(Some links in this post are affiliate links. If you click through and take action, I'll be compensated.) If you are also interested in any PRINTS from any of my posts, be sure to check out my store where you can buy prints as posters, in metal frames or on canvas.
Tokyo is MASSIVE. It’s bustling and can be very intimidating upon touching down (How to get from Haneda or Narita airport to Tokyo city center). You can read the guidebooks and watch all the movies about Tokyo, but it’s truly different once you step foot here. The city is extremely vertical; most of the multi-story buildings have a different restaurant, bar, retail store on every level. The city is easily accessible by Tokyo metro and you have intercity trains like the Shinkansen that leave from Tokyo or Shinjuku stations. Before talking about attractions, here are some tips on getting the most of your trip to Tokyo/Japan, with just a little prior planning. You can find a Google map of the places I will discuss at the end of this post.
If you also have time to check out more cities in Japan, check out my blog posts on Kyoto (Blog Post: Why Kyoto is one of the best places to visit in Japan) and Hiroshima (Blog Post: Why you should see Hiroshima on your visit to Japan).
Before you arrive (and if you plan on seeing more than Tokyo), check to see if getting a Japan Rail Pass is worth it.
Here you can input all the destinations you would like to travel between on your trip, and the calculator will determine which rail pass will pay for itself.
Then you purchase the pass and a voucher is sent to your home.
You bring the voucher to a JR Pass retailer in Japan to redeem your pass. You cannot purchase the JR Pass after already arriving in Japan.
Download the JapanDirect app, which allows you to search real time train routes/times between Japanese cities. It also tells you which train routes are covered by the JR Pass.
You can purchase a 7, 14, or 21 days pass in 1st or 2nd class trains using the links below:
If you want to see Tokyo smartly, try to figure out what you what to see and group sites and attractions together geographically. Some of the sights you will have to book in advance for as well, to be guaranteed a ticket/entry. Places like the Yayoi Kusama Museum and TeamLab Borderless are known for selling same day tickets, but only if they haven’t sold out of advanced tickets. Book tickets for these places and see the sights around them to maximize your time.
Also, with how well connected the city is by subway, it’s a smart move to get the Tokyo Subway pass (for 1, 2 or 3 days) which allows for unlimited rides on the Tokyo Subway (a three day pass for an adult is 1500 yen). To put this in perspective, one trip costs between 150-300 yen. These are available at select stations. The metro map can be found here. I will list the closest Tokyo Metro station (Line Letter-Station Number, Exit Number) for all the places I will discuss in this post. Bear in mind there are many different companies that operate trains in Tokyo, so the best route to a place may not be with the Tokyo Subway, but for instance with the Toei Subway instead (which will require a different ticket). Here is a well written explanation as to the train system in Tokyo.
Japanese people are some of the most friendly people you will ever meet. They will help you in any way they can. That being said, it goes a long way to know a few words of Japanese, especially if you’re in a smaller city.