The Daikanyama neighborhood is a gem. I’ve heard it described as where Harajuku girls move when they grow up and get married, and it carries a mix of sophistication, intimacy and an overall air of coolness. Closest comparison I could make in NYC would be the West Village.

In my time exploring Daikanyama’s cozy cafes, impeccably decorated shops, and windy side streets, I stumbled upon one spot that instantly became one of my favorite places in the world. Love at first sight, plus books and a bar.

Courtesy Wall Street Journal

Daikanyama T-Site is a two-year-old low-level campus of shops and restaurants, perfectly curated and designed. Tokyo firm Klein Dytham Architecture won an award at the World Architecture Festival for the interlinked buildings with interlocking T-shapes making up the facades.

Courtesy Dezeen Magazine

The pearl at the center is Tsutaya Books and the upstairs lounge Anjin. This is what my dream home would look like. Actually, I just want to move right into this building. Books, designer furniture, soft lighting, a bar made entirely of books, a section devoted to Shiba Inu magazines–what more could a yuppie American girl want? Oh, the food is great too.

Courtesy Dezeen Magazine

Purchase a Vogue, or Monocle or a Shiba Inu magazine (I bought a set of Shiba stickers), and head upstairs to read in Anjin’s surprisingly quiet cocoon of wood, gold, leather and velvet. Order a Japanese whiskey or coffee (from an iPad menu, natch) and watch the well-coiffed locals enjoy each others’ company as late as 2am. My boyfriend noted that, if he were still single (and lived in Tokyo of course), this would be his go-to date spot. Everyone looks sexier surrounded by vintage tomes.

Courtesy travel.cnn.com

Another don’t-miss stop in T-Site is the Daikanyama Kitamura Photo Equipment shop, which carries more digital cameras than anywhere else in Tokyo, and showcases them beautifully to boot.

Courtesy t-site.jp

Not surprisingly, T-Site and Tsutaya books are very successful. If bookstores in America all looked like this, I doubt we’d be shuttering brick-and-mortar shops at the current pace.

For more information:

• Daikanyama T-Site (English)