The best of Tokyo — tap the ones you fancy and your plan builds around them.
Pick the kind of area — we’ll put you in the right neighbourhood.
Type its name and I’ll tell you what area it’s in and how far it is from your picks.
The world's busiest pedestrian crossing — up to 3,000 people surging across from every direction on each light change, under a blaze of giant screens and neon. Dive in, then watch the spectacle from the Starbucks or the Shibuya Sky deck above; the loyal-dog Hachikō statue is the meeting point beside it.
Tokyo's oldest and most revered temple, founded in 645 — approached through the giant red Kaminarimon 'Thunder Gate' and down Nakamise-dōri, a long lane of stalls selling snacks and trinkets. Bustling, incense-wreathed and gloriously atmospheric; go early, or after dark when it's floodlit and calm.
Step through towering wooden torii into the forested calm of Meiji Shrine, Tokyo's grandest — then straight out into the pop-culture riot of Harajuku's Takeshita-dōri, all crêpes, kawaii fashion and teen energy. The city's sacred-and-profane contrast in a single walk; do them back to back.
The wholesale fish market moved on, but the outer market thrives — a warren of stalls and tiny counters serving the freshest sushi, grilled seafood, tamagoyaki and knives to browse. The best food-crawl breakfast in Tokyo; go hungry and early, and eat as you wander.
At 634 metres the tallest tower in the world — glass lifts rocket you up for a jaw-dropping view over the endless city to Mount Fuji on a clear day, best as the sun sets and 30 million lights blink on. Book ahead to skip the queue; the shopping-and-food complex at its base is a destination in itself.
A few ramshackle alleys of over 200 tiny, themed bars, each seating a handful of drinkers — the atmospheric heart of Shinjuku's nightlife, beside the neon chaos of Kabukichō and the yakitori smoke of Omoide Yokochō. Duck into a bar that welcomes visitors; there's nowhere like it for a Tokyo night.
There is no better place on earth to eat it — from a cheap, brilliant conveyor-belt (kaiten) spot to a hushed counter where a master serves an omakase of the day's best fish, piece by piece. Do at least one properly; a Ginza sushi lunch can be a fraction of the dinner price.
Step inside a world of immersive digital art — rooms of falling flowers, mirrored infinity, and water you wade through as koi swim around your legs, all reacting to your presence. Unlike anything else, and endlessly Instagrammed for good reason; book a timed ticket well ahead, as it sells out.
A vast park that is Tokyo's cultural heart — the superb Tokyo National Museum, the science and Western-art museums, a zoo, temples and a lotus pond, all in one green sweep. A brilliant, easy day of culture and calm; and in early April, one of the city's greatest cherry-blossom spots.
The twin-towered city hall in Shinjuku has a free observation deck 202 metres up — a sweeping view over the endless Tokyo sprawl to Mount Fuji on a clear day, with none of the ticket price of the towers. The best-value view in the city; go on a crisp winter afternoon.
Tokyo runs on it — a steaming bowl of rich tonkotsu, soy shōyu or miso ramen, ordered from a ticket machine and slurped elbow-to-elbow at a counter, often for under a thousand yen. Chase the queues, or try a solo booth at a famous chain; the best cheap meal in the city.
Tokyo's most glamorous shopping district — flagship stores, department-store food halls in the basement (the 'depachika'), art galleries and old tea houses, the main avenue closed to cars on weekend afternoons. Window-shop, browse a depachika, and feel the city at its most polished.
One of the few corners of Tokyo to survive the earthquakes and the war — a low-rise maze of wooden houses, temples, craft workshops, cats and the old-fashioned Yanaka Ginza shopping street. A gentle, nostalgic wander through the Tokyo of a century ago; the antidote to Shibuya.
A raucous, old-school open-air market under the train tracks by Ueno — stalls of dried squid, sweets, sneakers, spices and cheap eats, with vendors actually shouting their wares, a rarity in polite Tokyo. Great for cheap street food and a jolt of un-manicured, everyday energy.
