Guidebook for Meguro-ku
Food Scene
Opened by a husband-and-wife team in 2013, King George (named after the couple’s beloved cat) is a sandwich bar serving fresh, made-to-order variations on the traditional lunchtime staple, as well as smoothies, coffee, and cocktails. Small touches like mason jars, coupe glasses, and a subway-tiled bar evoke a quintessential Brooklyn shop. Pair a mint chicken sandwich, leafy green salad, or plate of olives with one of its signature cocktails like the G’vine & Tonic, made with white grape-and-vine flower-infused gin, or opt for one of their Japanese whiskies. On sunny days, take your meal up to the ivy-covered outdoor terrace. http://www.vogue.com/article/brooklyn-of-tokyo-daikanyama-guide
8 locals recommend
King George Sandwich Bar
11-13 DaikanyamachōOpened by a husband-and-wife team in 2013, King George (named after the couple’s beloved cat) is a sandwich bar serving fresh, made-to-order variations on the traditional lunchtime staple, as well as smoothies, coffee, and cocktails. Small touches like mason jars, coupe glasses, and a subway-tiled bar evoke a quintessential Brooklyn shop. Pair a mint chicken sandwich, leafy green salad, or plate of olives with one of its signature cocktails like the G’vine & Tonic, made with white grape-and-vine flower-infused gin, or opt for one of their Japanese whiskies. On sunny days, take your meal up to the ivy-covered outdoor terrace. http://www.vogue.com/article/brooklyn-of-tokyo-daikanyama-guide
moke's hawaii
1-chōme-17-8 KamimeguroMoke's Bread & Breakfast Nakameguro http://www.mokeskailua-japan.com/
Beard is a cozy, intimate restaurant located in the backstreets of Meguro district. Shin Harakawa opened his restaurant in 2012, and it quickly became famous for its remarkable food and welcoming feel. Monocle Magazine awarded Beard one of the World Best Restaurants in 2015. Although Beard has a fantastic menu for dinner, this post is dedicated only to Sunday brunch; which is one of the most pleasurable brunch experiences in Japan. http://b-e-a-r-d.com/
14 locals recommend
BEARD
1-chōme-17-22 MeguroBeard is a cozy, intimate restaurant located in the backstreets of Meguro district. Shin Harakawa opened his restaurant in 2012, and it quickly became famous for its remarkable food and welcoming feel. Monocle Magazine awarded Beard one of the World Best Restaurants in 2015. Although Beard has a fantastic menu for dinner, this post is dedicated only to Sunday brunch; which is one of the most pleasurable brunch experiences in Japan. http://b-e-a-r-d.com/
Unlike tourist-filled ‘conveyer belt’ sushi, the food at this place is authentically made by real sushi chefs, who have been creating sushi for decades. Each piece is made fresh as soon as it is ordered. If you sit at the counter, you can watch them slicing fish and balling up rice in their hands.
14 locals recommend
Iroha Zushi
1-chōme-30-10 AobadaiUnlike tourist-filled ‘conveyer belt’ sushi, the food at this place is authentically made by real sushi chefs, who have been creating sushi for decades. Each piece is made fresh as soon as it is ordered. If you sit at the counter, you can watch them slicing fish and balling up rice in their hands.
