Tokyo is one of the most visited places by tourists all over the world. Tokyo prefecture offers so many tourist attractions and some of its cities, Tokyo, Minato are rich with historical places, city sites, famous restaurants, shopping malls, theme park and so many other things. Here is a list of things you should plan to do if you decide to travel Tokyo.
1. Meet with the History of Tokyo
Tokyo Imperial Palace, the residence of the imperial family of Japan, is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Tokyo. The palace is built on the same spot of the old Edo castle. The castle is surrounded by moats, park and stone wall. The East garden is always open for visitors. But visitors are allowed to enter the palace only in the new year (January 2nd) and Emperor’s birthday.
Information
- Name: Tokyo Imperial Palace
- Address: 1-1 Chiyoda, Chiyoda 100-8111, Tokyo Prefecture
- Price: Free
- Access: 10 minute walk from Tokyo station
- Website: http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/eindex.html#_=_
2. Traditional Japan – Kaminarimon & Sensō-ji Temple
Kaminarimon is a huge ornamented entrance gate in Asakusa. The gate is beautifully decorated with statues of Fujin (wind god) and Raijin (thunder god) on both sides of the gate and a huge lantern in the center. It is known as a symbol of Asakusa. Kaminarimon leads to the famous temple, Sensoji, a must visit place in Tokyo. This is the oldest temple in Tokyo. The place is great for sightseeing other temples, enjoying street foods and buying beautiful traditional Japanese souvenirs.
Information
- Name: Kaminarimon & Senso-ji
- Address: 2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito 111-0032, Tokyo Prefecture
- Price: Free
- Access: Closer to Asakusa station
- Opening hour: Temple – 6:00 am to 5:00 pm; but the ground is always open
- Website: http://www.senso-ji.jp/#_=_
3. Back to Childhood in Tokyo Disney Sea
Though this is just outside of Tokyo, but your Tokyo trip list should include Tokyo Disney Sea. The theme of this place is inspired by some really awesome fantasy stories of all time. Visitors will enjoy the 7 different ports that are built based on 7 different tales. Unlike other theme parks and amusement parks, this place is mainly built for adult recreation. So you will enjoy your day here.
Information
- Name: Tokyo Disney Sea
- Address: 1-1 Maihama, Urayasu 279-8511, Chiba Prefecture
- Price: 6900 yen
- Access: From Maihama station, it’s 20 minute walk or 10 minutes on Monorail
- Opening hour: 9:00 am – 10:00 pm
- Holiday: None
- Website: http://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/tds/
4. Ultimate Shopping Destination in Ginza
This is the district of most lavish place for shopping in Tokyo. You will find everything here, boutique, departmental store, art gallery, almost all famous luxury brands in fashion and cosmetics, so, literally everything. This is great for entertainment and dining too. You can visit some of the best restaurants and coffee houses in Tokyo. For entertainment, you can visit exhibition halls, Police Museum, Kabukiza Theater etc.
Information
- Name: Ginza district
- Address: Ginza, Chuo 104-0061, Tokyo Prefecture
- Access: You can reach Ginza District by one of these two stations – Ginza Station on the Hibiya, Marunouchi and Ginza Subway Lines and Yurakucho Station on the JR Yamanote Line, JR Keihin-Tohoku Line and Yurakucho Subway Line.
- Website: http://www.ginza.jp/en/#_=_
5. A walk on the Rainbow Bridge to Odaiba Island
You should visit the Rainbow Bridge in daytime. It has several observation platforms for visitors to enjoy the view the things around. There are two walkways, North and South. From North walkway, you can get an amazing view of the city. From the South walkway, the mesmerizing view of Mt. Fuji is waiting for you. Enjoy the walk on the bridge and reach to Obaida Island, a place full of many sightseeing spots, museums, restaurants, shopping etc. Make sure you come back at evening when the lights on the Rainbow Bridge create a rainbow effect and you can understand the name.
