Debating about where to go in Tokyo during your first visit?
Must Go locations:
Shibuya
The Shibuya area should be one of the first places that you visit during your time in Tokyo. Conveniently, The Narita Express goes directly to Shibuya as well. Shibuya is a lively entertainment area popular with young people with many café, restaurants, bars and many places to shop. Shibuya is a fun place to explore since there’s always so much to do and see!
Cross the Shibuya Crossing, the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world with as many as 2,500 pedestrians crossing every time the signal changes. The crossing has many screens playing videos and advertisements so its really fun to look around while walking. Be sure to stop by and say hi to the statue of Hachiko, an Akita dog remembered for his remarkable loyalty to his owner. It is also a very popular meeting spot for locals.
Shibuya Parco is about a five minute walk from the Shibuya station and is an 11 story shopping complex focusing on youth fashion, art, culture, entertainment, and food. It has a total of around 190 shops with many different shopping opportunities for all kinds of people. My favorite floor is the 6th floor, The Cyberspace Shibuya floor which houses the Nintendo store, Pokémon store, Capcom Store Tokyo and the Jump Shop. If you get hungry, go to the basement floor, Chaos Kitchen, and throughout the floor, you can find many restaurants and shops. There is also a rooftop garden where you can relax and take in the free views of Shibuya.
Shibuya Sky is the newly built 360° open-air observation deck 230m above Shibuya, at the highest point in the district of Shibuya. The 47th floor view of Tokyo is the perfect height to look at the other building below you in detail, compared to other tall observation deck like Tokyo Skytree and Tokyo Tower. The building itself is also very modern and has a huge indoor mall with shops and restaurants. Admission for adults is ¥2,000 at the door and ¥1,800 online. Students’ and children’s admission are much lower. You can purchase tickets in advance through the Shibuya Scramble Square website, or through Klook.
You can get a free panorama views of Shibuya from the Hikarie’s Sky Lobby is located on their 11th floor. The Sky Lobby also has a resting area, which makes it the perfect place to go when you want to take a break from your sightseeing activities.
Miyashita park is a new hip and trending area for young people in Shibuya. The park is located above 3 floors full of stores and restaurants. Miyashita Park has so many variety of food and shops that you will never run out of things to do! To see their full updated food and shop directory, check here. When the weather is nice, I enjoy sitting at the lawn and people watching while eating food that I bought downstairs. There is even a skateboard park and sports facility area at the top floor as well.
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Shinjuku
Shinjuku is known for its lively nightlife with streets filled with neon lights. Popular nightlife area includes areas like Kabukicho, Golden Gai and Omoide Yokocho. Shinjuku also houses Shinjuku Station, the world’s busiest railway station, with more than two million passengers every day!
Shinjuku Gyeon Park is a popular park in the middle of the busy city of Shinjuku, and is most known for their beautiful cherry blossoms in the spring. Even though it is surrounded by skyscrapers, you can fully relax and enjoy nature. It fuses together three types of traditional garden, Japanese traditional, English Landscape, and French Formal. It’s the perfect getaway for along day of walking. Hours change depending on season, so be sure to check out The National Gardens Association to see what the hours are.
Take in the free panoramic view of Tokyo on the 44th floor of the Shinjuku Metropolitan Government building. You can even see Mount Fuji when the visibility is good!
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Harajuku
Harajuku is known as the center of Japanese kawaii culture.
Harajuku is known as the center of Japanese kawaii culture. Takeshita Dori is the most well-known street in this area, with cute clothes, accessories, and cafes all lined up, making it very popular with young Japanese students. Be sure to get classic Harajuku foods like crepes, cotton candy, and ice cream.
Meiji Jingu is surrounded with thousands of trees and instantly transports you from the young vibes of Harajuku to a tranquil area. Meiji Jingu is dedicated to Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken. The construction began in 1915, and completed in 1926. The walk from Harajuku to the main area of Meiji Jingu is a long, but peaceful walk. Buy yourself a Omamori, a Japanese amulet commonly sold at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples for good luck, or get yourself a Goshuin-cho!Yoyogi park
Located right next to Meiji Jingu, is Yoyogi Park, a popular park for locals to hang out. There are many picnic areas, bike paths, cycle rentals, public sport courts, and a dog run within the park. During the summer, at the Yoyogi Park Events Square, there are many festivals like Brazilian Day Japan and Sri Lanka Festival, where you can watch performances and try many food!
