5-Day Tokyo Itinerary for First-Time Visitors

Tokyo is one of the most rewarding cities on earth and one of the most overwhelming to plan. Thirteen million people, 23 wards, hundreds of distinct neighborhoods, and a transport network that puts every other city to shame. If you're visiting for the first time, five days is a reasonable amount of time to get a real feel for the city without rushing.

This itinerary is organized by neighborhood — one or two per day — so you're walking instead of commuting. All recommendations have been verified as of April 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go.

Before you arrive: essential Tokyo prep

• IC Card (Suica or Pasmo): Load one at the airport. Use it on every train, subway, and bus. Some convenience stores and vending machines also accept it.
• Pocket Wi-Fi or SIM: Book before you leave. Google Maps works in Tokyo, but you need data constantly for navigation.
• Cash: Japan is still heavily cash-based outside central Tokyo. Carry ¥10,000–¥20,000 at all times.
• Reservations: Book popular ramen spots and omakase restaurants at least 2–3 weeks in advance. Many of the best places in Tokyo don't take walk-ins.

Day 1 — Shinjuku: land, orient, explore

Most flights arrive at Narita or Haneda. Take the Narita Express directly to Shinjuku Station — it's the most logical starting point for a first-time visitor, with accommodation at every price point and easy access to the rest of the city.

Morning / Afternoon

Check into your hotel and walk to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden— one of Tokyo's finest green spaces, with a French formal garden, English landscape garden, and Japanese traditional garden. Entry is ¥500. Worth an hour and a half.

From there, head to Takashimaya Times Square for lunch in the basement food hall (depachika). This is one of the best food experiences in Tokyo that most tourists miss — dozens of vendors selling sushi, tempura, wagyu sandwiches, and every type of pastry.

Evening

Walk to Kabukicho, Shinjuku's entertainment district, for the evening atmosphere. Head up to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building observation deck for a free 360° view of the city — open until 11pm on most nights. From the top on a clear day, you can see Mount Fuji.

Dinner in Omoide Yokocho (Memory Lane) — a narrow alley of tiny yakitori stalls dating back to the 1940s. Cash only. Expect to share a table with strangers.

Day 2 — Harajuku, Omotesando & Shibuya

These three neighborhoods connect on foot and represent three different faces of Tokyo: youth culture, high design, and commercial energy.

Morning

Start at Meiji Jingu, the Shinto shrine set in a forested park in the middle of the city. Arrive early to avoid crowds. Walk the tree-lined gravel path to the main shrine — the contrast between the forest and the surrounding metropolis is striking.

Exit through Takeshita Streetin Harajuku for crepes, pastel fashion, and the most concentrated visual chaos in the city. It's touristy and it's worth seeing.

Afternoon

Walk south to Omotesando— Tokyo's most architecturally interesting shopping street. The buildings by Tadao Ando (Omotesando Hills), Kengo Kuma (Nezu Museum), and SANAA (Dior flagship) are worth a slow walk.

Continue to Shibuya. The Shibuya Crossing is as impressive as advertised — watch it from the Starbucks on the second floor of the Tsutaya building for a good overhead view, or just join the crowd for the experience.

Evening

Dinner in Shibuya — try Ichiran Ramen (individual booths, solo dining by design) or one of the dozens of izakayas around Shibuya Stream.

Day 3 — Asakusa & Ueno: old Tokyo

The east side of Tokyo preserves more of the traditional atmosphere than the west. Asakusa especially feels like a different era.

Morning

Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa is the most visited temple in the world by visitor count. Go before 8am to experience it without the crowds. The Nakamise shopping street that leads to the main gate sells traditional snacks (ningyo-yaki, ningyo-yaki, senbei) and souvenirs — good for authentic gifts.

Rent a rickshaw for 30 minutes to cover the surrounding historic streets, or walk north to the Sumida Park riverfront.

