Destination Guides
Asakusa and Senso-ji
Tokyo rewards visitors who mix its famous landmarks with quieter side streets. Start at Senso-ji in Asakusa for the city's oldest temple, then wander the Nakamise shopping street that leads up to the main gate for snacks and souvenirs.
Arrive before nine in the morning if you want photos without the crowds, and check the five-story pagoda lit up if you happen to be nearby after dark.
Shibuya Crossing and Center Gai
Cross over to Shibuya to experience the scramble crossing at street level, then look down on it from the Shibuya Sky observation deck for a completely different perspective. Center Gai behind the station is dense with small shops, arcades, and izakayas worth ducking into.
Shinjuku Gyoen
Save an afternoon for Shinjuku Gyoen, a garden that swaps neon for pine trees and koi ponds. The English, French, and Japanese garden sections each have a different mood, and it is one of the few large green spaces where you can sit on the grass.
Golden Gai and Ramen Alleys
End your first day with a bowl of ramen in a Golden Gai alley, a cluster of tiny bars stacked two stories high across a handful of narrow lanes. Most seat six to eight people, so it rewards showing up solo or in pairs.
Akihabara for Electronics and Anime Culture
Akihabara is worth a half day even if you are not shopping: multi-floor electronics stores sit alongside anime and manga specialty shops, retro arcades, and maid cafes. Weekday afternoons are noticeably quieter than weekends.
Yanaka's Old Tokyo Atmosphere
Yanaka survived both the 1923 earthquake and the wartime bombing largely intact, so its narrow streets, temples, and old wooden houses give a sense of Tokyo before the postwar rebuild. Yanaka Ginza, the local shopping street, is a good place for a slow lunch.
Odaiba's Skyline Views
Close out the week at Odaiba for skyline views across the bay, especially around sunset when the Rainbow Bridge lights up against the Tokyo Tower silhouette in the distance.