Information
- Name: Rainbow Bridge
- Address: Tokyo Bay | 3-33 Kaigan, Minato, Tokyo Prefecture
- Price: Free
- Access: From Shibaura-Futou it would take 10 minutes walk
- Opening hour: Summer (April to October) – from 9am to 9pm; Winter (November to March) – from 10am to 6pm
- Holiday: 3rd Monday of every month
6. Stay Close to Nature at Yoyogi Park
Yoyogi Park is a calm and beautiful city park in Tokyo. You will enjoy the relaxation, silence, and harmony of nature. The place is less crowded, full of green, tall trees, ponds, benches, fountains etc. Locals sometimes come here to jog. Make sure to visit here during cherry blossom, you will enjoy the full beauty of the place. This is a good place for a picnic or just a peaceful walk.
Information
- Name: Yoyogi Park
- Address: 2-1 Yoyogi Kamizonocho, Shibuya 151-0052,Tokyo Prefecture
- Access: 10-12 minute walk from either Yoyogi-koen Station on Chiyoda line or Yoyogi-Hachiman station on Odakyu line
- Opening hour: 5:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Holiday: None
- Website: https://www.tokyo-park.or.jp/park/format/index039.html#_=_
7. View the City from the Tallest Tower in the World
Tokyo Skytree, almost 2080 ft height tall building, is the tallest building not only in Japan but also in the world. This is one of the main attractions of the tourist in Tokyo, to take the phenomenal view of the city from the top. The building has shopping malls, restaurants, bars for the visitors. The place is crowded with locals but the view is worth your time.
Information
- Name: Tokyo Skytree
- Address: 1-1-2 Oshiage,Sumida 131-0045, Tokyo Prefecture
- Price: 1st observatory – 2060 yen; 2nd observatory – 1030 yen
- Access: The building spans the area between Tokyo Skytree station and Oshiage station
- Opening hour: 8:00 am – 10:00 pm
- Holiday: None
- Website: http://www.tokyo-skytree.jp/en/
8. Try Some Local Foods
Enjoy some of the foods that are mostly popular in Tokyo. For example, the most popular and controversial food, Kusaya. Its unique smell is the source of its fame. Kusaya is sun-dried fish, served deep fried with a crispy batter. Be careful of the smell, first-timers might find it off. Monjayaki, another local food you will enjoy in Tokyo. With some common ingredients like cabbage and wheat-fish sauce, you can add more items to make your own version of Monjayaki, and then eat with Moji-bera. Fukagawa-don is basically a rice bowl with miso stew, leek, littleneck clams etc. These traditional meals can be found in many restaurants.
Information
- Name: Kusaya, Monjayaki, Fukagawa-don
9. A Trip to Fish Market
Well, not just any fish market, the largest fish market in the world, Tsukiji Market. This is a wholesale market for fish, fruits, and vegetables in Tokyo. Tourists come to see the fresh seafood and other products, busy people on the road, hurrying to buy and sell foods etc. The main attraction is the tuna auction held in the center of the market. People usually line up hours before the auction starts. You will also enjoy the wholesale market, retail shops, and diners.
Information
- Name: Tsukiji Market
- Address: 5 Chome-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
- Access: From Tokyo station reach to Ginza station by Marunouchi Subway Line. Then by Hibiya Subway Line to get to Tsukiji Station
- Opening hour: 5:00 am – 2:00 pm
- Holiday: Sunday
- Website: http://www.tsukiji-market.or.jp/tukiji_e.htm
10. Gather Knowledge about the History of Tokyo
If you want to learn about the history of Tokyo, you can visit the Edo-Tokyo museum. The museum is designed to present each and every important historical event and architectural monuments of Tokyo with miniature models and sculptures. You will learn about the origin of Tokyo, the development of this beautiful city from the very beginning to the current time, how this city has become one of the busiest metropolitan cities over the world, all the important events this city has faced so far and so on. For the visitors, they have restaurants and shops nearby.