Sidewalk Stand sits at a corner about 10 minutes walk from Nakameguro Station. My eyes lit up when I saw the Allpress beans, which are roasted in Koto Ward. But we’d come for the sandwiches, which are made with artisanal bread and homemade sauces (inside the sandwich). http://sidewalk.jp/
7 locals recommend
Sidewalk Stand
1-chōme-23-14 AobadaiSidewalk Stand sits at a corner about 10 minutes walk from Nakameguro Station. My eyes lit up when I saw the Allpress beans, which are roasted in Koto Ward. But we’d come for the sandwiches, which are made with artisanal bread and homemade sauces (inside the sandwich). http://sidewalk.jp/
Located in a Showa-era house, this charming lunch spot along the backstreets of trendy Aobadai serves up healthy Japanese home cooking and specialty teas. The Obanzai set for Y1200 changes daily and comes with three side dishes, miso soup, and your choice of gokoku-mai (a blend of white rice plus five grains) or brown rice from Kyoto. Lunch is until 3pm, and drinks and desserts like matcha cake are available until six. After that, the cafe is open to members only. http://www.aoya-nakameguro.com/
Akoya
1-chōme-4-4 EbisuminamiLocated in a Showa-era house, this charming lunch spot along the backstreets of trendy Aobadai serves up healthy Japanese home cooking and specialty teas. The Obanzai set for Y1200 changes daily and comes with three side dishes, miso soup, and your choice of gokoku-mai (a blend of white rice plus five grains) or brown rice from Kyoto. Lunch is until 3pm, and drinks and desserts like matcha cake are available until six. After that, the cafe is open to members only. http://www.aoya-nakameguro.com/
Once home to the Tokyu Toyoko metro line tracks, Log Road is now a stretch of shops and eateries lined with wooden benches and lush, meticulously landscaped greenery that’s reminiscent of New York City’s High Line. At the end of the path, find Garden House Crafts, a Northern California–inspired café serving plates such as organic house-made granola and avocado toast freshly made from locally sourced ingredients. The full bakery on premises churns out fresh loaves of bread, croissants, and seasonal and year-round pastries like a Nutella muffin. Cellophane-wrapped cookies and other treats are on hand to take away—tuck a few into your carry-on for the flight home.
7 locals recommend
GARDEN HOUSE CRAFTS
13-1 DaikanyamachōOnce home to the Tokyu Toyoko metro line tracks, Log Road is now a stretch of shops and eateries lined with wooden benches and lush, meticulously landscaped greenery that’s reminiscent of New York City’s High Line. At the end of the path, find Garden House Crafts, a Northern California–inspired café serving plates such as organic house-made granola and avocado toast freshly made from locally sourced ingredients. The full bakery on premises churns out fresh loaves of bread, croissants, and seasonal and year-round pastries like a Nutella muffin. Cellophane-wrapped cookies and other treats are on hand to take away—tuck a few into your carry-on for the flight home.
Sightseeing
Shogakuji
3-chōme-1-6 NakameguroBuddhist temple
Also located on Log Road, the small brewery (owned by the country’s popular macro brewer Kirin) is a prime example of Japan’s emerging craft beer scene. Order one of its six standard types of house-made brews, including the crisp flagship 496 and Daydream, a Japanese white beer made with yuzu and sansho pepper, or try a flight of all six. Feel free to ask your server for food-pairing recommendations; the brewpub serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Choose a seat inside for a view of the glass-encased kettles and fermentation tanks, or people-watch from an umbrella-covered picnic table outdoors. http://www.vogue.com/article/brooklyn-of-tokyo-daikanyama-guide
15 locals recommend
Spring Valley Brewery Tokyo
13-1 DaikanyamachōAlso located on Log Road, the small brewery (owned by the country’s popular macro brewer Kirin) is a prime example of Japan’s emerging craft beer scene. Order one of its six standard types of house-made brews, including the crisp flagship 496 and Daydream, a Japanese white beer made with yuzu and sansho pepper, or try a flight of all six. Feel free to ask your server for food-pairing recommendations; the brewpub serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. Choose a seat inside for a view of the glass-encased kettles and fermentation tanks, or people-watch from an umbrella-covered picnic table outdoors. http://www.vogue.com/article/brooklyn-of-tokyo-daikanyama-guide
An Afternoon in Daikanyama, the Brooklyn of Tokyo http://www.vogue.com/article/brooklyn-of-tokyo-daikanyama-guide
22 locals recommend
Daikanyamacho
An Afternoon in Daikanyama, the Brooklyn of Tokyo http://www.vogue.com/article/brooklyn-of-tokyo-daikanyama-guide
Parks & Nature
Nakameguro Park
2-chōme-3-14 NakameguroMeguro River
1-chōme-11 NakameguroA thoroughly intriguing park situated on the top of a motorway interchange. Home to a small vegetable garden and well kept flower beds, this 9th story park/gardens is a true spectacle of modern Japanese architecture. Follow the signs from the Ikejiri Ohashi station South Exit to Meguro Sky Garden, “目黒天空庭園”. Hint: it’s via a small elevator just next to the post office.
