Tokyo First-Timer

Trip cost

Day 1 — Asakusa & the Skytree

1. 

   Photo by Maria P. on Unsplash

   8:30am (2 hrs)✓ Must visit

   Senso-ji (Asakusa)

   Through the Kaminarimon gate before the crowds: draw an omikuji fortune, watch the incense cauldron, then browse Nakamise's snack stalls as they open — ningyo-yaki cakes and fresh senbei are the ones to eat on the spot (standing still, not walking).

   → Walk the Sumida riverside or one metro stop toward the Skytree, ~20 minutes.

2. 

   Photo by Ryoji Iwata on Unsplash

   11:00am (1.5 hrs)○ Can visit

   Tokyo Skytree

   Clear-day dependent: ride up for the 360° sprawl (Fuji if you're lucky), or if it's hazy, swap this slot for the free Asakusa Culture Centre terrace view back at the temple gate and more Asakusa lanes.

   → Lunch back toward Asakusa's west side.

3. 1:00pm (1 hr)

   Lunch: Asakusa tempura or unagi

   Asakusa's old speciality houses do tendon (tempura over rice) and unagi that have outlived eras — the ones with a queue of locals at 1pm are self-labelling.

   → Metro to Ueno, ~10 minutes.

4. 2:30pm (2 hrs)

   Ueno Park & Ameyoko market

   A loop through the park (Tokyo National Museum if the weather turns), then down into Ameyoko's post-war market bustle under the train tracks — dried squid, sneakers, and street snacks in equal measure.

   → Rest at the hotel before the evening.

5. 6:30pm

   Dinner: izakaya under the Yurakucho arches

   Smoky yakitori counters built into the brick railway arches — point at what the next table has, order rounds as you go, and toast your first Tokyo night properly.

Day 2 — Meiji Shrine, Harajuku & Shibuya

1. 

   Photo by Andrea Serini on Unsplash

   9:00am (1.5 hrs)✓ Must visit

   Meiji Shrine

   The gravel walk under the great torii and through the forest is the point — bow at the gate, rinse hands at the temizuya, and if you're lucky you'll catch a Shinto wedding procession crossing the courtyard.

   → Exit straight into Harajuku — the contrast is the feature.

2. 11:00am (1.5 hrs)

   Takeshita Street & Omotesando

   Crepe-fuelled teen-fashion chaos on Takeshita, then the calm architectural runway of Omotesando two minutes away — Tokyo's two volumes, side by side.

   → Lunch off the Cat Street backstreets.

3. 1:00pm (1 hr)

   Lunch: Cat Street / Ura-Harajuku

   The lanes between Harajuku and Shibuya hide the good casual lunches — grab a counter seat wherever the queue is short and local.

   → Walk 15 minutes down Cat Street into Shibuya.

4. 

   Photo by Denys Nevozhai on Unsplash

   3:00pm (1 hr)✓ Must visit

   Shibuya Crossing & Hachiko

   Cross it at street level a few times (the light changes every couple of minutes; every crossing is a fresh wave), pay respects at Hachiko, and people-watch from the station bridge windows.

   → Shibuya Sky's entrance is in Shibuya Scramble Square above the station.

5. 5:00pm (1.5 hrs)✓ Must visit

   Shibuya Sky at sunset (pre-booked)

   Your booked slot — the open rooftop at golden hour, with the crossing boiling away far below and the city grid igniting as the light drops. This is the ticket you booked from India; sunset slots go first.

   → Back down into the Center-gai neon for dinner.

6. 7:30pm

   Dinner: Shibuya ramen or conveyor sushi

   Ticket-machine ramen (Ichiran's solo booths are a rite of passage, the independents are better) or a conveyor-belt sushi room — either way, dinner runs on buttons and it's glorious.

Day 3 — Tsukiji, Ginza & teamLab

1. 

   Photo by Tuan Nguyen on Unsplash

   8:00am (2 hrs)✓ Must visit

   Tsukiji Outer Market breakfast crawl

   Breakfast is the itinerary: fresh tamagoyaki on a stick, a tuna or uni don at a counter, grilled scallops, and a knife-shop browse between bites. Peak stalls, peak freshness — this is why the day started at 8.

   → Walk into Ginza, ~15 minutes.

2. 10:30am (1.5 hrs)

   Ginza stroll & depachika

   Flagship-window Tokyo, then the depachika (department-store basement food halls) — the most beautiful food retail on the planet; assemble a picnic or just gawk.

   → Metro + Yurikamome line to Toyosu, ~25 minutes.

3. 

   Photo by note thanun on Unsplash

   1:00pm (2 hrs)○ Can visit

   teamLab Planets (pre-booked)

   Your timed slot — barefoot through the water rooms and mirrored infinity spaces. Wear trousers you can roll up; lockers handle the rest.

   → Yurikamome line onward to Odaiba, ~15 minutes.

4. 4:00pm (2 hrs)

   Odaiba waterfront

   The bay-front promenade with the Rainbow Bridge and the (yes, really) Statue of Liberty replica, plus the life-size Gundam if you time its transformation show — a low-effort, high-scenery wind-down.

   → Train back across the bay for dinner.

5. 7:00pm

   Dinner: Ginza lunch-grade sushi at dinner prices — or noodles

   If today's the splurge, a mid-range Ginza sushi counter; if not, Tokyo's soba and udon houses make an artform of the humble bowl.

Day 4 — Shinjuku: gardens to Golden Gai

1. 

   Photo by Shane Goh on Unsplash

   9:30am (2 hrs)○ Can visit

   Shinjuku Gyoen

   The slow morning: the Japanese garden's teahouse, the greenhouse, the great lawn. In sakura or autumn season this is the day's headline; closed Mondays — swap with day 3 if needed.

   → Walk toward the Shinjuku station west side, ~15 minutes.

2. 12:00pm (45 min)

   Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building observatory

   The free 45th-floor observatory — the no-cost sanity check on every paid deck in the city, with Fuji on winter mornings.

   → Lunch in the station maze.

3. 1:00pm (1 hr)

   Lunch: Shinjuku station ramen alley

   The station's underground ramen rows are a genre unto themselves — pick a machine, press a button, slurp audibly (it's polite here).

   → Afternoon at leisure — department stores, or a nap before the neon.

4. 5:30pm (1 hr)

   Omoide Yokocho (Memory Lane)

   Lantern-lit yakitori alleys from the post-war years, two seats deep — smoke, char, beer. Some stalls add a small seating charge; that's normal and posted, unlike the tout bars you're ignoring.

   → Walk 10 minutes across east Shinjuku.

5. 7:30pm

   Golden Gai bar crawl

   Two hundred shoebox bars in six alleys. Look for "visitors welcome" signs (many bars are regulars-only and say so), take the cover charge as rent for the seat, and never, ever follow anyone recruiting on the street outside.

Day 5 — Akihabara & departure

1. 

   Photo by Jezael Melgoza on Unsplash

   9:30am (2 hrs)○ Can visit

   Akihabara

   Retro-game floors (Super Potato), a multi-storey arcade session, and anime merch from basement to roof — even a non-otaku hour here is a cultural field trip.

   → Lunch nearby, then collect bags.

2. 12:00pm (1 hr)

   Lunch & last konbini run

   A final gyudon or katsu set, then the ritual konbini sweep for Kit-Kat flavours and omiyage that survive a suitcase.

   → Narita Express or Haneda monorail, per your airport.

3. 2:00pm

   Departure

   Haneda is ~30 minutes out, Narita 60–90 — check which airport your ticket actually uses and buffer accordingly; Tokyo's trains are punctual, but so is your gate.