It’s huge, it can jangle your nerves and it tends to be expensive, but for an experience that feeds all of your senses and leaves you wanting more, go to Tokyo and go now, before the construction insanity gets even worse as the city ramps up to host the 2020 Olympics.
It is not an “easy” destination….that’s not to scare you off, but so you’ll know that standing around feeling like a complete idiot (and usually a lost idiot who can’t determine north from south) is TOTALLY normal for a visitor to Tokyo. The good news is that the transportation system is superb and you can get anywhere you need to go via prompt, clean trains and buses. You’ll never be thirsty, either, thanks to those well-stocked drink vending machines on every corner.
Here is what I recommend for a first-timer’s trip:
1) The Asakusa neighborhood and a stroll up Nakamise Dori to the Sens?-ji (Kannon) Temple. Some sections of Tokyo feel “glass-and-brass” generic to me, but Asakusa (pronounced a-SAK-sa) is still human-scaled and very Japanese. Ogle the giant Kaminarimon “Thunder Gate” red lantern at the entrance, then wander in and out of the little souvenir shops that line Nakamise Dori (street.) Don’t be alarmed at the proprietors shouting “Irrasemase!!” when you walk in; they are just saying “Welcome.”
Step up to the cauldron in front of the temple….the smoke is supposed to help cure what ails you, so waft some towards your face (to make you pretty) and rub the smoke on your head (to make you smart.) It hasn’t worked yet for me, but I’m ever the optimist.
Close by the temple is Kappabashi Dori, THE place to buy cool plastic restaurant window display food if you’re into that (you are, aren’t you?)
2) Sumida River boat ride to Odaiba. After your time in Asakusa, walk over to the Sumida River by the Azuma Bridge to pick up a Suijo-Bus boat; the swoopy silver futuristic-looking craft will take you for a ride down the Sumida to the riverfront entertainment and shopping complex at Odaiba, which is quite a contrast to Asakusa.
There are restaurants, video arcades like none you’ve ever seen, tons of shopping, lots of manga-related places and every Gundam reference you can imagine.
By the time you’re ready to leave Odaiba it’s probably night, so for some great views hop on the Yurikamome unmanned train. It will take you from Odaiba across the Sumida under a dazzlingly bright Rainbow Bridge, ending with some Blade Runner-ish scenery as you are deposited at the Shiodome subway station.
3) Shibuya. If you’ve seen photos or video of an insanely busy intersection with mobbed crosswalks packed with surging pedestrians, you’ve probably seen Shibuya. It’s a madhouse and it never gets old to watch it.
The buildings around the intersection have restaurants, manga-kissa, coffee shops and stores on every floor going way up, so for the best elevated photos and views go into one of them and see if you can squeeze into a window seat. Afterwards, take our Brain Spencer’s recommendation and enjoy some stand-up sushi nearby.
4) Edo-Tokyo Museum. Want to know what it was like in sh*tamachi (old) Tokyo, centuries ago? Go to this museum, built to resemble an elevated kurazukuri warehouse of the Edo period.
Magnificent displays, tons of interesting details; it took me a lot longer to absorb it than I’d expected. There is a nearby open-air Japanese architecture branch of the museum as well.
5) Experience both a Japanese department store food court and a meal under the train tracks. The major swank stores have extraordinary basement food courts called depachika with Whole Foods-worthy displays of produce, meats, breads and sweets, so stop into one of them: Mitsukoshi, Isetan, Daimaru, Takashimaya and Matsuya are five of the best-known.
For a more downscale but still yummy meal, head for Yakitori Alley where enterprising food stalls sell every kind of food-on-a-stick, plus plenty of beer and atmosphere under the same tracks that carry the elegant Shinkansen bullet trains.
6) Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli. You can visit the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo’s western suburb of Mitaka to see a spectacular facility dedicated to the wonderful art of Miyazaki’s hand-drawn animation.
Opened in 2001, it gives you a peek into the mind of the reclusive Academy Award-winning artist.
Miyazaki calls it “the kind of museum I want to make….a building put together as if it were a film.”
In addition to the imaginative, playful storybook architecture of the building itself, there’s a theater with Museum-exclusive short Miyazaki films (in Japanese but I assure you, it doesn’t matter,) exhibits and displays about art and animation, the Straw Hat café, a toddler playroom with a giant plush Catbus to jump on, and the “Mamma Aiuto” gift shop that requires sumo training to handle the large, polite, but persistent crowds.
Admission is by dated, timed tickets, so if you’re in Japan, order them at any Lawson’s (a Japanese convenience store similar to 7-Eleven.) You can also purchase them from travel agents; this page on the Ghibli site explains ticket purchasing.
7) Yokohama’s Raumen (Ramen) Museum. Escape to seaside Yokohama, an easy 30- to 40-minute train ride south of Tokyo. There’s the nice walkable Minato Mirai waterfront with its Cosmoworld amusement park, and shopping in Landmark Tower or (to me, at least) the more interesting Akarenga Red Brick Warehouse. Yokohama also has the largest Chinatown in Japan.
Best of all, though, is the Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum.
