3 Days in Tokyo – Itinerary and Travel Guide

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The metropolitan city of Tokyo really has something for everyone. From world famous crossings to Michelin Star restaurants, from Buddhist temples to vending machines that dispense just about anything, Tokyo is a city you must explore during your travels to Japan. This post covers how to spend 3 days in Tokyo with a detailed itinerary. It also includes a travel guide to Tokyo that you should read to make sure you spend your time wisely during your 3 days in Tokyo!

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3 Days in Tokyo

Tokyo is huge! and 3 days is just about enough time to cover the highlights but you have to use your time wisely. Here is how.

Notes on the Itinerary

• Cluster attractions close by – Since the city is huge, it is very important that you group attractions and places you want to visit so that you don’t waste time traveling across the city
• You do not have to follow this exact sequencing of days. Feel free to switch the days around.
• You can use the metro to get around but also prepare to walk a lot during these 3 days in Tokyo
• Start your days early to make the best of your 3 days in Tokyo!
• I won’t specifically callout lunch and dinner unless there are specific eating places to check out, so feel free to grab food at any time.

Day 1

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

If you are in Tokyo during Cherry Blossom Season, this is THE place to be. Come early and buy your tickets online. If you are visiting during the weekends in March and April, there maybe a special entry ticket that you may need to purchase ahead of time. These sell out, so keep an eye out for them. You can find out more HERE. Even if you are not here during Cherry Blossom Season, you will still need an entry ticket. These gardens are beautiful outside of Cherry Blossom Season too.

Meiji Shrine

A calm respite in an otherwise busy city, this shrine is famous for its wall of massive sake barrels.

Yoyogi Park

One thing about Tokyo that you are going to notice are all the green spaces. Yoyogi is a massive park in the middle of the city. It very much has a Central Park in New York feel to it. During Cherry Blossom Season, the cherry blossom grove is famous for it’s picnics and hanamis (Cherry Blossom viewing parties).

Takeshita Street

I like to think of Takeshita Street as a place where your sweet dreams come true! Literally! It’s home to those famous loaded crepes that you may have heard about and also to massive rainbow colored candy floss. Takeshita Street is also famous for shopping, so if you are looking for souvenirs to take home, check out this street.

Shibuya Sky

This is one of the best places to see a panoramic view of all of Tokyo! If you want to come during sunset, then come back later in the day. You need to buy tickets in advance for Shibuya Sky as they sell out fast. Tickets are timed so you need to make sure to get here on time. Also bring a 100 yen coin for a locker that you will have to store your bags and belongings (you will get the coin back). I did not mean to spend as much time as I did at Shibuya Sky. It’s a 360 degree view of Tokyo and on a clear day, you can see for miles and miles!

A free alternative to Shibuya Sky is the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. You can see similar views from the 45th floor. Sometimes in the summer, they may offer a free light show on the façade of the building at night time.

Shibuya Crossing

Is there a more iconic place in all of Tokyo? Probably not! Shibuya Crossing is one of the largest crosswalks in the world. While it’s fun to be in the midst of it, it’s also fun to see it from above. Shibuya Mark City/Magnet 109 and the Mag’s Park rooftop bar are two famous places to see it from above. You can also see the Shibuya crossing from Shibuya Sky.

Shibuya Sakura Street

If you are here during Cherry Blossom Season, check out Shibuya Sakura Street that’s walking distance from the crossing.

Nonbei Yokocho

If it’s past 5 PM, check out this street for some food and drinks. Note that it only opens after 5 PM.

You can do the next 3 things in any order that you desire. Kabukicho is best seen after dark

Omide Yokocho

This famous alley is also called “Piss Alley” and “Memory Lane”. It’s full of places to eat, especially good yakitori.

Golden Gai

These narrow streets are crammed jammed with little bars and watering holes! It’s a nice way to either start your evening or end it!

Kabukicho

Kabukicho is considered the adult entertainment district of Tokyo but is an area to see in my view because of all the colorful lights and signs. It’s safe and you can go with your children (nothing inappropriate takes place outside)

Day 2

Tsukiju Outer Market

Start your day with breakfast at the Tsukiju Outer Market. If you are looking for the freshest seafood, this is the place to be! It was the world’s largest wholesale seafood and fish market until it moved to another area in 2018 but this section of the market remains. Tsukiji is full of stalls and restaurants selling the fresh seafood items. It is open from 5 am to 2 pm Monday through Saturday but is closed on some Wednesdays. If day 2 of this 3 days in Tokyo itinerary falls on a Sunday, you may want to shift Tsukiji to day 1 or 3.

