24 Hours in Tokyo
One day, the essential temples, views and neighbourhoods, hour by hour, ending in Shinjuku’s narrow, neon-lit alleyways.
Twenty-four hours in Tokyo means picking a handful of neighbourhoods over trying to cover the whole vast city, this order moves from old Tokyo in the morning to the neon density of Shinjuku by night without wasting time backtracking. Here’s the full plan, hour by hour.
Senso-ji Temple, before the crowds
Arrive early, before 9am if you can, Tokyo’s oldest temple and most visited spot gets seriously packed by mid-morning. Walk under the giant red lantern at Kaminarimon Gate, then down Nakamise shopping street for traditional snacks, before reaching the temple itself. It’s free, and genuinely worth the early start to see it properly quiet.
Tokyo Skytree
A 20-minute walk from Senso-ji over the Sumida River brings you to Tokyo Skytree, the tallest structure in Japan. Book tickets in advance, the view from the 350m deck gives a real sense of just how vast the city actually is, and on clear days you can see all the way to Mount Fuji.
Lunch and the Imperial Palace East Gardens
Head toward central Tokyo for lunch, then walk the Imperial Palace East Gardens, free to enter and a peaceful contrast to the density everywhere else in the city. The palace grounds themselves aren’t open to the public, but the gardens give a good sense of the scale and history involved.
Meiji Shrine and Harajuku
Meiji Shrine, surrounded by a properly dense forest right in the middle of the city, is free and offers a quiet, deliberate contrast to Harajuku next door. Takeshita Street, Harajuku’s main strip, is the opposite entirely, packed with youth fashion, crepe stalls, and a level of sensory overload worth experiencing at least once.
Shibuya Crossing
The world’s busiest pedestrian intersection, and worth seeing both from street level and from above, the Starbucks overlooking the crossing gives a good vantage point without needing a ticket. Hachiko, the statue of the famously loyal dog, sits right outside the station and is worth the short detour.
Dinner in Shinjuku
Head to Shinjuku for dinner, ramen, izakaya, or something from one of the countless small restaurants tucked into the district’s side streets. This is Tokyo’s entertainment hub, and the sheer density of options makes it an easy place to eat well without much planning.
Omoide Yokocho and Golden Gai
Two of Shinjuku’s most atmospheric alleyways, Omoide Yokocho, narrow lanes of tiny yakitori bars, and Golden Gai, a warren of even tinier bars each seating a handful of people. Both are genuinely photogenic after dark, neon signs and lantern light packed into impossibly narrow streets, a fitting way to end a first day in the city.
That’s everything I’ve got.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government’s latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
