65 attractions with a verified description
Asakusa · Temple
The ancient temple in Asakusa. Entry to the grounds and to the main hall is free, including the Kaminarimon gate and Nakamise street. Arrive before 08:00 to see it ahead of the groups, or after 20:00 when it is lit and empty.
Price checked November 2026
Our own photo, September 2026
Harajuku · Shrine
Tokyo's great Shinto shrine, inside a planted forest of 100 thousand trees. Entry to the shrine is free. The inner garden (Meiji Jingu Gyoen), which is especially beautiful in June with the irises, costs ¥500 separately.
Price checked September 2026
Our own photo, September 2026
Azabudai · Digital art
The digital art museum at Azabudai Hills. Dynamic pricing: from ¥3,400, depending on the day and time, and ¥200 more at the door. You must book in advance, weekends sell out days ahead. There is no map, you wander and discover.
Price checked November 2026
Photo: Domenico Convertini from Zurich, Schweiz / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Minato · Viewpoint
A 1958 tower in orange and white. The Main Deck at 150 meters costs ¥1,500, and the Top Deck tour at 250 meters costs ¥3,300 online or ¥3,500 at the counter. Open until 23:00, and from the Main Deck the view at night is just as good.
Price checked November 2026
Photo: David Kernan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Shibuya · Street and cityscape
The most famous crossing in the world. Free. The best view is from the cafe on the second floor of Starbucks in the QFRONT building, or from the walkway of Shibuya Station. Around 18:00 on weekdays the crowd is at its peak.
Price checked September 2026
Our own photo, September 2026
Shinjuku · Garden
A national garden of 58 hectares in the heart of Shinjuku, with three styles: Japanese, English and French. ¥500. Closed on Mondays, except in sakura season (25 March to 24 April) and during the chrysanthemum exhibition in November. Bringing in alcohol is forbidden.
Price checked October 2026
Photo: Basile Morin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Central Tokyo · History and garden
The East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, on the remains of Edo Castle. Free, but closed on Mondays and Fridays. From the foundation of the main keep there is a view of Marunouchi. An hour and a half is enough.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Asakusa and Sumida · Viewpoint
The tallest tower in Japan, 634 meters. Since April 2026 each day has its own price according to demand: the 350-meter deck from ¥1,800 on the website and up to ¥3,600 on busy days. At the counter on site you pay ¥500 more.
Price checked November 2026
Photo: Basile Morin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Ueno and Yanaka · Park and museums
The large park of Ueno, with five museums, a zoo and Shinobazu Pond. The park itself is free. One of the most crowded sakura spots in Tokyo, and at the end of March it is full from 08:00.
Price checked September 2026
Our own photo, September 2026
Mitaka and Kichijoji · Anime
The museum of Studio Ghibli in Mitaka. ¥1,000, plus a ¥110 fee from the November 2026 tickets on, but you cannot buy on site: tickets are sold in advance only, for a fixed date and time, and they are snapped up on the day they go on sale. Closed on Tuesdays, and photography inside is forbidden.
Price checked November 2026
Photo: Fotointheworld / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Tsukiji and Ginza · Market
The outer market of Tsukiji, which stayed even after the auction moved to Toyosu. Entry is free and the food is paid. Arrive 07:00 to 09:00, most stalls close at 14:00, and the market is closed on most Wednesdays and Sundays.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Hamamatsuichiro / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Ueno · Museum
The largest Japanese collection in the world: samurai swords, armor, kimono and Buddhas. An hour and a half in the main building (Honkan) is usually enough. ¥1,000 per adult, under age 18 and over 70 free. Closed on Mondays.
Price checked October 2026
Photo: Daderot / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Central Tokyo · Garden
A garden of the shogun's family from the 17th century between skyscrapers, with a pond that fills with seawater according to the tide and a tea house on an island. ¥300, and matcha with a sweet at the Nakajima tea house for about ¥850. A yellow field of rapeseed blossoms in March, cosmos in September.
Price checked October 2026
Photo: Ermell / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Central Tokyo · Garden
The oldest feudal garden in Tokyo (1629), with a lake, a Chinese full-moon bridge and a maple forest, in the shadow of the Tokyo Dome stadium. ¥300, open 09:00 to 17:00. In the fall foliage at the end of November it is lit in the evening.
