🗼 Exploring Tokyo: Where to Start in Japan's Capital

Places to Visit in Tokyo

There is an astounding amount of places, museums, sights, and views to immerse yourself in while in Tokyo. "Where to start?" is a great question. Similar to many major cities, Tokyo neighborhoods and districts are known for different things. Harajuku, for example, is known for being the center of street style and fashion. Below are some places and areas that first-timers should definitely consider visiting.

Shibuya Scramble Crossing

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One of the most photographed places in Tokyo is Shibuya Crossing. It’s the busiest crosswalk in the world, with people from around the globe coming to partake in the chaos. Witness the crossing by it from Shibuya Station or the Starbucks under Shibuya 109. Then, become part of the madness by walking with the crowd.

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Hachikō Memorial Statue

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Hachiko was a real dog who lived in Tokyo in the early 1900s. After his owner passed away, he continued to wait for his owner at a train station everyday. Hachiko became famous for his loyalty and devotion. The current statue, which was erected in August 1948, still stands and is a popular meeting spot.

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Takeshita Street

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Harajuku is crammed with cute shops and eateries as well as pretty plants and perfectly manicured streets. The shops and stores are all unique, possessing their own charm. There are vintage and second-hand stores, as well as cool street art. From art houses to colorful murals to crepes, Harajuku is a fashion-lover’s paradise with all of its trendy aesthetics. Make sure to hit up bubbly Takeshita Street to get a true taste of Harajuku.

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Sensō-ji

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What I truly love about Tokyo is the eclectic mix of modern and traditional sprinkled throughout the city. Some of its beauty derives from this unique mix of having hip coffee shops next to well-known markets and gorgeous temples in the middle of a chaotic mega-city. Sensoji contributes to this, making it all the more captivating.

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Ganso Shokuhin Sample-ya Kappabashi Showroom

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In Japan, shokuhin sampuru (食品サンプル), from the English "sample", are widespread. In the late Edo period, food sellers displayed a plate of real food each day in lieu of a written menu. These food replicas are incredibly real looking and are great souvenirs!

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Tokyo Skytree

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Besides going up to the observation deck in Tokyo Skytree, there are plenty of shops and places to eat in this area. You could easily spend several hours here shopping, dining, and exploring.

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Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

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This park is comparable to Central Park in NYC. It features various plants and flowers, as well as stunning natural scenery. It costs 200 JPY for a ticket to enter the park. For that price you also gain access to the beautiful greenhouse filled with a diverse array of plants and flowers from around the world.

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Arty Farty

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Located in the alleys of Shinjuku, Arty Farty is a notorious LGBTQ-friendly club and bar. Cover charge is the price of a drink (500-700 JPY), which includes the dancing and antics of people from all walks of life. It seems like Arty Farty predominantly plays electronic music, so if you’re into hip-hop and rap it would be best to head over to Roppongi.

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Odaiba

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Odaiba is a manmade island in Tokyo Bay. It’s connected to the rest of the city via Rainbow Bridge, but is accessible from the city center by train. There are several malls, museums, and entertainment areas in Odaiba. Odaiba is packed with things to do for everyone and anyone.

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teamLab Borderless

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An exciting new permanent digital art exhibit, TeamLab Borderless’ Digital Art Museum, opened in June 2018 in Tokyo. I highly recommend visiting this exhibit–it’s incredible and so much fun!

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Tokyo DisneySea

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I have been to both Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea, and must say that Disney Sea is much better! The park is unique to Japan, features some amazing food items, and serves alcoholic beverages. Tickets can be purchased online or at Japanese convenience stores that have Loppi Machines. Click here to see some of the food I recommend trying at Disney Sea!

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Akihabara

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Home to Tokyo’s brightly lit streets and overwhelmingly loud shops. It’s definitely a good place to go if you like electronics and anime. There are many arcades and game shops to explore to your heart’s desire. It’s fun to visit at night to see everything lit up, but prime time for capturing great photos is as the sun goes down.

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Akihabara Gachapon Hall

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Stop by this capsule shop in Akihabara to choose from dozens of different miniature toys.

