The exact itinerary we'd give a friend flying into Narita. Three days of crossings and shrines, robot-curated coffee, depachika dinners, and one quiet morning in old Asakusa before the city wakes up.
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Tokyo punishes a rushed plan. The city sprawls across 23 special wards, and the joy is half the trains, half the side streets you turn into between them. This itinerary clusters each day into adjacent neighborhoods so you spend the JR time wisely and have evenings free for izakaya hopping.
Day 1
Shibuya · Harajuku · Shinjuku · ~10 km walking
The classic orientation day. Shibuya Crossing, Meiji Shrine, Harajuku's Takeshita-dori, and a Shinjuku robot-coffee finish. Buy a Suica card at the airport — every train, vending machine, and convenience store takes it.
9:00 AM
% Arabica Shibuya
Shibuya · Coffee · ¥600
Brutalist concrete kiosk under the tracks. Single-origin pour-over, perfect milk steaming, no seating. Drink it standing while the crossing thrums fifty meters away.
↓ 8 min walk to the crossing
9:45 AM
Shibuya Crossing + Hachiko
Shibuya · The crossing · free
Cross it twice. Once for the experience, once from the Starbucks window upstairs for the photo. Hachiko statue is the meeting-point landmark — you'll use it as a return marker for the next two days.
Tip: the Shibuya Sky observation deck is 90 minutes of your life well spent — book the 4pm slot online for sunset over Mt. Fuji on a clear day.
↓ 15 min walk through Yoyogi Park
11:30 AM
Meiji Jingu
Yoyogi · Shrine · free
Walk under the giant torii into the forest and the wide gravel path opens onto Tokyo's most important Shinto shrine. Bow at the gate, wash hands at the temizuya, throw a coin and clap twice. 90 minutes.
Tip: Sunday mornings often catch a traditional wedding procession in the courtyard.
Lunch · ¥1,400
Afuri (Harajuku) — yuzu-shio ramen, light citrus broth, the antidote to a heavy first lunch. Order at the vending machine outside; hand the ticket over the counter; eat in 20 minutes.
2:30 PM
Takeshita-dori + Cat Street
Harajuku · Shopping · free
Takeshita-dori is loud teenage candy maximalism — 5 minutes is enough. The parallel Cat Street running south to Shibuya is the real shopping spine: vintage, indie design, the Ralph Lauren teahouse.
↓ Train: Yamanote to Shinjuku, 8 min, ¥170
5:30 PM
Omoide Yokocho
Shinjuku · Alley · free
'Memory Lane' — also called Piss Alley by the unromantic. Six-seat yakitori counters under sagging power lines, smoke pouring out of every doorway. Squeeze in anywhere with an empty stool.
Dinner · ¥3,500
Yakitori in Omoide Yokocho — point at the skewers, take whatever the master hands you, drink Sapporo from a wet glass. Or upmarket: Donjaca (10 min walk) for proper izakaya, English menu, sashimi platters at ¥2,200.
Nightcap
Golden Gai — 200 tiny bars in 6 alleys, mostly 4-6 seats each. Look for ones with English signs out front (about a quarter of them) — cover charges of ¥500-1,000 are normal. Albatross G is friendly to first-timers.
Day 2
Asakusa · Akihabara · Ueno · ~9 km walking
East Tokyo: the old shitamachi (downtown) of Asakusa, the electric chaos of Akihabara, and a slow museum afternoon in Ueno. Today rewards a 6:30am start at Senso-ji before the tour buses arrive at 9.
7:00 AM
Senso-ji at dawn
Asakusa · Temple · free
Tokyo's oldest temple, founded 645 AD. The famous Kaminarimon thunder gate is photo-empty at this hour; the lantern-lit Nakamise shopping street is just opening. By 9am the bus tours arrive — show up at 7 and you'll have it to yourself for 90 minutes.
Tip: Free volunteer English guides hang around the visitor center from 10am if you want context — and worth a return visit.
Breakfast · ¥800
Asakusa Kagetsudo — melon pan baked on the street, ¥220 each, line is fast. Or, more sit-down: Pelican Café for one of Tokyo's best egg sandwiches.
10:00 AM
Tokyo Skytree
Sumida · Tower · ¥3,100
634m broadcast tower; the city looks like a circuit board from the 350m deck. Skip if you already booked Shibuya Sky for Day 1. Add if you want both — the view is different (east-facing, rivers and bridges).
