10 Best Things to Do in Tokyo for a First Time Visitor
Tokyo is one of the largest cities in the world. You could spend months there and still discover new places and things, but if you have limited time, don’t miss the highlights of Tokyo! Let’s take a look at the best things to do in Tokyo for first time visitors.
1. Witness the Shibuya Scramble at Shibuya Crossing.
Known for both the quantity of lights but also the number of pedestrians, you have to make a visit late at night to take part in the “Shibuya Scramble”. This is when all of the stop lights turn red and all of the walk signs turn green.
You will see hundreds, if not thousands of people make their way across the intersections, both straight across and diagonal!
2. Start your day off at Tsukiji Fish Market.
One of the most famous fish markets in the world, Tsukiji kicks off at 5:00am in the morning with the famous tuna auction. Unfortunately, this part is limited to only 120 visitors per day and starts so early it is hard to even attempt a visit as it is before public transit is up and running for the day.
Never fear, there are many other parts of the market which are ideal to visit from 9:00am to early afternoon including the wholesale areas and the outer markets featuring fish, vegetables, and fruit for sale.
Additionally, there are a number of shops selling other items from cookware to shirts, but perhaps most importantly, there are a number of small restaurants in the area featuring some of the freshest sushi (and other food) you can find!
3. Take in the sheer size of Tokyo from above.
There are multiple options available to get a bird’s eye view of Tokyo, but three of the most popular are the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Tokyo Tower, or Tokyo Skytree. ย
No matter which one you choose, the views are well worth the time and money to see Tokyo sprawling as far as the eye can see. ย On a clear day, you can even see Mount Fuji in the distance.
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building: Free to visit the two 202m high observatories.
- Tokyo Tower: ยฅ900 for first observatory at 150m or ยฅ1600 for first and second observatory. Second observatory is at 250m.
- Tokyo Skytree: Minimum of ยฅ2060 for first observatory at 350m and another ยฅ1030 for the second observatory at 450m. There are also more expensive options available.
4. Try your hand at chopsticks while enjoying Japanese cuisine.
While Japan has many popularly known foods like sushi, miso soup, and green tea, there are dozens of others to try like Yakitori (skewered meats), Okonomiyaki (a type of pancake), Takoyaki (doughy balls with octopus), in addition to numerous noodle and rice dishes, plenty of fish, and a lot of mystery meats.
The best part – it is all eaten with chopsticks! While it might start out as an instant chopstick diet, soon you will be a pro!
5. Enjoy the serenity of Meiji Shrine and Yoyogi Park.
Located in a small forest, the Meiji Shrine features giant torii gates along the wooded paths which will slowly but surely lead you to the Shinto shrine. As it is set in a wooded area, there is little outside noise or distraction here.
While admiring the shrine, take some time to explore the park around it, Yoyogi Park. It is a large park best known for the young groups who come here to hang out, listen to music, dance, enjoy anime, etc. It can be quite a lively spot on weekends.
6. Experience a local festival.
No matter when you are in Tokyo there is always something going on around town. One weekend I was there they had Oktoberfest, a meat festival, Ultra Music Festival, a Mexican Festival, a Belgian Beer Festival, the September Sumo Tournament, a Tahitian Festival, and a Spicy Food Festival all going on at once. And that’s only a few of the events going on around town!
Many temples and parks are constantly holding events, each of which give you a feel for what it’s like to live in the great city and an ideal place to interact with some locals. ย Best of all, many events are free!
7. Check out the Sensoji Temple, Nakamise, and the surrounding Asakusa area.
Sensoji Temple is a traditional Buddhist Temple featuring a number of red flared roof buildings and a pagoda.
Besides admiring the temple and learning a bit about Buddhism, the approach to the temple wanders through Nakamise, a populated shopping street featuring an enormous variety of foods and Japanese souvenirs. ย
There are additional temples and shrines in the Asakusa area as well as it being just a short walk from the Tokyo Skytree.
8. Visit the Imperial Palace and Gardens.
The Imperial Palace in Tokyo is only open twice per year to the public, December 23 (Emperor’s birthday) and January 2 (New Year’s Greeting), but the East Gardens are open to the public throughout the year, other than Mondays and Fridays.
The other grounds in the palace are available to visit by advanced reservation only. While the areas you may visit are limited, the view of the palace walls and moats along with the beauty of the East Gardens makes it well worth a visit.
9. Buy something out of a vending machine, like beer!
Sure you have vending machines back home, but buying chips and a Coke out of a vending machine just isn’t the same as buying cigarettes and beer from vending machines!
Of course, there are also commonly soft drinks, coffee, and water vending machines on street corners, some of which you can actually use your Suica or Pasmo card to pay with.
10. Explore the night lights and nightlife of the city.
In addition to Shibuya, there are a number of other areas that really light up at night. Here are just a few options to sample out the nightlife:
- Going up in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, Tokyo Tower, or Tokyo Skytree at night to take in the lights.
- Visiting one of the many nightlife districts such as Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ginza, or Roppongi. In some areas they only cater to Japanese but there are many foreigner friendly restaurants, bars, and clubs around.
- Heading to Odaiba which features the Rainbow Bridge and a giant Gundam which lights up at night.
Options are endless for exploring the city at night, but it has a completely different vibe at night than during the day, so don’t miss out!
Explore More of Japan
Now that you have the highlights of Tokyo to fit into your Japanese itinerary, let’s take a look at the other options of things to do in Japan.
Here are more things to do in Japan:
- Top 5 Things to Do in Kyoto
- Exploring Yokohama: Top 3 Sights of Yokohama
- Top 5 Things to See in Kamakura
- Getting a Chinese Tourist Visa in Tokyo as a United States Citizen
- And more!
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