Tokyo Itinerary 3 Days

Before You Start: Practical Setup

Get a Suica card at the airport — load ¥3,000–5,000, use it for every train and bus.

Download Google Maps offline for Tokyo — works perfectly for navigation.

Book in advance: teamLab (both locations sell out), Tokyo Skytree (optional but saves time), Robot Restaurant (if interested).

Start early. Popular sites are dramatically more pleasant before 9am. The Japanese are early risers — breakfast culture is strong, and early mornings are the secret to enjoying Tokyo’s famous spots without crowds.

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Day 1 — Asakusa, Akihabara, Shinjuku

Morning: Asakusa (8:00–11:00)

Start at Senso-ji Temple before the crowds arrive. At 8am you’ll share it with locals making morning prayers and a handful of early-rising tourists. By 10am it’s packed.

• Walk through Kaminarimon gate and down Nakamise shopping street
• Enter the main temple hall — remove shoes only in designated areas
• Explore the side streets behind the temple: Denpoin-dori for traditional crafts

Breakfast: Asakusa Imahan for Japanese breakfast sets, or grab onigiri and coffee from a convenience store and eat in the temple grounds.

Late Morning: Tokyo Skytree (11:00–13:00)

A 10-minute walk from Senso-ji. Buy tickets online to skip the queue. The views on clear days extend to Mount Fuji (best in winter — November to February).

Afternoon: Akihabara (13:00–16:00)

15 minutes by train from Asakusa. Even if electronics and anime aren’t your thing, Akihabara is worth 2 hours as pure cultural experience.

• Multi-floor electronics megastores (Yodobashi Camera — 8 floors)
• Retro gaming shops with original Famicom and Sega cartridges
• Maid cafes if curious (¥500–1,000 entrance fee)
• Animate for anime merchandise

Evening: Shinjuku (17:00–late)

Train to Shinjuku (20 minutes).

• Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building — free observation deck, open until 10:30pm on most evenings. Best city views that are free.
• Dinner in Omoide Yokocho (Memory Lane) — tiny alley of yakitori stalls, smoke-filled, standing only, extraordinarily atmospheric. ¥2,000–3,000.
• Evening walk through Kabukicho — Japan’s most famous entertainment district.

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Day 2 — Harajuku, Shibuya, Ebisu, Meguro

Morning: Meiji Shrine & Harajuku (9:00–12:00)

• Meiji Shrine (opens at sunrise) — 10-minute forested walk to the main shrine. Peaceful, beautiful, free.
• Takeshita Street — peak Harajuku youth fashion. Open from 10am. Crepes, cotton candy, extraordinary outfits.
• Omotesando — luxury brands and exceptional architecture (Prada building by Herzog & de Meuron, TOD’S building by Toyo Ito)

Afternoon: teamLab (13:00–16:00)

Choose one:

• teamLab Planets (Toyosu) — immersive, you walk through water, mirrors, and flowers. More intimate and focused. 60–90 minutes.
• teamLab Borderless (Azabudai Hills, reopened 2024) — larger, more expansive. 2–3 hours.

Both require advance booking. Absolutely worth it.

Late Afternoon: Shibuya (16:30–19:00)

• Shibuya Sky observation deck (book online) — 360° views, best around sunset
• Walk to Shibuya Crossing for rush hour (5:30–7pm) — watch from Starbucks window or street level

Evening: Dinner in Ebisu or Daikanyama

15-minute walk from Shibuya. More relaxed, higher quality restaurants, local atmosphere.

Recommended: Afuri (yuzu ramen), Eataly Tokyo (Italian-Japanese fusion), any izakaya on a side street.

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Day 3 — Tsukiji, Ginza, Yanaka or Shimokitazawa

Morning: Tsukiji Outer Market (7:00–10:00)

Go hungry. The outer market has dozens of stalls selling fresh seafood, tamagoyaki (rolled egg), street food.

• Breakfast sushi: Sushi Dai or Daiwa Sushi (both have queues that start before opening)
• Faster option: grab a tuna skewer, grilled scallops, or fresh oysters from market stalls
• Buy Japanese kitchen knives if interested — Tsukiji has excellent knife shops

Late Morning: Ginza (10:00–12:00)

15-minute walk from Tsukiji. Window shop the flagship stores, visit Itoya (8-floor stationery store — genuinely extraordinary), grab coffee at a Ginza kissaten (old-school coffee shop).

Afternoon: Choose Your Tokyo

Option A — Yanaka: Take the train to Nippori (30 minutes). Old Tokyo neighborhood with wooden temples, cats everywhere, cemetery walks, independent shops. The most authentic neighborhood in central Tokyo.

Option B — Shimokitazawa: Young, creative, bohemian. Vinyl records, vintage clothing, small theatres, independent coffee. Tokyo’s Brooklyn.

Option C — More Shinjuku: Shinjuku Gyoen garden (¥500, beautiful any season), more eating and shopping.

Evening: Farewell Dinner

Tokyo’s standing bar culture: find a tachinomi (standing drink) spot in any neighborhood. Order draft beer (nama biru) and yakitori. Total: ¥1,500–2,000. Perfect Tokyo farewell.

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3-Day Tokyo Budget

Accommodation (3 nights)	¥12,000 (capsule)	¥36,000 (business hotel)
Food	¥8,000	¥18,000
Transport	¥2,500	¥3,500
Activities	¥4,000	¥8,000
**Total**	**¥26,500 (~$175)**	**¥65,500 (~$440)**

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