I suppose I didn't spend much time in that bit - I stayed on the other side of the railway, nearest place on google maps Joen-ji temple. Actually there were a load of interesting looking Izakayas there that I never checked out, being on my own and not very confident.
Mind you I went to Shinanoya wine and food quite a lot, that's in the red light district.
I walked to Meiji Jingu too, but I didn't have a 16 year old. Though there's always stuff to observe I suppose... In Tokyo I kind of preferred the parks; Hamarikyu and kyu shiba rikyu were highlights (Hamarikyu you can also do the whole tea thing in a nice lake-based tea-house). Kyoto for temples/shrines... Tokyo also obviously has good museums and galleries. Ueno park for the
National museum and various galleries, you can probably just leave the teen in the swords bit. I also liked the
Japan folk crafts museum (small one in an old building just south of Uehara).
I also visited Roppongi (for
21_21 design sight gallery) which was er... interesting. Lots of small dogs and very rich looking people. And for more contemporary architecture there's stuff like the Prada store, which I didn't get round to. There's a bunch of other good contemporary architecture round there too, but very much on the massively expensive shops side of things. I'll probably have a look if I go again, but am a bit disillusioned by that kind of design.
I dunno... kind of depends what
Part 2 and teen are into. Other than football I mean.
Hamarikyu tea house from a high place (they have sculpted hill things, probably that):
I kind of like the contrast of being in the calm of a traditonal park and having massive buildings around. Same goes for Shinjuku gyoen, though much of that is western (French and English) in design (it does have a Japanese style bit too).
)
