Guide for Spending 4 Days in Tokyo

Being the most populated city in the world, there is no surprise that there is so much Tokyo has to offer. Broken into 23 wards, Tokyo is a city that mixes modern with traditional. You’ll find neon-lit skyscrapers, next to historic temples, large public gardens, countless museums, restaurants, and things to do. The

city alone is probably one of the only capitals I’ve visited, in my 30+ countries I’ve traveled to, where I truly feel that you could spend weeks there and still only scratch the surface. Four days is definitely not enough time to really get to know Tokyo, but not everyone (including myself) has limitless vacation days to spend as long as you’d need in Japan’s vibrant capital. This four day itinerary is jam packed, and it definitely gives you a good overview of the some of what the city has to offer. However, this itinerary is the tourist route. If you want to get off the beaten path, just take a subway to any neighbourhood and allow yourself the day to just get lost weaving through the streets, exploring the shops, and eating and drinking all the food.

Where to Stay

Everyone will tell you different areas when you ask about the most popular places to stay and with Tokyo being so well connected, there isn’t really a bad option. However, there are more convenient options. The key areas for your first time in Tokyo are either Asakusa, Ginza, Shibuya or Shinjuku.

On our trip, we had two days in Tokyo at the beginning of our trip and two days at the end. So what we did was stayed in Asakusa at the start (at a APA Hotel), this was a great intro to the city because it’s a little bit chiller than Shibuya or Shinjuku. Then at the end of our trip we stayed in Shinjuku (at Onsen Ryokan Yuen Shinjuku). These were great bases for what we wanted to do in Tokyo.

The most important thing is that you book a hotel near a main train station. The Yamanote Line is the line that connects you with the most central spots, but staying on the Ginza Line or other lines that cross with the Yamanote Line is also fine.

How to Get Around

I’ve divided this itinerary into key areas and wards. The wards aren’t overly important when getting around Tokyo, but what is important is mapping out your route. Tokyo is spread-out. Although it is widely covered by public transportation, you’ll be wasting time if you are bouncing from one end of the city to the other throughout the day.

How I planned my days was by pinning all the things I wanted to do on a Google Map and then sectioning it out by what makes sense to do together. When you leave your hotel in the morning, just plan to be out all day, because depending on where you’re staying, you’ll cover a lot of ground and bouncing back and forth to your hotel isn’t as quick as in smaller cities.

What I recommend is that you add the Suica card (Japan’s public transit payment system) onto your Apple Wallet. It is incredibly easy to do, and easy to reload throughout your trip. If you don’t have an iPhone you can buy a physical Suica card in advance online to collect at Haneda Airport or at JR Stations. There are machines to reload your card outside any ticket gate in transit stations.

In our two weeks in Japan, we only took one taxi. The public transit system is so efficient, and it truly is the easiest, and cheapest way to get around. Make sure you download Google Maps in advance, and hit your directions to transit and it’ll tell you all the details you need to navigate transit. Even what platform to be on!

Before we get into my ideal itinerary for Tokyo, keep in mind these can be done in any order based off where you’re staying.

Day One: Northeast Tokyo

To start your day you’re going to explore the more traditional side of Tokyo that sits northeast of central Tokyo. More specifically, you’ll be covering mostly the Taito Ward and ending in Akhibara in the Chiyoda Ward.

Start your morning off in Asakusa, or wherever in this day is closest to where you’re staying. I recommend mapping out your route based on either the closest or furthest stop on this day one itinerary and work your way in one direction.

Asakusa

Asakusa is a super cool area of the city. It still retains the more traditional, older vibe in the city. It’s lined with street-food stalls, cute shops, and the most popular spot on most tourists itinerary, Sensō-ji Temple. In fact, many people come here for the temple and leave, which is a real shame as they miss all the magic of this neighbourhood. In this area, here are some things I recommend you add to your list:

• Sensō-ji Temple: Open 6am daily, this temple is a Buddhist temple that is Tokyo’s oldest. This temple is one of the most widely visited religious sites in the world and for good reason because the temple complex is grand and stunning. What I’d recommend is to go EARLY to beat the crowds. Even though the shops and stands leading up to the temple on Nakamise Dori Street will be closed (most open around 9:30am-10am), go early to at least visit the temple and you can always come back here for the shops.
• Hoppy Street: Hoppy Street (or Hoppy Dori) is one of the areas most famous streets for eating and drinking. At night the street comes alive with old taverns and izakaya’s that spill out onto the street. If you are starting your day in Asakusa, this is a great place to return to at the end of your day for dinner.
• Tanuki Street: This is a fun little street that is lined with silver racoons that bring luck. Each racoon is said to give you luck for different areas of your life (career, school, love, etc.) when you rub their bellies. The street is also lined with shops and places to eat.
• Sumida Park: I didn’t make it to Sumida Park when I was visiting because we prioritized some other stops, but this park can be a great spot to take in the beautiful cherry blossoms during spring.

