Dua’s List: 12 Tokyo Spots Worth Knowing

Few cities feel quite as alive as Tokyo, where the pace of its streets is matched only by the depth of its creative scene. With world-renowned food culture, vintage shopping and tucked-away bars, boutiques and galleries, it’s a place that rewards curiosity.

For those looking to go beyond the usual tourist checklist, our founder Dua Lipa has saved her Tokyo favourites on Google Maps. Whether it’s an immersive sushi experience where you leave yourself entirely in the chef’s hands or a temple filled with more than a thousand maneki-neko (the beckoning cat figurines said to bring good fortune) these are the places worth making time for on your next trip to Japan’s dazzling capital.

A really quiet little neighbourhood cafe a little off the beaten track. Vinyl plays on into the evening, where coffee can turn into a glass of natural wine.

Cignale is an Italian wine bar in Tokyo and it is fantastic. Really good natural wine, beautiful tasting menu. It’s Italian cuisine with a Japanese sensibility. The juxtaposition really works.

Laila is one of the best fashion archive shops in Tokyo and that is saying something in a city full of incredible vintage stores. The curation is very specific and very considered.

Inc is the kind of cocktail bar where you hand yourself over to the bartender and trust them entirely. The menu is creative without being unhinged. I always have one drink and immediately want another.

Grandfather’s is the bar I always end up in on my last night in Tokyo. It has this warm, unhurried energy that feels like the city knows you’re leaving and wants to give you a good send-off. The whisky list is excellent.

Amore Vintage is genuinely one of the best vintage experiences anywhere I have ever been. The range is extraordinary and I go every time I’m in Tokyo. I always find something I completely didn’t expect.

Qoo has an incredible density of great pieces for a relatively small space: Japanese vintage denim, workwear, Americana.

Archive Store knows exactly what it is and does it perfectly. If you’re serious about vintage, you need to spend a lot of time here. The stock turns over constantly and the team will help you find what you’re looking for.

Gotokuji is the lucky cat temple and I cannot fully explain why I love it so much but I do. Hundreds of little maneki-neko statues donated by visitors over generations. It’s quiet, it’s beautiful and it’s completely unlike anywhere else in the city.

The Kusama Museum is one of the most moving art experiences in Tokyo for me. Small, intimate and her works feel completely different when you’re surrounded by them. Book well in advance because it always sells out.

Sushi Yuu is extraordinary. You sit at the counter, you trust the chef and something really special unfolds piece by piece. The precision and the quality are unlike almost anything I’ve experienced. One of the best sushi meals I’ve had anywhere in the world.

You walk in and you have absolutely no idea what’s about to happen. There’s no menu, the owner just starts talking to you and before you know it food that you didn’t order is arriving and it’s some of the best you’ve eaten. You just have to surrender to it completely. That’s the whole experience.

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