First time · Tokyo
First time in Tokyo東京
Tokyo is twenty districts on one rail loop: pick one bed near your airport's hub, one district per half-day, never cross the city twice in a day.
The honest verdict
Tokyo runs on time and on rails, and it is too big to see. The failure is not missing a sight; it is spending three hours a day on trains, dragging bags through Shinjuku station at rush hour, and landing at Narita after the last Skyliner. Choose Shinjuku for Haneda, Ueno for Narita, and plan each day inside one or two neighbouring districts.
You will like
- Efficient trains
- Late dining
- Distinct districts
What wears you down
- Rush-hour trains
- Huge stations
- Long transfers across the city
Five things not to miss
- 1Sensō-ji before the crowdsTokyo's oldest temple with the lantern gate and incense; the grounds are open early and nearly empty before 08:00.Best 06:30–08:30, or lit up after dark · Free
- 2Meiji JingūA forest walk to a cedar-and-copper shrine in the middle of Harajuku; weddings on weekend mornings.Best Sunrise to 09:30 · Free
- 3Shibuya Crossing and a view from aboveThe scramble on the ground, then Shibuya Sky or a café window for the aerial view.Best Dusk into night · Crossing free; Shibuya Sky about ¥2,500–3,500 (≈ US$17–25) (check)
- 4Breakfast at Tsukiji Outer MarketTamagoyaki, sushi counters and knife shops; the wholesale auction moved to Toyosu, the food stayed.Best 08:00–10:00; many stalls shut Sun, Wed and holidays · ¥2,000–5,000 (≈ US$14–35)
- 5Omoide Yokochō and Golden Gai after darkTwo lanes of tiny yakitori grills and bars by Shinjuku station; the postwar city in two hours.Best 18:00–22:00 · ¥3,000–7,000 (≈ US$25–50) including cover charges
Where to stay on a first visit
- Shinjuku (south/west)For: First visit via Haneda, 3–5 nightsOne change from the airport, 24-hour hotels, the west-side sights and the evening bars on foot.
From the airport
- Fastest and cheapest
- Keikyu to Shinagawa · about 18 min · about ¥330 (≈ US$3)
Typical ride times and fares, 2026 desk estimates (check). Last services and night options are on the gateway page.
How long to stay
- 1 day
- A layover or a first day off a morning flight
- 2 days
- The short Tokyo stop before Kyoto
- 3 days
- First visit with the palace, Ginza and Tsukiji
Three mistakes to avoid
- Kabukichō and Roppongi touts: bars with unposted prices can charge thousands in cover and drinks — do not follow anyone inside.(Scams)
- No phone calls on trains; set phones to silent.(Survive · red lines)
- Heat (Jul–Sep): plan an air-conditioned stop every 90 minutes.(Survive · safety)
Money and SIM
- Paying
- Cards, phone wallets and IC cards work in most shops, stations and chains; carry cash for temples, shrines, small restaurants, markets and goshuin stamps. Convenience-store ATMs take foreign cards.
- Cash
- Tokyo is mostly cashless; keep ¥5,000 (≈ US$35) for shrines, small restaurants and IC top-ups.
- SIM
- Tourist eSIM installed before you fly: Data only; works the moment you land. Apps and messaging need no Japanese number.
Etiquette: the top three
- Trains
- Phones on silent and no calls; backpacks worn on the front or put on the rack in crowds; let people off before boarding at the marked lines.
- Shrines and temples
- Bow at the gate, walk at the side of the approach, rinse hands at the basin; no photos where a sign says so.
- Shoes
- Off at a raised step, a shoe rack or tatami — ryokan, some izakaya, fitting rooms. Toilet slippers stay in the toilet.
The best time to go
Jan: Cold, clear skies.
Spring (Mar–May): Plum blossom in February, cherry blossom late March to early April (Ueno, Chidorigafuchi, Meguro River), azaleas and iris after.
A first day
Day 1 — Asakusa, with an 11:45 lunch table in Ginza
Start about 08:30
Fixed point: Lunch table 11:45 (Ginza)
Afternoon in Ginza and the palace East Gardens; hotel by 17:00 in heat.
Timed version: Tokyo in 3 days