Information
- Name: Edo-Tokyo museum
- Address: 1-4-1, Yokoami,Sumida 130-0015, Tokyo Prefecture
- Price: 600 yen
- Access: near Sumida river, closer to Ryogoku station
- Opening hour: 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
- Website: http://www.edo-tokyo-museum.or.jp/english/index.html#_=_
11. Whole Night with A Tokyo Pub Crawl
Tokyo boasts of having the best nightlife all over the world. To have a great experience at night within a cheap range, you can choose to join Tokyo Pub Crawl. Their hosting is popular among locals. Some of the features of Tokyo Pub Crawl are lots of free drinks, cheap and the friendliest and most organized host ever and last but not the least, they always end in a popular dance club. They make sure you get to enjoy the night life in Tokyo with the highest fun and proper safety.
Information
- Name: Tokyo Pub Crawl
- Price: Depends on places
- Access: Roppongi Station
- Website: http://www.tokyopubcrawl.com/
12. Eat Sushi in Tokyo
It is almost impossible to come to Japan and not eat sushi. Tokyo has the biggest fish market in the world and it has more than 5000 sushi restaurants. You can eat sushi for breakfast, lunch and in dinner. For breakfast, try out Sushi Dai, a restaurant just outside the Tsukiji market. Their best item is chef’s special choice nigiri. They are open from 5.00 am. For lunch, you can try Umegaoka Sushi No Midori Sohonten. People enjoy their sushi in spite of the over price and long line. Try Kyubey in Ginza for dinner. You can talk to the expert chef about your preferences and enjoy watching him making sushi for you. Remember to make a reservation beforehand.
Information
- Name: Sushi Dai, Umegaoka Sushi No Midori Sohonten, Kyubey
- Price: 2000-3500 yen
13. Celebrate Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri
Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri is one of the three biggest Shinto festivals in Tokyo. This is the festival of water fight. Fukagawa festival is celebrated each year in mid-august by the Tomioka Hachiman Shrine in Koto. In this summer festival, 30,000 or so people join in a parade in the street of Koto-Ku. Other people observe, cheer and throw water at them. Locals enjoy the water splashing during the hot and humid day of summer. This 5 days long water festival is worth a watch.
Information
- Name: Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri at Tomioka Hachiman-gu Shrine
- Address: 1-20-3 Tomioka Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Access: 3 minutes walk from Monzen-nakacho Station on the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line
14. A Day in Tokyo Dome City
Tokyo Dome City, a place for leisure time pass, theme park and multipurpose stadium. The main attraction of the place is the Big-O Ferris Wheel, world’s first center-less Ferris wheel. For baseball lovers out there, there is a shop named Ballpark Store. Also, take a tour of the shops and restaurants in the area. You can enjoy a whole day there.
Information
- Name: Tokyo Dome City
- Address: Koraku 1-3-61, Bunkyo 112-0004, Tokyo Prefecture
- Access: 6 minute walk from Suidobashi on JR Chuoh Sobu Line or Korakuen on Marunouchi Line
- Opening hour: 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
- Website: http://www.tokyo-dome.co.jp/#_=_
15. Ogasawara National Park on Islands
Ogasawara National park located in Ogasawara islands is one of the famous places that are listed under UNESCO World Heritage sites. The place is away from Tokyo and is blessed with nature and rare endemic species. A portion of the park is called marine park, famous for whale watching. The most tourist attraction is Minamijima, where you can see a beautiful arch over the water. You will also enjoy the Kominato beach or white sand beach, Cabbage beach for fishing, Weatherstation to observe sunset, scuba diving, snorkeling, trekking and so on. Last but not the least, while snorkeling, you can swim with dolphins!
Information
- Name: Ogasawara National Park
- Address: Ogasawara Islands, 1000 km south from Tokyo
- Access: A ferry ride from Takeshiba to Chichijima will take 25.5 hour or so to reach to the destination
Have a good trip and travel!
