It’s safe to say that preparing for your first trip to Tokyo can be a bit daunting. It’s not that the city is unwelcoming or hard to navigate; it’s just that nothing can truly get you ready for its vastness (combined with the need to plan things in advance, as you’ll see). With a population of over 14 million, Tokyo is a fascinating mix of cutting-edge modernity and deep-rooted tradition. Neon signs towering three storeys high right next to a peaceful shrine hidden in an alley, convenience stores that could easily rival your favourite local restaurants, and vending machines on every corner offering anything from hot coffee to cake.
Manu and I visited in autumn, which turned out to be the right call, and spent two weeks here before venturing further into Japan. I’ll be honest: stepping out into Tokyo for the first time was overwhelming in the best possible way. The scale of it, the noise, the signs, the sheer number of people moving with absolute purpose. Give yourself that first evening to just walk around and absorb it rather than trying to do anything specific. This three-day Tokyo itinerary brings together everything I’d tell you before your trip.
3 days in Tokyo itinerary at a glance
- Day 1: Shibuya Scramble Crossing, Shibuya Sky, Harajuku, Meiji Jingu, Shinjuku evening
- Day 2: Hie Shrine, Asakusa, Senso-ji, Akihabara Day
- Day 3: Tsukiji Outer Market, TeamLab Planets, Gotokuji Temple
Save My Tokyo Google Map
I’ve put together a Google Map with every spot mentioned in this post so you can save it and use it on the ground. Open the map using the link below, then click the three dots at the top and “copy map” to save it to your own Google Maps. On the mobile app, you’ll then find it under “you”, where you can scroll down to “maps” and open it up whenever you need it, with all the pins ready to navigate to directly.
Before You Get on the Plane
Japan now lets you complete both your immigration and customs declarations digitally before you arrive, through the Visit Japan Web service. Do this. It takes about 20 minutes and means you walk straight through on arrival while everyone else is queuing with paper forms. Once you’ve created your account and added your trip details, make sure you complete the customs declaration separately within the same trip. It’s not immediately obvious that it’s a two-step process, so don’t miss it.
Getting Around Tokyo
The metro is easy to use, especially with all the English signs. Google Maps is a lifesaver for navigation. Your biggest challenge will probably just be figuring out the right exit at the bigger stations. Shinjuku Station in particular is its own labyrinth.
What you really need is a Suica card. It’s a prepaid, rechargeable card that you tap on and off at the train and metro gates, and it works for payments at convenience stores and vending machines too. Pick one up at Narita or Haneda airport as soon as you land. If you have an iPhone, the Welcome Suica Mobile app lets you add it directly to your wallet without needing the physical card, which is even easier. Android users should grab a physical card at the airport.
Quick note on the Japan Rail Pass: if you’re only in Tokyo, you don’t need one. If you’re continuing to Kyoto, Osaka, or anywhere else on the Shinkansen, it’s worth running the numbers on the JR Pass calculator for your specific route. For most people doing a multi-city trip, using a JR Pass for long-distance travel and a Suica for getting around each city is the way to go.
One thing to know: you can only top up a physical Suica card with cash, not by card. Japan is still largely cash-based in smaller places, so make sure you’re withdrawing yen regularly. 7-Eleven ATMs are the most reliable for foreign cards.
Where to Stay in Tokyo
We had two bases during our time here, and I’d recommend choosing based on what you want from the trip.
Near Shinjuku suits you if you want to be in the thick of things from the moment you arrive. Shinjuku sits almost centrally on the Yamanote Line, which loops around the city’s main neighbourhoods, so you can reach most places in 20 to 40 minutes. The nightlife is right outside your door and it’s the most immediately exciting part of the city. We stayed in an apartment by City Hideout, which was honestly the perfect spot, in Koreatown and easy walking distance to everything in and around Shinjuku.
Near Akihabara, where we also spent time at the DDD Hotel, makes more sense if you want something slightly less full-on, with easy access to the eastern side of the city, including Asakusa, Ueno, and the temples. It’s quieter and still very well connected.
