Traveller Tips
  • Five days splits cleanly into three central days plus Kamakura (57 min) and Hakone (85 min) as escapes; leave Nikko's 2-hour each-way ride for a longer trip.
  • A Welcome Suica covers the city plus the Kamakura JR ride; buy the separate Hakone Free Pass ($39 for 2 days from Shinjuku) only for the Hakone day, since it bundles the ropeway, lake boat, and buses.
  • Book Shibuya Sky, the Skytree, and the teamLab Planets timed entries on day one for the whole week; spring slots vanish 24 hours ahead.

Day by day

Day 1: Asakusa and the East Side

  • Senso-ji Temple and Nakamise street, 1.5 hr, arrive by 8:15 AM
  • Sumida Park walk to the Skytree, 40 min
  • Tokyo Skytree Tembo Deck, 1 hr, timed slot booked
  • Lunch: chicken katsu set near Oshiage, 45 min
  • Rest valve: taiyaki and tea on the Sumida riverbank, 45 min
  • Ueno Park and Tokyo National Museum, 2 hr, last entry 4:30 PM
  • Dinner: grilled seafood at an Ameyoko stall, 1 hr
  • Total: ~5 km walking; 2 train segments

Day 2: Shibuya, Harajuku, and Shinjuku

  • Meiji Shrine main hall, 1.5 hr, enter by 8:30 AM
  • Harajuku Takeshita Street, 1 hr
  • Omotesando walk to Shibuya, 45 min
  • Lunch: seafood donburi near Shibuya Station, 45 min
  • Rest valve: coffee in the Shinjuku Gyoen national garden, 1 hr, $4 entry
  • Shibuya Sky and the Scramble Crossing, 1.5 hr
  • Dinner: chicken yakitori in Omoide Yokocho's food lanes, 1 hr
  • Total: ~6 km walking; 2 train segments

Day 3: Day Trip to Hakone

  • Odakyu Romancecar from Shinjuku to Hakone-Yumoto, 85 min each way
  • Hakone Tozan switchback railway up to Gora, 40 min
  • Hakone Open-Air Museum sculpture grounds, 1.5 hr
  • Lunch: soba noodles near Gora Station, 45 min
  • Ropeway over the Owakudani volcanic vents, 45 min, runs only in calm weather so check the morning status board
  • Rest valve: Lake Ashi boat crossing with the torii-gate view, 40 min
  • Return Romancecar to Shinjuku, 85 min
  • Total: ~3 km walking; 5 transit segments

Day 4: Day Trip to Kamakura

  • JR Yokosuka Line from Tokyo Station to Kamakura, 57 min each way
  • Kotoku-in Great Buddha, 1 hr, arrive by 9 AM
  • Hasedera Temple gardens and bay view, 1.5 hr
  • Lunch: shirasu rice bowl near Hase Station, 45 min
  • Rest valve: green tea on the Hasedera terrace, 30 min
  • Enoden tram to Enoshima for the coastal boardwalk, 1.5 hr
  • Return train to Tokyo, 1 hr
  • Total: ~6 km walking; 3 train segments

Day 5: Tsukiji, teamLab, and the Bay

  • Tsukiji Outer Market for breakfast seafood skewers and tamagoyaki, 1.5 hr, arrive by 8 AM before stalls sell out
  • Hamarikyu Gardens tidal pond and teahouse, 1 hr
  • teamLab Planets digital art museum in Toyosu, 1.5 hr, barefoot water rooms, timed ticket required
  • Lunch: chicken ramen near Toyosu Station, 45 min
  • Rest valve: bench coffee on the Odaiba seaside promenade with the Rainbow Bridge view, 45 min
  • Tokyo Tower main deck at dusk, 1 hr
  • Dinner: seafood donburi in the Shiodome district, 1 hr
  • Total: ~5 km walking; 3 train segments
Traveller Tips
  • The Hakone Free Pass at $39 pays off after the ropeway, lake boat, and two bus rides; buying each leg separately tops $45.
  • teamLab Planets sells timed slots that fill 3–4 days out in spring; wear shorts since two rooms have knee-deep water.
  • Carry $80 in cash across the five days: Tsukiji stalls, the Enoden tram conductor, and small Hakone soba shops still wave away foreign cards.