This itinerary was built for 3.5 days, the 0.5 of which accounts for a partial day upon arrival. We’ve broken down each day by proximity, focusing on a few wards (districts) per day.

Day 1: Ochanomizu, Akihabara

Where to stay: Hotel Ryumeikan Ochanomizu Honten

If you listen to only one recommendation from our time in Tokyo, please let it be this: No matter what, do what you can to stay at Hotel Ryumeikan Ochanomizu Honten in Tokyo’s Ochanomizu district. We booked through Hotels.com, which often features discounts and specials. Hands down, Ryumeikan has been the best hotel experience of our lives, and we couldn’t recommend it highly enough; what’s more, Ochanomizu (御茶ノ水) is centrally located within Tokyo’s 23 wards, and several easily accessible subway lines run directly through it.

At the airport

Whether you land in Haneda or Narita, don’t head into Tokyo proper until you’ve grabbed a Pasmo Passport card on your way out. If you land in Haneda, look for “Keikyu Tourist Information Center Haneda Airport International Terminal Station” on your way to the subway line. Please note that the Pasmo card will also get you around public transit in Kyoto and Osaka.

About Ochanomizu

Ochanomizu literally means “tea water” because of its proximity to the Kanda River, from which water was extracted to make the shogun’s tea during Tokyo’s Edo period. The ward is famous for its many musical instrument shops; it’s a popular district for bargain-conscious musicians.

Chuo-Dori Avenue

After checking into the hotel, and regardless of how jet-lagged you might be, take 30-45 minutes to wander Chuo-Dori Avenue; Chuo-Dori is the main shopping artery that runs through Tokyo’s popular Ginza district. Day 3 of this itinerary spends more time in Ginza, particularly for its coffee and kabuki scenes, but this stroll is a simple and accessible way to acclimate to Tokyo’s pace of life soon after landing.

Dinner in Akihabara: Jiromaru

Most flights from the U.S. land in Tokyo in the early or mid-afternoon. By the time we checked into our hotel and stretched our legs along Chuo-Dori, it was definitely time for dinner.

We recommend Jiromaru (if you haven’t already done so, remember to check Tabelog—Japan’s Yelp or food-centric TripAdvisor—for local restaurant ratings). Jiromaru is a yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant in the heart of Japan’s Akihabara (秋葉原), or “Electric Town”. You can easily walk from Chuo-Dori into the neighboring ward of Akihabara.

Akihabara (Electric Town)

Post-dinner, take some time to wander Japan’s famous “Electric Town”. Akihabara is a buzzing shopping hub famed for its electronics retailers. You’ll find everything from kitchen gadgets to fundamental otaku culture, including manga, anime, and video games. Its nickname of “Electric Town” stems from Japan’s post-war years, when the ward became a center of gravity for shopping household goods.

Hitachino Brewing Lab

If you can, swing by Hitachino Brewing Lab on your way back to Ochanomizu for a pint of Nest.

Day 2: Asakusa

• 8:30 AM: Senso-ji Temple and Asakusa district

  • Tokyo’s oldest temple, completed in 645

  • Formerly associated with the Tendai sect of Buddhism, but has been independent since WWII

  • Adjacent 5-story pagoda (Asakusa Shinto Shrine)

  • Sensoji Kannon temple is dedicated to Kannon Bosatsu (Bodhisattva of compassion); most visited spiritual site in the world with over 30 million visitors annually—roughly the same number of visitors as Meiji Shrine

  • Nakamise-dori / Shopping Street

    • Get a feel for old-school Tokyo at one of Japan's oldest shopping streets, Nakamise-dori, which dates back to the 17th century. Most shops in this arcade have been run by the same families for several generations, serving souvenirs, top-class street food and irresistible snacks.

    • Don't miss the chance to try some of the city's best street food all in one place. Ningyoyaki—little sponge cakes filled with red bean paste and shaped like famous Asakusa landmarks—and freshly toasted sembei crackers are two local favorites. Follow your nose to find juicy fried meat croquettes, sweet melon pan bread or cooling matcha ice cream among the stalls.

  • Kaminarimon

    • “Thunder Gate”; the outer of two large entrance gates that lead to Senso-ji

• 9:30 AM: Coffee at Sweets Cafe

• 10:30 AM: Ueno Onshi park

  • Public park in Taitou (たいとう), Tokyo. Established in 1873 on lands formerly belonging to temple of Kan’ei-ji

  • One of the first public parks in Japan

  • Founded following western example as part of borrowing and assimilation of international practices characterizing the early Meiji period

  • Japan’s most popular city park (over 10 million visitors a year)

• 11:30 AM: Lunch: Yamabe Okachimachi (tonkatsu)

  • Breaded, deep-fried/tempura pork cutlet; served with Japanese Worcestershire sauce and rice

• Tokyo Skytree (opens at 8 AM): get a combo ticket to see both observation decks

