Tokyo is one of the most captivating cities in the world, and as I’ve said many times on this blog, it’s one of my favourites. I spent a week in Tokyo on my first visit, but I know a lot of travellers to Japan normally have 3 or so days to spend in the city. With that in mind I’ve written this 3 Day Tokyo Itinerary based on the highlights of my trip, a few famous sights and my favourite finds (that don’t get the attention they deserve, in my opinion). While there are a handful of iconic attractions that like the Tsukiji Fish Market, the bright red “mini Eiffel” Tokyo Tower, and the kawaii Harajuku neighbourhood, it’s the city’s many charismatic neighbourhoods that will leave a lasting impression.

I love Japanese food, and yet nothing could prepare me for the quality and variety of Japanese food in Tokyo – the Japanese cuisine you find in most western countries is just the tip of the iceberg! I’ve suggested a few of my favourite places to eat and drink in Tokyo in this itinerary, but don’t be afraid to follow your nose – it’s hard to go wrong.

Day 1: Central Tokyo (Shibuya & Harajuku)

Morning: Meiji Shrine & Yoyogi Park

Visiting the Meiji Shrine & Yoyogi Park is one of the best things to do in Tokyo. Japanese culture is famous for respecting the balance between tradition and innovation. You see it when you spot women in traditional kimonos queuing for the subway , and nowhere is this more clear than in Tokyo. There is a constant balance between traditional culture and a passion for the new, exciting and innovative. Nowhere better displays this dichotomy than Yoyogi Park, one of the largest parks in Tokyo.

Start by visiting the Meiji Shrine (Meiji Jingu), which commands more than half of the space in Yoyogi Park. One of the most gorgeous things about visiting the Meiji Shrine is the long, tree-lined pathway that leads through the park to the shrine. It’s always busy with Japanese worshippers, and when we visited on a Saturday we saw many families in traditional dress making their way to the shrine for important traditional ceremonies.

Meiji Shrine is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the spirits of Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. Emperor Meiji reigned during a period of rapid change in Japan, from the late 1860s-1912. Before Meiji, Japan was an isolationist feudal power, which prevented the country from embracing new technologies and ideas from the outside world. This left Japan very vulnerable to foreign colonising powers and the nation began to lag behind the rapidly modernising world. Emperor Meiji abolished feudalism and ended the Sakoku Era, which was a period of 250 years where foreigners entering Japan or Japanese nationals leaving the country were punished with the death penalty! Meiji’s changes welcomed foreign ideas and helped Japan become a leading economic power.

Read more about visiting the Meii Shrine & Yoyogi Park.

Afterwards, explore the rest of Yoyogi Park. If you’re visiting on a Sunday, browse the Yoyogi Flea Market which has more than 800 vendors. Yoyogi Park is a stomping ground for rockabillies ( a popular Japanese subculture inspired by the 1950s), buskers and jugglers, so it’s an interesting place just to wander around!

Afternoon: Shibuya & Omotesando

After leaving the park, wander straight into Shibuya to find some lunch. Shibuya is the Tokyo I imagined before visiting – tall buildings, colourful billboards, busy streets. It’s a fun area, and if you head to Center-Gai, a bustling shopping street, you’ll find endless options of places for a cheap and delicious lunch. I’d recommend going to one of the many ramen shops in the area – I wasn’t that fussed on ramen, until I tried the real deal in Tokyo!

While you’re here, find the famous Shibuya Crossing. It’s the busiest crossing in the world and yet when you cross, it feels so calm and peaceful. There’s none of the jostling and chaos that you’ll find in other major cities. In Japan, everything seems elegant and effortless.

When you leave Shibuya, head towards the Omotesando. The Omotesando is Tokyo’s answer to the Champs-Elysee, a tree-lined boulevard lined with designer flagships. Even if you’re not there to shop labels, it’s a beautiful street and the architecture of each flagship store is more spectacular than the last.

At the end of Omotesando, you’ll reach one of my favourite neighbourhoods in Tokyo: Minami Aoyama. It’s a charming neighbourhood with lots of great small cafes and boutiques. It’s a different side to Tokyo, compared to the typical Tokyo image that you find in Shibuya, and is often compared to New York’s West Village. Stop for tea or dessert at the beautiful Minami Aoyama Flower Market Tea House, a beautiful cafe greenhouse set behind a florist.

Evening: Dinner & drinks in Nishiazabu

One of the best meals of my life was at Butagumi, a charming restaurant set in a traditional house in the backstreets of Nishiazabu. Nishiazabu is one of the most prestigious neighbourhoods in Tokyo, and it’s often used in Japanese TV shows or films when they want to show young, trendy characters living a sophisticated, modern life in Tokyo. There are lots of bars and restaurants in this area, but most of them are tucked away in the backstreets between houses, and can be hard to find!

To find Butagumi, look for the crescent moon-shaped window on the second floor of the house. Butagumi is recognised as one of the best restaurants in Tokyo and as being the place to get tonkatsu pork, but the meals are affordable and the atmosphere is relaxed. The staff speak some English, and nearly all of the other diners will be Japanese – a very good sign! This was yet another example of a meal I’d tried at Japanese restaurants in Australia and not been that fussed over, but loved in Japan.

You choose your pork and how thick you’d like it, and they’ll take care of the rest.

