Things to do in Tokyo🗼

Tokyo, the capital of Japan is an incredible city to explore. We spent an overall of seven days here and we 100% made the most of it! There are so many things to see, restaurants to eat at and activities to do. The most popular areas are Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, Ginza and Ebisu, but you would need a couple months to properly explore the whole city.

Shrines in Tokyo

There are a lot of temples and shrines in Tokyo, but we only went to four of them. Make sure to get a Goshuin book, then at each temple and shrine you can get someone to handwrite and stamp in your book. They are normally ¥500 unless you get a more detailed drawing and by the end of your trip you will have a whole collection!

• Hie-Jinja Shrine⛩️ (Nagatacho)
• Nezu Shrine⛩️ (Nezu)
• Sensoji Temple⛩️ (Asakusa)
• Meiji Jingu Shrine⛩️ (Shibuya)

Hie-Jinga Shrine

One of Tokyo’s main shrines that you should visit is the Hie-Jinga Shrine. Easy to get to via public transport, it is definitely worth exploring. There are different entrances to the shrine; the west is where you go through a tunnel of red tori gates that lead up to the main shrine, however, you can still see them if you go in a different entrance.

Nezu Shrine

Nezu Shrine is another must see. Located in the city of Tokyo this Shinto Shrine is one of Tokyo’s oldest shrines, known for its rich cultural heritage, vibrant gardens and torii gates. Just a five minute walk from the station, the shrine is free to enter, but if you want to explore the gardens you have to pay ¥500, however it is worth it, especially in the spring time when all the flowers have bloomed.

Sensoji Temple & Shrine

A temple/ shrine you should visit is the Sensoji Temple, which is the oldest temple in Tokyo! It is one of the more popular temples to visit so it can get very busy, so I’d recommend going early morning to avoid the crowds. Nakamise Street, which leads up to Sensoji Temple is full of different food stalls and restaurants, drinks, sweet treats etc, so it’s the perfect area to grab something to eat on the way there or after the temple.

The temple itself, is gorgeous and has different shrines, gardens and pavilions to explore. You can get another Goshuin stamp here, but the queue might be long especially on busy days.

Whilst we waited to get a stamp, we also paid to see our fortune (Omikuji), which costs ¥100. In some shrines they will have Omikuji, which are paper fortunes, which offer predictions on health, love, and luck. To find your future fortune, you will need to shake an octagon metal shape box, which holds different sticks that have Japanese numbers or symbols on it. Once you have shaken the container and pulled out a stick (it is tricky and can take a few moments), match the Japanese symbols to the drawers. Inside the draw there will be pieces of paper which will have your fortune in it. It will either be a Great Blessing Fortune or a Bad Fortune, Ned and I both did this and were lucky with good fortunes! Really nice souvenir to keep!

Meiji Jingu Shrine

Last famous shrine to visit is the Meiji Shrine in Shibuya! This shrine is one of the more popular ones to visit, hidden away in the middle of the woods it offers a peaceful walk away from Tokyos city centre.

As you take in the scenic grounds, there are rows of beautiful sake barrels, which were hand painted and given as an offering to the shrine. If you’re lucky you might also see one of the daily ceremonies or weddings it holds during the day.

Tokyo Tower

The iconic Tokyo Tower is another must visit, if you go early enough you can avoid waiting in line to buy tickets to go up to the top. If you do, you get to see a lovely view of Tokyo. We just went to visit and there are loads of different photo spots that you can choose from.

Tsukji Nippon Fish Port Market, Tokyo Bay

The Tsukiji Outer Market is normally open from 5:00am to 14:00/15:00pm everyday but Sundays, which is closed every week. Sometimes it is closed due to holidays so make sure to double check online before going.

The market boasts all kinds of dishes, from sushi, to skewers, meat dishes and sweet treats. Perfect place to go to for lunch, we got small bites from different stalls and shared them.

TeamLab Borderless and Planets

Another popular activity to do is book tickets to see the famous TeamLab exhibitions. The two main immersive museums are TeamLab Planets in Toyosu and TeamLab Borderless in Azabudai Hills. You can get joint tickets for both exhibits on Klook, and can choose a time when to go to each. You will need at least three hours for each one, as they are incredibly fun, interactive and have hidden rooms to explore.

TeamLab Borderless is known for its different art installations that move between rooms without a certain direction. The different kind of artworks create a constant, shifting experience focusing on maze-like lights, such as hanging bubble lights, moving butterflies, animals, globes etc. Whereas, TeamLab Planets focuses more onto the universe. It is a high sensory experience, where you have to walk room to room barefoot to interact with the art. One room has a water exhibit, another has hanging lights creating a mirror effect or large glowing balls which change colour when touched or moved. Visiting both museum is a really fun way to spend the day, especially if its raining!

Shibuya Sky

Shibuya Sky requires tickets, that you should buy at least a month in advance if not more. Tickets for days are released at certain times two weeks before and they are very tricky to get. Most tickets, especially ones for sunset time, normally sell out within a minute and are extremely difficult to purchase. I spent three separate days trying to get tickets for sunset and sadly couldn’t. However, after going, I realised that once you are up there you are allowed to stay there for as long as you want. So the best thing to do is get a ticket for early afternoon at like 3pm and then stay up there for sunset if you want to. They also do a light show in the evening and you can go up and down the famous escalators to see the incredible views of the city.