Tip: Same complex has Sumida Aquarium — good rainy-day backup.
↓ Train: Asakusa to Akihabara, 15 min, ¥180
12:30 PM
Akihabara wander
Akihabara · Electric town · free
Multi-story electronics shops, anime megastores, retro arcades. Even if you don't care about any of it, walking it once is core Tokyo. Don Quijote (the 6-floor discount everything store) is worth one floor for souvenirs.
Lunch · ¥1,200
Kanda Yabu Soba — 140-year-old soba house, 10 min walk south. Cold tempura seiro, hot dipping broth, tatami room. The opposite of Akiba's noise.
↓ Train: Akihabara to Ueno, 4 min, ¥140
3:00 PM
Ueno Park + Tokyo National Museum
Ueno · Park & museum · ¥1,000
Cherry blossoms in April, lily ponds otherwise. The Tokyo National Museum (the Honkan building specifically) holds the country's best collection of samurai armor, ukiyo-e prints, and Buddhist sculpture. 2 hours.
↓ Train: Ueno back to your base
Dinner · ¥4,000
Inakaya (Roppongi) — a robatayaki show: chefs in headbands shouting orders, passing grilled fish on long wooden paddles across the counter. Touristy and worth it once. Reserve. Or quieter: Toriki in Meguro for the best yakitori omakase under ¥6,000.
Nightcap
Hop a Yamanote train to Shibuya for Bar Trench in Ebisu, or stay east at SG Club in Harajuku. Both world's-50-best regulars, both quiet enough to talk.
Day 3
Tsukiji · Ginza · teamLab · ~8 km walking
Final-day mix: a Tsukiji breakfast pilgrimage, Ginza window shopping, and the immersive teamLab experience in the afternoon. End with one proper sushi dinner — splurge or budget, your call.
8:00 AM
Tsukiji Outer Market
Tsukiji · Market & food · ¥3,000 total
The inner wholesale market moved to Toyosu in 2018; the outer market is still very much alive. Walk the stalls grazing — tamagoyaki sweet omelet on a stick, tuna otoro skewer, sea urchin shooter, strawberry mochi. Skip the long sushi queues; the standing stalls are better.
Tip: Most stalls close by 2pm. Show up by 9am for everything open.
↓ 15 min walk to Ginza
10:30 AM
Ginza window shopping
Ginza · Shopping district · free
Tokyo's flagship street. Even if you buy nothing, walk it for the architecture: Renzo Piano's Maison Hermès, the wave-glass Itoya stationery store (6 floors of paper goods), Uniqlo's 12-story flagship for actual purchases.
Lunch · ¥1,800
Ginza Yoshizawa — basement tempura, ¥1,500 for 8 pieces fried in front of you. Or, departments-store food hall: Mitsukoshi depachika in the basement for sushi platters to take to a Hibiya Park bench.
↓ Train: Ginza to Toyosu, 12 min, ¥210
2:00 PM
teamLab Planets
Toyosu · Immersive art · ¥3,800
Walk barefoot through ankle-deep water reflecting hanging orchids. Stand inside a room of mirrored infinite light. Phones will fail to capture it. Book 2pm slot online a week ahead — walk-up tickets often sell out.
↓ Train back to Ginza, 12 min
5:00 PM
Hibiya rooftop + Imperial Palace gardens
Marunouchi · Park & view · free
Walk the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace (free, closes 5pm) or finish with a rooftop drink at Hibiya Bar & Grill overlooking the moat. Tokyo Tower lights at 6pm sharp.
Dinner · ¥6,000
Sushi Tokyo Ten (Marunouchi) — surprisingly affordable omakase for the quality, ¥6,000-9,000 set. Reserve. Or budget: Sushi Zanmai Tsukiji for a ¥3,500 chef's selection that's still very good.
Nightcap
Bar High Five (Ginza) — Hidetsugu Ueno is one of the most respected bartenders alive. No menu, no music, no photos. He asks two questions and pours. Bookings via DM only on the bar's Instagram.
Where to stay
For this itinerary specifically: Shinjuku wins for first-timers — every JR line, every subway line, walking distance to Day 1's ending neighborhood. Shibuya is similar but louder at night. Ginza is a more grown-up Day 3-aligned alternative.