Tip: Try Asakusa Kagetsudō Melon Pan for the most delicious, fresh melon pan near Sensō-ji Temple.

Kappabashi Kitchen Street

Next up you’ll walk through Kappabashi Kitchen Street on your way towards Ueno. This street is a shopping street between Asakusa and Ueno and is lined with stores selling everything needed by restaurant operators (with the exception of food). Now you may be wondering why on earth you need to go here if you don’t own a restaurant, but it’s a GREAT spot for buying pottery, chopsticks, chopstick holders, matcha bowls, etc. for reasonable prices.

Ueno

Once you leave Kappabashi Kitchen Street, you’ll continue heading to Ueno. Ueno is home to a giant park, numerous museums, and of course, a great food scene. If you are visiting during cherry blossom season, or you just want to enjoy some of the beautiful green space or museums on the grounds, Ueno Park is a great place to head. You can find the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum for Western Art, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and the National Science Museum all within the park.

An 8-minute walk from the park is Ameya Yokocho Shopping Street. This street is packed with shops and restaurants and is a great spot if you’re ready for some food.

Akihabara or Yanaka

About a 15-minute walk from the shopping street in the Ueno area, you’ll find Akihabara, the centre of anime and manga. Even if you aren’t into these things, it is worth a stop on your itinerary. This area is BUSY and lined with all sorts of stores, arcades, and gachapan machines. Some of the popular ones are Super Potato, Gigo (multiple locations), and Hey.

Alternatively, you can go a bit off-the-beaten-path to Yanaka, a neighbourhood that is only about a 15-minute walk from Ueno Park. It still has an old town atmosphere which many areas of Tokyo lacks. Yanaka Ginza is a shopping street full of shops and stores. Observe the locals that live in this area, and the enjoy the slower paced vibe this neighbourhood offers. Some places to enjoy in this area:

• Okanoeisen (a confectionary shop open since the 1900’s)
• Nombiriya (a café in a traditional Japanese house)
• Samenoha Bookstore (rare bookstore through a bamboo garden)
• Echigoya Honten (sake bar open since 1904)

If you’re looking for recommendations on where to eat, I have a lot of restaurants pinned on this Google Map that you can use no matter what neighbourhood you find yourself hungry in.

Day Two: Central Tokyo

After covering a lot on day one, day two will be spent in central Tokyo, covering Koto Ward (Toyosu Fish Market), Chuo Ward (Tsukiji Outer Market & Ginza), and Chiyoda Ward (Imperial Palace). Now I’m going to preface this days itinerary with saying that it is JAMPACKED. If you want to spend more time in each of these areas, I would pick and choose what’s a priority for you. For example, on our day two in Tokyo we did not make it to the Imperial Palace before it closed. We also probably could have spent a lot more time shopping around Ginza then we did. Make this itinerary your own and just use this as a base!

Toyosu Fish Market

I started day two off by starting the furthest away from where we were staying in Asakusa. We transited down to Toyosu Fish Market bright and early. Since a lot of things don’t open in Japan until 9:30am-10:30am, we started where we knew things would be open.

The Toyosu Fish Market opens at 5am daily (except on Sunday and Wednesday when it is closed). The market is very spread out into key areas (Fish Intermediate Wholesale Market, Fish Wholesale Market, Fruit & Vegetable Market). For me, I’d skip the fruit and vegetable market as it wasn’t that interesting. The Fish Wholesale Market is home to the famous tuna auction. Viewing to this is done by a lottery system and it’s important to note that the train doesn’t start until after it’s happening so if you go, you’ll need to find an alternate way there.

We skipped the tuna auction and just went to enjoy some food! There are several sushi shops open early in the Fish Wholesale Market building, as well as a full restaurant area in the Intermediate Wholesale Market. We found the some of the shops in the Intermediate Market didn’t open until closer to 9:30am. We ate at Tsukiji Kagura Sushi Toyosu Uogashi and it was SO good! Make sure you try the fatty tuna that comes fresh from the morning tuna market. I know it may sound weird to have tuna for breakfast, but you’ll regret not trying it once you’re there.

