09:00–10:15
1Senso-ji & Nakamise-dori Sight
Tokyo's oldest temple; arrive by 9 to beat the tour buses and still catch the incense-lit main hall quiet.
2-3-1 Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo
Trips planned by Robin · Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo Itinerary: The Perfect 5 Days.
Tokyo does not have a center, so this plan gives each of five days a neighborhood and lets the city change character daily: incense and soba in old Asakusa, the fish market and Ginza's polish, the Meiji shrine forest into Harajuku's noise and Shibuya's scramble, then a slower day among Yanaka's wooden lanes and a farewell of contemporary art in Roppongi. It is built for early April, when the last cherry blossoms are still drifting through Ueno Park, and it runs entirely on trains, feet and one very good bathhouse.
Robin planned this trip forFirst visitNeighborhood by neighborhoodWalk + metroBalanced paceEarly AprilChange these assumptions →
Planned by Robin
5 days · 28 stops
Every place is real, planned with the same verified data that Robin uses in the app. How these itineraries are made
5-day Tokyo itinerary at a glance
1Senso-ji→Sumida river walk→Skytree→Kappabashi→sukiyaki at Imahan
2Tsukiji Outer Market→Sushi Dai→Hama-rikyu Gardens→Ginza→tempura at Tenkuni
3Meiji Jingu→Takeshita Street→Fuunji tsukemen→Shibuya Crossing→Shibuya Sky at sunset
4Tokyo National Museum→Ueno Park→Yanaka old town→a real sento bath→izakaya night
5Mori Art Museum→tonkatsu at Maisen→Nezu Museum garden→Omotesando
- Best for
- First-time visitors who want the whole range, old Tokyo to neon
- Car needed
- No. The train network is the city's bloodstream; this plan never leaves it
- Where to stay
- Shinjuku or Shibuya for connections; Asakusa for atmosphere
- Best months
- Late March to April and October to November
- Pace
- Balanced
- Robin recommends
- Guard the empty half-hours. Tokyo's magic lives between the marquee stops, the day-3 decision below is really about how much wandering you protect
Your 5-day route
All stops, numbered by day order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
Day 1 · Monday
Day 1: Old Tokyo, from temple smoke to the Skytree
Asakusa sets the tone, old Tokyo, incense smoke, and a river walk with the Skytree rising ahead; save room, the soba here is the real thing.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
↓740 m · ~9 min walk
10:30–11:45
2Sumida River walkway to Skytree Walk
Stroll the riverside path with the Skytree growing larger ahead, best photo angle is from Azuma Bridge.
↓650 m · ~8 min walk
12:00–13:00
3Namiki Yabusoba Eat
Century-old soba house near Senso-ji, famous for its dark, smoky broth.
2-11-9 Kaminarimon, Taito City, Tokyo
↓1.8 km · ~22 min walk
13:30–13:50
4Tokyo Skytree Observation Deck Sight
Go up for the Tenbo Deck view across the whole city and, on clear days, Mt. Fuji to the west.
1-1-2 Oshiage, Sumida City, Tokyo · website
↓2.6 km · a short ride
15:30–17:00
5Kappabashi Kitchen Town Shopping
A street of restaurant-supply shops selling the plastic food models and knives locals actually use, a real trade district, not a tourist market.
↓580 m · ~7 min walk
18:00–19:30
6Asakusa Imahan Eat
Long-running sukiyaki house near the temple, a warm sit-down close to a big first day.
Day 2 · Tuesday
Day 2: Market breakfast, a tidal garden and Ginza's polish
An early market morning (go hungry, go early) gives way to gardens and the quiet grandeur of the Imperial Palace grounds. Ginza's polish is the perfect counterpoint by afternoon.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
09:00–09:30
1Tsukiji Outer Market Eat
Wander the lanes for grilled skewers and tamagoyaki while stalls are freshest, before the day-trip crowds arrive.
↓3.3 km · a short ride
09:45–10:15
2Sushi Dai Eat
Legendary sushi counter, arrive right at opening, the queue moves but the omakase is worth the wait.
↓3.2 km · a short ride
11:30–12:45
3Hama-rikyu Gardens Nature
A tidal seawater garden with a teahouse island, the modern skyline framing an Edo-era pond is unique to this spot.