The Japanese pub — order round after round of small plates (yakitori skewers, edamame, sashimi, karaage) with cold beer or sake, elbow to elbow with salarymen unwinding. The real, warm heart of eating out in Tokyo; the smoky lantern-lit alleys of Omoide Yokochō are the classic setting.
Prices are relative to Japan, a mid-range country.
Neon hub & nightlife
The centreThe dizzying heart of west Tokyo — the world's busiest station, skyscrapers, giant screens, and the neon-drenched nightlife of Kabukichō and the tiny bars of Golden Gai. The most convenient and exciting base, on top of the transport and never asleep; overwhelming, and thrilling for it.
What’s here
Youth culture & buzz
8 min · 4 kmThe young, fashionable heart of the city — the famous scramble crossing, department stores, and the boutiques and crêpe stalls of Harajuku, with the calm of Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi Park just behind. Buzzing day and night, and the best base for shopping, people-watching and nightlife.
What’s here
Old Tokyo
15 min · 6 kmThe old low-city 'shitamachi' in the northeast — the great Sensō-ji temple, rickshaws, craft shops and traditional eats, with the Skytree soaring across the river. Cheaper, more atmospheric and more traditional than the west; the place to stay for old Tokyo, at the cost of being a little out from the action.
What’s here
Upscale & central
8 min · 4 kmTokyo's most elegant district — flagship stores, department-store food halls, sushi counters and galleries, steps from Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace gardens. Refined, central and pricey, with the old Tsukiji market nearby; the smartest, most convenient base for a first visit.
What’s here
Parks, museums & old lanes
12 min · 5 kmThe cultural northeast — the great park and cluster of national museums at Ueno, the bustling Ameyoko market, and the quiet, low-rise old lanes of Yanaka that survived the war. Calmer, cheaper and more local than the west, well-connected by train; a relaxed, characterful base.
What’s here
Worth knowing: Tokyo is enormous but its brilliant train and metro network makes it easy — get a rechargeable Suica or Pasmo card and you'll glide anywhere. No beach in the city; Tokyo Bay's Odaiba has a man-made one, and real coast is at Kamakura an hour out.
1.5–2 hr away
A mountain hot-spring resort with views of Mount Fuji across Lake Ashi — a loop of cable cars, a pirate boat, volcanic valleys and open-air onsen and art museums. The classic overnight from Tokyo to soak in an onsen and, weather willing, see the great volcano itself.
Train
2 hr away
A UNESCO-listed complex of dazzlingly ornate shrines and temples set among cedar forests and waterfalls in the mountains north of the city — the lavish Toshogu shrine the highlight. A rewarding full day of gilded carving and mountain scenery; go for the autumn colours if you can.
Train
1 hr away
A laid-back seaside town of temples and the giant bronze Great Buddha, an easy hour south — bamboo groves, hydrangea-lined temple steps, a retro tram along the coast and a surf beach. The perfect gentle day trip: history, hills and a lungful of sea air.
Train
30 min away
Japan's second city, right next door — a breezy, modern harbour with the Minato Mirai waterfront, a huge Ferris wheel, the country's biggest Chinatown and a ramen museum. An easy half-day of bayfront strolling and eating, and a change of pace from Tokyo's intensity.
Train
Best time to go
Late March–May and October–November — mild, dry and lovely, with cherry blossom in spring and red maples in autumn.
Cheapest: Winter (December–February, outside New Year) — cold but crisp and sunny, with the fewest crowds and cheapest rooms.
Pick your dates above and we’ll tell you exactly what the weather does then.
August
31° / 24°C
Some rain
MixedTokyo is less a city than a galaxy of them — a sprawl of distinct neighbourhoods, each its own world, stitched together by the most efficient trains on earth. In one day you can pray at an ancient shrine, gawp at a neon crossing where a thousand people cross at once, eat the best meal of your life for pocket change, and drink in a bar that seats six. It is vast, spotless, safe and unfailingly polite, and its food is simply the best in the world. Overwhelming at first, and unforgettable.
First things first
Tap the day you arrive.
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Last updated 4 August 2026. Cities are refreshed, not written once.