I originally posted this in a thread that got deleted and I felt like I spent too much time typing it for it to get buried so I’m sharing it as a general recommendation.
I have this itinerary I like that covers a lot of ground in a single day on the western side of Tokyo:
First, get yourself to Shinjuku Station, then exit on the EAST side of the station. From there, you make your way to the Shinjuku Gyoen Shinjuku Gate. You can then spend time visiting the various areas of the park, zigging and zagging your way until you reach the south gate that’s near Sendagaya station.
From there it’s a short walk to the Meiji Temple’s Kitasando Torii, which acts as the northern entrance to the Meiji Temple park. Go through the park and visit the temple. Take the south exist of the temple and follow the main path, it’ll lead you to the park’s restaurant if you’re feeling hungry. You can then continue south and exit the temple park just outside Harajuku station!
You can go across the street to explore the famous Harajuku area (Check out Candy Show Time for some eatable souvenirs). Then, take Cat Street towards Shibuya, taking a detour at Tower Records and the Disney Store, and finally make your way to the Shibuya Scramble Crossing! From there, you can continue to check out Shibuya or just head back home from Shibuya Station.
It looks like a lot but a direct walk from Shinjuku to Shibuya is only 40 minutes. I’ve done this in like 4-5 hours top, including a stop for lunch, so there’s plenty of wiggle rooms to spend more time in a particular shop, or take a detour to Shibuya Parco for the Nintendo Store and Pokémon Center. This covers a lot of classic locations and there’s tons of opportunity for discoveries along the way. I’ve done this on my own and a second time with a friend who really appreciated seeing so much of the city in one go.
by Triangulum_Copper