Tsukiji Outer Market

Next head to Tsukiji Outer Market. This market gets busy and if you have more days than I had in Tokyo, I’d recommend doing the Toyosu Market one early morning, and Tsukiji Market another early morning. However, if you’re like me, heading there right after the Toyosu Market made the most sense.

This market is a loaded with markets, restaurants, and everything in between. It is a great place to try street food but I will caveat that all the street food here you can find elsewhere, so don’t feel like you need to wait in any long lines to try something.

We tried strawberry daifuku, local sake, matcha from Matcha Stand, and mostly we just enjoyed walking around and admiring all the interesting foods, and chaos. Personally, because of the crowds, I couldn’t stay here too long but if it was less busy there are lots of places to eat and see.

Optional: Imperial Palace

If the Imperial Palace is high on your list, then I’d recommend you do it before Ginza because they have pretty short hours. The outer grounds and gardens are open to the public but to visit inside you’ll need to apply or join a tour.

Ginza

Once you are full, you’ll head up to Ginza, the luxury shopping district that is located a 15-minute walk from Tsukiji Outer Market. Ginza is one of the city’s top shopping districts and it’s packed with luxury shops, and restaurants, alongside every other store you can possibly imagine. Walk down the pedestrian promenade and soak in the street lined with towering skyscrapers.

I personally didn’t think I’d spend that much time here because I wasn’t interested in shopping that much, and definitely wasn’t interested in luxury shopping. However, I actually could’ve probably spent more time here than we did just perusing some of the stores. We stopped in Ginza Tsutaya Books, Ginza Itoya (a massive stationary store), Loft (my personal favourite department store filled with Japanese-made goods and souvenirs), and M Whisky (a great spot if you’re interested in tasting Japanese whisky). There is also an Ippodo Tea Shop if you’re looking to purchase matcha while in Japan.

For a late lunch we went to Ginza Lion Beer Hall, Japan’s oldest beer hall which has such a fun atmosphere of locals and tourists all enjoying a wide selection of beers. Beforehand we tried to go to Ginza Sand, which is a viral sandwich shop but the wait time was about 40-minutes and at this point I was HUNGRY so didn’t want to wait!

There is also a lot of great cocktail bars in the Ginza area, so if you’re here into the evening it’s worth exploring some of them. Bar Kage, Bar Apollo and Japanese Malt Whisky SAKURA all come highly recommended.

Day Three: Shinjuku (Optional: Shimokitazawa & Kichijoji)

Day three you’ll likely want to spend a good chunk of your day in Shinjuku but depending on your interests, you could head to Shimokitazawa in the morning first, or Kichijoji. Both these neighbourhoods are about a 30ish minute train ride from Shinjuku and offer a little more of a chill atmosphere. If they don’t fit into this day, you could also add them to day four depending on how much you want to do in Shinjuku and Shibuya.

Shimokitazawa

Shimokitazawa is a hip quarter with a bit of an old-Tokyo vibe. It is the hub for vintage shopping, trendy cafes, bars, and restaurants. It’s also home to the famous “cat temple”, Gōtokuji Temple and a great live music scene. If you are looking for a full guide, Yokogao Magazine has a great one. If you are looking for a way to spend a morning or day in a chiller neighbourhood, Shimokitazawa is a great option. You can also spend the majority of your day here and then hit Shinjuku for the night life and evening.

Kichijoji

Kichijoji is another alternative for a chiller morning or day. It’s home to Inokashira Park, where you can enjoy the cherry blossoms in bloom in the spring, and rent a boat to go around the pond to view them. If you’re lucky enough to get tickets, this is where Ghibli Museum is located. Harmonica Yokocho is a hip alleyway of shops, restaurants, and bars, and overall, this can be a great neighbourhood to spend your morning or day (then end with Shinjuku for the night).

