72 hours in Tokyo - a thrilling 3 day itinerary
Your guide to making the most of 3 days in Tokyo - 72 hours can be enough if you organise your time, but I cannot emphasis this enough - Tokyo is absolutely huge! Try to divide your time into different areas and stay in that area for the day or half a day. I would dedicate at least 3 full days to Tokyo, but it depends on your plans - you could easily spend far longer here! Also be aware that it takes a lot of time to travel between areas and even just navigate the train stations, some of which are enormous.
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Transport around Tokyo
The JR pass is not useful within Tokyo itself - it’s great for the JR shinkansen lines (bullet trains) for onward travel to other cities (read more detail here), but in Tokyo itself, not so much. I think this is partly why people have lot of beef with the JR pass, because it doesn’t cover every possible transport medium in Japan.
Instead, we used the Tokyo 72 hour subway ticket. We bought this at the ticket machine in the station in Asakusa. This costs around £7 and allows you to use all Tokyo metro and Toei subway lines, as well as some buses. Google maps is very useful to help navigate the subway/metro stations and find the most direct route to your destination - it even tells you which station exit to take (which is more useful than you’d think!). You’ll need the metro a lot during this itinerary to hop between places.
The 3 day itinerary
We tried to keep the itinerary to certain areas at a time to avoid too much moving about, but there’s no denying that Tokyo is huge, so you’re going to have to use the metro quite a bit, no matter what.
Day 1 - Senso-Ji shrine, Cafes and Panoramic views
Asakusa - we based ourselves in Asakusa (mostly) so naturally the first day starts here.
Fuglan Waffle - we had breakfast here because nothing else nearby was open yet. The coffee and waffles were admittedly very good, but very expensive compared to pretty much everywhere else we ate in Japan (around £25 for 2 breakfasts and coffees).
Senso-Ji Shrine - This was a 5 minute walk from our hotel. To be honest, we had seen a lot of temples at this point so didn’t find it overly impressive, but it was worth the short walk. I probably wouldn’t go out of your way though unless you’re in the area.
Next, hop on the metro to Nihonbashi for…
Pokemon Cafe - There are mixed reviews online about the Pokemon cafe, and it really comes down to whether you are/were a fan of the franchise. The food looks great and tastes just ok, not mind-blowing. BUT, we had so much fun and could not stop laughing at dancing chef Pikachu. And there’s also a large shop selling Pokemon everything. For us, it was well worth it - we spent about 90 minutes here in total. It is quite elusive to book a table, and I had no luck when trying the website as soon as spaces were released one month in advance. However, spaces do come up as other people cancel their bookings, so if you’re really keen, keep checking the website. A lunchtime spot came up the day before and I managed to book it, and swapped around the order we had other things planned to fit it in.
Alternatively, you can turn up and queue - we saw other people doing this and they did get seated within the time we were there, but I expect that it has the potential to be far busier. It’s on an upper level of a tall building so the location isn’t immediately obvious from the outside - look for Pokemon artwork.
Tokyo Metropolitan Building (Shinjuku) - try to time this for sunset (about 40 minutes by metro from Nihonbashi). We arrived about an hour before sunset and were initially disheartened by the long queue at the elevator for the South Observatory but it moved very quickly. It’s free to go up and on a clear day, the view is incredible - we could see all the way to Mt. Fuji. Check opening times here.
If you haven’t already - while in the Shinjuku area - check out the Shinjuku 3D Cat billboard - he appears every 15 minutes (search Cat Board in Google maps). Yes, I’m obsessed with cats, but it’s impressive even if you’re not. Godzilla is just a street down from him, and “breathes fire” every hour on the hour.
Shibuya Scramble crossing - this is the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world. We walked across it a couple of times but to really appreciate it, you need to see it from above. There is a pretty decent close view from the Starbucks on the junction, but you do have to buy a drink to access the viewing area. Another option is Shibuya Sky.
Shibuya Sky - This is a paid for viewing area (£13 pp) at the top of a skyscraper. Despite being a top attraction in the area, it was a little hard to find the entrance - you have to go up via an elevator to the 14th floor of the Shibuya Scramble Square building, which is connected to Shibuya station. The ideal time to visit would be sunset or after dark.
Tickets are notoriously hard to get for sunset (we tried), and the website only accepts Japanese cards, so I booked tickets through Klook but got tickets for after dark. (I wasn’t too fussed as we had managed the metropolitan building at sunset). I do think the view was slightly better than the metropolitan building, but if you have time, doing both (and at different times of day like we did) will give you the best of both worlds. There’s also an open air deck and some bars.
Golden Gai - We then went to check in to the capsule hotel and drop off the small daybag before heading out to Golden Gai, an area of traditional Izikaya or little pubs/bars in narrow streets. When I say little, the two that we went in could only fit around 10 people in at a time. I would say try a couple of different ones, as the first one we went in was very quiet, but the second was much more lively and more my style of music (indie/rock), called “Alley Nuts”. Some of these bars have a cover charge (a fee for the table before any drinks or snacks), but many have signs outside advertising no cover charge. Also be aware that some of these do not welcome non-Japanese nationals in.