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Sunshine City

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This area is in the northwestern corner of the city, but is known for its impressive Sunshine City Shopping Center. Inside Sunshine City is where you can find one of the bigger Pokemon Centers in Japan. There are tons of places to eat and shop around outside of Sunshine City, too!

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Gashapon Ikebukuro Main Store

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Bandai Namco's Gashapon Department Store in Ikebukuro has more than 2,500 gachapon machines.

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Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo

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Shin-Ōkubo Kankoku Yokochō (Korea alley)

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The Shin-Okubo stop is home to Tokyo’s Koreatown and Korean cultural enclave. Here you can find epic street food, like cheese dogs, as well as delicious Korean favorites, such as tteokbokki and bibimbap. It can get quite crowded on the weekends, but weekdays are excellent for leisurely shopping around and eating while listening to Kpop blaring out of the stores.

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Grandberry Park

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This giant shopping center opened in November 2019 and includes lots of restaurants, shops, stores, and things to do. Although it’s fairly far from the Tokyo city center–about one hour by train (making it closer to Yokohama)–it’s a great place to spend a day shopping and eating. There is also a Snoopy Museum here.

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Mori Art Museum

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The Mori Art Museum is a contemporary art museum founded by the real estate developer Minoru Mori in the Roppongi Hills Mori Tower in the Roppongi Hills.

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Roppongi Hills Mori Tower

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Roppongi Hills Mori Tower is a 54-story mixed-use skyscraper. Completed in 2003 and named after builder Minoru Mori, it is the centerpiece of the Roppongi Hills urban development. It is the sixth-tallest building in Tokyo at 238 meters.

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Ghibli Museum

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The Ghibli Museum is a small museum showcasing the work of the Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli. It is located in Inokashira Park in Mitaka, a western city of Tokyo, Japan. Tickets are difficult to snag, but should be done online ahead of time.

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Travel tip: There are cute boutiques, cool shops, hip cafes, and restaurants throughout the city. It’s diverse and international, so this would be the place to find different shops and cuisines other than Japanese. Many of the cafes require reservations, so do not be offended if you are turned away at the door! The sizing in clothing stores is different than most Western stores, and sizes tend to run a lot smaller. Don’t be too disappointed if you can’t find your size–Japan is notorious for smaller-than-average clothing sizes.

Tastes of Tokyo

Tokyo is great for specialty themed cafes and upscale dining. However, you can find casual eateries with amazing food near subway stations as well as within mall food courts. Tempura is one of the dishes that Tokyo is known for, so be sure to eat tempura of all kinds whilst here.

Tsukiji Outer Market

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As of September 2018, the Tsukiji Fish Market indoor market no longer exists. The indoor portion of market has been moved to a waterfront location in Toyosu. The outer market is the place to find fresh fish and tasty foods being sold. Some of the eateries are quite pricey, but I was able to find a bowl of tuna + salmon sashimi over rice for 1,000 JPY. It was incredibly delicious, melt-in-your-mouth quality. Some of the vendors sell their products in the outdoor market area, but others moved to the Toyosu location or closed shop.

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Tempura Kurokawa

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Toyosu Market

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Go to Toyosu around 6:00 am and see the auction and have breakfast there! After 9:00 am, there is less value to visit the Toyosu Market as there is less to see and do around that time.

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Uobei Shibuya Dogenzaka Store

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If you’re looking for a cheap but tasty sushi place in Shibuya that English-friendly, head to Genki Sushi. It’s off of Basketball Street near Shibuya Crossing and has delicious options that can be ordered by plate. You only have 45 minutes to eat, but it’s more than enough time to get your fill.

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Tokyo Ramen Street

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This is located at the Tokyo Station on the Yaesu side. It consists of a strip of shops all offering different ramen

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Rokurinsha

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Located in Tokyo Station’s Ramen Street, the coveted ramen shop, Rokurinsha, is known for their tsukemen ramen. Tsukemen is when the noodles are served in a separate bowl than the broth and then dipped in small quantities. This shop usually has a long line wrapping around the restaurant, but it’s completely worth the wait: thick, savory soup made with katsuo dashi paired with thick, chewy noodles.

