Tokyo Itinerary 5 Days

Day 1 — Arrival & Shinjuku

Land at Narita or Haneda. Buy your Suica card. Take the train to your hotel.

Keep Day 1 light — jet lag from long-haul flights is real.

Evening: Walk around Shinjuku. Have dinner at a standing ramen bar or join a salaryman izakaya. Don’t plan too much. Let Tokyo arrive at its own pace.

—

Day 2 — Asakusa, Skytree, Akihabara

Follow the Day 1 plan from the 3-day itinerary: Senso-ji → Skytree → Akihabara → Shinjuku evening.

—

Day 3 — Harajuku, teamLab, Shibuya

Follow the Day 2 plan from the 3-day itinerary: Meiji Shrine → Harajuku → teamLab → Shibuya Crossing.

—

Day 4 — Day Trip: Nikko or Kamakura

With 5 days you have room for a day trip. Choose based on season and interest.

Option A: Nikko (2.5 hours each way)

Japan’s most ornate shrine complex — Tosho-gu, with its famous sleeping cat carving and thousands of decorative details. Set in mountain forest. Spectacular in autumn foliage season (October–November).

Take: Limited Express Kegon from Asakusa (Tobu Line) — not covered by JR Pass but a single ticket.

Plan: Leave by 8am, arrive by 10:30am. Tosho-gu + Rinnoji Temple + waterfall hike. Return by 6pm.

Option B: Kamakura (1 hour each way)

Coastal town with the iconic Great Buddha (Kotoku-in), numerous temples, hiking trails between shrines, and a beach. More relaxed than Nikko, better in summer.

Take: JR Yokosuka Line from Tokyo Station (covered by JR Pass).

Plan: Great Buddha → Hase-dera Temple → Komachi-dori shopping street → optional beach. Easy day.

—

Day 5 — Tsukiji, Ginza, Yanaka, Shimokitazawa

Follow the Day 3 plan from the 3-day itinerary. With an extra day you can go deeper into Yanaka (a full afternoon) or combine Tsukiji breakfast with a long Shimokitazawa afternoon.

Alternative for Day 5: Spend entirely in neighborhoods you want to revisit. A second morning at Senso-ji in different light, a return to a ramen shop you loved, an afternoon in a Shimokitazawa record shop. Tokyo rewards slow exploration.

—

Day 5 Evening: Roppongi

If you haven’t visited yet — Mori Art Museum (53rd floor, open until 10pm) for contemporary art with extraordinary views. Roppongi Hills complex for dinner. The neighborhood has a livelier late-night scene than Shinjuku if that’s what you want.

—

Extra Tokyo Experiences for 5 Days

With more time, add these:

Odaiba: Futuristic artificial island in Tokyo Bay. teamLab Borderless (reopened here), Gundam statue, shopping malls. 30 minutes from Shinjuku by train.

Hamarikyu Gardens: Traditional garden surrounded by skyscrapers. One of Tokyo’s best photography spots. ¥300.

Ueno: Multiple museums (Tokyo National Museum is essential), Ueno Zoo, Ueno Park (best for cherry blossoms in spring).

Koenji: Lesser-known neighborhood similar to Shimokitazawa. More underground, more authentic, fewer tourists.

A proper omakase sushi dinner: 5 days gives budget room for one splurge. A counter omakase for ¥8,000–15,000 is a genuinely life-changing meal.

—

5-Day Tokyo Budget

Accommodation (5 nights)	¥20,000	¥60,000
Food	¥14,000	¥30,000
Transport incl. day trip	¥5,000	¥7,000
Activities	¥6,000	¥14,000
**Total**	**¥45,000 (~$300)**	**¥111,000 (~$740)**

—

Related Guides

• Tokyo travel guide
• Tokyo itinerary 3 days
• Best day trips from Tokyo
• Japan itinerary 2 weeks
• Best time to visit Japan