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Omotesando
Walk and shop around the high-end brands in Omotesando while checking out art galleries and cafes.
Sensoji is one of the oldest temples in Tokyo with a history going back 1,400 years, and also one of its most colorful and popular temples. The main attraction here is the five-storied pagoda that is 53.32 meters, about the height of an 18-story building. Be sure to do an Omikuji, a fortune slip that will tell you what kind of fortune you have. The temple can be accessed 24/7, but the main temple and shops have operating times.
Nakamise Shopping street starts from Kaminarimon, an iconic Asakusa landmark to the main Sensoji temple. The path is 250 meters long with about 90 stalls selling souvenirs, traditional goods and street food. It is easy to spend a whole day here exploring the different shops. They have many kinds of street food from rice crackers, daifuku, mochi, and dangos
Tokyo Skytree is Japan’s tallest structure, as well as the world’s tallest freestanding tower. It offers amazing panoramic views from its observation decks, as well as the restaurants that are inside. The observation deck provide a 360-degree view that looks out and down at the same time due to the curved glass windows. The first deck height is 350 meters and the second deck is 450 meters. You can choose if you want to only visit the first deck, or add on the second deck when buying tickets for Tokyo Skytree
Solamachi is located inside of Tokyo Skytree, and is perfect for shopping or window shopping with 300+ stores and restaurants. Visit stores like rilakkuma store, Hello kitty Japan, Pokemon center, Gashapon Bandai Official Shop, jump shop, and marvel shop.
Tokyo TowerTokyo Tower is a very recognizable and one of the most iconic structures in Tokyo. It was Japan’s tallest structure from 1958 until 2012, when it was surpassed by the Tokyo Skytree. Even though it doesn’t have as many amenities as Skytree, it hold a special place in a lot of locals as it has been a powerful symbol of the city, and its postwar resurgence.
Be sure to visit Shiba park, one of my favorite parks in Tokyo, it has a large lawn with the perfect view of Tokyo Tower. It is built around the temple of Zōjō-ji. Make sure to bring a blanket and relax and take in the view either during the day or night.
I honestly think that Roppongi Hills Mori Tower Sky Deck is the best observation deck in Tokyo. It is a 270 meters tall, 360 panoramic view open-air sky deck located in Roppongi Hills Mori Tower which also houses the Mori art Museum, a contemporary art museum featuring exhibitions that change periodically. From this Sky Deck, you are in the center of the city, and you can see everything from Tokyo Tower to Mount Fuji. The best time to go is during sunset where you can see Tokyo light up as the sun goes down. At night, you can enjoy the breeze, and the stars can be seen.
Tokyo StationYou will probably end up in Tokyo Station since it is a major gateway for visitors arriving by bullet train or from Narita Airport. The building it’s self is an impressive 3-story tall and 335 meter long steel framed brick station building. This major station is a dining and shopping paradise, and can take a while to explore every shop and restaurant. Inside of Tokyo station, you can find areas like Tokyo Ramen Street, Japan Gourmet street, Tokyo Station’s Kitchen Street and Tokyo Character Street, which has shops where you can buy merchandise from brands like Rillakkuma, Pokemon, Hello Kitty and GhibliImperial Palace
A short walk from Tokyo Station, is the Tokyo Imperial Palace, the main residence of the Emperor of Japan and is located on the former site of Edo Castle. It’s really cool to see such a huge area surrounded by moats and massive stone walls in the center of Tokyo. Tours for the emperor palace are available but pre registration is required, so be sure to plan ahead.Ueno ParkUeno park is Tokyo’s largest green space and has many attractions to explore within the park.
The park has many temples and museums to explore like Kaneiji temple, Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo’s most popular art museum, the National Museum of Western Art, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and many other museums to museum hop.
Visit Japan’s oldest zoo, Ueno zoo to meet some animals like gorillas, tigers, elephants, polar bears, and their most popular, pandas! Right now, they have twin pandas that was born June of 2021!
Ameyoko, Shorten for Ameya Yokocho which is literally translated as candy store alley since candies were traditionally sold there. It is now a busy and colorful market to try street food from Japan, China and Korea! The food here is inexpensive as well!
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Akihabara
Akihabara is the must go location for all the anime, manga and idol lovers.
Electric Town is the main area in which they specializes in all this Japanese pop culture. Even if you aren’t familiar with this subculture, it is fun to walk around in feel as if you are in another world. There are many places to play arcade games, and buy old videos games as well.