Ueno Park

Ueno is another space that is popular during Cherry Blossom season and in July during the Summer festival . If you are looking for a quite respite after the hustle and bustle of Tsukiji, you could head over to Ueno park even outside of these festival times.

Asakusa Tourist Center

Welcome to the Asakusa area! Start at the Asakusa Tourist Center. This floor provides a nice panoramic view of the Asakusa area and the Senso-ji temple. The Tokyo Skytreee is also visible from this point.

Kaminarimon

From the Tourist Center, cross the road to Kaminarimon or “Thunder Gates”, which are the outer of two large entrance gates that ultimately leads to the Sensō-ji in Asakusa.

Nakamise-dori

Ah! Talk about street food! This street leading up to Senso-ji is jam packed with all sorts of food items and souvenirs.

Senso-Ji, 5 Storied Pagoda and Asakusa Shrine

All 3 of these Buddhist monuments are more or less in the same complex.

Sumida Park

Another nice Cherry Blossom AND you can see Tokyo Skytree very clearly from here as well!

Akihabara

If it’s getting dark by now, head over to Akihabara. This little corner of Tokyo is called “Electric Town” and it lights up during the night! Akihabara is a major shopping district for video games, anime, electronics and computer-related goods. 

Day 3

Imperial Palace Gardens

Start your day at the Imperial Palace Gardens. If you are here during Cherry Blossom season, you are sure to be delighted by the cherry blossom grove. You can also check out the Chidorigafuchi Moat which is famous for its cherry blossom trees and boat rides on the moat.

In my opinion, the best view of the Imperial Palace is from the Nijubashi Bridge. There’s something very quintessentially Japanese about this bridge and the view from it.

Hie Shrine

Hie Shrine was one of the most peaceful shrines we visited during our 3 days in Tokyo. It was hard to believe the shrine was in the middle of the city. If you are not planning on visiting Kyoto and the famous Torii gates, Hie Shrine also has Torii gates and make for an alterative.

Zōjō-ji Temple

This temple provides a nice view of the Tokyo Tower. It also contains rows and rows of Jizo statues said to represent the unborn children of Japan.

TeamLab

TeamLab was hands down one of my most favorite things to do in Tokyo! We visited TeamLab Borderless but there is another TeamLab called Planets. If you have the time and budget, I would say visit both! We only had time for one and we selected TeamLab Borderless and it was so much fun! Prepare to spend at least 3 hours here to fully enjoy the experience! Trust me, you would want to take a lot of pictures here. One thing about the experience is that everything changes all the time and no 2 rooms are the same. It’s a fun place for both adults and kids!

Tokyo Tower

Tokyo Tower is perhaps another iconic symbol of the city. You used to be able to see it for free from the 33rd floor of the Mori JP Tower up until April 2024,but it is no longer open to the public. Another way to see it is to go to the “Tokyo City View” building. It is however, not free. In general you can see the the tower in the Roppongi area but may not see it from the bottom up if other buildings are covering it.

Meguro River Promenade

Meguro River Promenade is another really beautiful place to visit during Cherry Blossom Season. The river is lined with hundreds of blossom trees which are lit up. You can visit any time of the day but it is especially beautiful at night when the lights are on.

What to See at Night

There are certain attractions and places that are best seen at night than in the morning. This may be because either it’s closed during the day or it’s just so much more attractive at night. Feel free to switch these night-time things around, if it is not dark by the time you get to it on the itinerary. I have incorporated most of these in to this 3 day in Tokyo itinerary.

• Shibuya Crossing – Fun to see both during the day and night
• Outside Shinjuku Station – Most attractive when the lights are on
• Nonbei Yokocho – Only open in the evening and night
• Golden Gai – Only open in the evening and night
• Akihabara – Most attractive when the lights are on
• Kabukicho – Most attractive when the lights are on
• Megura River Promanade – – Visit at night if possible
• Senso-ji Temple – Visit during the day for sure but also at night if possible
• Tokyo Tower – Most attractive when the lights are on

Tokyo Travel Guide

Tips for Tokyo

Let’s start this Tokyo travel guide section with some must know tips for first time travelers to Tokyo. I put together 25 of my best tips for Tokyo which you can access by reading this post!

How to Get to Tokyo

By Air

If you are arriving by air, you will either land at Haneda Airport or Narita Airport. Haneda is closer to the city than Narita is. If you land in Haneda, you can catch the Tokyo monorail, the Keikyū Airport Line or the Limousine Bus from the airport itself. If you are flying into Narita, you can either take the Narita Express, the Skyliner or the Limousine Bus.

