Traveller Tips
  • Load a Welcome Suica at the airport machine before you ride; it covers every subway, JR line, and convenience store and needs no deposit for 28 days.
  • Two days only reaches central wards; the JR Yamanote loop links Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ueno, and Tokyo Station in one $1.30–$2 ride each, so base near a Yamanote stop.
  • Skip the $10 Tokyo Subway 24-hour pass for a 2-day trip on the Yamanote loop; you will ride JR more than the metro, and the subway pass does not cover JR lines.

Day by day

Day 1: Asakusa, Skytree, and the East Side

  • Senso-ji Temple and Nakamise shopping street, 1.5 hr, arrive by 8:15 AM before tour groups fill the gate
  • Walk to Sumida Park riverbank for the Skytree view, 30 min
  • Tokyo Skytree Tembo Deck, 1 hr, book the timed entry online to skip the 40-minute counter line
  • Lunch: chicken katsu set near Oshiage Station, 45 min
  • Rest valve: tea and taiyaki at a Sumida riverside cafe, 45 min
  • Train to Ueno Park and the Tokyo National Museum, 2 hr, last entry 4:30 PM
  • Dinner: grilled seafood and rice at an Ameyoko market stall, 1 hr
  • Total: ~4.5 km walking; 2 train segments

Day 2: Shibuya, Harajuku, and Meiji Shrine

  • Meiji Shrine forest approach and main hall, 1.5 hr, enter by 8:30 AM when the gravel path is near empty
  • Takeshita Street in Harajuku for crepes and street snacks, 1 hr
  • Omotesando architecture walk down to Shibuya, 45 min
  • Lunch: seafood donburi near Shibuya Station, 45 min
  • Rest valve: coffee on the Shibuya Sky rooftop deck, 1 hr, sunset slots sell out so book the 30-minute window in advance
  • Shibuya Scramble Crossing from the Mag's Park rooftop and street level, 45 min
  • Dinner: chicken yakitori and rice in a Nonbei Yokocho side lane, 1 hr
  • Total: ~5 km walking; 1 train segment
Traveller Tips
  • GO is the taxi app that covers all of Tokyo; a 10–15 minute ride runs $10–$16 metered, so a group of three splitting a cab beats four separate $2 train fares only late at night.
  • Coin lockers at Shibuya and Ueno cost $4–$6 for the day; drop your bag at the first station so you are not hauling it through the Scramble Crossing.
  • Last Yamanote trains run near 1 AM; if you miss one, the metered taxi back to a central hotel is rarely over $20.