Tokyo Neighbourhoods: A Practical Guide to Kanto's Capital

Tokyo makes more sense if you think of it as a chain of neighbourhoods rather than one city centre. The ground around the Imperial Palace is the old administrative core, but visitors mostly stay in places that feel like separate towns: Asakusa, Koenji, Tsukiji, Shibuya, and the waterfront districts east of the Sumida River. The useful habit is to plan by area, not by a checklist of famous sights. A morning at a market, an afternoon in second-hand shops and an evening in a small bar can all happen without any of the moves feeling like an expedition. For the areas in this guide, five days is the sensible minimum. More is better if you want to take one neighbourhood at a time.

Asakusa and Senso-ji: Nakamise before eight

Sensō-ji, which dates from 645, is the oldest surviving temple in Tokyo and the thing Asakusa is built around. The approach starts at Kaminarimon, and its big red lantern is one of the most photographed objects in the city, though the shopping street is better used as a place to walk than to shop. Nakamise runs for about 250 metres and has roughly 90 shops selling sweets, fans, chopsticks, kitchen goods, paper ornaments and small Buddhist figures. Getting into the temple is free. The separate garden costs 500 yen for adults. From Asakusa Station on the Ginza Line, the gate and main hall are about a one-minute walk away.

At 7 a.m. Nakamise is not yet a busy market. Most shutters are still down, though a handful of vendors start setting up around 8. The main hall opens at about 6 a.m. from April to October and 6:30 a.m. from October to March, so an early visitor can hear the bell, watch worshippers and see the street come to life without a tour group pressing behind them. By 9:30 the main approach is full of coaches and camera groups. If you are there to shop, come between 8:30 and 10 a.m., when more stalls have opened but the worst crowding has not arrived. If the temple is the point, come before 8 and accept that plenty of food stalls will still be shut.

Asakusa is not cheap by central Tokyo standards. A simple drink or a plate of small sweets usually costs 700 to 1,200 yen, and a ningyō-yaki cake is often 500 to 800 yen. The souvenir shops are better for browsing than for a cheap snack. After the temple, walk north to the Sumida River, a ten-minute trip, or eat on the side streets behind Asakusa instead of at the most obvious frontage. The river path is a good place for a short reset, but the older shopping lanes shut earlier than the bars and restaurants.

Shimokitazawa, Koenji and Nakano: three useful local centres

Shimokitazawa is the most obviously specialist of the three. Three railway lines meet there, and the small centre is packed with second-hand clothes shops, record stores, little music venues, bars, cafes and older cinemas. Most shops open around 11 a.m. and close between 7 and 9 p.m., so turning up early is a waste unless you want breakfast. Weekdays are easier for walking and browsing. At weekends the narrow pavements near the station get congested, and staff are less inclined to chat. The Odakyu line is the simplest way in, though the station has several confusing levels and exits.

Koenji has less of a single theme. Its old centre has independent clothing shops, a strong second-hand scene, jazz clubs and bars that draw local regulars rather than visitors on a night out. The Kanda River and the streets behind the JR station are quieter than Shinjuku, which makes Koenji a reasonable place to sit over a slow lunch. Many small businesses close on Sundays and holidays, so keep that in mind. Nakano is aimed more at collectors. Nakano Broadway holds Mandarake, Surugaya and several shops given over to anime, manga, games and model figures. It is worth an hour if that is your interest, and repetitive if it is not. Nakano Station has four tracks, with platforms split between the north and south exits. Allow at least ten minutes to get out on the correct side.

A practical route is to start in Nakano around 10:30 a.m., take the local train one stop to Koenji, then carry on through Shinjuku to Shimokitazawa. Allow six or seven hours including the travelling. A simple lunch costs 800 to 1,500 yen, records usually sell for 1,000 to 3,000 yen, and second-hand clothing goes from about 500 yen for one item up to several thousand yen for better pieces. Bring some cash, because the smaller shops are the ones most likely to refuse cards. With only half a day, pick one neighbourhood instead of rushing between all three.

Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi: the forest on the Olympic village

Meiji Shrine was founded in 1920, when this was still the rural edge of Tokyo. The date matters: the same grounds served as the athletes' village for the 1920 Olympic Games. Once the Games were over, the cleared land was replanted. The forest that resulted covers about 70 hectares and holds roughly 100,000 trees. Some of them came from 27 countries, donated to re-create the wooded landscapes associated with Emperor Meiji. So it is a planted ceremonial forest, not an ancient woodland that survived by accident next to a stadium. The shrine honours Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, and entry to the main precinct is free.

The inner garden costs 600 yen and is worth the extra if you have time, though most people get more out of the free paths through the forest. The Harajuku entrance is a 10 to 15-minute walk from the JR station; Yoyogi Station is five to ten minutes away on the other side. Set aside two to three hours for the precinct, Yoyogi Park and a meal. Arrive before 9 a.m. to dodge the biggest weekend crowds. The shrine is extremely busy around New Year, when visitors run into the hundreds of thousands, and the ginkgo avenue at Meiji Jingu Gaien is better on a weekday morning. The Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery charges about 1,000 yen.

Tsukiji Outer Market and the missing inner market

Tsukiji Outer Market still functions as a food market. It runs for about 250 metres and has roughly 400 independent shops, many of them family businesses buying directly from suppliers. The best window is 7:30 to 10 a.m., when knives, dried goods, tea, pickles, seafood and prepared food are all on offer. Most shops are finished by early afternoon. A seafood bowl or a grilled set usually costs 1,500 to 3,000 yen, and a simpler breakfast is likely to cost 1,000 to 2,000 yen. It gets crowded, and visitors pushing against the flow of shop workers can be a nuisance. Sunday and public-holiday closures are common, so check before you set out.

Almost nothing of the old inner market at Tsukiji survives in its original form. The wholesale trade moved to the larger Toyosu Market in 2018, and it still happens there, but the new site is a working distribution centre, not a public shopping hall. Casual visitors cannot just walk into the wholesale area, and a proper visit usually has to be arranged through a wholesaler. Only a small number of suppliers and market-related businesses are left near the old site. The outer market is separate from that wholesale operation, even though the two names are often used interchangeably. Do not expect the old fish auction viewing area or a public seafood hall at Tsukiji.

Golden Gai and the twenty-square-metre bars

Golden Gai in Shinjuku is roughly six narrow blocks holding more than 200 bars, restaurants and host clubs. Many of the drinking places are about twenty square metres, though that is a rough guide rather than a standard floor plan. Some seat five people; others fit twenty or more behind a narrow counter. Ground-floor rooms are usually small bars, while many upper floors are host clubs with a different format and a different way of charging. The alleys can look inviting after dark, but most venues have restricted access. You cannot walk into every bar and expect a seat.

Many bars add a cover charge of 500 to 1,000 yen and set a drink minimum of 1,000 to 2,000 yen. Some have dropped the entry fee but raised the minimum instead. On a first visit, budget 2,000 to 3,500 yen for getting in and the first drink, rather than assuming a 500-yen bar tab. Cash is still the safest thing to carry. Plenty of rooms involve stairs, have poor ventilation and no toilet, and some close on Sundays or public holidays. Opening times typically run from about 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. or later. If you want a wider, less formal street with easier tables and food counters you can actually see, Omoide Yokocho is a few minutes away and is not part of Golden Gai.

“If you have two hours, drink slowly. Nobody here is trying to rush you out.” Aiko Mori, a Golden Gai bar owner who has run a six-seat bar for nine years.

Odaiba and the waterfront after the empty Olympics

Odaiba is built on reclaimed land, and it works better as a waterfront district than as one attraction. The Yurikamome elevated train runs from Shimbashi to Odaiba in about 15 minutes for roughly 760 to 820 yen, depending on where you get off. Walking over Rainbow Bridge takes 10 to 15 minutes and costs nothing. The main draws are shopping malls, teamLab installations, the MiraCosta science centre and the DiverCity area with its big Gundam statue. The waterfront promenade has benches and plenty of open view, but Odaiba is not a swimming beach. Paid attractions usually cost 1,000 to 3,000 yen, and the most popular ones sell timed tickets.

