I'm not saying this to toot my own horn, but my friends and coworkers in Tokyo have come to know me as that one guy who knows about all the interesting things going on in town. The truth is, I do spend a lot of time in front of a computer, often just digging for places I haven't been to or new shop openings and events and the like. That being said, there are lots of places I have in my sights but haven't yet had a chance to visit, and don't know when I likely will. Japan, and Tokyo in particular, is choke full with places just begging for the attentions of curious people to check out, and with the right resources, they're all within grasp.
You ready? It feels like I'm blowing the lid off of a huge secret. Here are the websites I use to keep track of the best of what's happening around me. You can access each site by clicking on their respective logos.
Time Out has great lists of 50-100 things to do in each area of Tokyo (amongst other cities across the world too.) The website also features a "what to do today in Tokyo" section that keeps track of the location, price and beginning and end dates of all major events happening in and around town, ranging from small shows to major festivals. It's also a great website to look for unique places to eat.
Ken presented this website to me two years ago and I've been making good use of it since. Tokyo Cheapo, as the name implies, is based entirely on budget-saving exploration. The site keeps me up to date on the cheapest ways to get from place to place, where to stay, and what to eat. But my favorite thing about Tokyo Cheapo is that they also list a bunch of free or cheap things to do which can (almost) only be done on the upcoming weekend. I get lots of ideas from this Tokyo Cheapo.
Japan-Guide is my greatest tool when it comes to getting out of town. I use it to plan my road-trips and scope out different areas and cities. The website offers a map of Japan, with each of the provinces' and cities' having their respective attractions listed if you click on them. With the help of Japan-Guide, I was able to plan last year's roadtrip to Takayama from start to finish, baring in mind not only the destination, but everything interesting along the way too.
The youngest addition to the websites I use, 100 Tokyo allows me to keep an eye on all the smaller venues that would usually pass under my radar. There's nothing fancy or extraordinary that 100 Tokyo brings to my attention which the other websites don't, but I use it to keep tabs with the quainter little shops that offer pockets of unique products, or the small, strange cafes that are unknown to all but a few.
Rocket News 24 is more of a news outlet than a website dedicated to tourism, but what they excel at is keeping track of all the weirdest, most outlandish news in Asia, with 70% of it being from Japan. I knew it from Rocket News when a strange new themed restaurant opens in Tokyo, or other such stories. Although the quality of the journalism here is sometimes questionable, it's hard not to admire the fact that an average of 5-10 articles are published a day. I check morning and night, and often several times in between.
Protip: If you're interested in the resources I used to settle in Japan as opposed to exploring, you can find those here.
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