3-Day Tokyo Itinerary for First Timers
Day 1: Shibuya, Harajuku and Shinjuku
These three neighbourhoods are all on the western side of the city so can connect neatly into a single day. Start in Shibuya, work your way north through Harajuku, and end the evening in Shinjuku.
If you want a slow start, I’d kick things off at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden before heading to Shibuya. It costs ¥500 to enter and in autumn you can find some really pretty coloured leaves.
Otherwise, Shibuya Scramble Crossing is the obvious first stop and yes, it lives up to the hype. At peak times thousands of people cross simultaneously from every direction and watching it from street level can be quite disorientating! Just outside the station you’ll also find the Hachiko statue, a small bronze dog commemorating an Akita who waited at Shibuya Station every day for nearly ten years after his owner died.
From there, head up to Shibuya Sky. It’s the rooftop observation deck at the top of Shibuya Scramble Square and the view is one of the best in the city. On a clear day you can apparently see Mount Fuji from up there. We had it cloudy, but the view over the city in every direction was still extraordinary enough that it didn’t matter much. Book timed entry tickets in advance at around ¥2,000 for adults, and they do sell out – so sort this before you travel!
Walk north from Shibuya to Harajuku in about 20 minutes. Takeshita Street is the famous pedestrian strip full of the kind of fashion that looks like it belongs in a music video. Even if you’re not buying, walk the length of it for the spectacle. From Harajuku, follow the path through Yoyogi Park into Meiji Jingu. What gets you isn’t the shrine itself, though it’s beautiful. It’s the forest around it. You walk in through a canopy of trees and it’s genuinely hard to believe you’re in one of the world’s most densely populated cities. The sake barrels stacked at the entrance make a good photo stop too!
Spend your evening in Shinjuku. Start with the 3D cat billboard near the east exit of Shinjuku Station, a full-size photorealistic cat appearing to push through a screen on the side of a building that you’ve no doubt seen all across the internet before!
Then walk to Omoide Yokocho. The name translates as Memory Lane, though it’s also known, with considerably less romance, as Piss Alley. It’s a warren of narrow lanes near the west exit of Shinjuku Station, with around 60 tiny restaurants and bars in wooden buildings that somehow survived Tokyo’s rapid modernisation. Smoke from open kitchens, red lanterns above the entrances, yakitori (grilled chicken skewers) at a counter with about nine other people. Not a place for big groups. Order a beer and let the evening unfold.
A five-minute walk away is Golden Gai: six narrow alleys with over 200 miniature bars, each one barely the size of a living room. We ended up in Deathmatch in Hell, a horror-themed bar with every inch of wall covered in band posters and skulls, fitting maybe eight people at a squeeze. It was one of those places you’d never find if you weren’t willing to just open a door and see what’s behind it. Walk the alleys first, look through a few doors, and sit down wherever appeals.
While I remember, one more bar recommendation for another area: Muscle Girls Bar, where you’re served by female bodybuilders. We tried to get tickets and couldn’t as it books out well in advance, but it’s very much worth trying if you’re the kind of person who thinks that sounds brilliant (and you should be).
Where to eat on Day 1: Ichiran for solo-booth ramen. You sit in your own little compartment, fill out a form for exactly how you want your broth, and it arrives through a small hatch. Yes, it’s very hyped, but honestly, it remains one of my fave spots to get ramen in Japan (and I’ve been for almost 3 months). For something more special, Sushi Tatsuya does an omakase set that was one of the best meals we had in Tokyo. Worth booking ahead.
Day 2: Hie Shrine, Asakusa and Akihabara
Today covers the eastern and central parts of the city, and these areas sit close enough together to make a natural loop.
Start the morning at Hie Shrine, a Shinto shrine in the Akasaka area with a long tunnel of red torii gates leading down the hillside. It’s far less visited than Senso-ji and feels more local because of it. The tunnel is particularly good in the morning light.
From there, take the metro to Asakusa, about 20 minutes away. This is Tokyo’s most traditional neighbourhood and the one that tends to make the biggest impression on first-timers.
