Photo by Louie Martinez on Unsplash
Five days by train: old Tokyo around Asakusa and Ueno, the market and the palace gardens, the shrine and the crossings of the west side, the bay, and a last day in Shinjuku. Each day stays in one part of the city.
Dishes the travel guides name for this place, and the restaurants they list for them.
Nigirizushi, fish pressed onto rice, which originates from Tokyo and is known within Japan as Edo-style sushi.
Deep-fried battered seafood and vegetables, one of the three dishes Tokyo cuisine is best known for within Japan.
A gooey, cabbage-filled version of okonomiyaki made with a very thin batter, originally from the Tsukishima area of Chuo.
From Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Listings are what the guides list, not a ranking, and places change, so check before you go. Photos: Yaco*, CC BY 2.0, Jpatokal, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Old Tokyo, and a gentle first day. Start at the temple before the lanes fill, then take a short train ride to the big park and its museum.
One of the oldest temples in the city, reached through a great red gate and a long lane of small shops. Go early, before the crowds, and walk in slowly.
Go when Early morning, before the shopping lane fills with tour groups.
Local tip Walk through the big red gate and up the lane, then step to one side of the main hall to watch people wave incense smoke over themselves.
Asakusa is known for old-style cooking: tempura fried until crisp, or buckwheat soba noodles served hot or cold. A simple, filling lunch near the temple.
Local tip Cold soba on a tray with a dipping sauce is the classic way to eat it, and slurping is fine.
Hours change, so check before you go.
A big park with a pond, old trees, a zoo and several museums. It is a good place to slow down and watch the city out for a walk.
Go when Late morning, with the museums still ahead of you.
Local tip The paths are long and shady, so wander toward the pond rather than following a straight line from gate to gate.
Japan’s largest collection of art and antiques, in several buildings at the top of Ueno Park. Pick one or two galleries rather than trying to see it all.
Go when Early afternoon, when you want a cool, quiet room.
Local tip Choose the main hall of Japanese art and one other building. The museum is large, and two good galleries beat six rushed ones.
A busy market street running beside the railway tracks, with food stalls, snacks and small shops. It is lively and loud in the evening.
Go when Early evening, when the stalls are busiest and the lights come on.
Local tip Walk the whole strip beside the tracks and back, and keep to the side so the crowd can pass.
An izakaya is a casual pub that serves small dishes to share: grilled skewers, fried chicken, edamame and plates of fish. Ueno has plenty near the station.
Local tip Order a few dishes at a time and add more as you go, which is how people do it here.
Hours change, so check before you go.
A day in the middle of the city. The market is best early, and a short train ride or a walk links the rest.
The lanes of food stalls and small shops that stayed in Tsukiji after the big wholesale market moved away. Come hungry and early, and eat as you walk.
Go when Early morning, when the stalls are freshest and the lanes are not yet packed.
Local tip Eat as you walk but finish each snack at the stall, since walking and eating at once is considered poor manners here.
The market is known for tamagoyaki, a sweet rolled omelet on a stick, and for bowls of rice topped with fresh sliced fish. A good breakfast while the stalls are fresh.
Local tip Pick one or two stalls rather than sampling every one, since the portions add up quickly.
Hours change, so check before you go.
Tokyo’s polished shopping district, with department stores, wide streets and old theaters nearby. Even if you buy nothing, the window displays are worth a stroll.
Go when Midday, as a break between the market and the gardens.
Local tip Look at the department stores, which often have food halls in the basement worth a quick look even if you are not hungry.
The open part of the palace grounds, where Edo Castle once stood. Stone walls, a moat and wide lawns make a quiet break. Check ahead which days it is open.
Go when Afternoon, for a long walk on the lawns before the light fades.
Local tip Follow the old stone walls up to the top of the castle grounds, where the foundations of the main keep still stand.
The red-brick Marunouchi building is a landmark from 1914, and it looks its best lit up after dark. The square in front is a good place to end the day.
Go when Early evening, when the building is lit.
Local tip Stand in the square in front for the best view of the red-brick facade, then look at the domed ceilings inside the station.
Tonkatsu is a breaded and fried pork cutlet, served with shredded cabbage, rice and miso soup. The streets around the station have many places that serve it.
Local tip The cabbage is usually refilled on request, and the cutlet is eaten with a thick brown sauce or just salt.
Hours change, so check before you go.
A walking day through the west side. Start in the forest, wander the shops and finish at the busiest crossing in the city.
A calm Shinto shrine set in a forest in the middle of the city. The long gravel path under the trees is the best part, so go early and take it slowly.
Go when Early morning, when the forest is quiet and the light comes through the trees.
Local tip Bow once at each torii gate and walk toward the side of the path rather than down the middle, which is kept for the gods.
A short, packed lane of youth fashion shops and sweet stands in Harajuku, right outside the shrine. A fun contrast to the quiet of the morning.
Go when Midday, if you like crowds, or earlier if you do not.
Local tip It is short but very busy, so walk it once end to end and then step out onto the quieter side streets.
Ramen is the noodle soup Tokyo eats every day, in a clear soy-based broth or a rich pork one. Shibuya and Harajuku are full of small counters that serve it.
Local tip Many shops take your order from a ticket machine by the door, so look for the pictures if you cannot read the names.
Hours change, so check before you go.
A museum of Asian art in Aoyama, with a quiet garden of paths and tea houses behind it. A calm indoor stop and a good one if it rains.
Go when Afternoon, with time left to walk the garden.
