5-Day Tokyo Itinerary: A Day-by-Day Template
Tokyo rewards a plan. Neighborhoods are worlds of their own, and the trains make it easy to string three of them into one day without ever feeling rushed.
Make this Tokyo plan yours
Forward your real booking confirmations to Petrel and it builds this exact day-by-day view for you: flights, hotels, reservations, live flight status, and the travel time between stops. Under a minute.
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Best time to goLate March to early April for cherry blossoms, or late October to November for cool air and fall color. June is rainy; August is hot and humid.
Getting aroundGet a Suica or Pasmo card on arrival and ride the JR Yamanote loop plus the metro. Taxis are spotless but pricey; you rarely need one.
The day-by-day plan
Tap a day to expand it. Times are starting points, not homework.
Day 1: Shinjuku and Shibuya
9:00 AMMeiji Shrine
Enter through the giant torii gate near Harajuku Station while the forest paths are still quiet.
12:30 PMOmoide Yokocho lunch
Yakitori alleys by Shinjuku Station; point at what looks good.
6:00 PMShibuya Crossing and Sky
Watch the scramble from above at sunset, then wander Center Gai.
Day 2: Asakusa and Ueno
8:30 AMSenso-ji Temple
Arrive before the tour groups; Nakamise street snacks open around 9.
1:00 PMUeno Park museums
Pick one: Tokyo National Museum for art, or the science museum with kids.
7:00 PMIzakaya night in Ueno
The lanes under the train tracks (Ameyoko) fill with after-work locals.
Day 3: Tsukiji and Ginza
8:00 AMTsukiji Outer Market breakfast
Tamagoyaki skewers and the freshest tuna bowls you will ever have.
11:30 AMGinza stroll
Depachika food halls in the basements are free to wander and astonishing.
5:30 PMteamLab Planets
Book tickets ahead; you walk through water, so wear shorts you can roll.
Day 4: Day trip: Kamakura or Nikko
8:00 AMTrain out of the city
Kamakura for the Great Buddha and beach; Nikko for shrines in cedar forest.
12:30 PMLocal lunch
Shirasu-don (whitebait bowl) in Kamakura is the move.
6:30 PMReturn and rest
Grab dinner near your stay; tomorrow is the packed one.
Day 5: Akihabara and Tokyo Station
10:00 AMAkihabara arcades
Retro game floors at Super Potato; claw machines everywhere.
2:00 PMImperial Palace East Gardens
Free, calm, and ten minutes from Tokyo Station.
6:00 PMRamen Street farewell bowl
Under Tokyo Station: eight famous shops in one corridor.
Local tip: Many small restaurants are cash-only and seat under ten people. Carry yen and go early, right when they open, to skip lines.
Make this Tokyo plan yours
Forward your real booking confirmations to Petrel and it builds this exact day-by-day view for you: flights, hotels, reservations, live flight status, and the travel time between stops. Under a minute.
Start your free tripFirst trip free. No account, no credit card.