Once you pay a small fee to enter, you are transported back to 1958 Tokyo (the year the first instant ramen was invented) right down to the advertising signs, street performers, little toy and sweet shops and nine different actual ramen restaurants, each serving different styles of the warm, brothy noodle bowl, at very reasonable prices.
Some of the museum street performers tell Japanese adventure tales to children using special painted story-boards. Watch their technique of building up to an exciting point in the story and then quickly showing a new picture: this is one of the cultural foundations of today’s anime styles.
The gift shop has noodle-related knick-knacks including Naruto, who is a very popular manga character; his name comes from the traditional small decorative egg item with a swirl that is placed on top of bowls of ramen.
8) Meiji-jingu Shrine and Harajuku including Takesh*ta Dori. This Shinto shrine is very different from the Buddhist temple in Asakusa – less frenetic, very calming – partly because its lovely green wooded setting next to Yoyogi Koen Park makes you forget that you’re in one of the most crowded cities in the world.
Running into the hordes of kids and costumed cosplay people in the nearby hip Harajuku neighborhood is a delicious contrast to the decorum of the shrine.
What did I miss and what would you recommend for a first visit to Tokyo? The comments are open!
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Great list! There is so much to do in Tokyo!
If you are looking for a good view of the whole city I’d recommend the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku. It’s free and the views are (in my opinion) better than the Skytree and Tokyo Tower. They have an observation deck on the 45th floor that is unbelievable.
Thanks for the suggestion, Adam. I did go up into the Metropolitan Government building and you’re right; it’s quite a view. Couldn’t see Mt Fuji that day, though. 🙁
Great list, Sheila… did you by chance find your way into any of Tokyo’s Don Quijote stores: https://perceptivetravel.com/blog/2010/04/23/don-quijote-stores-in-japan/?
One of my favorite late-night shopping experiences in the city.
Such great photos, Sheila! I’ve never managed to get out of Narita, but it’s definitely on my list.
Great post on Tokyo. The first time I laid over in Tokyo for 2 days we stayed in Asakusa. First thing we did was visit the Sensoji temple. 🙂
Thanks, Brian, I missed that!
Alison, we’ve gotta get you out of the airport…. 🙂
Thanks, Lina, glad it brought back good memories.
One must visit Tsukiji market before it moves out of central Tokyo soon.
And I have to agree with Brian, I recommend Don Quijote too for great bargain shopping. 🙂
I will definitely have to get over to the ramen museum! Thank you 😀
Fun list for a quirky town. I would also head over to bar hop in Golden Gai. There are over 200 tiny little bars to choose from!
Thanks for the comments, Tiffy, Chanel and Annette!
That’s super interesting! I’ve been in Japan for the first time last year and I cannot wait for my next trip. I actually just post an guide for 48h in Tokyo. Here it is: http://www.milesofhappiness.com/blog/48h-in-tokyo It’s a wonderful country!!
Great post on the first trip to Tokyo! In fact, the Asakusa – Odaiba route is what I always recommend to all my friends! You can see traditional Japan, and then hop on the futuristic boat and move over to Gundam-land! Did you know that one of the boats, Hotaluna, is actually designed by a famous sci-fi manga (comic) author in Japan?
You also need to include Ameyoko-cho in the list. It’s a market / shopping street near Ueno station and there is all kinds of knick-knacks, local food & fruits & snacks etc there! Always bustling with people, great place to soak up the vibe!
And, the next time you visit Japan, do check out our website en.trippiece.com. We are a social travel site for people wanting to see more of the authentic, local and off-the-grid Japan! 🙂 Great way to experience the real Japan!
What a great list, I went over to Shimokitazawa a locals version of Harajuku where it is literally a small town of vintage shops & eateries. I made a vid of my visit & wondered if anyone can name all the places? 🙂 https://youtu.be/VtrtzU-3NMM
What do you think?
Thanks for the feedback and ideas Marie, Shu, and Rebecca!
Hey Sheila, thanks for the great list. At least now I am sure that I have planned my trip to Tokyo in a proper way. This is my first trip to Tokyo and I am searching for the places I must visit along with my kids. I think going to Edo Tokyo and Ghibli Museum will be a good experience for them. I plan to follow an itinerary http://www.triphobo.com/tokyo-itinerary-544211a4e70545464200023e which is for 3 days. Hope we are going to have nice family entertainer in Tokyo. 🙂
Great – enjoy yourself!
Fiona Graham is the only foreigner in 400 years to be accepted into the ranks of the geisha… get a look: http://www.sayuki.net
Hello there, plenty of good things to do in Tokyo listed in this article. However, I think that a sumo tournament is a must if you are travelling in Tokyo in September. Go to Ryogoku area to buy a ticket, I think you will remember this experience during a long time! Enjoy travelling in Japan guys!
Awsome! Nice article 😉 I think that Olympic Games in Tokyo will be amazing with lots of surprises 😉
Hi Sheila, thank you for the tips. If I visit Japan, I really want to go to Sens?-ji Temple. I’m trying to be more pretty and smarter. 😀
Hope it works for you, Lan. 🙂