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Soranoiro NIPPON

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This shop in Tokyo Station’s Ramen Street feels a tad stylish compared to the others with its colorful prints and modern decor. Their menu features a vegan ramen as well as a vegetarian option, making it the perfect place for those with dietary restrictions who want to sample ramen while in Japan. The standard ramen dishes are on the lighter side, too.

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Tsujita Misonosho

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Their miso ramen has some of the thickest, richest broth I’ve ever eaten! The noodles are fat and chewy, too. A bowl of rice comes with the set, which you can eat with the remaining broth at the end of your meal. It’s insanely delicious, but incredibly filling and you more than likely will be comatose-d after eating here.

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Asakusa Menchi

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Menchi-katsu is a popular Japanese minced meat patty that’s deep-fried. They have been selling it in Asakusa since the Meiji Period. Asakusa Menchi uses meat from pigs in Kanagawa, giving it a special flavor. Usually you put sauce over menchi-katsu, but the meat of this one is exceptionally sweet so most people eat it without sauce.

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Marion Crêpes Takeshitadori

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Kids and adults can agree that crepes and cotton candy (candy floss) is fun to eat! On Takeshita Street in Harajuku, you will find giant swirls of rainbow cotton candy as well as tasty crepes. They’re fun to eat, but also great for photos.

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The Buffet Tenshin Tenshin

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Located in Grandberry Park, this Taiwanese all-you-can-eat buffet-style restaurant serves xiao long bao, dumplings, noodles, and more. The various noodle soup dishes can be customized at the topping bar while you can even make your own milk tea drinks with tapioca. Lunch is under 2,000 JPY (~$18.50 USD) and you have 90 minutes to eat all you care. Dinner is a little more expensive, but you have two hours. Wait times can be long, but it’s definitely worthwhile!

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KFC Minami-Machida Grandberry Park Branch

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Also located in Grandberry Park, this all-you-can-eat buffet is way better than any KFC I’ve eaten in America. Adult price for weekday lunch is 1,980 JPY plus tax. There are no reservations, so it’s first-come, first-served. The check-in process is entirely in Japanese, but Google Translate worked perfectly to complete the simple process. Wait times can be extremely long and they can turn you away if they’re full for the day.

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CURRY HOUSE CoCoICHIBANYA WORLD京橋エドグラン店

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CoCo Curry is a Japanese favorite and must-eat while in Japan!

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Tomoe-ya

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Tomoeya in Ikejiri Ohashi is amazing for soba. Everyone is very friendly. They have excellent tempura and dashi curry, too.

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Travel tip: Although Tokyo is diverse, English and other languages are not widely used or spoken. If you plan on eating at Japanese-style restaurants, the menus may only be in Japanese. Many eateries offer menus with photos or plastic food displays–use those to your advantage when ordering!

Transportation & Accommodation in Tokyo

Tokyo may be a huge city, but the public transportation system is incredibly efficient with trains arriving approximately every 2 minutes at some stations. Purchasing a SUICA card is wise for those staying in the city center. SUICA cards can be recharged as you go and require a 500 JPY deposit. Or, purchase a one-day metro and/or subway pass if you’re not staying too long. However, SUICA cards can be used throughout Japan on almost all trains and bus lines.

Hotels in Tokyo can be quite expensive, so staying outside of the city center may be a more viable option if you are on a budget. For those okay with sharing spaces or on a limited budget, hostels and guesthouses are a great choice. If you’re planning on going to Tokyo Disney Resort, it can be convenient to book a hotel with transportation services to and from the park.

Henn na Hotel Tokyo Nishikasai

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Henn na Hotel Nishikasai is a nice hotel that provides this service and also features robot dinosaurs at the front desk.

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Tokyo Guest House toco.

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The Millennials Shibuya

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Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo

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Narita Sando Guesthouse

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If you’re leaving Japan from Narita Airport, I recommend staying near the Narita JR Station at one of the hotels or guesthouses. Narita Sando Guesthouse is a cool place due to its traditional wooden interior, and it’s fairly priced.

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