Tokyo Itinerary: A 5-Day Sample Plan and How to Build Your Trip

Quick answer: This 5-day Tokyo route pairs old-Tokyo temples in Asakusa with the neon core of Harajuku, Shibuya and Shinjuku, a hot-spring day trip to Hakone, and Tokyo’s best food neighborhoods around Toyosu and Tsukiji.

Day 1

Ease in with old Tokyo. Start at Senso-ji in Asakusa — arrive by 8am and you’ll have the great red Kaminarimon lantern and the Nakamise-dori approach almost to yourself before the tour buses land. The temple grounds are free. Grow hungry? Nakamise’s stalls sell fresh ningyo-yaki (little sponge cakes) and menchi-katsu for a few hundred yen. From Asakusa, walk ten minutes to the river and ride the Sumida cruise or simply admire the Tokyo Skytree across the water; the Skytree observation deck runs about ¥2,100–3,100 (roughly $14–21). Grab a Suica or Pasmo IC card at the station first — you’ll tap it on every train all week. Planning note: skip the crowded main street and cut into the side lanes west of the temple, where you’ll find quieter craft shops and standing sake bars locals actually use.

Day 2

Go modern and youthful today. Begin at Meiji Shrine, a forested sanctuary beside Harajuku — go early, around 9am, when the gravel paths are cool and calm; entry is free. Step out into Takeshita-dori for Harajuku’s candy-colored teen fashion and a rainbow crepe (about ¥600 / $4). Walk south through leafy Omotesando, Tokyo’s Champs-Élysées of architecture, toward Shibuya. Time your arrival at the Shibuya Crossing for dusk, when the neon fires up and the scramble is at its most cinematic; the Shibuya Sky rooftop deck (about ¥2,500 / $17, book ahead) gives the best overhead view. Everything here links on the JR Yamanote Line or the Ginza subway. Planning note: for the classic crossing photo without paying, nurse a coffee upstairs at the Starbucks in the Tsutaya building overlooking the intersection.

Day 3

Take a day trip to Hakone for hot springs and, on clear mornings, Mount Fuji. From Shinjuku, buy the Hakone Free Pass (about ¥7,100 / $48 for two days from Shinjuku), which covers the loop of mountain trains, cable car, ropeway and pirate-ship boat across Lake Ashi. Splurge on the reserved Odakyu Romancecar for the scenic run out (about ¥1,200 / $8 each way). Ride the ropeway over the sulfurous Owakudani valley, where vendors sell eggs blackened in the volcanic springs. Soak in an onsen; many ryokan and day spas admit visitors for roughly ¥1,000–2,000 ($7–13). Planning note: leave Shinjuku by about 8am — Fuji most reliably shows itself in the clear morning air and often hides behind cloud by afternoon. Note tattoos may bar entry at traditional onsen; ask first or seek a tattoo-friendly bath.

Day 4

Dive into food and pop culture. Begin at the Toyosu fish market, which replaced old Tsukiji as the wholesale hub — the tuna auction viewing is free but demands a dawn arrival (around 5:30–6am, reachable on the automated Yurikamome line). More relaxed: the surviving Tsukiji Outer Market still buzzes with stalls selling tamagoyaki skewers, grilled scallops and the freshest sushi breakfast (a good set runs roughly ¥3,000–5,000 / $20–34). Afternoon: ride to Akihabara for electronics, retro arcades and anime multi-floor shops, or cross town to teamLab Planets in Toyosu, a barefoot digital-art immersion (about ¥3,600 / $24, open through 2027, book a timed slot). Planning note: order sushi omakase-style at an outer-market counter and just point — the day’s best catch is whatever the chef nudges toward you.

Day 5

Finish among skyscrapers and gardens. Ride to Shinjuku and go up the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, whose observation decks are free and rival any paid tower for the sweeping city panorama (clear days show Fuji). Wander the atmospheric lantern-lit alleys of Omoide Yokocho and, after dark, the tiny bars of Golden Gai; expect a small cover charge (often ¥500–1,000 / $3–7) at these matchbox-sized spots. For calm, the Shinjuku Gyoen garden charges about ¥500 ($3.50) and is spectacular in cherry-blossom and autumn seasons. Everything connects via the JR and Metro lines through Shinjuku Station, the world’s busiest. Planning note: for dinner, seek out a ramen shop with a ticket vending machine at the door — you buy a ticket, hand it over, and a steaming bowl of tonkotsu or shoyu ramen (about ¥900–1,200 / $6–8) arrives fast, no English needed.