At your leisure

If you have a spare hour:

Try a soak in the Oedo-Onsen Monogatari, a bathhouse on Tokyo Bay’s Odaiba that evokes Japan’s Edo Period (1603–1867). Choose your favorite yukata (light cotton robe), travel back in time to the indoor plaza of Edo eateries, and relax in a hot springs bath. It’s heavy on the kitsch, but fun all the same.

If you have a spare day:

Make a pilgrimage to the great Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, still redolent of the festive atmosphere of old Tokyo. Take the Ginza subway line to the end and start through the Kaminarimon Gate along shop-lined Nakamise-dori, the approach to the enormous Buddhist sanctuary. Try the traditional confections, like ningyo-yaki and agemanju bean buns. After tossing coins into the offertory, head to the nearby Sumida River and take a boat ride down to the Hamarikyu Gardens, an ancient shogunal hunting ground near Ginza. You can end the day there by taking in a performance at the Kabuki-za Theater.

If you have a spare weekend:

Escape the confines of Tokyo for two days in mountainous Hakone, located in the Mt. Fuji area and Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. This hot springs resort, 90 minutes from Shinjuku on the Odakyu railway, is best enjoyed with a stay at a ryokan, or Japanese inn, which feature charming Old World service and hot spring baths. An example is the venerable Fukuzumi-ro (74 Tonosawa 81-4-605-5301—have a Japanese speaker call for you, fukuzumi-ro.com) In Hakone, you can catch the two-car mountain trains on the Hakone Tozan Railway to Gora, where cable cars set off for Sounzan, a gondola terminal. Take in stunning views of Mt. Fuji (weather permitting) and stop at Owakudani, a steamy, sulfuric spot where onsen-tamago (hot spring–boiled eggs) are de rigueur. The Owakudani Nature Trail is also worth a stop. Other attractions in the vicinity include the historic Hakone Check Point along the old Tokaido High Road, the classic Fujiya Hotel, and the Hakone Open-Air Museum.