Begin on Nakamise Shopping Street, the covered approach to the temple, lined with small shops selling souvenirs, snacks, fans, and traditional sweets. Near the start of the street is Tokyo Curry Pan, selling one thing: pork curry bread in a soft, slightly crisp bun.
At the end of the street is Senso-ji, Tokyo’s oldest temple, founded in 628. The legend behind it is good: two brothers fishing in the Sumida River kept pulling up a golden statue of the goddess Kannon in their net, and no matter how many times they returned it to the water, it came back to them. A temple was eventually built in her honour. You pass through the Kaminarimon Gate with its enormous red lantern to reach the main hall.
After Senso-ji, head over to the Asakusa Tourist Information Centre and take the lift to the top floor. Free observation deck, good views over the temple rooftops and the Skytree. Much less crowded than the ticketed options.
Speaking of which: if you have extra time, the Tokyo Skytree is a ten-minute walk from Senso-ji. At 634 metres it’s the tallest tower in Japan. Observation deck tickets start at around ¥2,100 and need to be booked in advance. Not essential if you’ve already done Shibuya Sky, but a good alternative if the weather was against you on Day 1, plus the area itself is lovely for a stroll.
Spend the afternoon in Akihabara, a ten-minute metro ride from Asakusa. It’s Tokyo’s gaming and anime district and completely unlike anywhere else in the city. Buildings stacked floor by floor with manga shops, vintage arcades, electronics, and themed cafés. You don’t need to be into anime to find it interesting and if you go on a Sunday afternoon between 1 and 5pm, the main street is pedestrianised. Manu and I did a Purikura photo booth here, which is the Japanese sticker photo machine, and it was so fun – the sticker we got from it still sits on the back of my phone!
Where to eat on Day 2: Tonkatsu Marugo is exactly what you want after a few hours of walking around, a counter seat, perfectly breaded pork cutlet, rice and miso. Very local, very good. Sushiro conveyor belt sushi is brilliant for a casual lunch: fresh, cheap, tablet ordering so there’s no language barrier. We went back multiple times.
Day 3: Tsukiji, TeamLab Planets and Gotokuji Temple
Today covers the southern and western parts of the city, which feel quite different from where you’ve been.
Start at Tsukiji Outer Market. We walked through rather than eating here, timing was off, but the atmosphere alone is worth it. If you do have an appetite, go before 10am for the best energy and freshest options.
From Tsukiji, take the metro to TeamLab Planets in Toyosu, around 20 minutes away. It’s a digital art museum and genuinely hard to describe in a way that does it justice. You walk barefoot through rooms of interactive light installations, including one where knee-deep water is projected with koi fish that react to your movement and scatter around your feet. I loved it. Manu went in sceptical (it’s not really his thing on paper) and came out admitting it was impressive, which is probably the most reliable endorsement I can give. Book tickets in advance for around ¥3,200 for adults.
From TeamLab, Tokyo Tower is about a 20-minute metro ride and is a natural stop on the way to Gotokuji. The area around it is lovely, with plenty of opportunities for pretty photo spots framing the tower. The surrounding Shiba Park is a nice place to walk through and the streets nearby have a quieter, more residential feel compared to the rest of what you’ve seen this week. If you want to go up, observation deck tickets start at around ¥1,200, though honestly I’d say the view from street level is plenty.
In the afternoon, make your way to Gotokuji Temple in Setagaya, about 40 minutes from Toyosu by metro. This is the lucky cat temple, home to hundreds of maneki-neko statues left as offerings by visitors whose wishes were granted. I wasn’t sure what to expect and it ended up being one of my favourite things we did in Tokyo. It’s small, yes, but the rest of the temple grounds and surrounding neighbourhood are so lovely for a stroll afterwards – you might even spot the famous cat train!
End the day in whichever neighbourhood you’re staying in. If it’s your last night, Shinjuku in the evening is always the right answer.
Where to eat on Day 3: Micasadeco & Cafe in Omotesando for the soufflé pancakes, great for a slow breakfast. Jikasei Mensho for ramen that takes the broth seriously, one of the best things we ate in the city. HATCOFFEE and a little place coffee for quieter coffee stops when you need to sit down and decompress for an hour.
