Choose your time
Start with the time you have.
2 days
See two sides of Tokyo
Asakusa and Kappabashi in the east, then Meiji Jingu and Shibuya in the west.
- What you give up
- No day trip and only one museum or focused shopping block.
3 days
The first-visit essentials
East Tokyo, west Tokyo and one museum or food-led day.
- What you give up
- No day trip and only a taste of the city’s smaller neighborhoods.
4 days
Add Ginza or a Kamakura day trip
Choose whether the extra day deepens Tokyo or takes you to the coast.
- What you give up
- Trying to do both makes the fourth day a transit puzzle.
5 days
Give art, food and shopping room
A fuller city stay with a distinct day for your strongest interest.
- What you give up
- Kamakura or Hakone still requires replacing a city day.
7 days
A Tokyo week and one excursion
Five neighborhood days, one day trip and a final day to revisit what you loved.
- What you give up
- You will know Tokyo better but leave Kyoto for another trip.
Shape the route
What matters most?
Food first
Build one day around Tsukiji and Ginza, another around Asakusa, Kappabashi and Kuramae. Pick a specific dish and venue, then keep the rest of the day nearby.
Art and architecture
Choose exhibitions before plotting stations. Mori Art Museum, teamLab and smaller galleries do different jobs; seeing all of them is not the goal.
Shopping
Ginza is for department stores and stationery; Omotesando for fashion and architecture; Kappabashi for kitchenware. Give each a realistic browsing block.
One day out
Kamakura is the simpler day trip. Hakone makes more sense as an overnight if a ryokan and hot springs are the reason to go.
Before you book