Where to Find Tokyo’s Creative Corners, According to a Spatial Designer

Welcome to Design Detours, a series where creative people whose tastes we trust share their well-curated, design-minded travel itineraries.

It was a work commitment that drew Christine Espinal to Japan for the first time, earlier this year. The Brooklyn spatial designer traveled with her colleagues from New York City design shop and incubator Lichen for a studio pop-up at Hako Gallery in Chiba, a city just east of Tokyo. "We brought some of our designs out there and made a beautiful display," says Espinal.

While the pop-up was the main reason for the Lichen team’s Japan visit, they snuck in some extra time to soak up inspiration in Tokyo. "We also went for research and design purposes," says Espinal. In fact, the minute she found out she was going on the trip, she scheduled an ikebana (Japanese art of flower arranging) class at the Sogetsu Foundation—something she’s long wanted to do. "I’ve been studying ikebana through books in the States," says Espinal. "It was by far the highlight of my trip." Here, Espinal shares some of her favorite spots from her additional few days exploring Tokyo, including an old-school vinyl bar, a shopping complex famous for its anime and manga products, and some very well-designed bookstores.

Day one: Pop into immaculately designed book and clothing shops and sip on Martinis at a speakeasy

I started with a meal at Breakfast Club, an American-style diner in the Meguro district, around 20 minutes by train from our Airbnb in Shinjuku City. The interior is homey with an American-Japanese flair. They have counter-style seating with pendant lights above the bar and a few brown booths, which are small and intimate. They serve pancakes and huevos rancheros. After breakfast, we walked to Cow Books, a little bookshop that specializes in vintage and secondhand books and magazines and carries its own clothing line and merchandise. It has this beautiful silver interior with an LED screen that wraps around the entire space above the bookshelves. I found some great vintage Popeye magazines.

We then walked over to Tsutaya Books in Daikanyama, which is such a cute neighborhood to stroll around and check out shops. The store is huge and made up of two big buildings with a white lattice facade. Inside, it has this beautiful reading space and a huge selection of design books, which is where I lived for a couple of hours. I bought Charlotte Perriand et le Japon, which can be hard to find elsewhere. I had to pick it up because I am such a huge fan of hers and I really identify with her as a designer. We spent some time in the area looking at shops like Nanamica, a clothing store with simple items like neutral T-shirts and trench coats. I didn’t buy anything but went to admire the store’s design, with light wooden beams built into the walls to display the clothing selection.

Later, we went to INC Cocktails, a speakeasy-style Shibuya bar that I found on TikTok. It’s really hard to get a table but luckily I was able to snag a reservation. In the corner by the bar, there’s a huge vinyl wall and a DJ playing live records. We sat in this little booth where the waiters brought us warm towels and I ordered an espresso Martini.

Day two: Head to a Tadao Ando–designed museum and study the Japanese art of flower arranging

The next day we went to 21_21 Design Site, a museum founded by Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake in a brutalist-style building designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. All the staff are dressed in Miyake’s outfits. At the time we went, they had a great exhibition on industrial design with some really iconic furniture pieces like a Floss light and Mario Bellini sofa. The building also has this gorgeous garden, but my favorite part of the museum was the gift shop, where they had these little gacha vending machines. They have them all over Japan: you put some coins in and get a little toy. This one was an Artek machine, so I got a tiny Artek stool.

After, we got on the train and went to Kapital, a Japanese clothing store in Ebisu. It has a tiled exterior and feels very homey when you walk in because you take your shoes off on arrival. We then got on the train again and headed to the Sogetsu headquarters, where I had booked an ikebana class. It has always been a dream of mine to do one! When I walked into the building I was overwhelmed with beauty. There’s this massive Isamu Noguchi-designed installation made from stone and water that you can walk through. It has all these stairs with light flooding in from the windows in the ceiling. The scale is just so impressive. I did a 1.5-hour ikebana class where the instructor laid out flowers, paper, and tools. It’s very technical when it comes to angles and placement.

Later, I visited the Muji Hotel at the top of the brand’s flagship store in the Ginza district. The six-floor building has retail shops and restaurants and is so beautifully organized. On the top level where the hotel is, there’s also a library and a lounge area, as well as a few gallery spaces. At the time, there was a cool Enzo Mari exhibition. We sat in the bar for two to three hours just chilling. I got a coffee and a little charcuterie board with crackers and cheese.

Day three: Shop the day away at a multilevel mall known for its anime and manga-related collectibles

On my way to Nakano Broadway, a four-floor shopping complex famous for its variety of stores selling anime and manga goods and collectors’ items, I stopped into Lou for a coffee. It was en route and looked welcoming with lots of warm wood and hanging plants at the entrance, and a young, hip crowd hanging out, so I ordered an oat milk latte. Then, I headed to Nakano Broadway. It has everything you can think of that’s anime-related: magazines, posters, clothing, collectible objects, and toys and figurines. There is Taco Che, a cool little bookstore that sells independently made books and zines, and a Studio Ghibli shop with paraphernalia from the movies. I bought this watering can that’s shaped as Totoro (from My Neighbor Totoro). I spent five hours at the shopping complex and even went back the next day.

On the way back to the Nakano train station, I walked past these alleyways and ended up at a hidden bar called Victoria. Inside, there were bottles along the wall and a shiny lacquer bar. There was no one there other than the mixologist and the bartender who was dressed in a really nice suit. The cocktail presentations were insane. I had a mimosa, which they covered with a bubble–I don’t know what it was made from but when I popped it, it smelled like rosemary. My friend got The Penicillin, which came with a syringe. It felt like a hidden gem.

For dinner, we headed to Kyomachi Koishigure in Shibuya, which I also found on TikTok. Inside, there are so many different levels and rooms for tables and each area is super unique. We ordered beers and tons of sushi; a crab one with caviar on top, some edamame, and a tomato and cucumber salad with radish. There were loads of younger Japanese people hanging out and no tourists. It left me feeling excited to visit again—I didn't make much time to check out live music, so I’m looking forward to returning next year. 

Top photos courtesy of Christine Espinal, portrait by Cheril Sanchez

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