Local tip Leave a full hour for the garden at the back, where paths wind between tea houses and old stone lanterns.
The famous scramble where people cross from every side at once. Watch it from the station side or from a window above, then walk through it yourself.
Go when Dusk, once the screens are lit and the crowd is at its largest.
Local tip Watch it first from above, then cross once yourself. It takes under a minute and looks calmer from inside than outside.
Yakitori is chicken grilled on skewers over charcoal, with parts of the bird cooked one by one. Shibuya has small shops and alleys serving it after dark.
Local tip Ask for salt or sauce on each skewer, and order a few at a time so they arrive hot.
Hours change, so check before you go.
A day on the bay. A short train ride from the city takes you to the water, and the two halves of the day are about three kilometers apart.
An art space you walk through barefoot, with rooms of water, light and mirrors. Book a timed entry ahead, and wear clothes that are easy to roll up.
Go when First thing in the morning, on the timed entry you booked.
Local tip You walk barefoot through water that reaches the knee in places, so wear shorts or trousers that roll up, and carry as little as you can.
The wholesale fish market that replaced the old one at Tsukiji, with walkways above the floor where you can watch the work. Check ahead which days it is closed.
Go when Late morning, when the market floor is at work and the restaurants open.
Local tip Use the walkways above the market for the view, and eat sushi here, since the fish arrives only a few steps away.
The market is a good place to eat sushi: slices of raw fish on small pads of rice, as fresh as it gets in Tokyo. Counters near the market serve it all day.
Local tip You can eat sushi with your hands, and a little soy sauce on the fish rather than the rice is enough.
Hours change, so check before you go.
The science museum on the bay, with a giant globe hanging in the atrium and hands-on exhibits on robots and space. Easy to enjoy even without much Japanese.
Go when Afternoon, as a comfortable indoor stop on the bay.
Local tip Look up at the large globe in the middle of the building, then pick one or two exhibits to try instead of rushing through all of them.
A waterfront park with a small beach and a view across the bay to Rainbow Bridge and the lit skyline. A good place to end the day.
Go when Late afternoon, before sunset, when the bridge and skyline begin to light up.
Local tip Walk the waterfront path toward the bridge, and stay for the lights coming on across the bay.
A last day in one neighborhood. Everything here is within a short walk of the station, so it is easy to tailor to your energy.
A large garden with a Japanese section, a French one and an English one, plus a greenhouse. It is calm, spacious and easy to enjoy on a slow morning.
Go when Morning, when the garden is quiet and the light is soft.
Local tip Cross from the Japanese garden to the lawns of the English one to feel how different each part is, then look in at the greenhouse.
A cup of whisked green tea with a small seasonal sweet, called wagashi, is a calm way to rest in the middle of a day of walking.
Local tip The sweets are made to be eaten first, so the tea tastes less bitter by comparison.
Hours change, so check before you go.
A pair of towers with observation decks high above the city. On a clear day you can see far across the sprawl, and Mount Fuji sometimes shows in the distance.
Go when Midday on a clear day, since the view is the whole point.
Local tip Check the sky before you go. On a hazy or rainy day the city below is hard to see, so save it for a clear one.
Japanese curry is a thick, mild gravy over rice, often with a fried cutlet on top. It is a comfort food that every office worker in Shinjuku knows.
Local tip The sauce is sweet rather than hot, and most places let you choose how spicy to make it.
Hours change, so check before you go.
A small, quiet shrine tucked among the buildings of Shinjuku, a good pause between the towers and the bright streets of the evening.
Go when Afternoon, as a quiet pause in a busy part of town.
Local tip Walk to the back of the grounds, where the noise of the streets fades, and pause there for a few minutes.
A pair of narrow alleys of tiny stalls that grill skewers beside the tracks. It is smoky, crowded and very local, and a fine last night in the city.
Go when Evening, once the grills are lit and the alleys fill up.
Local tip The stalls are tiny, so go in a small group, and expect to sit shoulder to shoulder with whoever is next to you.
It covers 5 days in Tokyo, planned for early April. Each day is built around a small number of stops, with room to rest.
It was planned for most travelers. The pace and the places reflect that, so check it fits how you travel.
No. Places marked "book ahead" need a reservation. Hours, prices and availability change, so confirm before you go.
Yes. Archie drafts a day by day plan for your dates and takes your pace, the weather and who is travelling into account. You can start one from the Archie app.
Yes. It is a starting point you can change to fit your own trip: swap a place, add a day or move the pace.
Each day has about 3.5 to 4.7 kilometers between its stops, and 19.4 kilometers in all across 5 days. A short hop is a walk and a longer one a ride. Distances are straight-line estimates, so allow extra for the streets.
3 days in Hakone and Mount FujiAbout 80 km awayAn easy add-on
4 days of temples, tea and quiet corners in KyotoAbout 370 km away
4 days of long meals and neon in OsakaAbout 410 km awayOther guides with a page about Tokyo. Each one opens in a new tab.
WikivoyageTokyo, the free travel guideLonely PlanetTokyo travel guideCondé Nast TravelerTokyo travel guide
Time OutThings to do in TokyoThe GuardianTokyo travel featuresPhoto: Akonnchiroll, CC0 on Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Kakidai, CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Akonnchiroll, CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons · Photo by Zion C on Unsplash · Photo: Kakidai, CC BY-SA 3.0 on Wikimedia Commons
Make it yours in a minute, then move days around and add what you want.
A trip idea · Updated October 2026
Want your own days planned like this? Plan your own trip on the web or get the Archie app.
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