Welcome to TOKYOAPP. We’re a small editorial team who’ve spent far too many hours riding the Yamanote Line, arguing about the best ramen in Shinjuku, and queuing at convenience stores for egg sandos we really didn’t need. This is the Tokyo travel guide we wish we’d had on our first trip.
No “hidden gems.” No “vibrant bustling metropolis” nonsense. Just practical, nerdishly specific writing about where to go, what to skip, and how to actually get there — with yen prices, station exits, and takes you can’t really get from a guidebook.
Latest articles
- Shibuya Sky Guide
A practical Shibuya Sky guide — tickets, the best slot (sunset), the three levels, the helipad photo spot, weather cancellations, Skytree vs Metropolitan Government comparison, and why it is our pick for best Tokyo observation deck. - Tokyo Skytree Guide
A practical Tokyo Skytree guide — which observation deck to buy, what the view shows you, best time of day for Mt Fuji visibility, Solamachi shopping, Sumida Aquarium, and whether the 634m tower is actually worth it. - First Time in Tokyo — a Practical Guide
A no-fluff first-timer guide to Tokyo — when to go, which airport, how to get in, where to stay, how transport works, what to eat, what to skip, a 5-day itinerary, and every mistake we made so you do not have to. - 20 Best Tokyo Film & Anime Locations
Twenty Tokyo film and anime locations worth a pilgrimage — Lost in Translation, Kill Bill, Your Name, Steins;Gate, Godzilla, Sailor Moon, Weathering With You, Ghibli and more. With exact station exits, yen prices, and what you actually see when you get there. - 32 Things to Do in Tokyo
A practical master list for Tokyo — Shibuya Scramble, Shinjuku Gyoen, Senso-ji, the Imperial Palace, Shibuya Sky, Golden Gai, Meiji Jingu, teamLab Planets, and 24 more with yen prices, station tips, and neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood links to our deep dives. - 25 Things to Do in Odaiba
A practical guide to Odaiba — Rainbow Bridge, teamLab Planets, the Unicorn Gundam, DiverCity, the Statue of Liberty, and 20 more stops on Tokyo Bay. With yen prices, station tips, and real takes on what to skip. - 26 Things to Do in Ginza
A practical guide to Ginza — Chuo-dori, Wako, Mitsukoshi, Kabukiza, Hibiya Park, Tsukiji Outer Market, the best sushi lunch deals, and 18+ more stops. With yen prices, station exits, and real takes on what to skip. - 28 Things to Do in Akihabara
A practical guide to Akihabara — Electric Town, arcades, Super Potato, Mandarake, gachapon walls, maid cafes, Kanda Myojin, and 20+ more stops worth your time. With yen prices, station exits, and real takes. - 27 Things to Do in Asakusa
A practical guide to Asakusa — Senso-ji, Nakamise, Kaminarimon, the Sumida River, Sumida Park, Hanayashiki, Sanja Matsuri, and 20+ more stops worth your time. With yen prices, station exits, and real takes. - 30 Things to Do in Shinjuku
A practical guide to Shinjuku — Shinjuku Gyoen, Golden Gai, Omoide Yokocho, Kabukicho, the 3D cat, free Metropolitan Government Building views, and 24 more stops with yen prices, station exits, and real takes on what to skip. - 28 Things to Do in Shibuya
A practical guide to Shibuya — the Scramble Crossing, Shibuya Sky, Hachiko, Nonbei Yokocho, PARCO, Miyashita Park, and 23 more stops worth your time. With yen prices, station exits, and real takes on what to skip. - 26 Things to Do in Harajuku
A practical guide to Harajuku — Meiji Jingu, Takeshita Street, Cat Street, Omotesando, the Ota Museum, Yoyogi Park, and 20 more stops worth your time, with yen prices, station exits, and real takes on what to skip.
Start here
If this is your first time in Tokyo, or your tenth, these are the guides to begin with:
- First time in Tokyo? Read our first-timer’s guide to Tokyo — what to prioritise, what’s overrated, and how not to spend your first day jet-lagged in Asakusa.
- Planning your days? Our big list of things to do in Tokyo is the one-stop menu for the whole city.
- Just landed? Our Getting Around guides cover the airport trains, the metro, IC cards, and whether you actually need a JR Pass (spoiler: probably not).
Explore by neighbourhood
- Shibuya — crossing, Shibuya Sky, the eat-your-way-through-a-basement-food-hall district
- Shinjuku — Golden Gai, Omoide Yokocho, and a train station that takes a weekend to figure out
- Asakusa — Senso-ji, Nakamise-dori, and the old-Tokyo vibe everyone wants but few do properly
- Ueno — the park, the museums, Ameyoko market, and the best cherry blossoms in the city
- Akihabara — anime, retro games, weird electronics, maid cafes, and why the vibe has shifted since 2015
- Harajuku — Takeshita Street, Omotesando, and Meiji Shrine all in one afternoon
- Ginza — high-end shopping, basement food halls, and 3000-yen lunch sets you’ll remember for years
- Odaiba — the bayside island with teamLab, the Gundam, and views of the city you won’t get anywhere else
The big-ticket sights
- Tokyo Skytree — the tallest tower in Japan, and is it worth the ticket?
- Shibuya Sky — the newer, arguably better view from the top of Shibuya
- All the observation decks compared — from free (Metropolitan Government Building) to splurge
- Theme parks — Tokyo Disneyland, DisneySea, and whether the latter really is the world’s best theme park
TOKYOAPP is independent and reader-supported. We occasionally use affiliate links to hotels and tours. If you book through one, we earn a small commission — at no cost to you — which helps us keep writing. We only link to things we’d actually recommend to a friend.