1-1 Hamarikyuteien, Chuo City, Tokyo
↓1.6 km · ~20 min walk
13:15–14:15
4Ginza wander Walk
Window-shop the flagship stores and step into a rooftop gallery or two. Ginza Six's top floor often has free contemporary art shows.
↓2.4 km · a short ride
14:40–16:10
5Imperial Palace East Gardens Sight
Free public gardens on the old castle grounds, quiet stone walls and moats a short walk from the palace itself.
1-1 Chiyoda, Chiyoda City, Tokyo
↓2.5 km · a short ride
18:00–19:30
6Tenkuni Eat
Old-school Ginza tempura counter, crisp and light, a fitting close to a Ginza afternoon.
Robin's tip. Do Tsukiji hungry and early, then get in line at Sushi Dai right at opening: the queue is the ritual, the omakase is the reward, and by 11:00 both are twice as long.
Day 3 · Wednesday
Day 3: Shrine forest, Harajuku and the scramble at sunset
Shrine forest to street fashion to the city's most famous scramble, this day covers a lot of Tokyo's range, closing with the crossing seen from above at dusk.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
09:00–10:15
1Meiji Jingu Sight
Walk in through the towering torii and the forest quiets the city almost instantly, best in the early hours before tour groups.
1-1 Yoyogikamizonocho, Shibuya City, Tokyo
↓980 m · ~12 min walk
10:45–12:00
2Takeshita Street, Harajuku Walk
Tokyo's teenage-fashion epicentre, loud, fun, and a real contrast to the shrine forest you just left.
↓2.5 km · a short ride
12:26–13:26
3Fuunji Eat
Cult favourite tsukemen (dipping ramen) shop near Shinjuku, the dashi broth is blended with fish and pork stock.
↓4.0 km · a short ride
14:00–15:15
4Shibuya Scramble Crossing Sight
Watch it once from street level, then again from the Starbucks window above for the full choreography of it.
↓250 m · ~3 min walk
17:00–18:15
5Shibuya Sky Sight
Open-air rooftop deck, time it for sunset so the crossing lights up just as the sky turns.
2-24-12 Shibuya, Shibuya City, Tokyo · website
↓400 m · ~5 min walk
18:45–20:00
6Uobei Shibuya (kaiten-zushi) Eat
Fast, fun conveyor-belt sushi with bullet-train delivery, a lighter, playful dinner after a big day.
Choose your Shibuya evening
If you want the postcardkeep the plan: crossing at street level first, then Shibuya Sky timed for sunset so the lights come up beneath you, it is scheduled back-to-back on purpose
If you would rather wander than queueskip the Sky deck, watch the scramble from the Starbucks window, and give the saved 90 minutes to Center-gai's backstreets and a record shop or two
If you are running on shrine-and-Harajuku fumesmove Shibuya Sky to tomorrow evening after the sento, and let tonight end early at the conveyor-belt counter, day 4 is the gentle one
Ask Robin to personalize this day →
Day 4 · Thursday
Day 4: Museum treasures, Yanaka's lanes and a neighborhood bath
A slower, deeper day: the treasures of the Tokyo National Museum, then old wooden Yanaka, then a proper neighbourhood sento to soak like a local.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
09:00–11:00
1Tokyo National Museum Culture
Japan's largest collection of art and antiquities, the Honkan building's samurai armor and ukiyo-e rooms are the ones to prioritize.
13-9 Uenokoen, Taito City, Tokyo
↓670 m · ~8 min walk
11:15–12:30
2Ueno Park stroll Nature
Cherry-blossom season crowds thin by midday, walk past Shinobazu Pond and its lotus-covered shrine island.
↓1.7 km · ~21 min walk
13:00–14:00
3Kayaba Coffee (light lunch) Eat
Reopened 1930s coffeehouse on the edge of Yanaka, sandwiches and a look at old Tokyo woodwork.
↓380 m · ~5 min walk
14:30–16:00
4Yanaka Ginza old town walk Walk
One of the few districts to survive both the 1923 earthquake and WWII bombing, cats, incense shops, and a real neighbourhood feel.
↓810 m · ~10 min walk
17:00–18:30
5Rokuryu Kosen sento
A genuine neighbourhood bathhouse with a black hot-spring-style bath, soak the way Yanaka locals actually do.
