Good day! Will be spending 6 days in tokyo and its our first time! Really excited for this and we made a rough draft of where we want to go but would love input from you guys if we should add or take out some stuff in our list. Then headed to osaka.
Day 1 arrival and rest hit the grocery after 6pm for some discounted meals for dinner and breakfast.
Day 2
– team lab (my mom wants to see this) any side trips after?
– shinjuku
– omoide yokocho for dinner (or is this a tourist trap?)
– shibuya (aside from the crossing what can we see?)
Day 3
– meiji shrine
– tokyo tower (is it best at night?)
– harajuku 2nd hand vintage stores also interested in louie Vuitton outlet
Day 4
– tokyo art aquarium
– ninja resto for lunch
– a bit free to roam so we need activities
Day 5
– sensoji temple
– edo taito crafts
Day 6
Free day getting ready to travel to osaka
Is a jr pass worth it?
Also we will be spending 7 days in osaka would love help too!
8 comments
Tokyo is one of the greatest food cities in the world. You can easily do a lot better for dinner than convenience store food.
I dont have many tips, except for the art aquarium since I was there a week ago. When you’re trying to find it, know that it’s on the 8th floor of Mitsukoshi department store (I didnt realize this at first). However, the entrance itself is on the 9th floor, so you will have to take an elevator there either from the bottom or from the 8th floor like I did.
After you’re done, the department store has a lot of things to offer if you want to shop. My favourite was all the tea bowls, sake cups etc and especially one shop which had so many beautiful chopsticks.
Always good to list where you’re from and where you’re staying as advice changes based on that.
I’ve just finished 6 days in Tokyo and am currently in Osaka.
Sleep early the first day you’re here, leave early for Tsukiji market (before 8). There’s a sushi/sashimi store that is in the market building adjacent to the stalls. Just in front of the toilets. The otoro sushi there is amazingly cheap (600 yen for 2) and legit. Just 5 metres away the stalls & restaurants will sell lower quality otoro for 2-3x more. You can then take a single bus down to Teamlabs (20mins incl walking). Do not arrive more than 15 mins early for Teamlabs, there is absolutely nothing else to do in the immediate surrounding area.
If anything, I found Takeshita st/Harajuku to be more of a tourist trap, but I suppose you should go. Omote sando is next to it and pricey, but the architecture is quite interesting.
Consider planning naps in your day. We would wake up early to beat crowds for our first destination, walk 20k steps by 3pm, head back for a nap, then come out again at 6pm+ after rush hour to see the city at night.
I’ve found good wagyu yakiniku to be easier to find and way cheaper in Osaka.
I would say, skip Tokyo tower. You can see it from everywhere and nothing there.
Instead, goto Skytree on day 5.
It is 10 minutes from Sensoji by train or 15 minutes walk.
Skytree is twice higher, easy to access, interesting shops under it.
The one Food display sample shop is my recommend.
https://www.ganso-sample.com/en/
No the JR Pass is not worth it.
The new version of the art aquarium is terrible compared to it’s former glory (the original). Consider skipping it.
Most folks are up early on their first morning from the time adjustment, so it’s not a bad day to hit Tsukiji Outer Market. Good combo with TeamLabs since they’re on the same part of town. If you’re into Gundam, you can explore Odaiba afterward.
As someone pointed out, you could plan Meiji / Harajuku / Shibuya for the same day.
If you’re going to Tokyo Tower and you enjoy VR video games, my college-age kid very much enjoyed RED Tokyo Tower. Kind of a VR amusement park.
Go to akihabara and check out the electronics stores. Also go to Asakusa and eat tempura. If your into nightlife I think Roppongi/Azabu are better than Shinjuku….although Kabukicho is worth a visit. Rainbow Bridge is also with a couple of hours and if you can get a tour of Sukiji Fush market do it it won’t be there for long from what I hear. Might be worth it also to spend a day in Kamakura. IMHO people often spend too much time in Tokyo. It’s not an easy city to navigate but seems like you have very specific things in mind. Would suggest Kyoto and Nara they are worth it. Would spend at least 2 days there. Although the food is amazing I don’t think Osaka is that interesting.
I just got back from a two week trip with my parents and we also spent 5/6 days in Tokyo, including two nights spent in a hotel overlooking Shibuya crossing. We also spent four nights in a hotel in Ueno.
Hot take, but I personally don’t find Shibuya that interesting and I think you should do an evening in Shinjuku and then spend your time in a smaller, more interesting neighborhood. We loved Nakameguro and Kichijoji and you might also try Daikanyama if you’re into vintage designer consignment stores. Yanaka Ginza is a nice little street with interesting shops and it’s about a 15 min walk from Nezu shrine. As someone who cooks a lot, I love Kappabashi St (you can do a fake food class at Ganso Shokuhin Sample-ya if you book in advance and I’d highly recommend checking out the taiyaki making experience at Guraku)! We also had a great time doing the washi paper making class at Ozu Washi paper shop/museum.
Google Maps has gotten MUCH better over the past few years and we used it very reliably to find restaurants (4.0+ rating is considered excellent and you may have to wait in line, but we had good meals at places in the 3.7-3.9 range too).
If you haven’t already, check out Airbnb experiences! Even if you don’t want to book any activities, there are lots of walking tours offered that might inspire you to check out various neighborhoods.