Price checked October 2026
Photo: Kimon Berlin, Gribeco / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Ueno and Akihabara · Shrine
A shrine founded, by tradition, in 730, on the hill above Akihabara, which has become the shrine of the tech companies: it sells charms to protect computers and phones, and there are collaborations with anime series. Free. The grounds are always open, and the charm counter 09:00 to 18:00. In the shop next door: amazake since 1846.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Ueno and Yanaka · Street
A shopping street of 170 meters in a neighborhood that was only lightly damaged by the earthquake and the bombings: 60 small shops, menchi katsu from the butcher, senbei, and cats carved in wood on the shops. Free. The 'Yuyake Dandan' steps at the entrance are the sunset spot.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Doricono / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Shinjuku · Viewpoint
An observatory at 202 meters, free, and on clear days you can see Mount Fuji. The South Observatory is open until 22:00 on most days, and the North one closes in the afternoon. Since 2024 a light show has been projected every evening on the front of the building. The free alternative to Shibuya Sky.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Eavesdropper6735 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Asakusa · Shopping
800 meters of shops for chefs: Japanese knives, plastic food as a souvenir, and ceramics. Free to walk around, tax-free with a passport in most shops. A knife goes in the checked suitcase and not in hand luggage. Most shops are closed on Sundays.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Basile Morin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Shibuya and Harajuku · Park
The large park in central Tokyo, right next to Meiji Jingu: lawns for a picnic, rockabilly dancers at the entrance on Sundays, and yellow ginkgo trees in November. Free and always open. In sakura season it is one of the main hanami spots.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Basile Morin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Ginza · Culture
You do not have to sit for four hours: a single-act ticket (makumi) for the upper gallery costs ¥500 to ¥2,500 depending on the length of the act. Buy online from 12:00 the day before, or at the counter on the day itself, from 10:00, about 20 reserved seats, by cash or credit card (since 2 October 2026). An audio guide in English is available to rent.
Price checked October 2026
Photo: Bittercup / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Shinjuku and Nakano · Shopping
A mall from the 60s that has become a temple for collectors: Mandarake on four floors with rare manga, watches, vintage toys and trading cards. Quieter and cheaper than Akihabara. Free, 5 minutes from Nakano Station.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Dick Thomas Johnson from Tokyo, Japan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Asakusa and Sumida · Free
The red gate with the giant lantern (4 meters, 700 kilos) at the entrance to Senso-ji, with the gods of thunder and wind on either side. Free, always open, and photographed at every hour. At 07:00 you can photograph it empty.
Price checked September 2026
Our own photo, September 2026
Asakusa and Sumida · Street
The 250-meter street of stalls from the gate to the temple, operating since the 17th century: ningyo-yaki (small cakes filled with adzuki), grilled senbei and fans. The stalls open at about 09:00 and close at 17:00. Entry is free, and ¥500 is an estimate of spending on a snack at the stalls.
Our own photo, September 2026
Asakusa and Sumida · Free
A park on both banks of the Sumida River, facing the Skytree. One of the oldest sakura spots in Tokyo (an avenue from the Edo period), and in summer this is where you watch Tokyo's big fireworks at the end of July. Free.
Price checked September 2026
Our own photo, September 2026
Asakusa and Sumida · Cruise
A 40-minute cruise from Asakusa to Hamarikyu or to Odaiba, passing under 12 colorful bridges. ¥1,000 for Asakusa to Hinode, and ¥1,600 to Odaiba with a change. The futuristic boats designed by Leiji Matsumoto (Himiko and Emeraldas) are the experience with kids. Hotaluna has been out of service since January 2026.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: 江戸村のとくぞう / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Ueno and Yanaka · Free
A shrine whose present buildings were completed in 1706, with a tunnel of small torii gates on a slope and 3,000 azalea bushes that bloom in April. The 1945 bombings damaged some of the buildings, and they were restored. Entry is free. The azalea garden opens only during the April festival, for a donation of ¥500 to ¥1,000 depending on the bloom. Mori Ogai's former house, moved into the shrine grounds, costs ¥300, on weekends and holidays. Completely quiet, 10 minutes from Yanaka.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Wiiii / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Ueno and Yanaka · Historic building
The mansion of the Iwasaki family, founders of Mitsubishi, 1896: a Western wing in British style beside a Japanese wing. ¥400. Included in the annual pass to the nine metropolitan gardens at ¥4,000.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Wiiii / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Ueno and Yanaka · Museum
Ueno's museum of nature and science: a whale skeleton at the entrance, dinosaurs, and an exhibition on the Japanese islands. ¥630, free for ages 18 and under. The dome theater is an extra ¥500. At its best with kids in the rain.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Syced / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Ueno and Yanaka · Museum
The only building in Japan by Le Corbusier, a World Heritage site. The Matsukata Collection: Monet, Rodin (The Gates of Hell and The Thinker in the forecourt, free), Van Gogh. ¥500 for the permanent collection, and ¥1,000 from 20 March 2027. Closed on Mondays.
