Akasaka blends old-school charm with polished modernity, catering to diplomats, creatives, and regulars alike. You’ll find Michelin meals tucked into backstreets, classic kissaten, art-forward cafes, and creative cocktail bars. Shrines and cultural spots like the State Guest House and Hie Shrine offer a quiet contrast to the lively izakaya and music bars.
Where to Eat
Totoya Uoshin. Michelin-starred kappo spot that started as a fish shop back in 1890 and still keeps things low-key. At lunch, you can get a simple fish set from around ¥1,800, or splurge on a full bento or kaiseki course. If you’re coming for dinner or the bigger meals, it’s smart to book ahead.
Hayashi 赤坂すみやき料理はやし. Sumiyaki (charcoal grill) restaurant, feels like stepping into an old Japanese farmhouse. They grill everything — chicken, river fish, vegetables — slow and steady over real embers. At lunch they serve oyakodon. Hours seem irregular, the staff may not answer phones and seems closed on weekends?
Kunn. Small counter spot, menu shifts with the seasons and the chef’s mood, expect rich plates like truffle and foie gras omelette risotto. It’s quiet, polished, and built for long, slow dinners. Not cheap, reservation a must.
Ieyasu Sushi. Casual Edomae-style sushi, fish is fresh, prices are friendly, and the vibe is relaxed. You can drop in without a reservation and enjoy quality sushi without the fuss.
Yushoku Akasaka 赤坂 有職. Old-school shop specializing in chakin sushi — rice and fish wrapped in thin omelet or bamboo leaves. Mostly takeout, packed neatly into wooden boxes.
Uoshin Nogizaka. Lively seafood izakaya with beer-stained menus and shouting regulars. Fresh sashimi, grilled fish. Zero polish, tons of gruff charm. In Akasaka but close in feel to Roppongi side.
Tebasaki Bancho. Specializing in award-winning chicken wings, the restaurant offers a casual setting ideal for late-night dining.
Champagne & Gyoza Bar. A counter spot where you can wash down dumplings with bubbly. It’s casual, a little quirky. People love it.
Pink Cow. Cal-Mex spot, menu leans into burritos, and enchiladas, with plenty of vegan and gluten-free options, a hub for Tokyo’s creative crowd — hosting art shows and live music.
Cafes & Sweets
Toraya. Beautifully designed flagship where you come for their famous wagashi, Upstairs, there’s a tea room overlooking the gardens; downstairs, a gallery on the craft of sweets.
Ginza West Aoyama Garden. The draw: a large golden pancake, topped with a square of butter and served with maple syrup. It’s made to order, takes about 20 minutes, and arrives warm and fluffy. Souffles also great. Be prepared to queue.
Connel Coffee. A glass-walled café, views of a Noguchi stone garden on one side and leafy parkland on the other. The coffee is fine, not a destination, but it’s a good place to disappear for a while.
Yogen Cafe. Alongside your coffee, you can receive a personal prophecy. Run by a Protestant church, the café offers messages of hope, free of charge, to those interested.
Bars & Nightlife
Codename Mixology. Elegant bar where cocktails are treated like experiments. The menu shifts constantly, with reinventions of classic cocktails that sound strange but land just right. Smoked snacks pair well with the drinks, fun surprises await.
Your Song. Music bar with a deep catalog of 60s–80s rock, soul, jazz, and J-pop, over 100,000 tracks. Good selection of scotch, scribble a song title on a card, and let the night play out.
Crawfish. Livehouse that feels more like a local hangout — friendly, loose, and all about the music. The lineup changes nightly: jazz, blues, funk, folk, sometimes rock if the mood's right.
Bar Miyako. 8 seat hideaway run by a slightly aloof bartender who loves gin, whisky, and classic films. A place where the music is low, lighting soft, and cocktails are made with care.
Cultural Sites & Experiences
State Guest House. Japan’s only neo-Baroque palace, originally built in 1909 as a residence for the Crown Prince. When not in use, parts of it open to the public., times are irregular. Check the official calendar, not a casual drop-in spot—but if you want to see diplomatic grandeur, it’s worth the planning.
Hie Shrine. A hilltop Shinto shrine, in trees and tradition, a tunnel of 90 red torii gates, monkey guardians instead of lions, and a view that feels miles from the city below. It’s not flashy, lovely and not overrun by tourists.
Toyokawa Inari. Buddhist temple disguised like a Shinto shrine, dedicated to Dakiniten, a Buddhist deity, but has features linked with Shinto Inari worship, hundreds of stone fox statues.
National Art Center. Worth a visit mostly for the building itself — a massive wave of glass and steel designed by Kisho Kurokawa. The exhibition space is huge and flexible. There’s no permanent collection, so what you see depends entirely on timing.
Whiteship Egaku. A modern space tied to the Egaku Program, an art and creativity workshop. It’s part gallery, part studio, focused less on selling art, more on getting people to engage. Workshops, small exhibitions, and quiet events are the norm.
For the Body
Erawan. Thai massage spot, you can go classic Thai, oil, or mix it up. It’s not flashy, but it’s clean, calm, and consistently excellent.
Sauna Tokyo. Reimagines the sauna experience through a distinctly Japanese lens. Caters exclusively to men, periodic women's nights are organized to offer inclusive experiences.
Medicha. Meditation studio, a unique ambiance, four distinct meditation experiences. Each session lasts 80 minutes, offered in English