KANTO / TOKYO
Tokyo: plan your first visit
Cross the neon-lit scramble, browse a temple shopping street and trade the crowds for a wooded shrine approach. Find the Tokyo you want to explore.
Suggested pace
Three full days for this first-visit plan
Start with
Your arrival station and two priority districts
Getting around
Rail between areas; walking within each area
Showing 1. Asakusa
SELECTED AREA · Allow half a day
Asakusa
2 different views · Swipe, scroll or use the arrow keys.
A giant red lantern, a street of small souvenir shops, then a sweep of open river: Asakusa changes character within a single outing.
Plan the temple approach, visitor-centre stop and riverside walk with our Asakusa and Senso-ji guide.
Begin at Kaminarimon and follow Nakamise toward Senso-ji, browsing fans, masks and traditional sweets along the approach. Continue through to the temple, then explore the surrounding streets.
Continue to the Sumida River for a different scene: red Azumabashi, the gold sculpture across the water and Tokyo Skytree rising beyond. Make the riverbank your breather after the shopping streets. If cooking is your passion, choose nearby Kappabashi instead for kitchen tools and uncannily realistic food models.
Practical notes
Arrival. Use Asakusa Station, but check the railway and exit: the different operators do not share one entrance.
Time and pairing. Allow half a day. Ueno or Akihabara can be a second stop; plan additional time for a substantial museum visit.
At the temple. Respect worshippers and keep the approach clear. Step out of the moving crowd when stopping to eat or take photographs.
Asakusa: temple streets, sweets and small discoveries
SELECTED AREA · Allow half a day
Shibuya
Shibuya is Tokyo at full volume: screens above the crossing, crowds flowing in every direction and shopping streets that keep pulling you onward.
Walk the scramble, then pick the Shibuya that interests you. SHIBUYA109 makes fashion the main event; Shibuya PARCO adds art, design and a manga-and-gaming floor. Choose the floors and shops that interest you, with time to browse.
For a dramatic change of scale, plan a visit to SHIBUYA SKY: the street-level bustle becomes a city-wide panorama. Or stay down among the signs and choose dinner around Shibuya Yokocho, where the restaurants bring together regional Japanese dishes. Build the outing around the shopping, view or dinner that most appeals to you.
Practical notes
Arrival. At Shibuya Station, identify the exit for the crossing before leaving the concourse.
Time and tickets. Allow half a day, with extra time for shopping or a viewpoint visit. Arrange timed attractions around their entry slots.
Pairing. Harajuku makes a useful second western-Tokyo district. Follow our Shibuya and Harajuku walking route. Give Shinjuku its own time for the large station area and surrounding streets.
Shibuya: street life and a changing skyline
SELECTED AREA · Allow half a day
Harajuku & Omotesando
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Harajuku lets you change worlds: expressive little fashion shops on Takeshita Street, the broader elegance of Omotesando and trees around Meiji Jingu.
Browse Takeshita Street for accessories and styles you would not normally try at home. Look for the small discoveries along the way: an unexpected hair clip, a shop display or a snack stop.
Continue toward Omotesando when you want architecture and a more spacious shopping stroll. For a complete change of mood, choose Meiji Jingu instead: the large wooden torii and wooded approach make the shift from city to shrine tangible. Leave time to enjoy the contrast between the shopping streets and the wooded shrine approach.
Practical notes
Arrival. Harajuku Station and Meiji-jingumae are useful arrival points. Choose the exit for the part of the area you want to visit first.
Time and pairing. Allow half a day, longer for a substantial shrine visit. Shibuya is a useful pairing for a western-Tokyo day.
On the shopping streets. Keep narrow entrances clear, follow individual shops’ photography rules and leave large luggage at your accommodation or suitable storage.
Harajuku: shrine paths, street style and snacks
SELECTED AREA · Allow two to four hours
Akihabara
3 different views · Swipe, scroll or use the arrow keys.
Akihabara is more rewarding when you step inside. Behind the bright signs are floors of character goods, specialist electronics and games you can actually play.
Start with an obsession: Radio Kaikan for anime and character goods, or Radio Centre for electronic and amateur-radio equipment. Read the floor directories; a collection that catches your eye may be upstairs rather than behind the first window.
Break up the browsing with a game at Tokyo Leisure Land or a capsule-toy hunt at Akihabara Gachapon Hall. Choose an interest to follow through the district, whether it is character goods, electronics or a game you would like to try.
For a different kind of pop-culture experience, try a maid cafe. At at-home cafe, the fun includes playful greetings, ketchup drawings on omurice and optional souvenir photos with a maid. The activities make this an interactive themed-cafe visit.
Practical notes
Arrival and time. Start from Akihabara Station. Allow two to four hours, or an afternoon for extensive shopping.
Before buying electronics. Check voltage, plug type, language settings and warranty coverage for use in your home country.
Inside shops. Ask before photographing specialist displays. Leave time to take purchases back to your accommodation.
Maid-cafe etiquette. Follow the venue’s photography rules: do not photograph staff without permission, and use its offered souvenir-photo service if you want a picture together. Respect personal space and avoid personal questions. Check the admission-and-order system before sitting down.