The planned 2020 Olympics exposed the contradiction in the new waterfront. The Games were postponed by the pandemic and held from 23 July to 8 August 2021, still under the Tokyo 2020 name. No foreign spectators were admitted, and domestic attendance was limited at many venues. Olympic signs, spectator routes and transport plans were all in place while much of the event ran empty. Some beach volleyball was played in nearby Ariake, not on the central Odaiba promenade, and the athletes' village was in Yoyogi, several kilometres away. The result was polished public space built for international crowds and used by comparatively few people. The irony is literal: the Games were called Tokyo 2020, and their main spectator audience was not there.

Skytree and Shibuya: choosing an observation deck

Tokyo Skytree stands 634 metres tall, but the public viewing areas are at 350 metres and 450 metres. A standard ticket commonly costs about 2,100 yen bought in advance as a group, and 2,600 yen on the day. The package that goes up to the 634-metre level is about 3,100 yen. For most people the 350-metre Tembo Deck gives the wide view and is enough; the upper gallery is mainly worth it on an exceptionally clear day. Take a timed ticket, and book at least a week ahead if you want sunset. Security and lift queues of 30 to 60 minutes are normal, so arrive 60 to 90 minutes before sunset when the view is the point.

Shibuya Sky is the better pick for a close-up view of central Tokyo. It goes up to 229 metres, with an open rooftop on the 45th floor and a glass-walled indoor level on the 46th. Tickets are roughly 2,200 yen in advance and 2,500 yen on the day, and reservations can vanish two to four weeks ahead during cherry-blossom and autumn periods. The rooftop takes the wind and rain, so the indoor level is the sensible fallback in bad weather. Shibuya Sky beats Skytree for reading the city grid, though neither is much good under a solid layer of cloud. Do not pay for both on one trip. The crossing, public walkways and some cafés give you free views at street level.

If you have time for only one deck, pick Skytree for height and a wide skyline, or Shibuya Sky for the rooftop and the central landmarks. Skip a second paid deck such as Sky Q unless you have a particular reason. The free observation area at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building is often closed as well, so do not build a route around it. From Shinjuku, Skytree is about 20 to 25 minutes via the Toei Asakusa Line plus a short walk from Oshiage. From Shibuya, allow 30 to 40 minutes and one interchange.

How to plan five days in Tokyo

A workable five-day schedule is not a race through the main sights. Day 1 begins with Asakusa and Sensō-ji before 8 a.m., then the Sumida River and, if you want museums that day, Ueno. Day 2 takes in Nakano, Koenji and Shimokitazawa from late morning to early evening. Day 3 puts Meiji Shrine, Yoyogi and Harajuku together, then Shibuya and Skytree at sunset. Day 4 starts at Tsukiji around 8 a.m. and carries on to Odaiba for the afternoon. Day 5 leaves the morning free for a local area and finishes in Golden Gai after 7 p.m. Five days covers these districts without changing hotels. If you want to go day by day, add a day for Ueno or Kagurazaka, and another if you intend to visit several museums properly.

When to go and what weather to expect

March and April, then October and November, are the best months. Typical daytime highs are about 12°C in March, 19°C in April, 19°C in October and 14°C in November. Nights are cooler, so a light jacket helps in March, April and November. Cherry blossom normally shows up from late March into early April, though the exact date moves with the weather and varies across the city. Autumn colour starts in late November, often after the best-season window has gone, and brings big weekend crowds. May is usually quieter but can be humid. June and July are the rainy season, and August and September carry the worst heat and the typhoon risk.

Getting to Tokyo from Haneda and Narita

Haneda and Narita are both on the train network, so an airport bus is unnecessary unless your final destination has poor rail service. At Haneda, terminals 1 and 2 connect to the Tokyo Monorail, while terminal 3, where most international flights arrive, connects to the Keiyo Line. The monorail reaches Hamamatsucho in roughly 13 to 18 minutes, and the Keiyo Line gets to Shin-Kiba in about 15 to 20 minutes. Fares into the centre are usually 400 to 700 yen. From Narita, the Skyliner reaches Ueno or Nippori in about 36 minutes for 2,580 yen one way. The Keisei Access Express is slower and usually costs 1,300 to 1,600 yen.

