15 Best Things to Do in Tokyo (2026)

Tokyo's oldest temple has been standing in Asakusa since the year 645, which means it was ancient before Tokyo was even called Tokyo. The approach through the Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate) and down Nakamise shopping street is theatrical by design. It's meant to build anticipation. The gate itself, with its enormous red lantern, is one of the most photographed spots in Japan. The temple complex beyond it is free to enter and genuinely beautiful, with incense smoke drifting through the main hall and the five-storey pagoda rising against whatever sky Tokyo is giving you that day. The problem is the crowds. Between 10 AM and 4 PM, Senso-ji can feel like a theme park. The fix is simple: come before 7 AM. The gates are open, the grounds are nearly empty, and the light is perfect for photos. Evening visits after dark work too, when the lanterns are lit and the day-trippers are gone.

Every Tokyo visitor needs at least one high-altitude view, and Shibuya Sky is the one to choose. The open-air rooftop observatory sits 230 metres above the Shibuya Scramble Crossing, which means you can look straight down at the world's most famous intersection while also taking in Tokyo Tower, Skytree, and, on clear days, Mt Fuji. The indoor section has some light installations and a photo area, but the real draw is the outdoor roof. There's a bar up there serving drinks until late, and the helipad area gives you a completely unobstructed 360-degree view. Evening visits around 8 PM are the sweet spot: you get the tail end of sunset and the city lights switching on. It can get cold and windy on the roof, so bring a layer even in spring. Tickets sell out, especially for sunset slots, so book online a few days ahead.

The contrast is what makes Meiji Jingu special. One minute you're in Harajuku, surrounded by crepe shops and streetwear stores. Then you pass through an enormous torii gate and suddenly you're walking through a 170-acre evergreen forest that feels like rural Japan. The forest was actually planted in 1920 by 100,000 volunteers, with trees donated from every region of the country. It's now so dense it could pass for ancient woodland. The shrine at the end of the path is dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken. You'll likely see a Shinto wedding ceremony or traditional ritual if you visit on a weekend. The correct etiquette is to bow before passing through the torii, and purify your hands at the temizuya (water pavilion) before approaching the main hall. Early morning visits are quietest. Combine it with Yoyogi Park next door, where on Sundays you'll find cosplayers, musicians, and dance groups.

teamLab Borderless relocated from Odaiba to Azabudai Hills in 2023 and came back bigger. The concept is simple: rooms filled with digital art that moves, shifts, and responds to your presence. In practice, it's disorienting in the best way. You wander through dark corridors and suddenly you're standing in a room of cascading digital waterfalls, or a field of flowers that bloom and die around your feet. The installations "border" each other, spilling from one room to the next, so no two visits are identical. Some rooms respond to touch. Others change based on how many people are standing in them. It's a photographer's dream, especially in light-coloured clothing which picks up the projections. Book an early morning time slot and budget at least two hours. The teamLab app explains each installation as you walk through.

You've seen it in films, you've seen it on social media, and it still catches you off guard in person. At peak times, up to 3,000 people step off the curb simultaneously from all directions, navigate around each other without collision, and reach the other side in about 45 seconds. It's mesmerizing and slightly terrifying. The best way to experience it is both from above and at street level. For the aerial view, the Starbucks on the second floor of the Tsutaya building has window seats that look directly down at the crossing (get there early or you won't get a window seat). Then go down and cross it yourself. At night, with the neon and video screens blazing, it's even better. The Hachiko statue outside the station is right there too, still the most popular meeting spot in Tokyo. This whole experience is free.

The inner wholesale market moved to Toyosu in 2018, but Tsukiji's outer market is still very much alive and better than ever. Dozens of stalls line narrow streets selling everything from fresh sushi and grilled scallops to tamagoyaki (sweet Japanese omelet) cooked on sticks. The best approach is to arrive early (before 9 AM), walk the full circuit once to scout, then loop back to buy from the stalls that caught your eye. Most food is eaten standing or walking. The grilled seafood skewers, especially the giant scallops, are the move. If you're visiting Tokyo with someone who is nervous about raw fish, this is the place that will convert them. You can combine Tsukiji with a walk to nearby Ginza Kagari for ramen and the Tsukiji Ihachi wagyu spot from our restaurant guide.

Planets is teamLab's other Tokyo museum, and it's a different experience from Borderless. Where Borderless is about wandering through rooms, Planets is about physical immersion. You take off your shoes at the entrance and walk barefoot through installations that include knee-deep water, soft sand, and surfaces that change texture underfoot. The crystal light mirror room, where infinite LED strings reflect in mirrored floors and ceilings, is the most photographed room in either museum. There's a vegan ramen shop by UZU inside the complex that's surprisingly good. Planets expanded in 2025 but is scheduled to close permanently in 2027, so this is genuinely a "do it now" situation. Wear shorts or trousers you can roll up; long dresses and jeans are a bad call. Book tickets in advance.

Shinjuku Gyoen is three gardens in one: a traditional Japanese garden with koi ponds and stone bridges, a formal French garden with symmetrical flowerbeds, and an English landscape garden with wide lawns. It's one of the best cherry blossom spots in Tokyo (the government famously hosts its annual cherry blossom viewing party here), and in autumn the maple trees turn the Japanese garden into a painting. Even outside peak seasons, it's a genuine escape. The ¥500 entry fee keeps out the casual foot traffic, and the no-alcohol policy means it stays peaceful. It's right next to Shinjuku station, so you can pair it with a morning in the garden followed by an afternoon in the neighbourhood's department stores or the evening bar scene. Close to Soba House Konjiki-Hototogisu if you want the best ramen in the area for lunch.

