Kanto · eastern Japan
Tokyo
The first stop for almost everyone, and still the easiest city in the world to be a stranger in.
Best seasonMarch–May and October–November
How long to stay3–4 days
AreaKanto · eastern Japan
Why go
- Shibuya and Shinjuku at night are the Japan you have seen in photographs — and they genuinely look like that.
- Asakusa and the Senso-ji temple give you the older city within half an hour of the neon.
- Akihabara for electronics and anime; Ueno for museums and a large park; Ginza for the window shopping.
- Day trips are easy: Nikko's shrines, Kamakura's great Buddha, or Mount Fuji seen from Lake Kawaguchi.
Practical notes
- Stay near a Yamanote line station — it circles the city and removes most of your travel planning.
- Tokyo Camii in Shibuya is Japan's largest mosque and welcomes visitors outside prayer times.
- Trains stop around midnight and taxis are expensive. Decide your last train before you go out.
Getting there
Narita or Haneda airport. Haneda is much closer to the centre — prefer it if the fare is similar.