24 locals recommend
Meguro Sky Garden
1-chōme-9-2 ŌhashiA thoroughly intriguing park situated on the top of a motorway interchange. Home to a small vegetable garden and well kept flower beds, this 9th story park/gardens is a true spectacle of modern Japanese architecture. Follow the signs from the Ikejiri Ohashi station South Exit to Meguro Sky Garden, “目黒天空庭園”. Hint: it’s via a small elevator just next to the post office.
Sugekari Park
2-chōme-11-25 AobadaiPerfect place for picnik.
Entertainment & Activities
Woody Theatre
http://www.woodytheatre.com/
Arts & Culture
(Co.) Art Obsession
http://www.art-obsession.co.jp/
Part bookshop, part gallery, NADiff highlights Japan’s deep appreciation for art and design. Find an expansive stock of Japanese and international art and photography books, art objects, postcards, and prints, and don’t miss the rotating exhibitions featuring emerging artists. Stock up on souvenirs for the culture hounds in your life, including fluorescent pink masking tape from Yuichi Yokoyama and a lunch tote bearing a playful pig or carrot illustration from Ken Kagami, both Japanese artists. http://www.vogue.com/article/brooklyn-of-tokyo-daikanyama-guide
7 locals recommend
NADiff A/P/A/R/T
1-chōme-18-4 EbisuPart bookshop, part gallery, NADiff highlights Japan’s deep appreciation for art and design. Find an expansive stock of Japanese and international art and photography books, art objects, postcards, and prints, and don’t miss the rotating exhibitions featuring emerging artists. Stock up on souvenirs for the culture hounds in your life, including fluorescent pink masking tape from Yuichi Yokoyama and a lunch tote bearing a playful pig or carrot illustration from Ken Kagami, both Japanese artists. http://www.vogue.com/article/brooklyn-of-tokyo-daikanyama-guide
The Meguro Parasitological Museum is a private research facility that was established in 1953 with the private funds of a medical doctor, Satoru Kamegai. The museum exhibits about 300 parasite specimens and related material. On the first floor we present the “Diversity of Parasites” displaying various types of parasitic specimens with accompanying educational movies. The second floor exhibits are “Human and Zoonotic Parasites” showing parasite lifecycles and the symptoms they cause during human infection. In addition to research, the museum also performs other activities such as education and provides special publications.
35 locals recommend
Meguro Parasitological Museum
4-chōme-1-1 ShimomeguroThe Meguro Parasitological Museum is a private research facility that was established in 1953 with the private funds of a medical doctor, Satoru Kamegai. The museum exhibits about 300 parasite specimens and related material. On the first floor we present the “Diversity of Parasites” displaying various types of parasitic specimens with accompanying educational movies. The second floor exhibits are “Human and Zoonotic Parasites” showing parasite lifecycles and the symptoms they cause during human infection. In addition to research, the museum also performs other activities such as education and provides special publications.
Shopping
Japan has a reputation for producing exceptional denim, and this locally made brand is no exception. The name UES is meant to derive from the word waste, embracing the ethos that objects should be well made and used often, and in that spirit, its jeans are designed to improve with every wash and wear. Choose from several styles (UES also sells denim jackets, chambray and flannel shirts, and other meticulously crafted basics) and the shop will use a hot iron to brand the purchase date on the leather label patch for a truly special souvenir. http://www.vogue.com/article/brooklyn-of-tokyo-daikanyama-guide
UES 代官山
Japan has a reputation for producing exceptional denim, and this locally made brand is no exception. The name UES is meant to derive from the word waste, embracing the ethos that objects should be well made and used often, and in that spirit, its jeans are designed to improve with every wash and wear. Choose from several styles (UES also sells denim jackets, chambray and flannel shirts, and other meticulously crafted basics) and the shop will use a hot iron to brand the purchase date on the leather label patch for a truly special souvenir. http://www.vogue.com/article/brooklyn-of-tokyo-daikanyama-guide
The award-winning architecture of this massive bookstore is reason enough to pay a visit, but plan to spend several hours exploring inside. Delve into the extensive selection, organized into six categories including travel, cuisine, and architecture and design books; listen to any track from its archive of more than 120,000 albums; and stock up on pens and paper in the stationery shop, where same-day monogramming is available for personalized gifts. Afterward, head upstairs to the light-filled Anjin Library & Lounge to page through out-of-print Japanese magazines while sipping coffee or a cocktail.
