Best Things to Do in Tokyo: Views, Food & Oddness
Skytree heights, shrine forests, standing-counter ramen and the midnight retail - the Tokyo experiences that make the trip.
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Table of contents
Tokyo is not a to-see city, it is a to-be city - but the thing-list still helps. The experiences below mix the views, the shrines, the food shows and the oddities that make Tokyo unlike anywhere else.
The views
- Tokyo Skytree and Shibuya Sky for the two best viewpoints - book Shibuya Sky at sunset
- The free Metropolitan Government Building observatory in Shinjuku
- Rainbow Bridge and Odaiba at night for the skyscraper-on-water wide
The shrines and temples
- Senso-ji in Asakusa: Tokyo's most storied temple, best at first light
- Meiji Shrine: a forest in the middle of the city, quiet whatever the crowds
- The Yanesen area (Yanaka, Nezu, Sendagi): old Tokyo lanes and cat streets
The food shows
- A standing counter ramen for the 12-minute Japanese lunch
- Tsukiji's outer market in the morning for the freshest everything
- Izakaya-hopping in Golden Gai or Omoide Yokocho after dark
- Sushi at the counter over sushi at the counter: the quality gap is real and worth it
The odd Tokyo
- teamLab Planets or Borderless for the digital-art bath
- A maid cafe or themed cafe for pure Tokyo strangeness
- Mega-donquijote at midnight for the true neon retail
- The fish auction tour at Toyosu for the 3am variety
Experiences we feature in Tokyo
Mount Fuji Day Trip from Tokyo
Asakusa & Sensō-ji Temple walking tour
4.9/5Tsukiji Outer Market food tour
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Riversmag may earn a commission when you book through the links on this page, at no extra cost to you. This helps keep our guides free. We only recommend products and services we genuinely believe in.
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