01

Day 01

Shibuya, Harajuku & Shinjuku

Youthful west-side Tokyo: a forest shrine, fashion streets, the famous scramble, and neon nightlife.

1. Morning

   Meiji Shrine

   Start beneath the towering wooden torii of Meiji Shrine, where a forest of donated trees muffles the city within a few steps. Arrive near opening for the most peaceful walk along the gravel approach, and look for the wall of sake barrels near the entrance.

2. Late Morning

   Takeshita Street

   Cross into Harajuku and dive down Takeshita Street, a narrow lane of candy-colored boutiques, secondhand shops, and towering crepes. It is the beating heart of Tokyo youth fashion and prime people-watching.

3. Lunch

   Ichiran

   Walk or ride one stop to Shibuya for lunch at Ichiran, the solo-booth tonkotsu specialist where you customize a rich pork bowl on a paper order sheet. It is quick, satisfying, and famously first-timer friendly.

4. Afternoon

   Shibuya Crossing

   Step out to Shibuya Crossing, the scramble where thousands surge across at once beneath giant screens. Wade through with the crowd, then explore the shops, arcades, and lanes of Center Gai just beyond.

5. Evening

   Shibuya Sky

   Ride up to Shibuya Sky, the open-air rooftop above Shibuya Scramble Square, timed for sunset. Reserve in advance, since the golden-hour slots looking west over the city are the first to sell out.

6. Dinner

   Golden Gai

   Head to Shinjuku for dinner and drinks in Golden Gai, a warren of tiny, characterful bars packed along atmospheric alleys. Squeeze into one that catches your eye for a quintessential Tokyo night out.

02

Day 02

Asakusa, Skytree & Ueno

Old downtown Tokyo, from the city's oldest temple to its tallest tower and a museum-filled park.

1. Morning

   Tokyo Skytree

   Begin in the eastern wards at Tokyo Skytree, riding to the observation decks for a sweeping panorama across the low-rise old town; on clear mornings Mount Fuji floats on the horizon. Book a timed ticket to skip the longest lines.

2. Late Morning

   Senso-ji

   Walk back across the Sumida River toward Senso-ji, Tokyo's oldest temple. Enter through the great Kaminarimon gate and its giant red lantern, then browse the Nakamise stalls selling rice crackers, fans, and sweet bean cakes on the approach to the main hall.

3. Lunch

   Nakamise & Asakusa

   Graze on street snacks along Nakamise and the surrounding Asakusa lanes, or sit down for tempura at one of the district's old-Tokyo institutions. This is a neighborhood built for slow, hungry wandering.

4. Afternoon

   Ueno Park

   Take the train a few minutes west to Ueno Park, a leafy cultural hub gathering major museums, temples, and a large pond. Duck into the Tokyo National Museum for centuries of Japanese art under one roof.

5. Late Afternoon

   Ameyoko

   Dive into Ameyoko, the crowded bargain market lining the lanes beneath the Yamanote tracks near Ueno Station. Stalls hawk street food, sweets, dried goods, and cut-price everything in a rush of energy.

6. Dinner

   Ueno

   Stay in Ueno for dinner among its izakaya and casual counters, an easygoing, budget-friendly end to a full day exploring the old east.

03

Day 03

The Imperial Center & Ginza

Palace moats, a red-brick station, market seafood, a bayside garden, and Tokyo's most polished quarter.

1. Morning

   Imperial Palace East Gardens

   Start at the Imperial Palace East Gardens, the publicly open grounds of the former Edo Castle, where massive stone ramparts, moats, and pine-dotted lawns sit at the very center of the city. Climb up to the foundations of the old castle keep.

2. Late Morning

   Tokyo Station

   Walk to Tokyo Station to admire its meticulously restored Marunouchi facade, a stately red-brick landmark of domed wings. Dip underground into Character Street and the sweets arcades for regional snacks and souvenirs.

3. Lunch

   Ginza

   Stroll south into Ginza, Tokyo's refined shopping and dining district, for lunch among its department-store food halls and polished counters. The depachika basements are ideal for an affordable, high-quality bento.

4. Afternoon

   Tsukiji Outer Market

   Head east to the Tsukiji Outer Market, a dense grid of stalls selling seafood, knives, tamagoyaki, and fresh sushi. Graze slowly and watch vendors work with practiced speed even after the wholesale trade moved to Toyosu.

5. Late Afternoon

   Hamarikyu Gardens

   Continue south to Hamarikyu Gardens, a former shogunal estate of tidal ponds and pine framed against the glass towers of Shiodome. Pause for matcha at the teahouse on the water before the light fades.

6. Evening

   Kagari (Ginza)

   Return to Ginza for dinner; queue for a silky bowl of chicken paitan ramen at Kagari, or settle into one of the district's celebrated sushi and tempura counters to end the day in style.

04

Day 04

Odaiba Bay & Digital Art

Waterfront Tokyo: immersive digital art, the fish market, bay promenades, and the Rainbow Bridge.

1. Morning

   teamLab

   Open the day inside teamLab, the immersive digital-art world where projections of light, water, and flowers respond to your every movement through mirrored rooms. Tickets are timed and sell out well ahead, so book early.

2. Late Morning

   Toyosu Market

   Visit the nearby Toyosu Market, the modern successor to Tsukiji's wholesale trade, where viewing galleries look down on the vast tuna auction and trading floors from above without disrupting the work.