Price checked November 2026
Photo: Kakidai / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Ueno and Yanaka · Good with kids
The oldest zoo in Japan, 1882. ¥600. Since January 2026 it has had no pandas: the twins were returned to China, and there is currently not a single panda in Japan. Closed on Mondays. A free electric bus runs between the two parts of the zoo, because the old monorail was discontinued.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: pelican / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Ueno and Yanaka · Garden
An Edo-period strolling garden around a pond, built after 88 scenes from Japanese poetry. ¥300. The autumn foliage at the end of November is the peak, and then there are evening illuminations for a separate fee.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: kylehase / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Akihabara and Kanda · Free
The electronics and anime district: Radio Kaikan (10 floors, most of them figures and cards), Animate, Mandarake for secondhand, and gachapon machines on every corner. Radio Kaikan and Animate open at 10:00 and Mandarake at 12:00, so this is an afternoon. Free to wander.
Price checked November 2026
Our own photo, September 2026
Central Tokyo · Garden
A garden of rocks around a pond, with a path of stepping stones over the water. Only ¥150, one of the cheapest in Tokyo. Half an hour is enough, and you pair it with the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Carlquist, Sherwin John, 1930-2021 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Roppongi and Minato · Free
The temple of the Tokugawa family, with the red Tokyo Tower behind it: the classic photo of old and new Japan. Free. Rows of small Jizo statues with red caps and pinwheels, in memory of children who were never born.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Rijksmuseum / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Roppongi and Minato · Museum
A contemporary art museum on floor 53 of Roppongi Hills. ¥2,300 on weekdays and ¥2,500 on weekends, ¥200 less online. The price changes with the exhibition. Open until 22:00, later than any other museum in the city.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Igbofur / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Roppongi and Minato · Viewpoint
An observation deck on floor 52 of Roppongi Hills. ¥2,400 at the counter or ¥2,200 online. From here you see both Tokyo Tower and the Skytree in one frame, which you get from neither of them. Open until 22:00.
Price checked October 2026
Photo: Tom Purves / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Roppongi and Minato · Free
A wavy glass building by Kisho Kurokawa, with no permanent collection: only changing exhibitions. Entry to the building is free, exhibitions are ¥1,500 to ¥2,200. The cafe on top of the inverted cone is worth the visit by itself.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Nick-D / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Roppongi and Minato · Free
The artificial beach facing Rainbow Bridge, with a small Statue of Liberty and a view of the Tokyo skyline at sunset. Free. You do not swim here, you stroll. The walk across Rainbow Bridge itself is free and takes 30 minutes.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Candida.Performa / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Roppongi and Minato · Free
A mall in Odaiba with a large food floor, and the official Gunpla store, Gundam Base, on floor 7. The Unicorn statue that stood out front was removed at the end of August 2026. Free. Odaiba's answer to rain, and also a reasonable place for lunch with kids.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: ITA-ATU / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Roppongi and Minato · Museum
Closed for renovation from 1 October 2026 to 22 April 2027, reopening on 23 April 2027. The museum of science and innovation in Odaiba, ¥630 for the permanent exhibition. The heart of it is Geo-Cosmos, the globe in the atrium. The robot ASIMO gave its last show here in March 2022. Good for kids from age six. Closed on Tuesdays.
Price checked October 2026
Photo: Kakidai / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Central Tokyo · Book ahead
A digital installation that you walk through barefoot in water. Dynamic pricing: from ¥3,600 on the cheapest days, and from ¥4,800 in early November 2026. You must book ahead. Closed on 5 November, 3 December and 14 January. Come in shorts or roll your pants up, the water reaches your knees.
Price checked November 2026
Photo: Sasa0403 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Central Tokyo · Free
The wholesale fish market that replaced Tsukiji in 2018: free viewing galleries over the tuna hall, and sushi bowls in the morning at the Senkyaku Banrai complex. For the auction itself you need a lottery a month ahead.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Arne Müseler / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0 de)
Roppongi and Minato · Free
A 798-meter suspension bridge between Shibaura and Odaiba, lit at night. You can cross it on foot on two free walkways (30 minutes, closed on certain Mondays and in severe weather).
Price checked September 2026
Photo: DXR / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Central Tokyo · Free
The red brick building from 1914, restored in 2012, with two decorated domes. Free. From Marunouchi Plaza you see it reflected in the glass of the towers, and the best photo is from the KITTE rooftop.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: MaedaAkihiko / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Central Tokyo · Free
A free green rooftop facing Tokyo Station, with a terrace that looks straight onto the platforms and the departing Shinkansen. Open on weekdays 11:00 to 23:00, and on weekends and holidays until 22:00. At its best at sunset.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Dick Thomas Johnson / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Central Tokyo · Free
The bridge from which all distances in Japan are measured, in the stone version from 1911 with lion statues. Free. The expressway above it is planned to go underground by 2040, and then it will look the way it does in the prints again.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Project Kei / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Central Tokyo · Museum
The art collection of the Mitsui dynasty in a neoclassical bank building from 1929 in Nihonbashi: tea utensils, ceramics and scrolls. About ¥1,200 depending on the exhibition, closed on Mondays. Quiet and little known to tourists.
