The Yamanote Line train jolts and you bump into a beleaguered salaryman in the packed car. After a sheepish glance, you return to the video clip playing on your phone, where your favorite influencer turns the handle of a gacha (capsule toy) machine to unveil the secret bar everyone already knew about.
As a tourist in Tokyo with a packed itinerary, this new-to-you spot is a bit out of the way from the next cultural experience or restaurant reservation you’re on the way to — but if you sprinted back to the station when you’re finished to catch an express train and then hopped in the first taxi you see, you could make last call at this trendy bar just in the nick of time. Lost in thought, you look up to see the salaryman now staring you down; the train’s doors open and he wants out.
Amid a visit to the infinite urban landscape that is Tokyo, what does it mean to maximize your time? According to Gilles Poitras, a retired librarian and author of “Tokyo Stroll: A Guide to City Sidetracks and Easy Explorations,” your best return on investment is to explore the city only as fast as your feet can take you. And key to this, he says, is letting go of the perceived need to beeline from one destination to the next via train or taxi.