How many days in Tokyo you need

With 3 days you can see Tokyo — but with discernment. Do not try to cover everything: choose 2–3 neighbourhoods a day and make the most of them. A reasonable itinerary would be:

• Day 1: Shinjuku (Gyoen Park, Kabukicho, Golden Gai) + the free observation deck of the Metropolitan Government Building at dusk.
• Day 2: Shibuya (crossing, Omotesando, Harajuku) + Yoyogi early in the morning.
• Day 3: Asakusa (Senso-ji at dawn before the crowds) + Akihabara or Ueno depending on your interest.

What you will not have time for: trips outside Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Nikko, Kamakura. If they are a priority, you need more days or you save them for another trip.

Is it worth it with only 3 days? Yes, if it is a stopover within a longer trip through Japan. If Tokyo is the main destination, 3 days fall short for most travellers.

4–5 days is the most recommended range for a first time in Tokyo. You have time for the essential neighbourhoods, a day trip and enough margin to get lost without stress.

With 5 days, a reasonable pace would be:

• Day 1: Arrival (check first whether you land at Narita or Haneda), check-in, a walk around the hotel neighbourhood to acclimatise. Do not schedule anything demanding.
• Day 2: Asakusa + Ueno (temple, park, museums).
• Day 3: Shinjuku + Harajuku + Yoyogi.
• Day 4: Shibuya + Omotesando + Daikanyama.
• Day 5: Day trip to Kamakura or Nikko, or explore Akihabara and the Yanaka neighbourhood.

With 4 days the scheme works the same: drop the relaxed arrival day and start the next day with energy.

With 6–7 days you can do Tokyo well and add two day trips (Kamakura and Nikko, for example), or devote a full afternoon to exploring less touristy neighbourhoods such as Shimokitazawa (second-hand and live music) or Koenji.

It is also enough time to do the route to Mount Fuji: a full day from Tokyo, either on an organised tour or independently to Kawaguchiko (about 2 hours by train or bus). Fuji is not in Tokyo, but it is accessible and most travellers include it if they have the margin. We explain it step by step in the guide to Mount Fuji from Tokyo.

7 days in Tokyo also makes sense if the trip is exclusively Tokyo and there are no other cities in the itinerary. There are neighbourhoods and museums to easily fill a week without repeating anything.

If your trip includes Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima or Nara, the typical distribution of days for a 10–14 day trip is: 4–5 days in Tokyo, 3 in Kyoto and 2 in Osaka, with a day trip to Hiroshima or Nara. If you are still unsure which cities to fit into the route, check the guide to the best cities in Japan.

In that context, 4 days in Tokyo are enough for a first visit. The most common mistake is to spend too much time in Tokyo at the start and arrive exhausted to the rest of the trip.

A practical rule: if it is your first time in Japan, do not spend more than 5 nights in Tokyo. Save energy for the rest of the country.

To see how these days fit into the whole, look at the ready-made itineraries of 7 days, 10 days and 14 days, where Tokyo already appears spread out alongside Kyoto and Osaka.

Tokyo is huge and crossing it end to end eats up time, even though the metro is very fast. The key to not wasting hours is to chain neighbourhoods that are close together and devote each day to one area:

• West (Yamanote line): Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya and Yoyogi are almost in a straight line. It is the area of fashion, parks and nightlife; a full day works without barely taking the metro.
• Historic east: Asakusa, Ueno, Yanaka and Akihabara form traditional Tokyo and the museums. They are well explored chained from north to south.
• Centre: Tokyo Station, Ginza, Marunouchi and the Imperial Palace. Ideal for a morning of shopping or a rainy day.
• Bay: Odaiba and Toyosu are set apart; set aside half a day only if they specifically interest you (teamLab, Toyosu market).

Get a Suica or Pasmo on the first day: paying for transport with the card without buying tickets saves a lot of time at the interchanges. Review how transport works in Japan before you arrive.