Photo: David Kernan / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.05 Days in Tokyo: The Neighborhood-by-Neighborhood Itinerary
Five days to do Tokyo properly: old-town Asakusa, museum-rich Ueno, Harajuku and Shibuya’s youth culture, Shinjuku’s gardens and night alleys, and polished Ginza with Tsukiji’s morning market — with where to stay and eat in each neighborhood. The plan re-plans itself around how you travel: pick a pace, budget and style and it reshuffles.
Pick a style, a budget and a pace — the route and days below re-plan themselves.
15 stops · 10 meals · 3 hotelsThis is the editor’s pick.
5 days, 5 neighborhoods
Each day takes one part of Tokyo, kept close so you walk more than you ride. The map shows the whole route — pick a day to zoom in.
Asakusa
Old Tokyo: Sensō-ji temple, the Nakamise shopping street and shitamachi atmosphere.
Photo: DimiTalen / Wikimedia Commons · CC0
Ueno
Museums and markets: Ueno Park's national museums, the zoo and Ameyoko's bustling stalls.
Photo: Basile Morin / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Shibuya & Harajuku
Youth culture central: the scramble crossing, Meiji Shrine's calm and Harajuku fashion.
Photo: Kakidai / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Shinjuku
Neon and green: skyscraper views, Shinjuku Gyoen gardens and Golden Gai's tiny bars.
Photo: Basile Morin / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ginza & Tsukiji
Polished Tokyo: flagship shopping, Kabukiza theatre and the Tsukiji Outer Market food streets.
Photo: Basile Morin / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Tokyo's oldest temple — arrive at opening to walk through Kaminarimon before the crowds build. The five-storied pagoda and main hall reward an early start.
- It draws about 30 million visitors a year — go at opening.
A local-led walk through Sensō-ji, backstreets and food stops. The fastest way to read old Tokyo.
Tempura institution near Sensō-ji since 1887. The tendon rice bowl is the order.
- Operating since 1887 — expect a line at lunch.
- End the walking tour with tempura at Daikokuya, a minute away.
Legendary melon-pan bakery on the Nakamise approach. Get it warm.
Tokyo's landmark broadcasting tower. The observation decks give you the whole Kanto plain on a clear day — book a timed slot ahead.
Cook-your-own okonomiyaki and monjayaki in a folk-craft house. Dinner as entertainment.
Closer: Asakusa Imahan, 8 min out of your way
Design hotel two minutes from Kaminarimon, with a rooftop terrace overlooking the temple.
A hillside temple with a stage view over the pond. Look for the famous moon pine tree.
- Don't miss the 'moon pine tree'.
Japan's oldest and largest museum: samurai armor, ukiyo-e and ceramics. Give it two unhurried hours.
- Japan's oldest and largest museum — plan a full morning for Ueno's museums.
Worth the trip
Tabelog top-100 soba, three minutes from Ueno Station. Handmade noodles, honest prices.
- A Tabelog top-100 soba shop; expect 1,000–1,999 yen.
Monet and Rodin inside a Le Corbusier building. The architecture is half the visit.
- The building itself was designed by Le Corbusier.
Rooftop grill near Asakusa Station with Skytree views. A good evening splurge.
Stay put: it's ~14 min by taxi to Kiyomizu Kannon-do.
A forest shrine in the middle of the city. The walk under the towering torii gates resets you completely.
Tonkotsu ramen in private booths, open 24 hours. The post-shopping bowl.
- Open 24 hours — a reliable late-night bowl.
The rooftop observatory above Shibuya. Time it for sunset and watch the city light up.
The world's busiest scramble. Cross it once, then watch the choreography from above.
- Described as the world's busiest pedestrian crossing — cross at rush hour for the full effect.
- Cross the scramble, then see it from above at Shibuya Sky.
High-tech conveyor-belt sushi in Shibuya. Fun, fast, cheap.
- Open 11:00–23:00 daily.
Switch bases tonight. 4-star tower, 400m from Shinjuku Station, with skyline views.
- A 4-star tower 400m from Shinjuku Station.
DIY okonomiyaki and monjayaki above Shinjuku Station. Cheap, fun lunch.
- Around 700 yen on Mylord's 8th floor.
Free observation decks in the twin-tower city hall. On clear days you can see Mt Fuji.
Six alleys of 200+ matchbox bars, each seating a handful. The soul of old Shinjuku nightlife.
A guided evening through Omoide Yokocho and Golden Gai's tiny bars. Worth it for the doors a guide opens.
- Let a guide unlock Golden Gai's tiny bars on the evening tour.
Tempura counter since 1923. Lunch sets from about 1,000 yen.
- Founded in 1923; lunch sets run 1,000–1,500 yen.
Stay put: it's a 14-minute walk to the Metropolitan Government Building.
The street-food half of the world's largest fish market: tuna bowls, tamagoyaki, knife shops. Go in the morning.
- It's the world's largest fish market — arrive before 9am for the liveliest stalls.
Sweet rolled-omelette sticks from market stalls. The classic Tsukiji graze.
- Graze the market, then the sweet omelette sticks from the stalls.
An Edo-period strolling garden on the bay. Take tea at the tea house on the pond.
Famous wide-flat himokawa udon. A cult noodle lunch in Ginza.
Tokyo's principal kabuki theater. Single-act tickets make it an easy, affordable cultural stop.
- It's Tokyo's principal kabuki theater — single-act tickets are the low-commitment way in.
Ginza outpost of the 1924 tempura house, on Matsuya's 8th floor.
- The tempura house dates to 1924.
Switch bases tonight. MUJI's minimalist hotel above its flagship store. Calm wood-and-linen rooms.
- The MUJI brand's hotel above its Ginza flagship.
Bases for how you travel
Ranked for first-timer travelers on a comfortable budget. The places this plan sleeps in come first.
The Gate Hotel Kaminarimon
Design hotel two minutes from Kaminarimon, with a rooftop terrace overlooking the temple.
Century Southern Tower Hotel
4-star tower, 400m from Shinjuku Station, with skyline views.
MUJI Hotel Ginza
MUJI's minimalist hotel above its flagship store. Calm wood-and-linen rooms.
Flights to Tokyo
Fly into Narita International Airport (NRT)
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