s most photographed buildings. 

Designed by Kengo Kuma, the celebrated architect behind the Japan National Stadium and the Asakusa Culture Tourist Information Center, the building is an intricate lattice of interwoven wooden beams inspired by the traditional jiigoku-gumi joinery technique. 

Constructed entirely without nails, its criss-crossed façade evokes both a bamboo basket and the delicate geometry of Japanese carpentry, symbolising harmony between nature and modernity.

Inside, the atmosphere is warm and understated, filled with the scent of hinoki (Japanese cypress). The shop specialises in Taiwanese pineapple cakes, a buttery pastry filled with rich, tangy pineapple jam — a delicacy that has become a cult favourite among locals and visitors alike. 

Guests are invited to sit down and enjoy a complimentary slice of the cake with a cup of oolong tea, creating a quiet, gracious moment of hospitality amid the bustle of Omotesandō.

Kuma’s minimalist interiors, the use of natural light filtering through the lattice, and the intimate scale of the space all encourage visitors to slow down and appreciate the craft behind both the architecture and the confectionery. More than just a pastry shop, Sunny Hills stands as a small masterpiece of architectural storytelling — a space where Tokyo’s contemporary design sensibility meets the timeless warmth of Japanese woodwork and tea culture.

In search of briefs

After this shopping culture an architecture walk, I went to AEON Shinonome in search of briefs. I like to buy briefs from a local brand as souvenir. For example, in Palermo in Sicily I bought Intimissimi and Yamamay briefs. 

in Japan, boxer briefs, trunks and boxers dominate the market, so finding briefs is a challenge. Following some research I found out Gunze is big brand, with BodyWild but also underwear under the Gunze brand name. Another household name in Asia is B.V.D., although thats originally American.

Conversations with ChatGPT lead to two names of department stores: AEON and Ito-Yokado Kinshichō. I looked up a Ito-Yokado Kinshichō and went there. Almost at my destination, I discovered Ito-Yokado actually doesn’t exist anymore. I should have double checked. 

So I went to AEON. AEON is the Westfield of Japan. Westfield is a big brand of shopping malls in the United Kingdom and in France. AEON is a brand of malls, but also of supermarkets and department stores. It’s hard to know which AEON location is which of these types. 

I needed AEON as supermarket. Later on the trip I found AEON Style is a food-based supermarket, even if the ‘Style’ suggests clothing. AEON as mall wouldn’t help. AEON Shinonome in Koto-ku or Koto City looked promising. 

Indeed, there I found one type of briefs, from a brand called Eros. I forgot to take a picture of the aisle. 

Uniqlo and Muji

Not satisfod, I decided to go to the big Uniqlo and GU flagship stores near Tokyo Station? GU (Gee-You) is cheaper brand of Uniqlo. Neither of them had briefs. Only boxer briefs and boxers. Uniqlo make briefs. But they are sold in places like Spain, the Philippines and Singapore. They used to have them in Belgium as well. 

The same was true for nearby Muji. This alround lifestyle shop also doesn’t have briefs. 

KITTE Garden

Located directly beside Tokyo Station, KITTE Garden offers one of the city’s most surprising and serene vantage points — a rooftop garden that blends greenery, design, and sweeping urban views. The garden crowns the KITTE or Tokia building, a retail and cultural complex developed by Japan Post on the site of the former Tokyo Central Post Office. Opened in 2013, KITTE (meaning “stamp” in Japanese) combines modern architecture by Mitsubishi Jisho Sekkei with carefully preserved elements of the original 1931 structure, creating a space that bridges Tokyo’s architectural past and present.

The rooftop garden is freely accessible and beautifully landscaped, with patches of lawn, benches, and low shrubs that soften the metropolitan skyline. From here, visitors enjoy an unobstructed view of the Tokyo Station Marunouchi façade, a red-brick masterpiece of early 20th-century design restored to its original glory in 2012. The vantage point is particularly striking at dusk, when the station’s domes and arched windows glow softly against the glass towers of the surrounding business district.

KITTE Garden offers a tranquil pause in one of Tokyo’s busiest quarters — a rare pocket of calm above the constant flow of commuters and Shinkansen trains. 

Downstairs, the building houses a curated mix of boutiques, cafés, and restaurants featuring regional Japanese products and cuisine, as well as the Intermediatheque Museum, an innovative collaboration between the University of Tokyo and Japan Post that showcases scientific and cultural artefacts in a striking modern setting.

Whether visited as part of a stroll around Tokyo Station or after a shopping stop at the Pokémon Store nearby, KITTE Garden provides a moment of green respite and a memorable view — a place where Tokyo’s layered history and modern pulse come into perfect alignment.

2025 Journey Across Japan

1. Japan’s Superconducting Maglev train breaks world speed record at 603 km/h.
2. Japan’s maglev bullet train delayed to 2035 or later as costs rise to ¥11 trillion.
3. QUESTION | Should you be stressed about travelling to Japan, and fear of missing out?.
4. Brussels Airport to Milan Malpensa with Brussels Airlines, operated by Air Baltic, ft. the 2025 check-in and boarding software hack.
5. REVIEW | Sala Montale Exclusive Lounge and Sala Gae Aulentin Premium Lounge at Milan Malpensa Airport, extra Schengen.
6. REVIEW | All Nippon Airways (ANA), Business Class, Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to Tokyo.
7. REVIEW | Toei Animation Museum in Nerima, Tokyo.
8. JAPAN | Tokyo Station, its Character Street and Pokémon Store.
9. REVIEW | Onyado Nono Asakusa Hotel in Tokyo.
10. TOKYO | Asakusa ft. Sensō-ji Temple.
11. JAPAN | The Odoriko train from Tokyo to Ito on Izu Peninsula.
12. PHOTOS & REVIEW | The Izu Teddy Bear Museum in Izu-Kōgen.
13. JAPAN | A visit to Ito on Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture.
14. REVIEW | Japan’s Saphir Odoriko in Premium Green Car from Ito on Izu Peninsula to Tokyo Station.
15. GAY TOKYO | 24 Kaikan in Asakusa (+ Ueno and Shinjuku).
16. TOKYO | Sawara in Chiba Prefecture, ‘Little Edo’ beyond Narita.