EKO-Haus

Known as Little Tokyo on the Rhine, one of the largest Japanese populations in Europe (around 7,000) sits in Düsseldorf. The buzzing commercial hub is Japanviertel (the Japan quarter), around Immermannstraße, and is packed with shops selling colorful kimonos and waving cats, sushi and karaoke bars, Japanese (and Korean) restaurants and Asian supermarkets. For a more tranquil experience, cross the Rhine and head to the Niederkassel district, a suburb popular with Japanese expats. Here you’ll find EKŌ-Haus, comprised of a Buddhist temple, a traditional Japanese house, a Japanese garden and a tea room. Or take a free stroll through the peaceful Japanese garden in the northwest corner of Nordpark, landscaped with Japanese maples, stone lanterns, waterfalls and a pond. Hungry? One of the best spots for ramen in the city—as evidenced by the queue that forms outside every day at noon—is Takumi, at Immermannstrasse 28, in the Japan quarter.