  • Broadcasting and observation tower in Sumida, Tokyo. Became the tallest structure in Japan in 2010; 2,080 feet tall

  • Tallest tower in the world, displacing Canton Tower

  • Second tallest structure in the world after the Burj Khalifa

• Kabuki performance at 4:30 PM at Kabuki Theater Ginza (Kabuki-za)

  • Order # 8573323

  • Kabuki ticket confirmation.pdf

  • See Required Reading

• Late dinner (probably at around 8:30 PM): Ippudo (Ginza) (ramen)

  • Japanese adaptation of Chinese wheat noodles, possibly introduced by Chinese immigrants in late 1800s or early 1900s in Yokohama (major port near Tokyo)

  • According to record of the Yokohama Ramen Museum, originated in China and made its way over to Japan in 1859

• Bar Orchard Ginza

  • Rated in the top 50 bars in the world

  • Pick a seasonal fruit from the bar and husband-and-wife team Takuo and Sumire Miyanohara will create a bespoke cocktail just for you. Expect modern mixology, from liquid nitrogen and foams, combined with old school technique. So a concoction of watermelon, gin and elderflower liqueur is served in a miniature bath tub complete with salty foam and a little rubber ducky, but the couple are just as happy to make an Old Fashioned.

Day 3: Ginza, Chuo, Shinjuku

• Coffee at Turret Coffee Tsukiji

  • Opens at 7 AM

  • They call themselves “the best outrageous coffee shop in Japan”

  • Named after the “turret” mini-trucks that zip around nearby Tsukiji fish market

  • タッレットコーヒー

• Tsukiji Shijou (or Toyosu fish market)

  • It is now the Toyosu Fish Market (as of late 2018), but before it moved (only 1.5 miles), it was the largest wholesale fish and seafood market in the world; was also one of the largest wholesale food markets of any kind

  • Toyosu Fish Market can now make both claims above as of its opening date on October 11, 2018

  • Sushi for breakfast at fish market (Toyosu)

  • Tour of Toyosu market; 8:30 AM

  • Tsukiji market tour confirmation.pdf

  • Tsukiji market tour.pdf

  • Will last until 10:30 AM

• Wander around Ginza

  • Check out Mitsukoshi

    • International department store chain with headquarters in Tokyo

• 12:00 PM lunch: Sushi Satake (Tsukiji)

  • Sushi Satake Ginza.pdf

    • Caused the “hot shari” hype

    • Edomae sushi

    • Relatively new sushi-ya

    • Chef Satake experimented with hot shari (sushi rice) and found it paired particularly well with tuna

    • Has quickly gained popularity and positive Tabelog rankings

    • Single counter for 8

• 木村屋総本店 銀座三越 (Ginza Kimuraya)

  • Get melon bread (melonpan) and anbata-pan (azuki bean butter bread)

    • Melonpan is a sweet bun made from enriched dough covered in thin layer of crisp cookie dough

    • Appearance resembles a melon

• TeamLab Borderless (reservations already made for 12/24)

  • TeamLab Borderless ticket confirmation.pdf

  • In Odaiba

  • “Tokyo’s new [at the time in mid-2018] jaw-dropping interactive light museum”

  • World’s first digital art museum

  • 10,000 square meters divided into 5 worlds with 60 exhibits among them

• Dinner: Kaikaya By the Sea (reservation at 5:00 PM in the Flower Shop)

  • Izakaya-style seafood restaurant

  • All seafood comes from Toyosu fish market each morning

• Mikkeller Tokyo

• Øl by Oslo Brewing Company

• Shibuya

  • Major commercial and business center

  • Houses the two busiest railway stations in the world: Shinjuku Station and Shibuya-Ku Station

  • Shibuya Crossing

  • Tokyo’s iconic intersection

  • Rumored to be the busiest intersection in the world

  • “Like a giant beating heart, sending people in all directions with every pulsing light change”

  • During rush hour or peak travel hours, as many as 1,000 people cross during a single light change

• Facebook Tokyo (as a nighttime observation deck on 30F)

• Roppongi Hills (early evening)

  • Development project in Tokyo and one of Japan’s largest integrated property developments

  • Considered a successful “city within a city”

  • Mega-complex incorporates office space, shops, restaurants, cafes, movie theaters, museum, hotel, major TV studio, outdoor amphitheater, and a few parks

  • Includes the 54-story Mori Tower

  • Minoru Mori (“building tycoon” of a human) wanted to create an inner-urban community that allowed people to live, work, play, and shop in close proximity to eliminate commuting time

• Mori Art Museum and 360º deck (museum closes at 10 PM, observation deck admits last person at 10:30 PM)

  • Once you arrive at Roppongi Hills, please go to the 3F of Mori Tower and then take the express elevator from the 3F to the 52F. The observation deck entrance is located on the 52F. The Mori Art Museum is located on the 53F

  • The art museum features modern art exhibitions on a variety of genres, including fashion, architecture, design, photography, and video