Shibuya Crossing

Shibuya Crossing is another popular spot to visit, famous for its multiple crossings in the heart of the city. In the evening, thousands of people come to the crossing to cross it or see it from above from the surrounding restaurants and buildings. We went one evening and crossed the roads surrounded by the bright neon lights and it was pretty cool but very busy.

One place I went to during the day is 5 Crossties Coffee, which I have explained at the end of this blog. This cafe gave me the perfect view of Shibuya Crossing from above so it had to be shared!

Other main attractions

Three other popular spots to stop at:

1. 3D Cat - plays on loop throughout the day and shows the cat popping out of the screen in a 3D effect.
2. Godzilla Head - based in Shinjuku.
3. National Museum of Nature & Science - if you’re interested in knowing a bit of history, then spend a couple hours here.

1. Tokyo Imperial Palace - need a tour to go inside, we didn’t do this though.
2. Hama-Rikyu Gardens - really nice gardens to walk around, we were lucky to seem some blossoms in bloom.
3. Miyashita Park - whole building of different delicious foodie spots to choose from. Has a big lounge area at the top where you can relax and order some drinks to enjoy the spring.

Ueno Zoo and Ueno Park
On the way back from one of the shrines we walked to Ueno Zoo, which is connected to Ueno Park. We spent a couple hours walking round the zoo seeing all kinds of wildlife, such as penguins and flamingoes. Afterwards, we headed towards the park, which at the time, was having a blossoms festival. They had loads of food stalls and music, so we spent the afternoon here eating and relaxing.

Other things to do in Tokyo:

• Tokyo Metropolitcan Building.
• Shinjuku Chou Park.
• Golden Gai (go in evening).
• Roppongi Hills.
• Meiji-Jingu Harajuku.
• Omote Sando Walk - Start from Shibuya.
• Tokyo Sky Tree.
• Omode Yokocho.
• Shinjuku National Gardens.
• Day trip to Mount Fuji.
• Day trip to Old World Monkey at Jigokudani Park.

Shopping

There are so many amazing shopping spots around Tokyo, with Japan known for its incredible thrift, flagship and quirky shops. You could spend your whole time shopping and find the most incredible things. Below is a list of some places we went to:

Tokyo Flea Market - Oi Racecourse Paddock (only Sat & Sun)
If you are into thrifting, go to the Flea Market in Tokyo. It is huge and takes up the entire outdoor car park with so many different clothes stalls. It is only open on Saturday and Sunday and can get very busy and overwhelming. I only had an hour in me to go through the different stalls, but there are a lot of goodies there to find!

Tokyu Plaza Harakado
One of the popular Tokyo shopping plazas is Harakado, popular because of aesthetic rooftop garden, which offers 360-degree views of Tokyo and has cafes and seating areas to relax and take in the city.

Takeshita Street
This street is lined with different foodie spots and clothing shops. Loads of well known brands to pop into and buy clothes from because Japans fashion is on another level.

Adidas Flagship Tokyo
At the Adidas Flagship store in Tokyo, you get the opportunity to make your own t-shirt. When we went we got the standard top, as shown in the pictures below, and then we could choose from the different prints what we wanted. We could choose three different ones at an additional price, so we spent a few minutes trying to decide which ones to get. Ned and I both ended up getting one for ourselves as a little souvenir!

Other fun shops to pop into:

• Uniqlo Flagship Store Ginza
• Explore Ginza
• Kiddy Land
• Caspace Phone Cases
• Ginza Itoya Stationary

Day Trip/Bus to Mount Fuji

Going to Mount Fuji, is one of the most popular things to do in Japan. You have to go and see the incredible views of the mountain and blossoms as they bloom. You can either do a day trip from Tokyo or stay a night or two, which is what we did. Everything we did, is explained in my Mount Fuji blog here.

Food Spots in Tokyo

There are soo many incredible spots in Tokyo for food! We went to quite a few different places, so I have written a blog solely on food in Tokyo, which you can find here.

5 Crossties Coffee (view of Shibuya Crossing)
One coffee food spot to highlight in Tokyo, is 5 Crossties Coffee. This coffee shop is the perfect place to go and see a view of Shibuya Crossing from above. All shops and restaurants near to the crossing are always really busy and very overwhelming with crowds, which makes this cafe perfect, as it is completely hidden away!

To get there is a little complicated. Once you get to Shibuya Station, follow the signs to Shibuya Scramble Square. The cafe is on the 17th floor, but you will need to get the lift to the 14th floor first. That is the highest level the elevator goes. Once on the 14th floor, follow the directions to the escalators, they are towards the business and offices sections. Around the corner you will see escalators that take you up to the 17th floor. 5 Crossties Coffee is a small cafe for people studying and working in the building, so not a lot of people know about this spot. However, it is the perfect place to overlook Shibuya Crossing without the crowds. I enjoyed a delicious coffee and treat and worked on my blog whilst I was up here!