Tokyo seen from above, with Tokyo Tower in the distance
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Tokyo in 3 days

  • 3 days
  • 10.1 km on foot
  • 18 stops
  • Audio guide

Three days allow a trip without rushing: every day has its route in the morning and time for neighbourhoods that are in no brochure. You will see temple Tokyo, castle Tokyo and skyscraper Tokyo, with meals to separate one from the other and a last evening of legends and sukiyaki. It is the plan for those who want to enjoy the city, not just tick off sights.

Day 1From the sacred forest to the bay

Do “From Hachikō to the sacred forest” in the morning, unhurried: Hachikō, Shibuya Crossing, Omotesandō and Meiji Shrine. Then take the subway down to Nihonbashi and have Edo-style sushi at Yoshino Sushi. The afternoon is open: stroll through Ginza and end at the Hama-rikyū garden, where you look at the skyscrapers from an Edo-period pond. The order avoids backtracking, and if you have energy left you can see Shibuya Crossing again at night.

  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

    Ginza

    The district of the great department stores, named after the silver mint the shogunate set up here in the early 17th century. Stroll along Chūō-dōri, look at buildings such as Wako, and walk on towards Hama-rikyū, a quarter of an hour away.

    Directions

    Hama-rikyū Gardens

    A former Tokugawa pleasure garden, with a seawater pond that rises and falls with the tide and a teahouse on the water, set against the skyscrapers of Shiodome. A good place to sit for a while before dinner.

    Directions

Day 2Edo and the city of the future

Give the morning to “From Edo to Tokyo”: Nihonbashi Bridge, the red-brick station, Ōtemon Gate, Nijūbashi and Sakuradamon, with the shoguns' castle as the thread. Then a short subway ride drops you in Asakusa for tempura at Daikokuya. In the afternoon, cross the river to Tokyo Skytree and head back towards Akihabara, closing a day that runs from the 17th century to the 21st.

  1. Morning

    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

  2. Lunch

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

  3. Afternoon

    Tokyo Skytree

    The 634-metre tower, opened in 2012, dominates the east of the city. From Asakusa you can walk there across the bridge over the Sumida River. Go up on a clear day and, in winter, with luck you will spot Mount Fuji.

    Directions

    Akihabara

    The district of electronics, anime and video games, with whole buildings of arcades, manga shops and themed cafés. Even if you buy nothing, a short stroll is enough to see geek Tokyo.

    Directions

Day 3Skyscrapers, gardens and legends

Start in Shinjuku with the free observation deck at the city hall, then walk or take a train to Shinjuku Gyoen garden for a quiet morning. A direct train drops you in Kanda for soba at Kanda Matsuya. At dusk it is time for “Kappa, a bodiless Buddha and hidden gods”, from Sensō-ji to Ueno, and you can have sukiyaki at Asakusa Imahan to close the trip with a traditional dish.

  1. Morning

    Tokyo Metropolitan Government Observatory

    The towers of the Metropolitan Government Building, by Kenzō Tange, have free observation decks about 200 metres up. It is the cheapest way to take in the vastness of the city; on clear days you can make out Mount Fuji.

    Directions

    Shinjuku Gyoen Garden

    A former estate of an Edo-period lord's family, now a national garden, with French, English and Japanese sections. A green breather in the middle of Shinjuku; check the closing day before you go.

    Directions

  2. Lunch

    Try Kanda soba at Kanda Matsuya. Kanda Sudachō 1-13, Chiyoda, Tokio

  3. 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

  4. Dinner

    Try Sukiyaki at Asakusa Imahan. Nishi-Asakusa 3-1-12, Taitō, Tokio

The map

Tokyo in 3 days, on the map

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

Mixed History Mysteries & legends Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Tokyo in 3 days

  • If you organise the three days by area, as this plan does, you will hardly repeat any journey. A rechargeable transport card makes the subway as handy as a taxi, but far cheaper.
  • Several gardens and museums close one fixed day a week, often Monday. Check the calendar before ordering your days, and move the extras around if you need to.
  • On rainy days the indoor extras (the observatory, Skytree, Akihabara) can swap days. Temples in drizzle gain atmosphere, but bring a small umbrella.

Questions

Tokyo in 3 days: your questions

How many days do you need in Tokyo?

Three days are a comfortable minimum to see the essentials without rushing: the three faces of the city plus Shinjuku, Akihabara and Skytree. With a week you can add day trips to Kamakura or Nikkō, but to begin with, three days give you a good idea.

How far do you walk in 3 days?

The routes add up to about 10.1 km: 3.0 on the first day, 3.5 on the second and 3.6 on the third. The routes are short; what tires you out are the extras, the journeys between districts and the station stairs.

What if it rains?

Swap the order of the extras: the indoor ones, such as the observatory, Skytree or Akihabara, work well in rain, and the temple route has plenty of charm in drizzle. Umbrellas are sold in any shop.

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