Tokyo seen from above, with Tokyo Tower in the distance
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Tokyo in 1 day

  • 1 day
  • 10.1 km on foot
  • 18 stops
  • Audio guide

A single day in Tokyo can go a long way if you accept an intense pace and bring good legs. This plan strings the three routes together in an order that avoids backtracking: young Tokyo and the sacred forest in the morning, Edo Castle in the afternoon, and temples full of legends as the sun goes down. It is a long day, but with two meals worth remembering.

One day in TokyoFrom the sacred forest to the kappa

Start early with “From Hachikō to the sacred forest”: the Hachikō statue, Shibuya Crossing, Takeshita-dōri and the torii of Meiji Shrine, with the forest still quiet. Have Edo-style sushi at Yoshino Sushi, near Nihonbashi, which is exactly where the afternoon route, “From Edo to Tokyo”, begins: the red-brick station, Ōtemon Gate and the Imperial Palace. At dusk, in Asakusa, “Kappa, a bodiless Buddha and hidden gods” takes you from Sensō-ji to Kappabashi and Shinobazu Pond. Finish with tempura in Asakusa.

  1. Morning

    From Hachikō to the sacred forest: Shibuya, Harajuku and Meiji Jingū

    Mixed · 3 km · 1 h 45 min

    1. Hachikō StatueAn Akita dog who waited for his owner for almost ten years and became the meeting point for the whole of Tokyo.
    2. Shibuya CrossingWhen every traffic light turns red for cars, a human tide crosses in all directions at once.
    3. Omotesandō AvenueThe ceremonial approach to a shrine that became a catwalk for luxury architecture.
    4. Takeshita-dōriThree hundred and fifty metres of crêpes, outlandish clothes and the kawaii culture Tokyo exported to the world.
    5. Great torii and sake barrels of Meiji ShrineA gate of 1,500-year-old cypress and a wall of sake barrels facing another of Burgundy wine.
    6. Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingū)A shrine to the emperor who modernised Japan, in a forest planted by hand to last a hundred years.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Edo-style sushi (Edomae) at Yoshino Sushi Honten. Nihonbashi 3-8-11, Chūō, Tokio

  3. Afternoon

    From Edo to Tokyo: bridges, castle walls and an emperor's capital

    History · 3.5 km · 1 h 50 min

    1. Nihonbashi BridgeThe bridge where all of Japan's roads began, guarded by lions and by winged kirin.
    2. Tokyo Station (Marunouchi Building)A red-brick palace that survived the bombs, and in whose concourse a prime minister was assassinated.
    3. Ōtemon Gate of Edo CastleThe great gate through which the feudal lords entered to answer to the shogun.
    4. Statue of Kusunoki MasashigeA 14th-century samurai turned by Meiji Japan into the great symbol of loyalty to the emperor.
    5. Nijūbashi and the Imperial PalaceTokyo's most photographed bridge, which is not quite the one everyone thinks it is.
    6. Sakuradamon GateOne snowy morning in 1860, outside this gate, an assassination hastened the end of the shoguns.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  4. Early evening

    Kappa, a bodiless Buddha and hidden gods: Tokyo's legends

    Mysteries & legends · 3.6 km · 1 h 55 min

    1. Sensō-ji TempleTokyo's oldest temple worships an image that, according to tradition, came out of two fishermen's net, and that no one has ever seen.
    2. Sōgen-ji, the kappa templeThe grave of a merchant who, legend says, was helped by the river kappa to dig a canal.
    3. Kappabashi, the chefs' streetA golden kappa watches over the street where Japan buys its knives, its lanterns and its plastic food.
    4. The face of the Great Buddha of UenoAll that is left of a great bronze Buddha is its face: it lost its head in an earthquake and its body in a war.
    5. Kiyomizu Kannon-dōA miniature copy of a Kyoto temple, where mothers leave dolls and a pine tree forms a moon.
    6. Bentendō on Shinobazu PondA man-made island for the goddess of music and water, surrounded by memorials to knives and spectacles.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Tempura and tendon at Daikokuya Tempura. Asakusa 1-38-10, Taitō, Tokio

The map

Tokyo in 1 day, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed History Mysteries & legends

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Before you go

Tips for Tokyo in 1 day

  • Buy a rechargeable transport card and use the subway or train between areas: from Meiji to Nihonbashi, and from there to Asakusa, each hop takes about half an hour.
  • Wear comfortable shoes and carry water. You will cover about 10 km of routes plus station stairs; in midsummer the heat and humidity weigh on you, and spring and autumn are far more pleasant.
  • The Imperial Palace gardens close on certain fixed days of the week. If you want to go in, check the calendar first; the bridges and moat gates can be seen from outside at any time.

Questions

Tokyo in 1 day: your questions

Can you see Tokyo in one day?

You can get a good first taste: Shibuya, Harajuku, the historic centre and Asakusa. Tokyo is immense and Shinjuku, Akihabara and Ginza are left out, but in a day you see its three faces: the modern, the imperial and the temple-filled.

How far do you walk in one day in Tokyo?

The three routes add up to about 10.1 km: 3.0 for Shibuya and Meiji, 3.5 for Edo and 3.6 for Asakusa and Ueno. Add subway rides and stairs. Count on about nine hours of walking, meals and transfers: it is a demanding day.

Where is it best to start?

In Shibuya and at Meiji Shrine, in the morning, because the shrine forest is best enjoyed without crowds. We leave Asakusa for last because its temples look wonderful at dusk, and it is easy to find somewhere to have dinner right there.

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