Smokyo

[b]Bars and cafés[/b] From the Telegraph's Danielle Demetriou Exploring Tokyo can be exhausting. Fortunately, numerous hip cafés and bars provide the perfect place to recharge batteries, while indulging in a spot of people watching. Some of the best can be stumbled across by simply wandering into the maze of tiny streets that lies off both sides of Omotesando. Take a stroll down Cat Street, past stylish fashion and design boutiques, before joining local hipsters over lunch at the the Bape Café[/b] (3-27-22 Jingumae), set up by the DJ designer behind cult Japanese label A Bathing Ape. Head towards the Prada building north of Omotesando and tuck into a virtuous herb tea and grain salad at [b]the Pure Café[/b] (5-5-21 Minami-Aoyama), a serene eco-haven attached to the Aveda spa. Meanwhile, on the other side of Omotesando is the recently renovated [b]Kurkuu[/b] (2-18-21 Jingumae), a sleek wood and glass architect-designed haven for style-conscious eco-lovers, complete with organic café, restaurant, bar and workshop. Art lovers should walk five minutes down the road to the hip basement café in the Mario Botta-designed [b]Watari-Um Museum of Contemporary Art[/b] (3-7-6 Jingumae), checking out the current exhibition and its classy shop en route. [img]http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/media/venue/7879E100-170[/img] A short stroll away – just next to exit three of Gaienmae metro station - is [b]Sign[/b] (Yamakazi Building, 2-7-18 Kita-Aoyama), a vibrant cafe with bright graphic murals that attracts creatives by day and is home to a DJ and cocktail-sipping crowd by night. [img]http://gridskipper.com/travel/tokyo-sign.jpg[/img] Those with quirkier tastes might wish to visit [b]Office[/b] (Kita-Aoyama 2-7-18 Yamazaki Bridge 5F), a DJ bar decorated in the style of a conventional workplace, complete with filing cabinets, photocopying machine and bookshelves. [b][/b] [img]http://www.tokyotales.com/images/inline/office_interior_750x250.jpg[/img]

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