Be warned - the last metro trains generally run around midnight so check the times and don’t miss the last one! The only times we really witnessed locals in a hurry and running for a train was around this time.
Day 2 - Art and Go Karting
Teamlab Borderless, Azabudai - this was our first stop of the day. Described as interactive art, we didn’t really know what to expect as neither of us are that into art and we didn’t know if it would be more aimed at kids. We absolutely loved it though! We highly recommend spending a couple of hours here and make sure to add your sea creature to the interactive ocean.
It’s a bit of a theme for us to visit Hard Rock Cafes around the world. So we had a pit stop at the Ropopongi branch for lunch before I had the stomach-dropping realisation that I had left our driving permits in the hotel.
Street Kart - This is an absolute must - it was our favourite activity in Tokyo, once we had gotten over the permit stress. They absolutely will not let you drive without your passport and International Driving Permit, so thankfully I followed my gut and dashed back to the hotel. Cue a small (major) panic and two very expensive taxi rides back to Asakusa and on to the meeting point for Street Kart. (Interestingly, this was actually quicker then taking the metro because there was hardly any traffic). We call this an “idiot tax” and seem to clock at least one on each holiday!
Street Kart has a number of locations throughout the city, but we picked “Tokyo Bay” because the route takes you over the infamous “Rainbow Bridge” (supposedly the inspiration for it’s namesake in Mario Kart) and right by Tokyo tower. We booked this in advance on Klook. It does tend to sell out, so you must book if you don’t want to miss out. See our socials for an exclusive Klook discount code!
International Driving Permits
These can be obtained by select Pay Points in the UK - you need to take your UK driving license and a passport style photo along, and for £5.50, you’ll be issued there and then with a very flimsy looking paper book with said photo pritt-sticked to an inside page. Although it looks entirely pathetic, it is genuinely essential for this activity. They are valid for 1 year once issued.
You need the 1949 one for Japan, but all of the information can be found on the Gov website.
Day 3 - Capybara Cafe, Tokyo Skytree, Harajuku
The Capyba Cafe was another elusive spot to book, with bookings opening up exactly 2 weeks in advance and selling out almost instantly. I actually made our reservation while in China, extremely jet-lagged and messed the date up, so had to cancel it and try again the next day. We went to the location near Tokyo Skytree, but they have since opened another site in Asakusa.
Kameya Bakery - Incredible fresh sandwiches and pastries. 10 minute walk from Tokyo Skytree.
Walk from here to Tokyo Skytree. As we were there in November, there was a Christmas market at the base of Skytree - sorry Japan, it just didn’t do it for me - Europe does them better. You can pay to go to the top of Skytree but we’d had a few skyscraper vets by this point so we gave it a miss.
Harajuku - This area was unlike anywhere we’d been in Tokyo so far, the walk from the metro was lined with designer shops - far too fashionable for us! Our first stop was Reissue cafe - they were full but booked us a spot for around an hour later, giving us time to venture along to Takeshita street. By this point, the designer shops had disappeared and this area felt more alternative, with a number of tattoo shops and thrift stores. Takeshita St itself was absolutely packed with people but still worth fighting through the crowds - we mainly gazed at the colourful food offerings and funky cafes before diving into an underground Purikura shop. There were tens of photo booths and numerous mirrors for touching up your make up (not that I did!) before entering a booth. It was a bit confusing and chaotic and we didn’t really have a clue what photos were going to come out but that was half the fun. The result was some quirky photos with random backgrounds and stickers - a cool souvenir.
Reissue cafe - here, they create 3D images out of the foam topping your coffee. Although it’s probably the most expensive coffee we bought in Japan (£7.50), it was pretty impressive. You can pick from a catalogue or show a photo you’d like them to recreate eg. Your own pet.
Head back to Asakusa for some last minute souvenir shopping along Nomiakamise Dori St (don’t miss the chocolate fish pancakes).
Hoppy Street - lots of food stalls and restaurants with outdoor bench style seating.
Asakusa Yokocho - neon food court above Uniqlo. We had “cook it yourself” okonomiyaki here - seated with a hotplate between us. It was really tasty and had a great atmosphere, with live dancing.
Tokyo choose your own adventure options
There’s so much more to explore in Tokyo. If you want to substitute one of these days for something else, there are unlimited options:
Other districts such as Akihabara for “geek culture” - anime, manga, gaming
Watch the sumo wrestlers practice at the sumo “stables” - see the sumo website for details, as the wrestlers aren’t there during tournament times.
Alternatively, if you’re here when there’s a sumo tournament in Tokyo, dedicate a day to this! Info on booking here.
Ghibli museum - I tried desperately to get these tickets, but was not successful. There’s lots of Ghibli shops throught Japan but tickets for the museum are so limited. We did find tours like this that take you there but didn’t want to sacrifice the time or budget - it depends on your priorities.
Day trip to Nikko/Kawaguchiko/Kamakura or other nearby areas.