↓780 m · ~10 min walk
19:00–20:15
6Izakaya Yanaka Beer Hall Eat
Casual grilled-skewer izakaya on Yanaka's main lane, a relaxed close to the neighbourhood day.
Day 5 · Friday
Day 5: Art in the towers, a garden goodbye on Omotesando
No rush today, a last dose of contemporary art and a quiet garden give the trip a gentle close before you head home.
Stops in walking order · Map © OpenStreetMap contributors
09:30–11:00
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↓2.3 km · a short ride
12:00–13:00
2Tonkatsu Maisen Aoyama Eat
Famous tonkatsu set in a converted 1930s bathhouse building near Omotesando, the black-pork option is the one to get.
↓590 m · ~7 min walk
13:07–14:37
3Nezu Museum & garden Culture
A quiet private collection of East Asian art wrapped around a stroll garden with a teahouse and stream.
6-5-1 Minamiaoyama, Minato City, Tokyo
↓820 m · ~10 min walk
15:00–16:30
4Omotesando tree-lined walk Walk
A last unhurried wander down Tokyo's grandest avenue before heading back, architecture-watching along the way.
Bucket-list foods in Tokyo
An omakase sushi counter breakfast
The chef chooses, piece by piece, at a counter a few meters from where the fish was sold that morning: the definitive market meal.
On this trip: Sushi Dai, day 2
Sukiyaki done ceremonially
Thin-sliced beef simmered tableside in sweet soy, dipped in raw egg, at a house that has been doing it for over a century.
On this trip: Asakusa Imahan, day 1 dinner
Tsukemen, the dipping ramen
Cold noodles dunked into an intense hot broth, the queue-worthy cult version thickened with fish powder.
On this trip: Fuunji, day 3 lunch
A depachika raid
The basement food halls of the big department stores: bento, wagashi sweets and perfect fruit as theater. The plan leaves it unscheduled, ask Robin to fold one into your Ginza afternoon.
Where to stay for this itinerary
Stay in Shinjuku if…
- you want maximum train reach for this plan's five directions
- neon, department-store food halls and late eating outside the door appeal
Stay in Shibuya if…
- you want day 3's territory as your home base
- youthful energy at all hours beats quiet
Stay in Asakusa if…
- old-Tokyo atmosphere and temple mornings matter more than train speed
- cheaper rooms and river walks suit your pace
Before you go
Do you need a car in Tokyo?
No, emphatically. The metro and JR lines reach everything in this plan faster than any car could; get a Suica or Pasmo card on arrival and tap through the whole trip.
What must be booked ahead?
Shibuya Sky's sunset slots sell out days ahead, book online. The Ghibli Museum, if you swap it in, sells out the moment monthly tickets release. Most restaurants here queue rather than book; Asakusa Imahan is the one dinner worth reserving.
How do you get in from the airport?
From Narita, the Narita Express or Skyliner reach the city in under an hour; from Haneda, the monorail or Keikyu line does it in half that. Both connect straight into the loops this plan rides.
Is five days enough for Tokyo?
Five days covers five real neighborhoods without the death-march feeling, which is the honest maximum most first trips manage. What it does not cover is day trips, Kamakura, Nikko, Hakone each want a day of their own.
How do the food queues work?
Tokyo queues are orderly, fast-moving and usually worth it. Solo diners and pairs get seated fastest at counters; put your name on tablet lists where offered, and never try to hold a table before ordering.
3–4 days
Have 3–4 days?
Keep days 1, 2 and 3
Asakusa, the market and the Meiji-to-Shibuya arc are the spine of a first visit; they hold up as a complete short trip on their own.
With a fourth day, take Yanaka over Roppongi
Day 4's old lanes, museum and bathhouse show you the Tokyo that survived the century, a better single addition than more skyline.
Compress, don't cram
Resist folding Skytree and Shibuya Sky into one trip at three days, one tower view is plenty, and ask Robin to rebalance the evenings around it.
7 days
Have 7 days?
Day 6: Kamakura
An hour south: the Great Buddha, hillside temples and a surf-town beach, the easiest great day trip in the region.
Day 7: Nikko or Hakone
Choose ornate shrine forests and waterfalls at Nikko, or hot-spring baths with Fuji views around Hakone, both about two hours out and worth the whole day.
And give one evening back to nothing
A week in Tokyo needs one unplanned night, pick the neighborhood that surprised you most and just go back.
Make this itinerary yours
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