Itinerary Help – Tokyo (5 nights)

6 comments

1. This looks well paced. I’d suggest meji shrine instead of yoyogi park (not much to see there), asakusa/senso-ji instead of imperial palace (again, not much there). You want to book Ghibli museum way ahead of time, and shibuya sky exactly one month ahead of time to get the sunset slot (I got my ticket on klook). Do teamlabs first and Akihabara in the evening, the vibe will be cooler.

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3. * I agree with seeing Meji Shrine, Yoyogi is more or less just a boring public park next to it
   * Harajuku & Omotesando are also right next to the shrine. The main street in Harajuku is touristy as hell but the area around it is actually quite nice (i.e. Jingumae) has a lot of really cool little shops and cafes. Typically more bespoke stuff and less food chains and big clothing brands.
   * Shibuya’s Miyashita Park is a small, fun shopping mall with a neat rooftop to stop by. They also have a couple good places to eat (Miyashita Naru is like this overly friendly modern izakaya I love there). I’ve found myself at Miyashita Park frequently when visiting Tokyo because it’s honestly a stress-free place to get food or use a decent public bathroom
   * I’m excided for Borderless to re-open it was amazing when it used to be in Odaiba. TeamLab Planets is fun but I went last month and it’s been severely nerfed.
   * Random Osaka notes:
   * Umeda Sky building is pretty cool if you like Shibuya Sky like activities. Umeda has a underground eatery that has a bunch of mini places
   * Dotonbori. I stayed near Dotonbori and realized it really wasn’t my thing. I think it’s cool to go there one night and over-indulge in beverages and have some street food but it’s absurdly crowded with tourists.

4. Suggestions:

   Go to the Tokyo Metropolitan Building (Shinjuku) instead of Shibuya Sky (because you don’t have to make reservations or pay).

   I agree with u/armchairtheory1000 that you can skip Yoyogi Park and the Imperial Palace (if you’re going to the national garden in Shinjuku).

   As for eating, in Tokyo you can find restaurants pretty much anywhere you’ll be, and most of them will be good to excellent. I don’t recommend going to any place you’ve heard of from outside Japan because it’ll be jammed. Don’t waste your time waiting for particular restaurants.

5. Ueno has pretty much everything that you seek (I like to say it’s a miniature Tokyo inside Tokyo).

   On the cultural side, Ueno park has multiple shrines, a museum of western art, a natural history museum, and the Tokyo National Museum. And Ueno Zoo (be aware it’s the oldest zoo in Japan so its installations can be really heartbreaking for animal lovers). The former Iwasaki Family Residence and Garden outside the park is also a really nice exemple of Meiji era buildings! [https://www.tokyo-park.or.jp/teien/en/kyu-iwasaki/index.html](https://www.tokyo-park.or.jp/teien/en/kyu-iwasaki/index.html)

   On the shopping side you have the Ameyokocho market alongside the train tracks and the Marui shopping centre (the big building with ‘OIOI’ on it). For pop-culture you have Yamashiroya (multi floor toy store), Ueno Yodobashi Camera building 2 (not the flatiron style one with the gashapon wall near the station, the one down the street with big open doors leading to a cell phone selling room, go to floor 2 and 3 for the toys and video games, should be a LEGO or Xbox sign on the building above the door), or the multi-story Hard Off/Hobby Off. You can even walk to either Asakura or Akihabara from there.

   And there’s tons of food options at various price points, especially around Ameyokocho and it’s a great place to get cheap snacks to bring back as souvenir. Next to Yamashiroya, there’s an inexpensive tempura don place where you order on a vending machine outside, it’s super easy and convenient.

6. Day 1: if you’re not too tired, add golden gai or memory lane to free up more time on Day 2. Memory lane is a tiny area and Golden Gai is more interesting of the two in my opinion.
   Day 2: Shinjuku Gyoen (might need to make a reservation), Meiji Jingu, Takeshita Dori, Shibuya. Jet lag may hit you hard this day, so maybe take a break between Takeshita Dori and Shibuya at a nearby Internet cafe or back to your hotel and do Shibuya in the evening.
   Day 3: Marunouchi Naka dori has nice cafes for breakfast if you’re already in the area. The weather should be nice. Ameyoko is better in the evening. I’ve never been inside the Ueno zoo, but I have heard it’s not that interesting unless you are interested in their Pandas. Asakusa/sensoji is highly recommended. It’s not far from Ueno.
   If you have time, I would squeeze in Yokohama on Day 4 or 5.