Tokyo is a perfect blend of traditional Japanese culture with super modern futuristic technology. It’s such a large city that you’ll probably need more than one visit to explore – and even then, you wouldn’t be able to see everything! Here are some of the highlights.
Practicalities
Currency: Japanese yen
Recommended length of stay: 1 week at a time – over multiple visits
Month of visit: September, February
Useful tips: The train system in Japan is extremely confusing, more on that later. Pick up a reloadable money card ASAP for easy use on the metro, at vending machines and in shops.
CDC’s Recommended Vaccinations: Click here!
Packing List For Japan
This varies a lot depending on what season you visit in! In September, the weather was very hot and humid so we recommend packing loose fitting light clothing and sun protective gear. In February, it was still fairly warm but did get a little rainy.
BTW – you’ll notice bathing suit isn’t on our list as it usually is. We didn’t find many pools in Tokyo!
- 2 pairs of shorts and light weight shirts
- Light weight dress or button down
- Lightweight long pants
- Sandals or sneakers – shoes you can walk for miles in!
- Bug Spray
- Sunscreen
- Packable towel
- Sunglasses
Where to Stay
We’ve stayed at a few different hotels during our various visits to Tokyo, but the stand-out so far is the Park Hotel Tokyo. This hotel is located in the Shiodome Media Tower skyscraper and has stunning views across the city. Being an Art hotel it hosts unique and eclectic exhibitions and has certain rooms decorated by local artists. The lobby has a wine, sake and beer vending machine and free coffee and tea that you can enjoy while soaking up the views on the 25th floor.
Ginza
This neighborhood is full of fashionable (and rich) people with many luxury shops. A public school in this area once rolled out Armani school uniforms for their kids, costing nearly 800 USD for a set! There’s lots of great food in Ginza – some of it is quite pricey though. We found truffle ramen that was incredibly rich and delicious at Ginza Kagari.
Shinjuku
In this neighborhood, you’ll find the famed Godzilla statue. You’ll also find lots of great eats and drinks – many tourists choose this neighborhood as their base while exploring the city. Wander down “Memory Lane” for delicious and authentic Japanese cuisine. The Golden Gai area is known for a collection of bars lining narrow streets that has become an iconic view of Tokyo.
Harajuku Neighborhood
This is an upscale neighborhood renowned for some of the best people-watching in Tokyo. It is accessible by the JR Yamanote line. We spent ages wandering around, popping in and out of vintage and luxury stores and checking out the cosplay items. Once we got tired of that we stopped and had some stuffed crepes (famous in Harajuku) while admiring its residents fashionable attire. Takeshita street and Cat street are some of the more well-renowned shopping streets in Harajuku.
Shibuya Crossing
Statistics vary, but anything up to 3,000 people cross this crosswalk every few minutes! It’s one of the busiest crossings in the world and truly is a sight to see. We enjoyed taking part as pedestrians, but the so called “scramble” is really more fun to watch from above. Shibuya Sky is a common location to watch the scramble from, however requires reservations which we did not have so instead we visited Mag’s Park Rooftop and are really glad we did! This more casual alternative offers a stunning view of the Shibuya crossing in an eclectic space (1 drink is included with entry charge). You can also see it from the Shibuya Starbucks – but good luck getting a seat by the window!
Akihabara – aka Electric Town
Bright, flashing lights, people dressed up in cosplay…Akihabara is a must-see destination for any first timers to Tokyo. We had so much fun wandering in and out of arcades all night long. Plus, our favorite yakiniku place is in this district! Catch the JR Yamanote line to get here.
Odaiba Island
Odaiba Island is a manmade island that is easily accessible from the Park Hotel Tokyo via the Yurikamome Line. We really enjoyed exploring the Museum of Engineering and Innovation here, and strolling around the island taking in the various eclectic statues (including a statue of liberty!). We also checked out an awesome arcade called Joyopolis – though on the pricier side, it’s worth it for an authentic gaming experience! You can even dress up as Mario characters and go go-karting around the streets of Odaiba. It’s also home to teamLab Planets (see below). Don’t miss the epic views of Rainbow Bridge from the metro as you zoom over.
teamLab Planets
This was such an awesome experience and we highly recommend it! We ended up not being able to go during our first trip to Tokyo as we did not realize you had to purchase tickets in advance. To get to teamLab Planets, take the Yurikamome line (leaves from right outside Park Hotel Tokyo) to Shin Toyu station which is right outside the building. Tickets are around 24 USD and you reserve a date and time of entry. Keep in mind you will be assigned a locker on entry and you will have to put all of your items, including your socks and shoes, into the locker prior to entering any of the exhibits. From then on, you will be walking through and interacting with multiple large scale art pieces – see photos below. This is one of the most unique things we did in Tokyo.
Tokyo Disney Sea
We do Disney all over the world and have been based out of LA for ten years so are most familiar with Disneyland and California Adventure. We’ve also been to Disneyland Paris. Tokyo Disney Sea was a Disney theme park we really wanted to like, but we found the lines to be crushing (more so than Disneyland) and the heat was unbearable. The lines for food were exorbitant and we waited ages to be able to purchase a snack to fuel the rest of our day. Also, be really careful and ask to see the allergen information if you have any dietary restrictions at all (we found the chicken dish contained pork, which we don’t eat…). We took the JR line train to Maihama station and from there took the Disney monorail, which is an awesome character themed train that gets you to the park entrance. We waited in winding lines for over an hour to enter the park, and ended up leaving early. The entrance fee to the park was cheaper than Disneyland, but in our opinion not really worth it.
Owl Cafe (or cat, snakes, bunnies, capybara..)
Animal cafes are definitely a trendy experience in Japan. It was amazing seeing these beautiful creatures up close. We’re not too sure about how this experience is for the animals though, and wouldn’t necessarily go back. This guide is a good one if you’re looking into visiting an animal cafe in Tokyo.
Food and Drink of Tokyo
Here is a list of a couple of restaurants and bars we really enjoyed in Tokyo. Many eateries are still cash only, so it’s always a good idea to have some yen on you. At the bars, be prepared to pay a cover charge, however typically your drink will be accompanied by a small snack.
- Beef Professional – private rooms serving wagyu yakiniku (one of our favorite restaurants in the world – pictured above)
- Bar Benfiddich
- Omakase at Tokyo Ten
- 300 Bar
- Kura sushi (better than the US version)
- Kipposhi (blue ramen – pictured below)
- Don Quijote (for snacks and miscellaneous items)
- Ginza Kagari
A Few More…
Here are a couple of places we still want to visit in Tokyo – there’s always next trip!
- Gotokuji Temple
- National Art Center
- Dawn avatar robot cafe
- Sensoji temple
- Shinjuku garden
- A sumo match
- Studio Ghibli museum
- Karaoke in Roppongi
- Ninja restaurant
- Godzilla restaurant
- 2D cafe
For more on Japan, head over to our Japan landing page! Do you have any must-see places to visit in Tokyo? Comment below!