The emperor of Japan lives here, which makes the grounds more restricted than a typical park, but the accessible parts are worth the visit. The East Gardens are free, open to the public, and genuinely beautiful, with remnants of old Edo Castle walls, manicured lawns, and seasonal flowers. The Nijubashi Bridge, with the palace buildings reflected in the moat behind it, is one of Tokyo's most iconic photo spots. You can walk the outer perimeter of the moat in about an hour, and runners use it as a jogging loop (you'll see them at any hour). For the inner palace and select buildings, you need to register for a guided tour in advance through the Imperial Household Agency website. The area around the palace is corporate Marunouchi, which has good lunch options and direct access to Tokyo Station.

At 634 metres, Skytree is the tallest structure in Japan and the second tallest in the world. The two observation decks (at 350m and 450m) give you a view that stretches to the horizon in every direction, with Mt Fuji visible on clear days. The glass floor sections on the lower deck let you look straight down, which is either thrilling or terrifying depending on your relationship with heights. Unlike Shibuya Sky, Skytree is in eastern Tokyo near Asakusa, so the view gives you the full westward sweep across the city. Sunset tickets are the most popular (and most expensive). Skytree Town at the base has over 300 shops and restaurants, plus an aquarium, so there's plenty to do even if the weather isn't cooperating. Book tickets online for sunset slots. On weekdays or overcast days, the queues are much shorter.

Ueno Park is the kind of place where you come for one thing and stay for five. The Tokyo National Museum alone could take half a day, with one of the world's finest collections of Japanese art and archaeological artefacts. But the park also contains the National Museum of Western Art (designed by Le Corbusier), the Ueno Zoo, Shinobazu Pond with its summer lotus flowers, and several shrines and temples connected by wooded paths. In spring, the cherry blossom viewing here is legendary and raucous: families set up tarps, crack open bento boxes, and drink beer under the canopy. It's the most social you'll see Tokyo get in a public space. Even outside blossom season, the park is a good anchor for a day in the Ueno-Asakusa area. The street market underneath the Yamanote train tracks (Ameyoko) is a short walk south.

The 250-metre shopping street between the Kaminarimon gate and Senso-ji temple has been selling souvenirs and snacks since the 18th century. It's touristy, sure, but it's also genuinely fun if you approach it as a food crawl. The ningyoyaki (small custard-filled cakes shaped like temple motifs) are the signature snack. The beef croquettes from the stalls on the left side are consistently good. Rice crackers, matcha soft serve, and melon pan (sweet bread) fill out the rest. The prices are slightly inflated compared to what you'd pay elsewhere, but not egregiously. The two smaller side streets that branch off Nakamise are less crowded and have some interesting craft shops. Between 11 AM and 1 PM it's a wall of people; before 10 AM or after 3 PM is much more pleasant. Since you're already in Asakusa, pair this with Senso-ji and Asakusa Chicken from our restaurant guide.

Most Tokyo guides skip Nezu Shrine, which is exactly why it's worth visiting. Tucked into the Yanaka district, one of the few Tokyo neighbourhoods that survived both the 1923 earthquake and World War II bombing, Nezu Shrine has a tunnel of vermillion torii gates that rivals Kyoto's Fushimi Inari but without the crowds. The shrine's azalea garden contains 3,000 bushes that bloom in a riot of pink, red, and white in late April and early May. Even outside the azalea festival, the grounds are beautifully maintained, with a koi pond and shaded paths. The surrounding Yanaka neighbourhood feels like old Tokyo: narrow lanes, independent shops, a shotengai (shopping street) with a famous sunset view, and cats. Lots of cats. It's a good half-day pairing: Nezu Shrine, then a wander through Yanaka's backstreets, ending at Yanaka Ginza for a cold beer and a sunset.

If you've ever watched Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, or Princess Mononoke, the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka is a pilgrimage. Designed by Hayao Miyazaki himself, the building feels like walking into one of his films: staircases that lead in unexpected directions, rooms that open onto hidden gardens, and a life-sized robot soldier from Castle in the Sky on the rooftop. Inside, you'll find concept art and original sketches from every major Ghibli production, plus exclusive short films that are shown only at the museum and rotate monthly. Photography is not allowed inside, which feels annoying at first but actually forces you to experience it in a way that Instagram usually prevents. Tickets sell out fast and must be purchased in advance. Check the website a few weeks ahead for release dates. Plan about two hours, more if you want to browse the gift shop, which is dangerously well-stocked.

Asia's only Harry Potter studio tour opened in 2023 on the site of the former Toshimaen amusement park, and it's the largest of the global Warner Bros. studio tour facilities. The sets are authentic (the Great Hall, Diagon Alley, Dumbledore's office), the props are real, and the interactive elements are better than what you'd find at Universal's theme parks. You can try wand choreography, ride a broomstick for a green-screen photo, and drink Butterbeer at themed cafes inside. Unlike the London original, the Tokyo version has exclusive Japan-only sets and the production quality is noticeably higher. Plan a full day. Morning slots give you the most time, and the ticket includes timed entry so there's no endless queueing. The merchandise is expensive and extensive. If you're buying robes or wands, do it early before the gift shop gets packed at closing time.