Afternoon

Take a short bus or 15-minute walk to Ueno Park, which contains three major museums: the Tokyo National Museum (best collection of Japanese art and artifacts in the world), the National Museum of Western Art (UNESCO World Heritage building by Le Corbusier), and the National Museum of Nature and Science.

Pick one to go into properly — three hours is enough for the Tokyo National Museum. The park grounds themselves, particularly around Shinobazu Pond, are worth an hour.

Evening

Return to Asakusa for dinner. Sometaro for okonomiyaki (cook-your-own savoury pancakes), or Otafukufor oden — one of Tokyo's oldest surviving restaurants, open since 1916.

Day 4 — Akihabara, Ginza & Tsukiji

Morning

Tsukiji Outer Marketopens at 5am and is best before 10am, when the freshest seafood is available and lines haven't built yet. This is the right place for the famous tuna breakfast — a tamago (egg) sushi and a bowl of miso from one of the market vendors. The inner wholesale market moved to Toyosu in 2018, but the outer market retains its energy.

Midday

Walk to Ginza — Tokyo's equivalent of Fifth Avenue or Bond Street — for an hour. The Itoya stationery store (12 floors) is a design lover's destination. The Ginza Six rooftop garden is free and offers good views.

Afternoon

Take the Yamanote or Metro line to Akihabara — the electronics and anime district. Even if neither is your primary interest, the density of signage, multi-floor electronics stores, and maid café promotional staff makes it visually unlike anywhere else in the city.

Visit Yodobashi Camera (seven floors of electronics), or the toy and figure floors at Kotobukiyaif that's your interest.

Evening

Head back toward Shinjuku or stay near Akihabara for ramen. Fuunji in Shinjuku is consistently rated among the top tsukemen (dipping ramen) restaurants in the city — expect a short line.

Day 5 — Yanaka & Shimokitazawa: locals' Tokyo

Your last day should be slower. Yanaka and Shimokitazawa are two neighborhoods that survived the bombing of World War II and the real estate redevelopment of the 1980s, giving them a texture the rest of the city has largely lost.

Morning — Yanaka

Yanaka Ginza is a narrow shopping street with small butchers, tofu shops, and cafés that has barely changed since the 1970s. Walk north to Yanesen (the collective name for Yanaka, Nezu, and Sendagi), stopping at the cemetery — one of the most atmospheric in Tokyo, with cherry trees and cats.

Afternoon — Shimokitazawa

Cross to the other side of the city for an afternoon in Shimokitazawa — a neighbourhood known for vintage clothing, live music venues, independent coffee shops, and a young creative population. It's the anti-tourist Tokyo that regular visitors return to.

Spend two to three hours wandering. There's no single must-see — the experience is the neighborhood itself.

Evening

Return to Shinjuku for a final dinner. The Park Hyatt New York Bar (of Lost in Translation fame) serves drinks on the 52nd floor with panoramic views — expensive but worth it for a final night.

Customize this itinerary for your interests

This plan covers the main neighborhoods but Tokyo has much more: teamLab digital art museums, day trips to Nikko or Kamakura, sumo wrestling tournaments (check the schedule before you book), boat rides through the canals. The best trip is one built around what you actually care about.

If you want to build a customized version — adding your own saved Instagram or TikTok spots alongside the places in this guide — Triply can generate a revised day-by-day plan around your preferences. Import this itinerary as a starting point and modify it from there.

For another great AI-planned destination guide, see our 3-day Paris itinerary.

Tokyo travel tips for 2026

• Google Maps works flawlessly in Tokyo. Use it for every journey — the transit directions are excellent and updated in real time.
• Convenience stores (konbini) — 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson — are genuinely good for meals. The onigiri, sandwiches, and hot foods are far better than the name suggests.
• Shoes matter. You'll walk 15–20km per day in a city this dense. Comfortable footwear is not optional.
• Rain gear. Tokyo has unpredictable weather. A compact umbrella or packable rain jacket is worth carrying every day.
• Tipping is not done in Japan. Attempting to tip can cause genuine confusion. Good service is standard; extra payment is not expected.