31 locals recommend
Daikanyama T-Site
16-15 SarugakuchōThe award-winning architecture of this massive bookstore is reason enough to pay a visit, but plan to spend several hours exploring inside. Delve into the extensive selection, organized into six categories including travel, cuisine, and architecture and design books; listen to any track from its archive of more than 120,000 albums; and stock up on pens and paper in the stationery shop, where same-day monogramming is available for personalized gifts. Afterward, head upstairs to the light-filled Anjin Library & Lounge to page through out-of-print Japanese magazines while sipping coffee or a cocktail.
Don Quijote
2-chōme-19-10 AobadaiThe shop to visit and get lost :)
a second-floor space that resembles an apartment more than a boutique and its array of products, from clothing to ceramics. ROOTS to BRANCHES' concept is centered around assembling a range of products that enrich the three core elements of the Japanese lifestyle "衣 dress・食 dine・住 dwell" http://roots-to-branches.jp/
roots to branches
a second-floor space that resembles an apartment more than a boutique and its array of products, from clothing to ceramics. ROOTS to BRANCHES' concept is centered around assembling a range of products that enrich the three core elements of the Japanese lifestyle "衣 dress・食 dine・住 dwell" http://roots-to-branches.jp/
TOKYO LAMPOON
1-chōme-7-6 KamimeguroA carefully curated vintage women’s wear store
As an ex-professional boxer, Arashi Yanagawa, possesses an unpredented background for someone involved in fashion. He founded his own brand"John Lawrence Sullivan" in 2003.The brand's name is an homage to a man who embodied traits like strength, personality, and dignity, and never backed down from a challenge.The bedrock of the clothing Yanagawa makes lies in tailoring accentuated by edgy styles that incorporate traditional elements. His superb creations have a magnetism that originates in the concept of a masculine image that is at once powerful and elegant. http://john-lawrence-sullivan.com/
JOHN LAWRENCE SULLIVAN (ジョンローレンスサリバン)
As an ex-professional boxer, Arashi Yanagawa, possesses an unpredented background for someone involved in fashion. He founded his own brand"John Lawrence Sullivan" in 2003.The brand's name is an homage to a man who embodied traits like strength, personality, and dignity, and never backed down from a challenge.The bedrock of the clothing Yanagawa makes lies in tailoring accentuated by edgy styles that incorporate traditional elements. His superb creations have a magnetism that originates in the concept of a masculine image that is at once powerful and elegant. http://john-lawrence-sullivan.com/
We sell out-of-print books focusing 1960-70s social movements, progressive politics,Protest,the Beat Generation, and first editions of forgotten modern authors. http://www.cowbooks.jp/cow_shop/index.do
6 locals recommend
Cow Books Nakameguro
1-chōme-14-11 AobadaiWe sell out-of-print books focusing 1960-70s social movements, progressive politics,Protest,the Beat Generation, and first editions of forgotten modern authors. http://www.cowbooks.jp/cow_shop/index.do
Essentials
Tokyo Kyōsai Hospital
2-chōme-3-8 NakameguroFOOD MARKET Precce
2-chōme-1-1 Kamimeguro10 am - 11 pm
Meguro Police Station Nakameguro Ekimae Police Box
1-chōme-26-1 KamimeguroPolice box, please stay safe!
gooz Nakameguro
1-chōme-26-2 Kamimeguro