Tokyo travel guide

Plan your trip, step by step

• Where to stay
  Choose a base station on the Yamanote loop and a hotel vs a rental.
• Things to do
  Decide which tickets to pre-book — several Tokyo headliners sell out weeks ahead.
• Tokyo in 3 days
  Follow a plan that groups the east side, the west side and the market-and-bay day.
• Estimate your trip cost
  See what a Tokyo trip costs and set your style.
• First-timer mistakes to avoid
  Sidestep the errors that trip up first-time Tokyo visitors.
• Tokyo on a budget
  See what a lean, comfortable or generous day really costs.

The neighborhoods at a glance

Shinjuku

Known for the world’s busiest rail hub, the neon of Kabukicho, tiny-bar alleys like Omoide Yokocho and Golden Gai, and the calm of Shinjuku Gyoen garden.

Shibuya

Known for the Scramble Crossing, the Shibuya Sky rooftop deck, youth fashion, and walking distance to Harajuku and Omotesando.

Ginza & Tokyo Station / Marunouchi

Known for department stores, the Imperial Palace gardens, and the shinkansen platforms — Tokyo at its most polished.

Asakusa

Known for Senso-ji temple and the Nakamise shopping street, the old shitamachi (low-city) atmosphere, and views across the river to Tokyo Skytree.

Ueno

Known for Ueno Park’s cluster of national museums, the Ameyoko street market, and the Skyliner terminal from Narita Airport.

Roppongi

Known for the Mori Art Museum and National Art Center, international nightlife, and the Azabudai Hills and Roppongi Hills developments.

Deciding where to base yourself? The where-to-stay guide turns these areas into a lodging decision.

When to go — month by month

Average daytime high (bars) and rainy days per month, from 5-year climate normals. Greener months are the most comfortable to visit.

Best months to visit: Mar–May

Destinations with a similar climate

Like Tokyo’s weather? These places have the closest year-round climate in our data — tap through for each one’s best time to visit.

• Nara →
• Osaka →
• Kyoto →
• Fukuoka →
• Shanghai →
• Hakone →

Know before you go

Currency

Japanese yen (¥). Cards and IC-card tap payment are widely accepted now, but plenty of ramen counters, shrines and small shops remain cash-only — carry ¥5,000–10,000 in cash and use 7-Eleven ATMs, which take foreign cards.

Language

Japanese. Train stations, menus in tourist areas and ticket machines carry English, and transit apps (Google Maps, Japan Travel by NAVITIME) handle routing — you can navigate without Japanese, but a “sumimasen” (excuse me) and “arigatou” go a long way.

From the airport

Haneda (HND) is the close one: Keikyu Line to Shinagawa in ~15 minutes (~¥300) or Tokyo Monorail to Hamamatsucho (~¥520). Narita (NRT) is 60–90 minutes out: Keisei Skyliner to Ueno in ~41 minutes (~¥2,300–2,600), Narita Express to Tokyo Station (~¥3,070), or budget buses (~¥1,500). A taxi from Narita costs more than ¥20,000 — don’t.

Getting around

Get a Suica or Pasmo IC card (the tourist-oriented Welcome Suica needs no deposit, and Suica lives in Apple/Google Wallet) and tap through everything. The Tokyo Subway Ticket (24/48/72 hours: ¥800/¥1,200/¥1,500) covers Tokyo Metro + Toei lines — but not JR lines like the Yamanote loop.

Best time

Late March–mid April is cherry blossom season — beautiful and the year’s most expensive, crowded window, with Golden Week (late April–early May) right behind it. May and October–November have the best weather; June is rainy season; July–August is hot and humid (35°C days); January–February is cold, clear and the cheapest stretch.

Tax & tipping

There is no tipping — none, anywhere; leaving cash can cause genuine confusion. A 10% consumption tax applies (8% on takeaway food), and some menus still show tax-exclusive prices, so the till total can run slightly above the menu math.

For the best months to visit and a day-by-day plan, see Tokyo in 3 days.