Hilma

Where Hilma would send you

1. 1 Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden Attraction Sep 3
   Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

   ★★★★ Hilma's pick

   A vast immaculate park in the middle of skyscraper chaos — Japanese garden, French garden, English garden all meeting in one place. The ginkgo trees are still green in September, but the first autumn tinge is coming. Bring a book and lose an afternoon.

   11 Naitomachi, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0014
2. 2 The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace Attraction Sep 3
   The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace

   ★★★★ Hilma's pick

   Free, vast, and layered with history — Edo Castle's foundations are still here, the old guardhouses survive, and you're walking where shoguns walked. The manicured lawns and groves feel like the city's green lung.

   1-1 Chiyoda, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 100-8111
3. 3 Tsukiji Outer Market Restaurant Sep 3
   Tsukiji Outer Market

   ★★★★★ Hilma's pick

   The inner market moved to Toyosu, but the outer market — a maze of narrow lanes lined with tiny stalls — is still the best place in Tokyo to eat your way through grilled seafood, tamagoyaki, fresh uni, and the famous tuna heart-cut.

   4-10-16 Tsukiji, Chuo City, Tokyo 104-0045
4. 4 Senso-ji Temple Landmark Sep 3
   Senso-ji Temple

   ★★★★ Hilma's pick

   Tokyo's oldest temple, rebuilt faithfully after the war, with the great vermilion Kaminarimon gate and Nakamise Street of traditional snack-sellers leading to the main hall. Go early before the crowds or at dusk when the lanterns glow.

   2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo 111-0032
5. 5 Ryogoku Kokugikan Attraction Sep 3
   Ryogoku Kokugikan

   ★★★★★ Hilma's pick

   The sumo arena itself is a destination — the clay ring, the salt-throwing rituals, the sheer mass and grace of the rikishi. The September Aki Basho runs Sep 13–27. Tickets sell out, so plan ahead.

   1-3-28 Yokoami, Sumida City, Tokyo 130-0015