These curated collections of great things to do are designed to flow with only short subway rides between them, usually without a transfer.
The best thing about Japan is that you can wander around just about anywhere and see things you’d never see anywhere else. Think of the “sights” on these excursions as points to aim for, and keep your eyes open along the way. Lots of great stuff isn’t listed, because it’s way more fun to discover it for yourself!
•
Excursion #1
Art Aquarium PLUS…
Start at Art Aquarium, then roam to the best department store food hall in Tokyo • The digital waterfall & cool souvenir shop • Crazy kabuki theater • Shop for pens and paper galore at Japan’s most fabulous stationery store • Sip the best cup of coffee in the world
•
Excursion #2
From Samurai Village to WWII,
plus Fire, Drums & a Garden of Pure Serenity…
Start at a WWII museum with a distinctly Japanese perspective • Get your wallet blessed by fire and drums at a temple with glow-in-the-dark gods, a hall of ten thousand crystal Buddhas, and a wishing fountain guarded by dragons • Renew your inner calm by immersing yourself in the most serene Japanese garden in Tokyo • Stroll back in time to the museum that lets you experience a life-size samurai town.
•
Excursion #3
Neon Tokyo Lit Up At Night
Tokyo at Night #1
Stroll through the brilliance of Senso-ji Temple lit up like a diva • See party boats strung with lanterns motor under neon-lit bridges as you walk along the Sumida River • Meander the neighborhood for a taste of Tokyo unchanged for generations
•
Tokyo at Night #2
See the giant 5-story robot that lights up and moves • Get a killer view of the Tokyo skyline and Odaiba as you walk across the Rainbow Bridge
•
Tokyo at Night #3
Stroll the red light district of Kabukicho
Tell me more!
MAP
•
Excursion #4
A Stroll Through Traditional Japan
The most beautiful red & gold shrine in Tokyo • Walk through a tunnel of torii gates • A neighborhood full of shops that have been in business for generations • The Edo Era woodblock paper store • The traditional shopping street with food stands & secret cats
Tell me more!
MAP
•
Excursion #5
Unforgettable Only-in-Japan Experiences
Get immersed in digital fish and exploding flowers, lose your way (in a good way) as you wander the LED infinity maze, and float through space at TeamLab Planets • Take crazy impossible photos at the Trick Art Museum • Browse the 1960s shopping street • Crane your neck at the five-story Gundam robot that lights up and moves • Visit an insanely detailed model train museum with easter eggs everywhere
Tell me more!
MAP
•
Excursion #6
Food, food, food
Shop for gourmet bites, only-in-Japan ingredients and all the tools you need to make killer Japanese cuisine at the Tsukiji outer market • Sample the best ramen from all over Japan on Ramen Street at Tokyo Station • The best hidden craft beer bar in Ebisu • Marvel at the dumpling vending machine at Azabu Juban Station • Buy the best Japanese snax at Mamegen • Up your sake game with a few tasting flights at the Sake and Sho-chu Center • Drink insane infused cocktails like this smoke-filled skull at Codename: Mixology
Tell me more!
MAP
•
Excursion #6
Cultural Shopping: Plastic food, the world’s sharpest knives & traditional Japanse goods of every sort
See Sensō-ji, Tokyo’s grandest Buddhist temple • A shopping street of traditional goods that are sold in stores that have been in business for generations • Ogle the shops where they sell super-realistic plastic food • Browse for hilariously specialized tools, all manner of dishes, lacquerware and chopsticks in the kitchenware district • Stop for a sake tasting at two secret spots
Tell me more!
MAP
•
Excursion #8
Kamakura Day Trip: Must-see shrines & temples
The biggest bronze Buddha in Japan • The Dish-Breaking Shrine • The Fox Shrine • The Money-Washing Shrine • The Divorce Temple • Drink a bowl of tea at the Bamboo Temple • The secret garden temple • The temple with amazing moss steps • A grand red & gold shrine fit for a shogun • A giant gold Kannon & a cave of wonders
Tell me more!
MAP
•
Jonelle Patrick writes about Japan 