Build a "Best of Tokyo" City Guide in 3 Hours

Last updated: June 4 2026

This is a hands-on workshop by AI Builders x Qoder. You'll use AI tools to research, build, and present — no prior coding experience required.

What You'll Create

By the end of this workshop, you'll have:

  1. Curated research — a collection of real spots, reviews, and local tips for a Tokyo neighborhood or theme (using QoderWork)
  2. An interactive city guide — a beautiful web app with cards, filters, and a map view (using Qoder)
  3. A presentation — a visual slide deck showcasing your guide and the process (using QoderWork)

Every participant picks their own theme, so every guide is unique.

Prerequisites

Before the workshop, please have the following ready on your laptop:

  • Qoder desktop app installed → qoder.com/en
  • QoderWork enabled within Qoder → qoder.com/qoderwork
  • A modern web browser (Chrome recommended)
  • No coding experience necessary

You'll receive Qoder Credits at the event to cover all AI usage during the workshop.

Workshop Overview

PhaseTimeToolWhat You'll Do
Research25 minQoderWorkFind real spots, gather reviews, collect details
Build60 minQoderVibe code an interactive guide web app
Present20 minQoderWorkGenerate a slide deck of your guide

Phase 1: Research with QoderWork

Time: 25 minutes

QoderWork is your AI research assistant. It can search the web, synthesize information from multiple sources, and produce structured documents — all through natural conversation.

Step 1.1 — Pick Your Theme

Choose a topic that excites you. This is your guide — make it personal.

By neighborhood:
  • Best of Shimokitazawa (vintage, cafes, live music)
  • Best of Yanaka (old Tokyo, temples, local snacks)
  • Best of Nakameguro (river walks, design shops, brunch)
  • Best of Koenji (thrift stores, underground music, cheap eats)
By theme:
  • Tokyo's best ramen spots
  • Hidden kissaten (retro coffee shops)
  • Late-night Tokyo (bars, izakayas, nightlife)
  • Tokyo for design lovers (architecture, galleries, shops)
  • Budget Tokyo (free/cheap experiences under ¥1000)
Pick something you'd genuinely want to explore. The more specific your angle, the more interesting your guide will be. "Best ramen in Shinjuku" is better than "food in Tokyo."

Step 1.2 — Research Your Spots

Open QoderWork and start a conversation:

text
I'm creating a city guide about [your theme].

Research and find me 6-8 real places/spots with the following for each:
1. Name (Japanese + English)
2. One-line description (what makes it special)
3. Address
4. Approximate price range (¥ / ¥¥ / ¥¥¥)
5. Best time to visit
6. One insider tip or detail most tourists wouldn't know

Focus on quality over quantity. Include a mix of well-known gems
and lesser-known local favorites.

QoderWork will search the web, cross-reference sources, and compile real locations with accurate details.

Step 1.3 — Add Context and Story

A great guide isn't just a list — it has a narrative. Ask QoderWork:

text
Now help me add editorial context:

1. Write a short intro paragraph (3-4 sentences) that sets the mood
   for this guide. Why does this theme/area matter? What's the vibe?
2. Suggest a walking route that connects 4-5 of these spots in a
   logical order.
3. Give me 3 "pro tips" for someone exploring this theme for the
   first time.
4. Suggest relevant tags/categories I can use for filtering
   (e.g., "budget-friendly", "rainy day", "date spot", "solo-friendly").

Step 1.4 — Structure the Data

Ask QoderWork to format everything for easy use in the next phase:

text
Compile all of this into a JSON-structured document I can use
for a web app. Format each spot like this:

{
  "name_en": "",
  "name_ja": "",
  "description": "",
  "address": "",
  "price": "",
  "best_time": "",
  "insider_tip": "",
  "tags": [],
  "lat": null,
  "lng": null
}

Also include the intro paragraph, walking route, and pro tips
as separate fields. Save everything as a file.
Checkpoint: You should now have a structured data file with 6-8 real spots, an intro narrative, a walking route, pro tips, and tags. This is the content that powers your web app.

Phase 2: Vibe Code Your City Guide with Qoder

Time: 60 minutes

Now you'll use Qoder to turn your research into a real, interactive web app. Qoder is an agentic AI coding platform — you describe what you want in natural language, and it plans, writes, and iterates on actual code.

Step 2.1 — Create the Base App

Open Qoder and create a new workspace. Paste your research data and give it this prompt:

text
Build a React city guide web app using my research data below.

[paste your JSON data here]

The app should have:
1. A hero section with the guide title, intro paragraph, and a
   moody background image (use a placeholder or gradient)
2. A filter bar — users can filter spots by tags
3. A card grid — each spot displayed as a card showing:
   - Name (Japanese + English)
   - Description
   - Price range
   - Best time to visit
   - Tags as small badges
4. A detail view — clicking a card expands to show the insider tip
5. A "Pro Tips" section at the bottom

Use Tailwind CSS. Make it feel editorial and modern — think
a magazine-quality city guide, not a spreadsheet.
Single-page app, no backend needed.

Watch Qoder work — it'll plan the component structure, write all the code, and set up the project.