If you feel like splurging after dinner, head to Library Lounge THESE for a cocktail. This tiny, hard-to-find bar is tucked away, and only has room for a handful of guests at a time. It’s well off the tourist trail, very cool and also very expensive. There’s no menu, so you tell the bartender what you like and they’ll make something for you. These were amazing, but only head here if you’re happy to splurge.

Day 2: Discover Old Japan in Northern Tokyo

Morning: Yanaka & Ueno Park

Yanaka is my favourite neighbourhood in Tokyo. It’s part of the old-world neighbourhoods of Northern Tokyo that make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time to a different Japan. Instead of skyscrapers and technicolour billboard, Yanaka is a maze of alleyways and backstreets crowded with small shops, cafes and restaurants. It’s a side of Tokyo that I hadn’t seen on Instagram or on the tourist brochures and it is such a delight to discover.

Afterwards, head for the sprawling Ueno Park, which is a bit like Tokyo’s version of Central Park. There are ornamental gardens, ponds covered in giant lilypads, temples and shrines and a lake where you can paddle around on giant swan paddle boats – but be warned, it is rumoured that if you go paddling on the swan boats with your love, your relationship is doomed!

Afternoon:  Okonomiyaki, Asakusa & Senso-Ji Temple

Try your hand at making your own lunch at Sometaro, an okonomiyaki restaurant in Asakusa. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese specialty that can be loosely described as a savoury Japanese cabbage omelette. This popular description doesn’t do it justice, nor are the Westernised versions I’ve tried in Australia close to the original. Fortunately, the staff are quick to offer a helping hand to bumbling foreigners, so you’re in no danger of spoiling your own lunch.

Spend the rest of the afternoon wandering the Asakusa neighbourhood. If you love to cook, make a detour to Kappabashi Street, which is full of restaurant supply stores. You can’t miss it – the shops are covered in giant replicas of chef hats and kitchen equipment. If you’d been admiring Tokyo restaurants’ plastic dish replicas in the restaurant windows, pick up some of your own here.

On your way to Senso-Ji, don’t miss the buzzing izakaya bars in the area and the expansive Nakamise Dori markets in the lead up to the temple.

A visit to Senso-Ji Temple is a must, in my opinion. Senso-Ji is Tokyo’s oldest and most significant temple, although the original from 645 AD was destroyed during air raids in World War II, and has since been rebuilt. It’s a buddhist temple dedicated to the Buddhist goddess Kannon, so it makes an interesting counterpart to the Shinto Meiji Shrine from the first day of the itinerary. Buddhist and Shinto are Japan’s two major religions, and the two co-exist harmoniously.

Evening: Dinner & Drinks in Golden Gai and Piss Alley

Finish the evening with dinner in the charmingly-named “Piss Alley” and drinks in Golden Gai. These two tiny precincts within the Shinjuku neighbourhood are so different to the surrounding skyscrapers and bright lights. Both areas sprung up in post-war Japan in the 1940s, with a series of ramshackle bars and drinking dens, and the street food required to get through a heavy night of drinking. The narrow rabbit warren of streets are still crowded with eateries (Piss Alley) and bars (Golden Gai),  although in Golden Gai many bars are “locals only” – you’ll figure out pretty quickly whether tourists are welcome. The bars and eateries usually only seat 4-10 people at a time, so be prepared to get to know your neighbours.

Day 3: Iconic & Imperial Tokyo

Morning: Tsukiji Fish Market

The Tsukiji Fish Market is the most famous seafood market in the world and the epicentre of Japan’s thriving seafood industry. All the power to you if you want to get up in the very early hours of the morning to catch the famous tuna auction, but I was happy just going for breakfast and a browse during more civilised hours. The outer market readily caters to the public with sushi bars and stalls, and makes a great place to browse for gifts and stop for breakfast. Inside the market, it’s a more serious business, but if you arrive at 8 or 9am, after the chefs and commercial buyers have left, you’ll be able to wander through the market as the stall holders pack up for the day.

Afternoon: Imperial Palace & Gardens

The Imperial Palace is the residence of the current Emperor of Japan, and if you’re lucky, you might even spot him coming or going with this entourage (from a distance). The palace is surrounded by moats, charming bridges and gardens. . You can book at tour of the grounds around the Imperial Palace, but you can’t enter any of the buildings. The Imperial Palace East Gardens are open to the public most days of the year, and are home to some beautiful examples of traditional Japanese gardens.

Evening: Tokyo Tower & Roppongi

In the evening, admire the views over Tokyo at night from Tokyo Tower. The bright red communications tower’s lattice-work design was inspired by the Eiffel Tower and is the second tallest building in Japan. For views of the tower instead, head to The Sky Lounge ‘Stellar Garden’ on the 33rd floor of The Park Prince Tower Hotel, but expect a cover charge if you’d like a seat by the window with the best view. We opted for seats at the bar instead.

Head to Tokyo’s nightlife district, Roppongi, for dinner at Edo-style restaurant Gonpachi. Gonpachi is known as the Kill Bill restaurant, for inspiring the restaurant in a scene in Kill Bill, and despite being Edo-inspired, is a modern purpose-built restaurant. There are plenty of tourists here, but the food & atmosphere is great, and it’s convenient to Roppongi nightlife.

Got more time to spare? Consider a day trip to Mt Fuji and Hakone (Tokyo’s spa country) which is an easy day trip from the city.

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Have you been to Tokyo? Would you like to visit? Let me know your Tokyo tips in the comments!

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