(FORTUNE Magazine) – AN HOUR: From salaryman to soba slurper, everyone reads manga. And department store Mandarake (31-2 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku; 81-3-3477-0777) is the place to find these thick comic books, with selections from G to NC-17; staffers dress like famous manga characters. For another obsession, head to plumbing-fixture giant Toto's Superspace showroom (Shinjuku L Tower, 27th floor, 1-6-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku; 81-3-3345-1010). The latest high-tech toilets feature heated seats and spouts that gently spray your most intimate of areas. Some things are evidently too tempting: Floor models have plastic bubbles over the bowl.

AN AFTERNOON: In olden days, travelers journeyed from Kyoto to Tokyo via the Nakasendo Road, where the Jizo deity at Koganji Temple (3-35-2 Sugamo, Toshima-ku; 81-3-3917-8221) was said to remove thorns from their weary feet. Now the temple sells paper talismans to ward off thorns of the medical or emotional variety. Or, near Ueno Park, unwind in the natural hot spring of the 1920s Rokuryu Kosen public bath (3-4-20 Ikenohata, Taito-ku; 81-3-3821-3826). The bubbling black waters of this high-ceilinged mosaic-tiled space are said to cure 30 ailments, from rheumatism to chi imbalance, all for about $3.75. Bring (or buy) soap and towel, and remember: A Japanese bath is for soaking, so wash thoroughly before getting in, using the spigots and buckets along the walls.

AN EVENING: At Tokyo Opera City's concert hall (3-20-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku; 81-3-5353-0788), you can hear the likes of Yo Yo Ma, Kent Nagano, and Seiji Ozawa. Oddly, operas are performed next door at the New National Theater (81-3-5237-9999). The once innocent nightlife in the gaijin ghetto of Roppongi has given way to streetside touts pitching a shadier sort of fun. But around a quiet corner, through a Zenlike garden, is Fukuzushi (5-7-8 Roppongi, Minato-ku; 81-3-3402-4116), home to fine fish and a nice bar, in an atmosphere that's unmistakably Japanese but still accessible. And for those really late nights, check out the exhilarating auctions at Tsukiji Fish Market, the world's largest (setup begins at 3 A.M.).

AN ENTIRE DAY: Head to the Sumida Ward for a glimpse of Old Tokyo. Kasugano Beya sumo stable (1-7-11 Ryogoku, Sumida-ku; 81-3-3631-1871), where the wrestlers practice, permits visitors until 10 a.m. The wrestlers chow at Tomoekata (2-17-6 Ryogoku, Sumida-ku; 81-3-3632-5600) for chanko-nabe, a stew that traditionally contains nothing that once walked on four legs (which would be a bad omen in their profession). Among the 300 temples in the ancient capital/affluent suburb of Kamakura is the nation's second-largest Buddha; or wash your money in mountain spring water at Zeni-Arai Benten, where it's said that if you spend it quickly, you'll receive it back double.

--ANDREW BENDER