Kayaking through the city - book here and use discount code SPENDLESSTRAVELMORE5
Samurai experience - dress in armour and learn sword skills
Chopstick making class or cooking class - use code SPENDLESSTRAVELMORE5
The Tokyo Accommodation Hack
Tokyo is huge, and there are lot of different districts/areas which vary massively. Everyone wants to know where the best place to stay in Tokyo - “best” will depend on your priority - cheapest, most accessible, central, lively, quiet etc. Each district/area will offer something different and it can be overwhelming to work out which will suit your needs best. For example:
Shibuya or Shinjuku are most “central” but no matter where you stay in Tokyo, you will be far away from something. These areas are also closer to the nightlife if you’re planning on partying.
Asakusa is more laid back and traditional.
Akihabara is tech and anime central.
Ginza is close to Tokyo Station (for the bullet trains or shinkansen) if you’re basing yourself in the city and planning a few longer distance day trips.
However, we did things a little differently and think we found a near-perfect solution:
For Tokyo, we actually booked two sets of accommodation. We booked a hotel on Asakusa as our main “base” for 4 nights, but we also booked a capsule hotel in Shibuya for one night. These overlapped - so we effectively paid for one night in the Asakusa hotel that we didn’t actually sleep there, but it worked out cheaper to do it that way than booking 1 night and then another 2, as you’ll often get a discount for a longer stay. This allowed us to base ourselves in the more laid back Asakusa but also have 1 night closer to the action and nightlife - and we also got to experience a capsule hotel! Read more below.
Asakusa Kokono Club Hotel- 4 nights
We paid £293 for 4 nights, twin room, shared(ish) bathroom.
I think “hotel” is a stretch for this place - I would say it’s more like a fancy hostel. We had a twin room with shared bathroom and opted not to have breakfast, but there was a breakfast option. The room itself was basic and probably the least clean we stayed in, in all of Japan (this is being picky - the others were spotless and this was ok). There was a good sized lockable wardrobe, so we could lock both large backpacks away, which gave us extra peace of mind, especially as we left the room empty for one night. The bathroom, however, was spotless - there was a shared sink area, lots of toiletries, toothbrushes etc available and showers assigned by room - although the bathroom was shared, you technically did have your own shower, just not in the room. There’s also a large communal dining area.
We picked this “hotel” for the price (the most reasonable we could find in Tokyo) and the location - Asakusa is more laid back than busy Shinjuku but there’s still plenty of shops and restaurants around. And having stayed there, it was definitely less hectic than other parts of Tokyo and 10 minutes to a metro station, directly on the Asakusa Line to Haneda airport (ideal as we had an early flight from there on our last day). It did feel relatively far from some things but, honestly, I don’t think it matters where you stay in Tokyo, it’s so vast that you’ll always be far from something, so try to plan your days by area as much as possible.
Book this hotel via:
Trip: Click here
Expedia: Click here
Shinjuku - First Cabin Ichigaya (Capsule Hotel), 1 night
We paid £80 in total for 2 separate capsules, shared bathroom.
We wanted to experience a capsule hotel and we also wanted a night closer to the nightlife, as public transport stops at midnight. We actually still did use the metro late at night - getting the last train, and this was the only time we saw any Japanese in a hurry - clearly not wanting to be stuck with expensive Tokyo taxis as the only option to get home. So, we hooked a capsule hotel in Shibuya to, as they say, kill two birds with one stone.
The capsule hotel was airport/flight themed, with different “classes” of capsule - Chrisy had economy and I had a business class one. As with most capsule hotels, floors are gender segregated so we parted ways to go to our relevant capsules. The business class ones were double the height of the economy ones, but Chrisy assured me he still had plenty of room and did not feel claustrophobic at all. The capsules were pretty soundproof, had a small lockable storage area and a TV. Outside of the capsules there were large storage areas for bigger suitcases/luggage, which could be locked. There was an extensive communal dining/seating area too - lots of people were remote working here.
Pyjamas were provided and - we did not expect this - there was a gender segregated Onsen! I mean, it wasn’t as lovely as the ryokan, with the outdoor backdrop, but it was extremely clean and the bathroom also had several seated vanity areas with hairdryers, straighteners and lots of beauty products free to use. So if you want to experience an Onsen without going to a public one or the high price tag of a ryokan stay, try this capsule hotel.
We were seriously impressed with the capsule hotel and would definitely consider it as an option for a longer stay in Tokyo too.
Book this hotel via:
Trip: Click here
Expedia: Click here
Getting there and away
There are two airports in Tokyo: Narita and Haneda. We recommend flying in or out of Haneda because it is must closer to the city itself.
We did not fly from Narita, but the options to get to/from the airport include bus, train or taxi. The journey takes around 90 minutes by public transport.
We recommend flying in/out of Haneda because it is much more conveniently located for the city. Options to get to/from Haneda airport include metro, train, monorail, bus and taxi. The best way to get there from the Asakusa area is via metro/subway using the Asakusa line - you can use the 72 hours subway ticket for this but you will need to pay the fare adjustment (~£1.50) on arrival in cash or using your IC card.
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