Step 2.2 — Add Visual Polish

Once the base is generated, refine the look and feel:

text
Update the design:
- Use a dark theme with warm accent colors (amber/orange tones)
- Cards should have a subtle hover animation (slight lift + shadow)
- Add a gradient overlay on the hero section
- Use a clean Japanese-friendly font stack
  (system-ui for English, Noto Sans JP fallback for Japanese)
- Add smooth fade-in animations when cards appear
- Make the tag filter pills look like they belong in a
  design magazine

Step 2.3 — Add Interactivity

Make the guide feel alive:

text
Add these interactive features:
1. Clicking a tag filter animates the card grid (filtered cards
   fade in, hidden ones fade out smoothly)
2. Add a "Walking Route" section that displays the suggested
   route as a numbered step-by-step with connecting lines
3. Add a "copy address" button on each card that copies the
   Japanese address to clipboard (useful for taxi/maps)
4. Add a small map placeholder section showing a static
   embedded map image or illustration

Step 2.4 — Make It Responsive

Ensure it works on phones (participants will want to show friends):

text
Make the app fully responsive:
- On mobile: cards stack in a single column
- The filter bar scrolls horizontally on small screens
- Hero section text is readable on all sizes
- Touch-friendly tap targets on all interactive elements

Step 2.5 — Final Touches

text
Final polish:
- Add a footer with "Made with AI Builders x Qoder" and today's date
- Add a subtle page-load animation
- Make sure the overall rhythm and spacing feels balanced
- Add emoji indicators next to price ranges (💰 💰💰 💰💰💰)
Vibe Coding tip: Don't worry about understanding the code. Focus on what you see in the browser. If something doesn't look right, describe the problem in plain language — "the cards feel too cramped" or "the colors are too bright" — and let Qoder fix it. Checkpoint: You should have a working, interactive city guide running in your browser. Every participant's will look different based on their theme and design choices. Take a screenshot for your presentation.

Phase 3: Create Your Presentation with QoderWork

Time: 20 minutes

Time to package your work into a presentation. You'll use QoderWork to generate a professional slide deck.

Step 3.1 — Generate the Deck

Go back to QoderWork:

text
Create a visual slide deck (5 slides) presenting my Tokyo city guide project.

Guide title: [your title, e.g., "Hidden Kissaten: Tokyo's Retro Coffee Shops"]
Theme: [your theme]
Number of spots: [number]
Key highlights: [2-3 of your favorite spots from the research]

Slide structure:
Slide 1: Title slide — guide name + "Built with Vibe Coding"
Slide 2: The Concept — what this guide is about, who it's for
Slide 3: Highlights — feature 2-3 standout spots with descriptions
Slide 4: The Build Process — QoderWork for research → Qoder for coding → 3 hours total
Slide 5: Try It Yourself — QR code placeholder + AI Builders / Qoder links

Make it visually clean and modern. Save as .pptx.

Step 3.2 — Add Your Screenshot

text
Update slide 3 or 4 to include a space for my app screenshot.
Add a device mockup frame around it so it looks professional.

Step 3.3 — Prepare Your Demo Script

text
Write me a 60-second presentation script for demoing this project.
Cover:
1. What I built and why I chose this theme (10 sec)
2. Quick walkthrough of the guide features (30 sec)
3. How I built it — research with QoderWork, code with Qoder (15 sec)
4. Closing line (5 sec)

Keep it natural and conversational, not salesy.
Checkpoint: You have your pitch deck and presentation script ready for the demo session.

Demo Time

You'll have 2 minutes to present to the group:

  1. Briefly introduce your guide theme and why you picked it
  2. Show the live app in your browser — scroll through, click a few cards, use the filters
  3. Share one favorite spot from your research
  4. Explain your process (research → code → present, all with AI)

What You Built Today

DeliverableTool UsedSkill Learned
Curated research + structured dataQoderWorkAI-powered web research & data structuring
Interactive city guide web appQoderVibe Coding (natural language → working code)
Presentation slide deckQoderWorkAI-generated presentations

Key Takeaways

  • QoderWork handles research, writing, and document creation — from web search to structured output, all through conversation.
  • Qoder turns your descriptions into real, running code — you direct, it builds.
  • Vibe Coding means you focus on the creative decisions (what to include, how it should look and feel) while AI handles the implementation.
  • You shipped a complete project in 3 hours without writing a single line of code manually.

Next Steps

Keep building after the workshop:

  • Expand your guide — ask Qoder to add more spots, a real map integration (Google Maps / Mapbox), or a dark/light mode toggle
  • Deploy it — ask Qoder to help you publish to Vercel or Netlify so you can share the link with friends
  • Make it yours — try a different city, a different theme, or turn it into a full travel blog
  • Join the community — connect with other builders at AI Builders
  • Use QoderWork daily — research, documents, spreadsheets, slide decks — it's your productivity co-pilot
Resources:

Appendix: Prompt Cheat Sheet

A quick reference of all the key prompts used in this workshop.

QoderWork — Research Phase

text
Find me 6-8 real places for [theme]. Include: name (JP + EN),
description, address, price range, best time, insider tip.
text
Write an intro paragraph, suggest a walking route,
give 3 pro tips, and suggest filter tags.
text
Format everything as structured JSON and save as a file.

Qoder — Build Phase

text
Build a React city guide: hero, filter bar, card grid,
detail view, pro tips section. Use Tailwind. Modern editorial feel.
text
Refine: dark theme, hover animations, Japanese font stack,
fade-in animations, magazine-quality design.
text
Add interactivity: animated filtering, walking route display,
copy-address buttons, responsive layout.

QoderWork — Present Phase

text
Create a 5-slide pitch deck: title, concept, highlights,
build process, try-it-yourself. Save as .pptx.
text
Write a 60-second demo script: theme intro, app walkthrough,
build process, closing.

Built with AI Builders x Qoder. Let's build the future of AI — together.