By Train

If you are coming from a major city in Japan and using a Shinkansen, most Shinkansens either arrive in Tokyo Station or Shinagawa Station.

How to Get Around Tokyo

You can use the Tokyo Metro or JR East Lines to get around Tokyo. Don’t forget to either download a digital Suica card or get a physical one when you land at the airport. Chances are that you will also walk quite a bit in Tokyo. These are the train lines that I used the most.

• Yamanote Line – This runs a loop around some of the major attractions and places in the city including  Marunouchi, the Ginza area, Shinagawa, Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ueno
• Ginza
• Marunouchi
• Chuo

Look up when you want to go on the Google Maps app and select the transit option for the most efficient way to get from point A to point B during your 3 days in Tokyo. The suggestions are always dynamic based on the current time.

Where to Stay in Tokyo

No travel guide to Tokyo is complete without talking about where to stay. In a city as big as Tokyo, picking out where to stay is a huge decision! Given how big the city is and given you only have 3 days in Tokyo city, my advice is to think about places that are 1. central and 2. are well connected to the rest of the city. One place that comes to mind and the place we stayed in is Shinjuku. Not only is Shinjuku central to all the action, it also has several well connected metro stations that serve this area. In addition, it also has plenty of dining, entertainment, nightlife and shopping that you will never be bored in Shinjuku.

We stayed at Tokyu Stay Shinjuku East and loved the room! It was so spacious which is very rare for Japanese accommodation. There was also a local Shinjuku metro station that was right around the block. I really cannot recommend this hotel more!

Other popular places to stay include Shibuya and Ginza. I usually use booking.com to filter my hotel and location scores.

Places on this 3 days in Tokyo Itinerary to Book in Advance

• Shibuya Sky
• TeamLab
• Any other observation deck
• Tours (see below)

Which Observation Deck is Best?

This is a popular question! It really depends on what you want to see. From my research prior to visiting Tokyo, most people recommended Shibuya Sky and I can definitely see why, as it offers clear, 360 degree panoramic views over Tokyo!

Other popular observations decks are:

• Tokyo Tower
• Tokyo Skytree
• “Tokyo City View” in Roppongi Hills

Where to Eat and Drink in Tokyo

There are no shortages of places to eat and drink in Tokyo. Here are a few places we loved!

• Kabuki Sushi – The Omakase Sushi experience is a must! Make sure to call and book in advance
• Ramen on “Ramen Street” in Tokyo Station – This even includes Michelin Star ramen restaurants
• Ichiran Ramen – This is a Tokyo staple for vending machine ramen!

Wondering what to Eat in Japan? Check out my detailed blog post HERE

Apps to Download for Tokyo

• Airalo – An eSIM us a must in Japan! Having connectivity will help with navigation and translations.
• Google Maps
• Google Lens or Google Translate
• Suica on Apple Wallet – I found a digital Suica card loaded on my Apple Wallet to be super easy to use
• Uber – If you need a taxi, the Uber app can connect you to local taxi services. It works just like Uber would at home

Best Tours in Tokyo

From food tours to walking tours, you can check out some top rated tours in Tokyo below!

Where to See Cherry Blossom in Tokyo?

Here are the best places to see cherry blossom if you are going to be in Tokyo during Cherry Blossom Season (usually end March to early April).

• Shibuya Sakura Street – Day 1
• Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden – Day 1
• Yoyogi Park – Day 1
• Ueno Park – Day 2
• Meguro River Cherry Blossoms Promenade – Day 3
• Sumida Park – Day 2
• Chidorigafuchi moat – Day 2
• Imperial Palace Gardens – Day 2

Even if you don’t go to any of these places, you will still see plenty of cherry blossom all over Tokyo if you are there during the season.

What to Pack for Tokyo?

What to pack will really depend on what time of the year you visit. Summers can be hot and muggy and winters can be very cold or mild, depending on where you come from. If you are planning on visiting in the summer, make sure you dress somewhat conservatively to temples and shrines.

Whether you are traveling within Tokyo or to other parts of the country, it is important to pack light so that you are not lugging a huge suitcase around. I packed for 9 days in Japan in a carry-on/hand luggage sized bag and a travel backpack. I love a travel backpack as it opens up like a suitcase and you can really pack a lot in it. This is the one I have and can recommend!

See my post for my general list for what to pack when you travel!

Wondering what photography tools I use? Check it out HERE.

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