The warning worth reading: every traveller needs an IC card

The trains are not the problem; they are the answer, provided you have an IC card. A physical Suica or PASMO card usually costs 500 yen and can be topped up at airport ticket machines, station machines or convenience stores. Stock can be thin, especially for Welcome Suica and the airport-only counters, so buy one before you leave the airport. Each traveller needs their own card; two people cannot normally pass a gate on a single IC card. Tap in and tap out. Top up in smaller amounts, since some machines cap how much cash they will load at once, and keep 1,000 to 2,000 yen on the card. Mobile Suica works on supported iPhones, but for a short trip a physical card is the dependable choice.

Rush hour, fares and the last train

Weekday rush hours are generally 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., when the trains are packed with office workers, and 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., when they fill up again in the opposite direction. Shinjuku and Shibuya are especially slow then, and the platforms can be confusing. Add 20 to 30 minutes to any transfer estimate. Central JR trips usually cost 140 to 230 yen, subway trips 180 to 260 yen and private railway journeys 140 to 230 yen. Most city buses take IC cards and cost 210 to 230 yen, though not every route does. A short taxi ride in the centre commonly costs 700 to 1,100 yen and can take 30 to 50 minutes in traffic. The last major services usually leave central stations between 12:30 and 1 a.m., so check your route before a late night in Golden Gai.

Rain season, typhoons and August heat

The rainy season, tsuyu, usually starts in the first or second week of June and runs into mid-July, though the dates vary. June gets about 168 mm of rain and July about 156 mm, much of it in short bursts rather than steady downpours. Bring a compact umbrella, waterproof shoes and a light layer. Typhoon season runs from late August into October, with the greatest risk in late August and September. A typhoon may mean no more than wet weather, but a direct hit can stop rail services, shut shops and make elevated structures unpleasant. Check forecasts and JR East service notices 24 to 48 hours ahead, and do not book a train to the airport immediately before an international flight. The average daytime high in August is about 32°C with high humidity, so outdoor work is best in the morning and after 5 p.m.

Tokyo: the Neighbourhoods, Japan

Where to stay and what a five-day visit costs

Shinjuku or Shibuya are the handiest areas if trains, restaurants and nightlife come first. For quieter nights, look at Koenji, Nakano, Sugamo or Otsuka, all with good rail connections and nothing like the volume of Shinjuku. Rooms close to Shinjuku station can be noisy, and Shibuya often costs more. A simple business hotel commonly runs 15,000 to 25,000 yen per room per night on weekdays and 20,000 to 35,000 yen at weekends. Capsule hotels usually cost 7,000 to 12,000 yen. Depending on the room price, Tokyo's accommodation tax can add 100 or 500 yen per person per night. Most paid temples and museums charge 500 to 1,500 yen. The best museums are free, among them the National Art Center, the National Museum of Modern Art and the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, though some need reservations. Over five days, expect roughly 3,500 to 6,000 yen on trains, 15,000 to 25,000 yen on meals and 2,000 to 6,000 yen on admissions, excluding flights and accommodation.

Where to eat, what to avoid and final warnings

A casual lunch costs 800 to 1,500 yen, an izakaya dinner usually costs 1,500 to 3,000 yen, and a bigger meal runs from 2,000 to 4,000 yen. Convenience-store food goes from about 300 to 700 yen, while department-store basement food halls are a reliable but pricier lunch option. Carry 5,000 to 10,000 yen in cash, since small bars, shrine stalls and independent shops are inconsistent about cards; 7-Eleven and Japan Post ATMs usually take foreign cards, sometimes for a fee. Do not assume Nakamise is a cheap food street, do not turn up at Tsukiji expecting it to be open on Sunday, and do not go to Odaiba in swimwear. In Golden Gai, check the cover charge and drink minimum before ordering. A busy deck, a shopping-centre attraction and two bars in one night can eat a large part of a travel budget. Finally, allow 120 minutes to reach Narita before an international flight and at least 60 minutes for Haneda, with more time for traffic and walking through stations.