Where to Eat in Tokyo
Honestly, one of the best things about Tokyo is how hard it is to have a bad meal. The standard is just consistently high, so if you spot somewhere with a queue outside and a ticket vending machine by the door, go in. You almost certainly won’t regret it.
That said, these are the places we actually went and loved.
Ichiran is the solo ramen booth experience you’ve seen everywhere online and it’s exactly as good as it looks. You sit in your own little compartment, fill out a form for exactly how you want your broth, and it arrives through a small hatch.
Jikasei Mensho is the ramen to go to when you want something more considered. One of the best things we ate in the city, full stop.
Sushi Tatsuya was our big splurge and was worth every yen. Omakase counter, incredibly fresh fish. Book ahead.
Sushiro is the opposite end of the scale and just as good in its own way. Conveyor belt sushi chain, tablet ordering, fresh and cheap. We went back multiple times.
Tonkatsu Marugo near Akihabara: counter seat, perfectly breaded pork cutlet, rice and miso. Very local, very good.
Micasadeco & Cafe in Omotesando does the soufflé pancakes that Tokyo does better than anywhere else.
Tokyo Curry Pan on Nakamise Street in Asakusa sells one thing: pork curry bread in a soft, slightly crisp bun. It’s delicious!
The main thing I’d say is don’t over-plan the food. Some of the best meals we had in Tokyo were places we just walked into because they looked good, had no idea what we’d ordered, and were very glad when it arrived.
A Few Tips for First Timers in Tokyo
Cash is king. Many smaller restaurants and izakayas are cash only. 7-Eleven ATMs are the most reliable for foreign cards. Keep yen on you.
Konbinis are underrated. Japanese convenience stores are not like convenience stores anywhere else. The onigiri, sandwiches, and hot snacks are all super good. Open 24 hours, and they’ll become part of your daily routine whether you intend them to or not.
Download Google Translate with Japanese offline. The camera feature lets you point your phone at a menu and read it in real time.
Be quiet on the metro. Phone calls aren’t done. Music shouldn’t leak from your headphones. Avoid travelling with your luggage (take a taxi instead).
Tokyo is a night city. Don’t force early starts every day as a lot of places in Shinjuku don’t open until late morning or midday.
Book the popular things before you go. Shibuya Sky and TeamLab Planets both often sell out. Sort out these before you travel rather than when you arrive.
How Many Days to Spend in Tokyo
Three full days is the minimum for a first visit. Five would be better, particularly if you want to add a day trip to Mount Fuji or spend time in areas like Shimokitazawa or Yanaka that don’t make most itineraries but absolutely should.
We spent two weeks here before heading around Japan and then based ourselves in Kyushu for six weeks. Tokyo rewards time. The more you give it, the more it gives back.
A Final Note
Tokyo is the kind of city that rewards patience and quiet attention. You don’t need to optimise every hour of it. Walk somewhere without a plan. Sit in a park. Follow a side street that isn’t in any guide. The city is vast and endlessly layered, and the best moments tend to happen in the gaps between the itinerary.
This should be enough to get you started. The rest, you’ll find yourself.
Is Tokyo expensive?
Tokyo is less expensive than its reputation suggests. The metro is cheap, most temples and shrines are free, and you can eat well for under ¥1,000 at a ramen counter or konbini. Accommodation is where costs stack up. Budget around ¥10,000 to ¥15,000 per person per day for food, transport, and a couple of activities.
Is Tokyo safe for tourists?
Really safe. It’s one of the safest big cities in the world. Violent crime is rare and the general culture of honesty means lost wallets and phones have a habit of turning up. Standard common sense applies but you can walk around at night without any concern.
How many days do you need in Tokyo?
Three is the minimum, which is what this itinerary is built around. Five is better if you can manage it. We spent two weeks here and still felt like we’d barely scratched the surface.
Is a Japan Rail Pass worth it?
Not if you’re only in Tokyo. A Suica card for pay-as-you-go travel will be cheaper and more flexible. If you’re travelling between cities on the Shinkansen, run the numbers on the JR Pass calculator for your specific route before you buy.
