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Jeremy Smart is the co-editor-in-chief and creative director of Design Anthology, a biannual print magazine celebrating design, architecture and culture across Asia Pacific. He leads the editorial and creative teams and works with brands like Muji, Aesop, Louis Vuitton, Rimowa and Rosewood Hotels to tell thoughtful, design-led stories. His writing and photography have appeared in Nikkei Asia, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and Al Jazeera, and he regularly moderates panels and speaks at design and media events around the region. Originally from Melbourne, Jeremy now lives in a quiet Tokyo neighbourhood with great bakeries, leafy streets and Yoyogi Park just around the corner. We tap into Jeremy's local knowledge to find the calm and quietness amidst the density, energy and eclecticism of Tokyo.
In my not-at-all humble opinion, the perfect breakfast is made at my place and is very simple, involving a pourover coffee with beans from Onibus, croissants and a loaf of shokupan from Katane Bakery, honey from my travels (currently working my way through a jar of Ogihara’s from Karuizawa and whipped fermented butter from my local conbini. I do occasionally crave the classic Australian breakfast spread so I’m not ashamed to say I spend a bit of time at Bills over flat whites and ricotta hotcakes.
In Tokyo, I’m a reluctant supermarket goer. I miss the chaos and character of Hong Kong’s overflowing wet markets, with their freshness and sense of hustle. For years, the Bowrington Road wet market in Wan Chai was part of my Saturday morning ritual. I’ve yet to find its Tokyo equivalent, so for now, I make do with the neighbourhood ojisans selling fruit from the backs of their vans.
If with company on a weekday it’ll be a set meal (or teishoku) at a local haunt. But otherwise, despite the neighbourhood being full of options, I usually skip lunch and make my own granola with the thickest Greek yoghurt I can find (this is my current favourite), and have a sunny breakfast on the balcony each morning which is my only real meal until dinner. But if I’m nursing a hangover or have worked up a particularly great appetite, the best lunch curry comes from Spice Post. The queue starts at breakfast time so plan accordingly.
Where to begin? My friends at Style Department in Kamiyamacho stock a good range, in particular their excellent label Still by Hand, designed by Yusuke san at a studio just down the street. Across the road is Shibuya Publishing & Bookseller for zines, totes, lotions and gifts. Labour and Wait’s Tokyo outpost in Sendagaya has a nice mix. Postalco is run by the nicest people and does wonderfully practical things with textiles; see their shop in Kyobashi. Arts & Science’s various stores in Aoyama are a masterclass in visual merchandising. Cibone in Omotesando has excellent buyers, offering great discovery. Aoyama Book Centre has books and magazines from all over, but of course, who can forget the retail classics: Hands in Shibuya, Daikanyama T-Site and Isetan in Shinjuku.
The charm of Tokyo is that you can have it all – density, energy, eclecticism – as well as calm and quiet. My go-to escapes include the leafy forests beside Meiji Jingu, my local Yoyogi-Hachiman shrine, and a recent discovery – the lush grounds of the University of Tokyo’s Komaba campus. Despite being relatively central, it’s blissfully inconvenient for anyone but locals and students.
We’re going to take a tour of Koto-ku, Tokyo’s most underrated district, on two wheels today. We’ll start by renting a bicycle from Tokyobike for the day before making a beeline for coffee at Allpress. Next, we’ll be stopping at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo to see what’s on. We’re then going to stop in at Haluta’s showroom to fit out our real or fantasy Tokyo apartment. Finally, we’ll finish with dinner at The Blind Donkey.
A great night starts with half a dozen laps of Yoyogi Park before heading to the local sento to bathe and refresh. Next, pick one of the aforementioned wine bars: perhaps Ahiru Store if you enjoy queuing, Neo if, like me, you’ve failed to make a booking and need somewhere that takes walk-ins or local favourite Path. Then it’s on to Pignon for dinner, ideally propped up at the counter. Finish with a stroll towards bar No in Yoyogi-Uehara for a nightcap, before a dignified midnight turn-in.
The worst part about moving to Tokyo was no longer needing a hotel here. Before I got my own place, the Park Hyatt in Shinjuku was my base: crisp mint-tinted interiors, slow mornings with room service in a corner suite, and the spa with its forest green marble and Aesop amenities: perfection. It’s currently being refreshed, so in the meantime I’d recommend the Keiji Ashizawa and Norm Architects-designed Trunk Hotel Yoyogi Park or play it safe with Aman Tokyo, whose interiors by the late Kerry Hill remain marvellous. There’s nowhere affordable worth staying in Tokyo these days so you may as well go all in.
Follow Jeremy on Instagram to see even more places he loves in Tokyo.
