Entry / visa
Many nationalities receive a short-stay visa exemption. Confirm your passport on the official MOFA page, not a blog.
Japan
Tokyo
A polite megacity that still has neighbourhoods.
Everything worth knowing.
Nothing you don't need.
Best for
Food + neighbourhood wandering
Ideal stay
5–8 days
Language
Japanese / English signage on rail
Currency
JPY
Airport
Narita (NRT) · Haneda (HND)
Getting around
Rail + walk
Best time
Late Mar–Apr and Oct–Nov
Time zone
UTC +9
Tokyo, in a minute.
Tokyo is easier than it looks from above. The rail map is the city. Neighbourhoods are the destination. People come for the scale, then remember a side street in Yanaka, a bowl of ramen eaten standing up, a shrine that was quiet at 7am. It suits travelers who like systems, who will learn two rail apps, and who do not need a skyline viewpoint every afternoon. The practical reality is cash still matters in smaller places, IC cards solve most of the rest, and reservations exist for a reason. Do not miss a morning in an old eastern neighbourhood, one serious meal you booked, and an evening that is not only Shibuya Crossing. You will not see all of Tokyo. That is the correct outcome.
TravelDetails destination data · Updated 12 days ago
Before you go
Pack the boring facts first.
IC card
Suica or PASMO. Phone wallets often work. This is the first thing to set up.
Cards vs cash
Cards are widespread. Small restaurants, shrines, and older shops may still want cash.
SIM / eSIM
eSIM is the cleanest path. Pocket wifi is extra weight unless you are a group.
Electric plugs
Type A/B, 100V. Many chargers work. Hair tools from Europe often do not.
Worth seeing.
Not everything with five stars deserves your afternoon. These are the places we would prioritize.
01
Best quiet experience
Yanaka and Nezu
Best for
A morning walk
Why we picked it
Tokyo's famous views are interchangeable. This side of the city still has a grain.
Good to know
Weekdays are better. Combine with a coffee and no itinerary.
02
Best free
Meiji Jingu
Best for
Early morning
Why we picked it
It is the rare famous place in Tokyo that can still feel like a pause.
Good to know
The inner garden has a separate ticket and a reason to exist in June.
03
Tsukiji outer market
Best for
Breakfast
Why we picked it
You come for food, not for a tuna show. Eat early and leave when the lanes clog.
Good to know
Toyosu is the wholesale market. Tsukiji outer is the useful visitor version.
04
Shimokitazawa
Best for
An unhurried afternoon
Why we picked it
Shibuya is a crossing. Shimokita is a neighbourhood. TravelDetails prefers the second.
Good to know
Sunday is busy. Go for used records and a small meal, not a checklist.
05
teamLab, if you book it
Best for
A wet evening
Why we picked it
It is popular because it is actually distinct. It is miserable without a reservation.
Good to know
There is more than one teamLab venue. Check which ticket you hold.
What to eat in Tokyo
The food first. Then the rooms.
Ramen
ラーメン
A full meal in a bowl. Tokyo has styles; pick a shop that does one of them well.
Try it ifYou want the city's everyday masterpiece.
Sushi
寿司
From a conveyor or a counter. The expensive one is a reservation, not a vibe.
Try it ifYou want fish that was the point of the meal.
Izakaya plates
Small dishes, a drink, a seat at a counter. This is dinner for a lot of Tokyo.
Try it ifYou want to eat like the city empties its offices.
Getting around without the confusion.
Narita or Haneda → city
Best simple option
Haneda: monorail or Keikyu
You landed at Haneda. This is the easier airport.
Standard rail fares
Haneda is closer. If you can choose the airport, choose this one.
Best simple option
Narita Express or Keisei Skyliner
Narita arrivals with bags and a hotel near a major station.
Express fare, reserved seats on N'EX
Avoid
Unlicensed taxi solicitation
Never.
Follow rail signs. Official taxi ranks are marked.
Within the destination
JR + metro
Always. Learn your hotel's station and the Yamanote loop.
IC tap; day passes only if you will really ride enough
Walk
Inside a neighbourhood. Do not walk between distant wards as a plan.
Free
Taxi
After the last train, or with luggage in rain.
Honest and not cheap
Things you do.
TravelDetails does not run these. We name the operator when it matters — especially when it is unsafe not to.
A sento or onsen day
Public bathhouses and theme onsen — confirm tattoos rules
It is local, cheap compared with a cocktail bar, and you will sleep.
1–3 hours · Easy
Kamakura or Nikko as a day
JR / private rail
Tokyo is easier to love after a day of trees and a different tempo.
Full day
Don't carry it. Rent it here.
Pocket wifi
Airport counters
Only if eSIM is impossible or you are sharing one connection across people.
Daily · Narita / Haneda
Things worth knowing before you're standing there.
Safety
Avoid the nonsense.
Overpriced bars in nightlife strips
What happens
A friendly invitation to a quiet bar, then a bill that does not match the room.
How to recognize it
Hosts steering you off the main street in Kabukicho or similar.
What to do instead
Pick a place with posted prices. Leave if the menu is vague.
Resold attraction tickets
What happens
A third party sells a 'guaranteed' teamLab or Ghibli slot.
How to recognize it
Prices that move, unofficial sites, transfer screenshots.
What to do instead
Official venue tickets only.
Need something?
The useful layer.
Map
Only what we selected.
If something goes wrong.
Hospitals with English support exist but are not on every corner. Your embassy publishes a list — save it.
Japan has clear disaster alerts. If your phone shows an earthquake or tsunami warning, treat it as real.
Lost passport: police report, then your embassy.
Know Tokyo?
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How this guide was checked
Last checked September 8, 2026. Most facts here are collected until a source or a local confirms them. We do not mark prototype notes as verified. A named person appears only after an accepted note and their permission.
From Tokyo
Nearby, if the trip continues.
Kyoto
Guide in progress
Kamakura
Guide in progress
Nikko
Guide in progress