Price checked October 2026
Photo: 江戸村のとくぞう / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Central Tokyo · Free
A shrine on a hill in Akasaka with a tunnel of red torii gates on the stairs (Tokyo's version of Fushimi, without the line). Free. Monkey statues, not foxes, and the spectacle of the Sanno festival in June in even-numbered years.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Immanuelle / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
Shibuya and Harajuku · Street
About 350 meters of crepes, colorful popcorn and ¥300 shops. The shops open at about 10:00, and before 11:00 you can still walk. With kids and teenagers this is the street that works best in Tokyo. Entry is free, and ¥800 is an estimate of spending on a crepe and sweets.
Photo: Daderot / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Shibuya and Harajuku · Free
An avenue of zelkova trees with brand buildings by major architects: Prada by Herzog and de Meuron, Tod's by Toyo Ito, Dior by SANAA. Free to look. Behind it: Cat Street for vintage shops.
Price checked September 2026
Our own photo, September 2026
Shinjuku · Food
About 60 places to eat and drink in narrow alleys by the west exit of Shinjuku, more than half of them yakitori or motsuyaki. Some charge a seat fee and many take cash only. Not kosher. Entry is free, and ¥3,000 is an estimate of the spend for a meal and a drink.
Photo: Grendelkhan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Shinjuku · Night
Six alleys with about 200 tiny bars of 5 to 8 seats, each with a personality of its own. Look for a 'no cover charge' sign in English. Do not take photos without asking. Open from about 20:00. Entry to the alleys is free, and ¥2,000 is an estimate of spending at one bar including the seat charge.
Photo: Cory Doctorow / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Shinjuku · Free
The park below the skyscrapers of Shinjuku, with an artificial waterfall, a small shrine and a playground. Free. The place to sit for 20 minutes between the Metropolitan Government Building and the station, and in spring there are cherry blossoms.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Shinjuku · Good with kids
A complex in Ikebukuro with a rooftop aquarium (¥2,600 to ¥3,200 depending on the date), a planetarium, a Pokemon Center, and Namja Town. Tokyo's big answer to rain with kids. Entry to the complex is free, the attractions are paid.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Asanagi / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
Mitaka and Kichijoji · Free
A park with a pond near Kichijoji, where Miyazaki used to walk. Entry is free, and a boat for 30 minutes costs ¥800 (rowboat) or ¥1,000 (swan or pedal boat). The legend: couples who row together break up. The Ghibli Museum is in the western part of the park.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: Htanaungg / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Mitaka and Kichijoji · Food
Alleys of a former black market in Kichijoji, today tiny eateries and bars. Quiet at lunchtime, in the evening full of locals and not tourists. The menchi-katsu of the butcher Satou at the corner of the alleys, ¥350, with a line. Entry is free, and ¥1,200 is an estimate of spending at a few stalls.
Photo: Stephen Kelly from San Francisco, CA, USA / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Central Tokyo · Museum
A full-size reconstruction of an Edo neighborhood from 1840 inside a hall: houses, a rice shop, a fire tower, and lighting that takes the neighborhood from morning to night in about a quarter of an hour, again and again through the day. ¥400. Small, excellent with kids, and almost without tourists.
Price checked October 2026
Photo: DryPot / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)
Asakusa and Sumida · Free
A small garden next to the Ryogoku sumo arena, with a pond designed to move with the tide of the Sumida River. Free. A 20-minute stop after the Edo-Tokyo Museum or before a sumo bout.
Price checked September 2026
Photo: bethom33 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Asakusa and Sumida · Free
A small center near Senso-ji that shows 50 traditional crafts of Tokyo: brushes, knives, fans and lanterns. Free, two floors, half an hour. Closed on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month.
Price checked September 2026
Roppongi and Minato · Museum
A museum of traditional Japanese art in Tokyo Midtown, in a building by Kengo Kuma: ceramics, glass, lacquer and kimono. About ¥1,500 depending on the exhibition, closed on Tuesdays. There is a tea room inside.
Price checked September 2026
Viewpoint · Tokyo, Shibuya
The open rooftop on floor 47, with a view over all of Tokyo, and on clear days of Mount Fuji too.
Vintage · Tokyo, West
Secondhand clothing shops a short walk from one another: Flamingo (mostly from the US and Europe, and the company runs four more shops in th
Rides · Tokyo, Maihama
In the first two hours the lines are short.
Rides · Tokyo, Maihama
At the time on your Standby Pass: Rapunzel (boats with lanterns, for all ages), Anna and Elsa, and Peter Pan (3D, with Premier Access).
Show · Tokyo, Maihama
The big night show on the harbor waters, since 2022: ships, fountains, projections on the volcano and fireworks.
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