Photo by Louie Martinez on Unsplash
The 5-day plan, rearranged for 3 days: the best-ranked places stay, and each day keeps to one part of town.
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.
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
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 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.
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.
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.
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 3 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 7.5 to 15.4 kilometers between its stops, and 35.7 kilometers in all across 3 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: Bernard Gagnon, 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.