Tokyo Dome City gets it’s name from Tokyo Dome, a stadium made for baseball, but also hosts many concerts and events. Tokyo Dome City has a wide range of shopping options from baseball collectibles to souvenirs, fashion goods and supermarkets at more than 50 stores, as well as over 70 Restaurants, cafés and bars. Don’t forget to stop by their Onryou Zashiki haunted house to be spooked!
Want some thrill while in Tokyo? Head over to Tokyo Dome City, where you can get on rides like Thunder Dolphin Roller Coaster, that goes 130 km/h and goes through a building. If you don’t want as much thrills, get on the Big O Ferris Wheel where you can see Tokyo from a height of around 200 feet above ground.
Relax and refresh at a world-class spa at LaQua. Enjoy and recharge in natural spring water that rises up from 1,700m underground.
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Odaiba
Odaiba is a futuristic high-tech entertainment hub. Shop till you drop in the many malls in Odaiba. The three big shopping malls are Aqua City, Decks and DiverCity. Enjoy some beach time while watching the illuminated Rainbow Bridge with the skyline of Tokyo with in the background at night. Make sure to ride the Yurikamome line from Shimbashi in order to get beautiful scenery of the ocean and Odaiba.
Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, is only 20 minutes from Tokyo Station. Go on fun rides and attractions, and try all the unique Disney food, like Little Green Men Mochi Dumplings, Mike’s Melon Bread, and Sea Salt Ice Cream Monaka. While you are there, you will notice that everyone wears matching outfits, so why not join in the fun and match with your friends as well!
9hours has many locations around Japan and is a very reputable capsule hotel. It has a 24-hour front desk. A comfortable bed and pod that comes with a sleep report. This 9hour in Akasaka is conveniently located, with a lot of food options nearby, and comes with a sleep report.
A chill hostel super close to Ueno station and Ueno Park. The beds are comfortable and the common amenities like the toilets, shower rooms, and laundry areas were well-maintained. They have a common space downstairs.
this hotel is located right in the heart of the Asakusa neighborhood with lots of shops and local restaurant with the famous Sensoji Temple just being 8 minutes away!
This hotel’s reception and cafe is on the same floor as the famous giant godzilla head. It just just a few mintues away from the train station and has many activities and restaurants around. The hotel even provides a pocket wifi device so you can always have your own personal hotspot!
The best meal I ever had in Japan. The only thing on their menu is gyukatsu, and rightfully so, since they perfected their craft. Be ready to wait long lines to enter.
Tuna lovers visiting Tokyo should have a meal at Maguro Mart. They use every single part of the tuna, from the bones to chin and cheek. Reservations are needed in advance.
Try their traditional breakfast with 18 small dishs! The dishes are of traditional buddhist roots, (shokin ryori style) and feature tofu, vegetables, meat and fish, paired with rice porridge and miso soup
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Check out my Ultimate Tokyo Foodie Map Guide for over 85 food recommendations!
Did you figure out where to go in Tokyo during your first visit?Tokyo is so huge and it’s impossible to visit every single place on your first time here. Other places I recommend are Ginza, Hamarikyu Gardens, kichijoji, koenji, ikebukuro, nezu shrine, Hie shrine, nakano, tokyo dome, jiyugaoka, daikanyama, and Tokyo Dome. Be sure to stop by these places if you have the extra time!
If you are trying to plan a trip to Japan, check out my 1-day itinerary youtube video!
Tokyo is huge, and this can definitely overwhelm first time travelers. I have lived in Tokyo for almost 2 years, and there are still so many places that I actually haven’t visited before! Get a Tokyo Subway Ticket (24, 48, or 72 Hours) if you want to travel conveniently around Tokyo through Tokyo Metro and Toei Subway lines for 1-3 days.
If you plan to being in Japan for a while, and plan to go to other cities, buy the JR pass that allows you to enjoy unlimited travel across JR lines, including local buses, Miyajima Ferry, and more for 7, 14 or 21 days.
Email me at pennylesstravels@gmail.com for consultations to plan your trip to Japan!
If you have any questions or want to ask any questions about your trip to Japan, please email me at pennylesstravels@gmail.com or on my Instagram @coneychiiwa.
Hey! My name is Coney, born and raised in New York City with Japanese backgrounds!
Currently running a travel blog on https://pennylesstravels.com
I love to explore new cities through food and have a huge passion for ice cream!