Akihabara: electronics, retro games and themed cafés
SELECTED AREA · Allow half a day or longer
Ueno
2 different views · Swipe, scroll or use the arrow keys.
Ueno has two very different tempos: museum galleries and broad park walks, then the crowded food-and-shopping lanes of Ameyoko.
Make one museum the centre of your visit. At Tokyo National Museum, Japanese art and antiquities—from woodblock prints to ceramics and swords—give the outing a clear focus. Prefer European painting? Choose the National Museum of Western Art instead, with time in the park on either side.
Walk toward Shinobazu Pond for a waterside pause, then change gears at Ameyoko toward Okachimachi. Food stalls, specialist shops and market sellers replace the museum hush. Stop for a meal or browse the spices and snacks; this contrast is the reason to linger here.
Practical notes
Time and tickets. Allow half a day or longer. A substantial museum visit can fill the time otherwise given to a second district; check its opening days and ticket arrangements before setting the order of your stops.
Arrival and base. Use Ueno as the arrival area, but verify the specific station and exit on the route to your hotel or first stop.
Departure day. Keep plans nearby and allow time to collect luggage before an onward train.
Look around Ueno Park in 360°
SELECTED AREA · Allow two to four hours
Tokyo Station & Marunouchi
Tokyo Station’s red-brick frontage stands against glass towers, while its shopping passages invite a food-and-souvenir outing before or after a train journey.
Start on the Marunouchi side for the full station façade, then explore the nearby KITTE and Marunouchi buildings. For a slower walk, head into tree-lined Marunouchi Naka-dori: architecture, shop windows and a cafe stop make an appealing counterpoint to the concourse.
On the Yaesu side, Tokyo Character Street brings together character-goods shops in First Avenue Tokyo Station. Food lovers can make Tokyo Ramen Street their destination instead, or choose an ekiben—a regional station lunchbox—for an onward train. Pick one focus and enjoy it before returning to your platform.
Practical notes
Which side? Marunouchi is the red-brick western side; Yaesu is the opposite, eastern side. Confirm your meeting point and luggage location before leaving the concourse.
Time and gates. Allow two to four hours. Some station shopping is inside railway gates and some outside; check the location before choosing a shop or meeting place.
Before an onward train. Allow for the journey back from your last stop and the walk to the correct railway gates.
Tokyo Station: rooftop views, character shops and food
The visit lengths above are suggestions. Combine two nearby areas for a full day, or give a substantial museum, temple or shopping visit the extra time.
Where the areas fit
Tokyo street map
The street map loads when it comes into view.
Open the larger map or use the place links below.
- Sensoji Temple · Google Maps
- Shibuya · Google Maps
- Meiji-jingu Shrine · Google Maps
- Akihabara · Google Maps
- Ueno Park (Tokyo) · Google Maps
- Tokyo Station · Google Maps
- Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden · Google Maps
- Tsukiji · Google Maps
- Odaiba Seaside Park · Google Maps
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Larger map · Map privacy · Map terms.
Tokyo in one minute: a citywide overview
Plan your city stay: bases, transport and meals
Choose a base for your actual journeys
Tokyo’s districts are spread across the city. Choose a hotel around your arrival route, onward train and two or three places you most want to visit. Check the actual walking route from the relevant station exit to the property.
Tokyo Station suits a trip built around intercity rail and the Marunouchi side of the city. Shinjuku offers extensive rail connections, shopping and evening dining, but its station exits spread across a large area. Ueno puts museums and Ameyoko nearby; Shibuya suits a western-Tokyo day focused on shopping and contemporary culture. Choose the station area whose connections and nearby streets suit your trip.
Make transport and meals work for you
JR, Tokyo Metro, Toei and private railways are different networks. Check the operator, line, destination and exit for your route, and which services your pass covers. Save your hotel address and nearest useful exit. For a walking day, check your hotel’s storage options or allow time to find an available locker for large bags.
A sit-down meal in the district you are exploring keeps dinner close to the day’s sights. For ordering, payment and dietary questions, use our dining guide. Before an evening out, check the final practical connection back to your base.
Where next?
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More places worth building a trip around
These places offer more of Tokyo’s gardens, food districts and waterfront. Choose one that adds a different setting to your trip.
Shinjuku: garden space against the skyline
Shinjuku offers a different western-Tokyo day from Shibuya’s fashion streets. At Shinjuku Gyoen, Japanese-style garden scenes, broad lawns and formal planting sit against the surrounding skyline. Follow the garden with time in the district’s shopping or dining streets. Check garden admission, opening days and hours before planning the visit.
Tsukiji, Ginza and Hama-rikyu: choose your contrast
Start with food browsing around Tsukiji, then choose Ginza’s shops and architecture or the quieter landscape of Hama-rikyu Gardens. The garden’s tidal ponds, seasonal planting and tea-house setting give it a character of its own. Allow time to explore whichever of these contrasting settings most interests you.
Odaiba: Tokyo from the waterfront
Odaiba opens out the city: waterfront walks frame Rainbow Bridge and the skyline across the bay. Pair the open-air view with an indoor visit, such as the science and technology exhibitions at Miraikan. The Yurikamome or Rinkai line brings you to this separate bay-area outing. Enjoy the beach as a waterfront setting; swimming is not permitted.
Places, experiences and practical ways to get there.