Shinjuku

No matter how you start your day, you want to make sure you make time for Shinjuku. Shinjuku is full of bars, clubs, neon-lit signs and businesses stacked one on top of another. It feels like Time Square but on steroids. Some must-do things in this area are:

• Godzilla and 3D Billboards: It’s hard to miss these if you’re in Shinjuku, and they’re so fun to watch. Godzilla lights up, roars and blows smoke on the hour between 12pm-8pm. The cat 3D billboard appears throughout the day between ads and has different modes throughout the day.
• Omoide Yokocho (aka Piss Alley): A busy, famous street lined with restaurants and night light. We had a guide that said you should never eat here unless you want food poisoning but it’s fun to walk down and have a drink at one of the bars to enjoy the chaos.
• Metropolitan City Building: This building has a free observation deck and can be a great, free alternative to the famous Shibuya Sky. We opted for Shibuya Sky and honestly, we wished we just did this free one because it was a rainy day and we saw nothing!
• Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden: You can find some late blooming varieties of cherry blossoms here and overall it’s just a nice escape from the busy city.
• Kabukicho: Tokyo’s red light district. This area isn’t like what you’d find in Amsterdam, with naked girls throwing themselves at you through the window displays, in fact, you may not even realize you’re in the red light district until you look closely at the signs and businesses around here.
• Golden Gai: This is such a fun little nook in Shinjuku that is lined with tiny little bars. Each bar can only fit around 5-8 people and there is just a fun vibe here for a night out.
• Join a Food Tour: If you want to try the food scene in Shinjuku with some help from a local, Ninja Food Tours has a variety of foods tours and experiences. We did the Shinjuku Izakaya Tour and we had a fantastic group of people with us, and an informed guide to take us to some unique restaurants that only the locals known about.

Tip: If you like whisky and want to try Japanese whisky from the man who knows it all, you NEED to visit Zoetrope. This is a cute whisky bar that has hundreds of whisky’s you can try. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a spot at the bar and can chat with the owner to learn all about Japanese whisky. If you’re not a whisky drinker, he also has a lot of Japanese gins for you to try.

Day Four: Shibuya (Optional: Shimokitazawa & Kichijoji)

Your last and final day in Tokyo will be in Shibuya but before you get there I recommend Meiji Shrine. This shrine was one of our favs on our trip through Japan because it’s located in Yoyogi Park. You don’t even feel like you’re in the midst of a bustling city as you walk through the park to the shrine. It was so peaceful and beautiful, and since it’s open early, it’s a great place to start your day before the rest of the city starts opening up. Harajuku is also in this area if you want to stroll through there before heading to Shibuya.

After the shrine, head to Shibuya. It’s about a 15-minute walk from here. Shibuya is a major commercial centre and is PACKED with shopping, restaurants, bars, and everything in between. There are a few key tourist attractions that you’ll find in Shibuya such as:

• Shibuya Crossing: I think crossing the street is a bit lackluster, but for some people this is a must-do. However, it can be cool to watch the crossing from above at the Starbuck’s here or Share Lounge.
• Hachiko Statue: This seems like a pretty cheesy must-do but I just think this story is so moving and I had to go see Hachiko myself.
• Shibuya Sky: This amazing observation deck has an amazing view of Tokyo. I’d recommend buying tickets in advance, but note that if the weather is rainy and cloudy, you won’t be able to see anything and won’t get a refund.

I also loved shopping in Loft and Hands here, two local department stores, there is also a Mega Don Quijote here. These stores gave me anxiety because they were so chaotic, but people LOVE them.

Tip: I tried Iyoshi Cola while in Shibuya, an artisanal cola shop and I’m not even a pop drinker but I still to this day think of this cola. It was so spicy and delicious!

Tips for Tokyo

As I mentioned, and as you can probably tell from these busy four days, four days truly isn’t enough to really see Tokyo. However, you can for sure begin to scratch the surface. My biggest tips to get the most of your time there is:

• Don’t Overplan: The best advice I got for Japan is to not over schedule yourself by booking a bunch of reservations for meals, or buying tickets for a bunch of timed activities. As a planner, this is something that felt weird to me but trust me, it’s worth it. You’ll want time to just explore, and get lost, and see what you find. If you have a lot of places you need to be, it’ll limit you!
  
• Divide Your Itinerary By Wards: Tokyo is very spread out so it’s important to make the most of your time to figure out all the things you want to do and plan your days in chunks vs. bouncing all around the city.
  
• Take Transit: Public transit is the best way to get around the city. Cabs are expensive in Japan and you’ll have to sit in traffic. Don’t let the idea of taking transit intimidate you because once you get a hang of it, it’s easy! Just let Google Maps be your guide. Also, once you get to a specific area, you can walk to a lot!

What are your must-do things in Tokyo? Share below in the comments! ⬇️