The baronial manors, rolling lawns and private clubs in the fictional suburban backdrop of the new Apple TV+ series “Your Friends & Neighbors” bear little resemblance to the buzzing sidewalks, neon lights and hidden warrens of Tokyo. But for the actress Olivia Munn, who plays an outsider turned socialite on the show, her childhood years in the city helped inform the role.
At age 8, Ms. Munn, now 44, moved from Oklahoma City, where she was born, to Yokota Air Base in Tokyo, along with her mom, then stepdad (an Air Force major) and four siblings. Suddenly, she was the odd kid out, “thrust into new worlds” where she became determined to find her place, she said in a recent video interview. “I really got good at observing people.”
Over the better part of a decade, she explored the now Instagram-famous alleys of Omoide Yokocho, where packed, tiny restaurants served “the most amazing yakisoba”; teeming Harajuku, where “everyone dressed up like anime” on Sundays; the warren of games and gadgetry in the Akihabara electronics district, where she and her brother combed through the bins for Casio watches; and Mount Fuji, about 60 miles away but visible from the city’s high-rises, where she and her family twice hiked to the summit and were rewarded with steaming ramen and stunning views.
Ms. Munn moved back to the United States at 16 and attended the University of Oklahoma before going on to a career that has included the HBO series “The Newsroom” and the superhero blockbuster “X-Men: Apocalypse.” Though she minored in Japanese, her language skills have slipped a bit, she said, but “it all comes back to me” with a little practice when she makes one of her regular trips back to Tokyo.
And now that she and her husband, the comedian John Mulaney, have two children, 3-year-old Malcolm and 7-month-old Méi, Tokyo tops the couple’s international travel list. “I would really like them to experience and absorb the structure there, the patience there and the politeness there,” Ms. Munn said.
A few of these places might well be perfect for kids. Others will require some babysitting while the grown-ups hit the town.
1. Hakuhinkan Toy Park
As even a casual observer of Hello Kitty or Pokémon knows, Japan takes toy culture to new heights, and Ms. Munn is a fan. Her favorite monument to the make-believe is Hakuhinkan Toy Park in the Ginza district, a four-story megastore where you’ll find worlds (and subworlds) of action figures, plush toys, racecars, games, dolls and puzzles, as well as the occasional pop-up magic show. Despite the daunting number of items for sale — around 200,000 at last count — “it is worth going through methodically,” she advised. “You’ll find some really cool things that you’ve never seen.”
2. Ginza Tsutaya Books
Not far from Hakuhinkan Toy Park, this art-heavy bookstore with a gallery, a stationery department and a cafe is another of Ms. Munn’s beloved hunting grounds. She recommends stopping in even if you don’t read Japanese because so many of the books are works of art. Her most prized possession from the shop: a fortunetelling book by the former Japanese TV personality Kazuko Hosoki, who holds the Guinness World Record for best-selling author in the genre. “She was so brutally honest, she got a lot of hate for it,” Ms. Munn said. “But also people were obsessed with it because if she’s willing to tell them the bad stuff, then they assume that they can believe her when she says something good.”
3. Sushi Gotoku Shibuya
Growing up, Ms. Munn loved the city’s low-cost yakisoba and yakitori vendors — and still does. But she also has a taste for the high end of the culinary spectrum, she said, citing Sushi Gotoku, in Shibuya, where she orders the Hokkaido uni, or sea urchin (“it’s going to melt in your mouth”), and the tiger prawns.
4. Shimokitazawa
Known for its vintage clothing stores, this bohemian district west of Shibuya draws treasure hunters like Ms. Munn, who said she had gotten lucky with Chanel and Hermès finds on her visits. But even if you’re not a fashion hound, you can always discover one of the area’s cute record shops and cafes.
5. The Peninsula Tokyo
If you haven’t already gotten the sense that food figures prominently in Ms. Munn’s favorites, consider the first reason she offered for loving this five-star hotel in the central Marunouchi district: “It’s actually right next to a Krispy Kreme.” But even if not for the doughnut shop (about a five-minute walk away), “it’s a super convenient location,” said Ms. Munn of this tower opposite Hibiya Park and the Imperial Palace. “They also have bigger rooms and a really lovely, multilingual staff,” she added, perhaps envisioning a visit with her budding world travelers.
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