Neighbourhood guide
Ebisu, Daikanyama and Nakameguro: the village side of Tokyo
Yebisu Garden Place and Joël Robuchon’s château, Daikanyama’s bookshop, and the cherry trees and cafés of the Meguro River.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France · CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia CommonsEbisu, Daikanyama and Nakameguro are the relaxed villages of the south-west: low-rise streets of small shops, bars and cafés. Yebisu Garden Place holds the château of Joël Robuchon; Daikanyama has Tsutaya Books at T-Site; Nakameguro follows the Meguro River under its cherry trees to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery.
Sights
The Meguro River, the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum.
Eating and drinking
Joël Robuchon (Three MICHELIN Stars, 2026), Tempura Motoyoshi and Ensui (Two Stars), LA TABLE de Joël Robuchon and CRAFTALE (One Star); Bar Trench; the Starbucks Reserve Roastery.
Come in late March or early April for the cherry blossom on the river.
Shopping
Daikanyama T-Site.
Our advice: walk from Daikanyama down to the river at Nakameguro in the late afternoon.
Why it's on our list
- Sights
- Eating and drinking
- Shopping
What’s nearby
Distances from Ebisu, Daikanyama and Nakameguro: the village side of Tokyo are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 12 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.
Nearest metro stations
- EbisuHH-TSTS;H50 m1 min walk
- Daikan-yamaTY500 m6 min walk
Key sights
- The Shibuya crossing1.4 kmWalk 17 minCycle 7 minCar or taxi 11 min
- Meiji Jingū3.2 kmWalk 40 minCycle 16 minCar or taxi 17 min
- Tokyo Tower3.6 kmWalk 45 minCycle 18 minCar or taxi 18 min
- The palace gardens6.2 kmCycle 31 minCar or taxi 27 min
- Sensō-ji11 kmCar or taxi 42 min
- Tokyo Skytree12 kmCar or taxi 45 min
- Haneda Airport13 kmCar or taxi 48 min
Main railway stations
- Shibuya Station1.6 kmWalk 20 minCycle 8 minCar or taxi 11 min
- Shinagawa Station3.4 kmWalk 42 minCycle 17 minCar or taxi 17 min
- Shinjuku Station4.9 kmCycle 25 minCar or taxi 22 min
- Tokyo Station6.3 kmCycle 32 minCar or taxi 27 min
- Ueno Station9.4 kmCar or taxi 37 min
Location
The map comes from Google Maps, which sets its own cookies once it loads.
More in depth
The back storyTokyo at the table: eleven three-star dining rooms, and a bowl of sobaMore MICHELIN stars than any other city, sushi counters of eight seats, tempura fried in front of you, kaiseki, French and Chinese of the highest order, and noodle shops with a Bib Gourmand: how to eat in Tokyo.
The back storyTokyo CuisineEdomae sushi piece by piece, tempura straight from the pan, cold soba on bamboo, glazed eel, yakitori over charcoal, shoyu ramen and the wagashi of the tea ceremony: the dishes of Tokyo, and where to taste them.
The back storyWhere Tokyo sleeps: towers above the palace, ryokan and the new hillsAman and HOSHINOYA in Ōtemachi, the Palace Hotel on the moat, The Peninsula and the Imperial in Hibiya, the Bvlgari above Tokyo Station, Janu at Azabudai Hills and the reopened Park Hyatt in Shinjuku: where to stay, and why the address matters.