3. Lunch

   Toyosu

   Eat an early sushi lunch at one of Toyosu's market restaurants, where the seafood travels only a few steps from the trading floor to your plate. It is some of the freshest fish in the city.

4. Afternoon

   Odaiba Seaside

   Cross to Odaiba, the waterfront entertainment island, and walk the bayside promenade at Odaiba Seaside past the Statue of Liberty replica, with the central skyline stacked across the water.

5. Late Afternoon

   Miraikan

   Duck into the Miraikan science museum for hands-on exhibits on robotics and the future, a favorite for families and an easy indoor break by the bay.

6. Evening

   Rainbow Bridge

   Stay for golden hour as the Rainbow Bridge lights up across Tokyo Bay. Watch the illumination from the Odaiba waterfront, then ride the elevated Yurikamome line back across the span for a moving panorama.

05

Day 05

Tokyo Tower & Roppongi

Minato's landmarks: a shogunal temple beneath the orange tower, hilltop art, and skyline decks.

1. Morning

   Zojo-ji Temple

   Begin at Zojo-ji, the ancestral temple of the Tokugawa shoguns, whose sweeping roofs sit directly beneath Tokyo Tower. Rows of small stone statues in red caps line one side of the tranquil precinct.

2. Late Morning

   Tokyo Tower

   Walk over to Tokyo Tower, the orange-and-white lattice beacon of the postwar city. Ride to the Main Deck for views over the temple district, or simply photograph it rising behind Zojo-ji's gate for the classic old-meets-new frame.

3. Lunch

   Roppongi

   Move north to Roppongi, the international art-and-nightlife district, for lunch. The neighborhood mixes global restaurants with polished Japanese counters a short walk from the museums.

4. Afternoon

   Roppongi Hills Mori Tower

   Ride up to Tokyo City View in the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower, and if it is open, the rare open-air Sky Deck, for a cityscape that lines up Tokyo Tower against the Minato high-rises.

5. Late Afternoon

   Roppongi art triangle

   Explore the Roppongi art triangle, pairing major contemporary art museums that sit a short walk apart. It is one of Tokyo's densest concentrations of world-class galleries.

6. Dinner

   Toritama (Nishiazabu)

   Finish nearby in Nishiazabu with dinner at Toritama, a skewer-focused counter celebrated for grilling nearly every part of the chicken over charcoal with serious, focused craft.

06

Day 06

Yanaka & the Old North

Preserved wooden lanes, a torii-tunnel shrine, and classic strolling gardens away from the crowds.

1. Morning

   Yanaka

   Start in Yanaka, one of the few old neighborhoods to survive the last century intact, a quiet grid of wooden houses, temples, and resident cats. Amble down Yanaka Ginza, the retro shopping street with its famous sunset staircase.

2. Late Morning

   Nezu Shrine

   Walk to Nezu Shrine, a historic sanctuary known for its tunnel of vermilion torii gates and an azalea-covered hillside that erupts in color each spring. It is far quieter than the city's headline shrines.

3. Lunch

   Nezu

   Lunch in the low-key cafes and craft shops around Nezu and Sendagi, a district made for unhurried wandering rather than ticking off sights.

4. Afternoon

   Rikugien

   Head to Rikugien, a classic Edo-era strolling garden of ponds, teahouses, and carefully composed views, especially lovely under the autumn maples and its seasonal evening light-ups.

5. Late Afternoon

   Koishikawa Korakuen

   Continue to Koishikawa Korakuen, one of Tokyo's oldest gardens, where maples, plums, and a Chinese-inspired landscape hide in a green pocket beside the Tokyo Dome complex.

6. Evening

   Kagurazaka

   End the day in Kagurazaka, a refined district of cobbled slopes and hidden restaurants down lantern-lit lanes, for an intimate dinner far from the neon.

07

Day 07

Ghibli, Kichijoji & the West

Animation magic, a lakeside park, bohemian lanes, and a temple of beckoning cats on the west side.

1. Morning

   Ghibli Museum

   Begin in leafy Mitaka at the Ghibli Museum, a whimsical, storybook tribute to the world of Studio Ghibli. Entry is by advance dated ticket only, so plan the day around your entry time.

2. Late Morning

   Inokashira Park

   Wander into the adjoining Inokashira Park, where swan boats drift on the pond and shady paths make a relaxed morning near Kichijoji.

3. Lunch

   Kichijoji

   Explore Kichijoji for lunch, a beloved residential neighborhood of covered shopping arcades, izakaya, and the buzzing Harmonica Yokocho lanes.

4. Afternoon

   Shimokitazawa

   Ride the Keio Inokashira line to Shimokitazawa, a bohemian maze of vintage clothing, record shops, tiny theaters, and third-wave coffee bars best explored slowly on foot.

5. Late Afternoon

   Gotokuji

   Detour to Gotokuji in Setagaya, the temple said to be the birthplace of the beckoning cat, where shelves of white maneki-neko figures pile up beside a three-story pagoda.

6. Evening

   Nonbei Yokocho

   Head back toward central Tokyo for dinner, ending with a nightcap at Nonbei Yokocho, a tiny drinking lane of intimate bars tucked beside Shibuya Station.