Mid-range: Hotel Gracery Shinjuku (above Don Quijote, real Godzilla on the roof, ¥18,000/night), Park Hotel Tokyo (Shiodome, jaw-drop lobby, ¥22,000), The Knot Shinjuku (design-forward, ¥17,000). Budget: UNPLAN Shinjuku capsule pods from ¥5,500. Splurge: Aman Tokyo (¥120,000+) or The Tokyo Edition Toranomon (¥55,000+).
Misc (depachika dinner, vending machine streak, one extra yakitori round)¥6,000
Total≈ ¥104,500
Budget travelers can do the same route on ¥55,000-65,000 (capsule hotel, conbini meals + 1 sit-down/day, skip Tokyo Skytree). High-end with Aman Tokyo + a kaiseki dinner runs ¥250,000+.
What to pack
The non-obvious essentials for Tokyo specifically:
Suica or Pasmo IC card. Tap for trains, vending machines, conbini. Buy at the airport machine for ¥1,000.
Pocket WiFi or eSIM. Tokyo without maps and translate is rough. Ubigi or Airalo eSIM, ~$10 for the week.
Easily removable shoes. You'll take them off at temples, ryokans, some izakayas. Avoid lace-up boots.
A small towel or handkerchief. Public bathrooms often skip paper towels. Locals carry one.
Cash, ¥20,000. Many small izakayas, Golden Gai bars, and Tsukiji stalls remain cash-only.
A foldable umbrella. Tokyo rain is sudden and convenience-store umbrellas are landfill.
A power adapter (Type A, 100V). US plugs fit; 120V devices will run slightly slow but safely.
Two great day trips, opposite vibes. Hakone (1h20 by Romancecar from Shinjuku, ¥2,500) for the lake, Mt. Fuji view from the ropeway, and a black-egg onsen — buy the Hakone Free Pass at Odakyu Travel for ¥6,100. Kamakura (1h by JR, ¥940) for the Great Buddha, bamboo grove temple Hokokuji, and a beach walk. Pick Hakone for first trip, Kamakura for return visit. Don't do both in one day — Hakone alone is full.
Want a different version of this?
This itinerary is the "first-timer mid-range" build. If you want couples-romantic, family-with-kids, foodie-only, or a 5-day stretched version — our AI itinerary builder takes those preferences in plain English and rebuilds the plan in 30 seconds.
Three days covers the headline neighborhoods (Shibuya, Asakusa, Shinjuku, Ginza, Akiba) plus one immersive experience and one proper sushi dinner. It does not cover Hakone, Kamakura, or Nikko. For first-time visitors flying long-haul, 4-5 days is the sweet spot. Three works for a long weekend extension off a business trip.
What's the best order to do this itinerary in?
Day 1 west side (Shibuya/Shinjuku) for orientation while you're fresh, Day 2 east side (Asakusa/Ueno) for shitamachi before tour buses arrive at 9am, Day 3 central (Tsukiji/Ginza/Toyosu) for the food-and-art finish. This order minimizes train transfers.
How much does a 3-day Tokyo trip cost?
Mid-range: ¥90,000-130,000 ($600-870) per person — ¥18,000/night hotel (split), ¥10,000/day food, ¥1,500/day transit, ¥10,000 attractions. Budget capsule travelers can do ¥55,000. High-end with Aman runs ¥250,000+.
Where should I stay for this itinerary?
Shinjuku — every JR line, every subway line, walking distance to Day 1's evening. Shibuya is interchangeable but louder. Ginza is the grown-up Day 3-aligned alternative. Avoid Asakusa for the base unless you want quieter mornings (you'll waste time on commutes).
Do I need a JR Pass for this itinerary?
No. The JR Pass is now ¥50,000 for 7 days — only worth it if you're adding Kyoto/Osaka. For Tokyo-only, a Suica card with pay-as-you-go (¥3,000-5,000 across 3 days) is far cheaper.
Is teamLab Planets worth it?
Yes, if you book ahead. Walk-up tickets often sell out and standing in line outside is rough. Book the 2pm or 4pm slot online a week before. The Borderless location reopened in Azabudai Hills if you want the larger immersive — but Planets is the more photographed one.
Can I do this as a Friday-Monday long weekend?
Yes — fly in Thursday night, Day 1 Friday, Day 2 Saturday (start at 7am for Senso-ji empty), Day 3 Sunday, fly out Monday. The jet lag actually helps you wake up early for Tsukiji.