Sightseeing in Tokyo
Tokyo is a large city with many neighborhoods. Typically, my visits to Tokyo focus more around food and restaurants. However, I love walking around the city to burn off some calories between meals. I’ve organized this post more or less in a counter-clockwise circle starting with Shinjuku. With the exception of the Ghibli Museum, everything else is located in Central Tokyo. These are the neighborhoods and points of interests I’ve visited and recommend.
Shinjuku
Recommendation: Worth a detour
Shinjuku is a large commercial area full of shops, restaurants, and offices. Shinjuku station is the largest and one of the most complex stations in Tokyo. One can spend upwards of 20 minutes walking through the station to get to the desired exit.
The TOHO movie theater has a giant Godzilla head sticking out on top of the building. It also has one of the few 4D theaters in the world where the chairs vibrate and move, synchronized with the action in the movie. I watched Infinity War in 4D and it was like being on a roller coaster for two and a half hours (it’s awesome!).
Kabukicho is an entertainment area as well as the red-light district. Golden Gai, a famous alley full of small bars, is located in Kabukicho. A word of caution, I would not recommend females traveling alone to visit Kabukicho at night because it gets a bit seedy. Daytime is much safer but most stores are closed.
Lastly, Shinjuku Gyoen is a beautiful park near Shinjuku station. It is not as large as Yoyogi park but worth visiting if you have some time to kill in the area.
Meiji Jingu
Recommendation: Worth a detour.
Meiji Jingu is a Shinto shrine adjacent to Yoyogi Park. I love to walk through the park, consisting mostly of forest paths. If you’re lucky, you might see a wedding ceremony hosted at the shrine over the weekends. Similar to Central Park, Meiji Jingu is a zenful getaway in the midst of a concrete jungle.
Harajuku
Recommendation: Visit if you’re in the area.
Harajuku is mostly a single street with a bunch of shops and casual restaurants. The type of fashion sold here typically appeals to young adults like high schoolers. There are interesting shops to browse for souvenirs. The crepes here are well known so buy one and have a walk around.
Shibuya
Recommendation: Must see.
Shibuya is always buzzing with people. The crossing located right outside of Shibuya Station is one of the busiest in the world and is a mesmerizing place to people-watch. If you had to choose one place to shop in Tokyo, I would recommend visiting Shibuya. Two of my favorite shops I always visit are Loft and Franc Franc. Loft sells various items such as stationary, kitchen utensils, cosmetics, and souvenirs. Franc Franc sells furniture and home décor, all well-designed with affordable prices. Think of it like Uniqlo for household items. I would also recommend visiting Don Quijote which is a discount supermarket, selling various items but most notably cosmetics and pharmacy items at great prices.
Roppongi
Recommendation: Worth a detour.
Roppongi is the expat area of Tokyo so many of the restaurants and bars in the area are English-friendly. Because of this, there are a decent amount of night-life activities available in the area. Shopping is upscale and you can find luxury shops similar to those in Ginza. Mori Tower is one of the tallest skyscrapers in the city and the sky deck is open to tourists. They have a bar up there and you can capture wonderful views of the city. If you visit during the day and the weather is clear, you can even see Mt. Fuji.
Tokyo Tower
Recommendation: Worth a detour if you’re a One Piece fan.
When I last visited, Tokyo Tower was just a normal tower with an observation deck. The tower is inspired by the Eiffel Tower but not as tall. It is also significantly shorter than Skytree and Mori Tower, making the observation deck less impressive in comparison. In 2015, they transformed the tower into a One Piece indoor amusement park. One Piece is a very popular manga/anime and fans seem to love the experience. I have yet to visit since the theme park opened but I plan to do so in the future.
teamLab Borderless/Planets
Recommendation: Must see.
teamLab creates digital art museums with two locations in Tokyo. The first one is called teamLab Borderless, located in Odaiba. The second one is called teamLab Planets, located in Toyosu. I’ve only been to Borderless and really enjoyed it. Usually I’m pretty skeptical of museums that seem to be built just for Instagram but these museums are actually very engaging. Tickets can be purchased in advance and is recommended to do so as the museums are popular and can sell out.
Ginza
Recommendation: Visit if you’re in the area.
Ginza is the high-end luxury shopping area of Tokyo. You can find many designer stores and jewelry shops here. Numerous fine-dining restaurants and bars are also located in Ginza so chances high that you’ll visit if you follow my food recommendations.
Akihabara
Recommendation: Worth a detour.
Akihabara is the place to be if you’re into otaku culture. The area is a haven for electronics, video games, and manga. It’s also the only area in Tokyo where it’s normal to find girls dressed up in cosplay advertising for shops. The infamous Maid Cafes are located here where girls cosplaying in maid costumes will serve you dessert and play games with you. There are different variations of cafe themes where the girls essentially role play different things. If you are interested in visiting that’s relatively mild and also English-friendly, @Home Cafe is a good option. On a related note, you can find kinky sex shops in the area. If you want to explore a more interesting side of Tokyo, you’re bound to find something at Akihabara.
Asakusa
Recommendation: Visit if you’re in the area.
Asakusa is well known for Senso-Ji Temple, a large Buddhist temple. In front of it is Hozomon Gate, a red gate with a giant lantern hanging. There are lots of street food and dessert stores in the surrounding area. The temple is one of the most prominent ones in Tokyo and it’s worth stopping by if you’re visiting Skytree.
Skytree
Recommendation: Worth a detour.
Skytree is an observation tower with amazing views of the city. The height is comparable to Mori Tower in Roppongi. Between the two, I would recommend visiting Skytree as it is designed to be a tourist attraction whereas Mori Tower is primarily an office building. There’s a large mall connected to Skytree with three shops that I like to visit. The first is Rokurinsha, famous for tsukemen ramen. The line at this location is much shorter than the one in Tokyo Station. The second shop is Hasegawa Saketen, a small local chain that specializes in sake and shochu. Lastly, there’s an awesome Ghibli store that sells official merchandise — a must for Ghibli fans.
Ghibli Museum
Recommendation: Must see if you’re a Studio Ghibli fan.
The Ghibli Museum is a love letter to the art of animation. In addition to seeing sketches for many iconic movies, you will learn about the process the animators used to create the beloved animations. A 10-minute short film made specifically for the museum is shown in the dedicated theater. The gift shop is full of awesome merchandise and worth visiting alone if you are a Studio Ghibli fan.
The museum is located outside of Central Tokyo but is reachable via JR or bus. Use Google Maps to see what your best transportation options are. Be aware that tickets to the museum are advanced reservation only and sell out fast. Visit the link below to get more info about how to buy tickets.