See Tokyo in 5 Days

Tokyo is easier on a first visit when each day stays inside one or two neighborhoods instead of crossing the city by taxi. This 5-day route links Asakusa, Harajuku, Shibuya, Tsukiji, and Shinjuku, with the Yamanote loop as the spine and a meal table you can actually use.

5 Days in Tokyo

Day 1: Asakusa, the Sumida, and Shibuya after dark

Be at Senso-ji before 9:00. Nakamise-dori is a shopping street, not a sight you need an hour for, and the main hall is calmer before tour groups fill the courtyard. Walk to Azuma Bridge for the view back to the Kaminarimon gate, then keep the river promenade if the sky is clear. Tokyo Skytree is enough from the ground on this day. Check into a hotel near Shinjuku, Shibuya, or Tokyo Station so the rest of the trip is one loop line, not a new neighborhood every night. In the evening, watch the Shibuya scramble from the street before you eat. A second-floor cafe window is the elevated view without a timed ticket.

Day 2: Meiji Jingu, Harajuku, and Shibuya Sky

Enter Meiji Jingu from the Harajuku side and walk the gravel approach without rushing the inner courtyard. The shrine is free. Weekday mornings are the most comfortable. Leave toward Takeshita-dori only if you want the crepe-lane crowd; Omotesando is the same district with more room. Book Shibuya Sky for late afternoon and arrive 15 minutes early, because the entry line is separate from the ticket you already bought. Do not stack another major sight after the deck. Dinner can stay in Shibuya or move one stop to Ebisu.

Day 3: Tsukiji, Ginza, and a night in Shinjuku

The inner tuna auction is no longer the visitor ritual it once was. The Tsukiji outer market still is. Eat a small breakfast there and leave before the lanes become a slow shuffle, then walk or ride one stop to Ginza. The useful part of Ginza is the basement food halls and the side streets, not a department-store logo. The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace are a free pause in the afternoon. At night, pick one pocket of Shinjuku: Omoide Yokocho for yakitori, or the south side for a normal restaurant. Crossing the station twice is how this day falls apart.

Day 4: A slower neighborhood, then the airport

Keep the last morning unfinished on purpose. Yanaka Ginza is a sloping shopping street with a temple graveyard behind it. Shimokitazawa is the alternative if you would rather browse records and small cafes.

Day 5: Departure

Be on an airport train with a real buffer: leave central Tokyo at least three hours before an international Narita departure, and about two and a half hours before a Haneda departure outside the morning rush. A short Tokyo trip fails more often on the ride back than at the sights.

Getting Around Tokyo

Buy a Suica or PASMO, or add the card to your phone, before the first ride. Tap in and tap out on JR, both subway companies, and most private lines you will use. The green Yamanote loop is the simplest map, not always the fastest train. From Narita, the Keisei Skyliner is the quick ride into Ueno and the Narita Express is simpler if the hotel sits on the loop. From Haneda, use the Keikyu line or the Tokyo Monorail. Do not haul a suitcase onto the Yamanote between 7:30 and 9:30.

Where to Eat in Tokyo

Prices are for one person and a normal order, before a drink. Ratings are a traveler's snapshot of consistency, not an official score.

Local Tip

Major stations hide a full meal under the ticket gates and in the adjacent department stores. An ekiben or a depachika counter is often faster than a famous restaurant with a 40-minute wait, and a convenience-store breakfast is a legitimate way to reach the first sight on time.

BlueLog Trip city guides