[Sangetsu]

Everyone goes to Shibuya and Harajuku. Personally, I feel uncomfortable when I am surrounded by foreign tourists, I like to go to places off the beaten path. I often go on long hikes or bike rides in different directions with no destination in mind, just to see what I might come across.

If you want a bike, you can buy one for next to nothing on Craigslist Tokyo, or you can rent one at the Oryx car rental shop near the Yaesu exit to Tokyo Station.

Starting with the Imperial Palace in the center, you can ride to many different places. You can take the road from the Sakura exit from the palace, and follow it all the way to Tokyo Tower. There are numerous shops, shrines, and other places to see along the way.

The next street is Roppongi Dori, which will take you through Akasaka (near the US Embassy), to Roppongi, and then on to Shibuya. On this road you'll pass Roppongi Crossing, and pass by Roppongi hills. You can follow the signs to Aoyama Cemetery (worth seeing, and seldom visited by tourists). After passing through Roppongi, the road will eventually take you to Shibuya.

The next road leaves by the Hanzomon gate, and this road leads to Shinjuku. Along the way you'll pass by Yotsuya, and you'll see Yoyogi park on your left. Bear to the right before the tunnel to get to Shinjuku. You'll pass through the ni-chome area, which is Tokyo's so-called "gay" district, and then on to Shinjuku Station, crossing near the east exit.

To the other side of the palace you can go to Yasukuni shrine, which is dedicated to the Japanese soldiers who died in the war. This area is also near Kudanshita, where the Japan Budokan is located.

If you leave the Yaesu side of Tokyo station, and go up Yaesu Dori to the third traffic light, you'll find Chuo-dori, this will take you through Nihonbashi and Kanda. In Kanda there are many small streets and alleyways with many interesting food shops and stores. Past Kanda, you'll run into Akihabara. Akihabara is quite overrun with tourists nowadays, and the shops are more expensive than you'll likely find in your own country, but it is a fun enough place to visit.

After passing through Kanda, you'll go through Okachimachi and come to Ueno. If you go off to your right, you'll come to Ameyoko, which is the discount shopping district which has been a busy place since the end of the war. After visiting Ueno, you can find Asakusa Dori on the other side of Ueno station. You can follow this road to Asakusa, and places beyond, such as the Tokyo Sky tree, Kinshicho, and eventually Kasai or Urayasu.

Tokyo is not a difficult city to find your way around, if you become irretrievably lost, you can always hop into a cab and have them take you to a familiar station or landmark.