Aoyama Walking Guide

Anniversaire Cafe has become a landmark since opening in 1998. Located on a pedestrian-filled street in a swanky building, it's a relaxed place to have breakfast and a signature cup of espresso, and also a nice outdoor cafe experience along a zelkova tree-lined street -- one of few outdoor cafes in Tokyo. This is a perfect spot to people watch. With champagne, cakes, and even special menus that emphasize "anti-aging," this is an interesting Japanese take on the European cafe. It is best accessed from exit A2 from Omotesando station.

Phone: 03-5411-5988
Breakfast: 10:00am to 11:30am
Lunch: 11:30am to 2:00pm
Dinner & night time 6:00pm to close
Seating reservations not accepted.

boutiqueW is an interesting building in itself, a product of modern design that will make you feel like you're in the future. There are headless mannequins and lots of industrial-style lighting, and the store draws a mix of many styles of shoppers.

Phone:3-5778-3433
5-39-3 Jingumae
Shibuya-ku
Tokyo
150-0001

This store is know for having a sleek, elegant designs and for daring, colorful clothing. This location in Aoyama is their head flagship store.

Tel.03-5778-3717
5-5-1 Minam iAoyama
Minato-ku,Tokyo

Designed by Swiss architect duo Herzog & de Meuron in 2003, this is a gorgeous glass structure building. If you don't want to go in, the building itself is a landmark worth a visit.

5-2-6 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku

Next to the stunning Prada boutique, Cartier carries on the amazing fashion meets architecture meets future-tech feel of Aoyama nicely with a building designed by Bruno Moinard.

The boutique is in the shape of a diamond, with a glass exterior, and extensive use of wood panelling inside.

5-3-2- Minami Aoyama
Minato-ku
Tokyo

This building was designed by architect Fumihiko Maki and commissioned by Wacoal, the lingerie company, in 1985. It's a multi-use building with gallery space, a cafe, restaurant, bar and shops, and a hair salon, where the author of this guide used to get her hair cut. I would always look forward to coming to the Spiral Building and, after a relaxing hair cut, browsing the stationery store for unique gifts. For an inexpensive gift, try looking in their postcard section, filled with unique postcards made by Japanese designers. There is a music shop on the ground floor that has headsets set up for customers to listen to sample music recommended by the shopkeep. The building has a light and airy feel to it, with lots of natural light, and is a pleasant place to be in, even when crowded.

There is a "seemingly floaty" spiral ramp that climbs to the second floor, which gives the building its namesake.

5-6-23 Minami Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo

There's always some fancy new building just built in Tokyo, and this is one of the latest. The AO building serves as a high-end fashion mall and was designed by Sakakura associates. The building features the world's first chanel le studio make up salon and Bobbi Brown's first cosmetics store in Japan.

In addition to fashion stores, you can find Kinokuniya, a large Japanese bookstore that also has branches in major cities in the US such as New York and San Francisco.

Address: 3-11-7 kita aoyama

You can view a floor guide of stores on their website (link below).

Beacon Bar is adjacent to Beacon restaurant, but is worth a visit in its own right. But if you're in the mood for dinner after a long day, you're in good hands.

The bar has original cocktails, such as a lychee martini or shiso (Japanese basil leaf) martini, an extensive wine list, a casual food menu and outdoor seating on the patio.

Phone: 03-6418-0077
1-2-5 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku
Tokyo 150-0002
6pm -11pm (mon-sat)
6pm - 9pm (sun/hol)

If you're here on a Saturday or Sunday morning, check out the open-air Farmer's Market in front of UN university and across the street from Aoyama Gakuin University. There are food trucks selling coffee, curries and other snacks as well as fresh produce stalls.

10am - 4pm
Jingumae 5-53-70

Managed by the Tokyo metropolitan government, this is Japan's first public cemetery, and it sits on land that was originally owned by the Aoyama family.

Perhaps the most notable resident is Hachiko, the famous dog whose statue sits dutifully at Shibuya station, where the dog would wait for its Master, long after he passed away. There was even a 2009 film based on the story of Hachiko starring American actor Richard Gere, called Hachiko: a Dog's Tale.

There is a Japanese cemetery and seperate cemetery section for foreign "residents." Notable foreigners buried here include Francis Binkley, journalist and author of numerous books on Japanese culture; Hugh Fraser, the British Ambassador to Japan in the late 1800s; Joseph Heco, the first naturalized Japanese American; and Paul Jacoulet, a French, Japan-based woodblock artist.

This is an "optional" stop on the guide as its a bit further away from the main shopping district. If you're planning on starting or ending your day here, you might find it more convenient to use Nogizaka station, as it's closest to the entrance.

Open Hours: 6am-8pm daily
Notes: The cemetery is open from dawn to dusk, daily.
Visit Time: 30min-1hr
Average Wait Time: None
Price: Free