tokyo

100 amazing things to do in Tokyo

⏱ 7 minutes

I have, of course, already mentioned Tokyo, capital of Japan, a city that never sleeps. There are so many things to say about this gigantic megalopolis of 37 million inhabitants that I wanted to know if I could name 100 interesting, fun, exotic or impressive things to do in Tokyo. Guess what: it was surprisingly easy to do!

  1. check the view from the Tokyo Sky Tree observatory (from May 22, 2012), whose summit is 2,080 feet high
  2. walk the typical tiny alleys of Golden Gai, behind Kabukicho
  3. go to the Tokyo Game Show, one of the worldwide biggest videogame shows after Los Angeles E3, held every late September in Chiba
  4. admire Mount Fuji 🗻 on a clear day, which is a only a hundred kilometers away from the capital
  5. take a night out to experience the amazing nightlife in Tokyo
  6. fall 🍁 asleep on the subway 🚇 (preferently on the Yamanote circle line, not to wake up 30 miles away!)
  7. see Tokyo from above, from the Bunkyo Civic Center free observatory
  8. admire street fashion wore by young Japanese on Harajuku main pedestrian avenue: Takeshita Dori
  9. spend a few hours in a cafe facing the street, watching locals come and go
  10. get your drinks served by a Japanese maid, in a maid cafe in Akihabara
  11. walk through the human tide of Shibuya crossing, the world's largest one
  12. choose a drink from a high-tech touch screen vending machine
  13. visit Tokyo's sakura 🌸 spots during the stunning cherry blossoms in April, starting with Ueno Park
  14. take a break in Japanese zen garden: Happo-en, in Shirokane neighborhood
  15. take a taxi at night and admire the city through the window
  16. photograph a smaller replica of the Statue of Liberty and ride the ferris wheel in Odaiba
  17. choose wisely between the 100 different types of sake 🍶 from Kuri's menu in Ginza
  18. spend a few hours shopping in all floors of the '109' building right in front of Shibuya station
  19. go visit the Ueno Zoo pandas
  20. get out of touristy streets to stroll further into less known areas
  21. go shopping in Akihabara electronics (geek / otaku) district
  22. contemplate the sublime nature of Koishikawa Korakuen Japanese Garden
  23. visit the old Tokyo of Yanaka Ginza steet and its neighborhood, in Nippori
  24. play the pure tourist in Asakusa, through the shopping alley to Senso-ji temple and its pagodas
  25. find a quiet small cafe with an intimate atmosphere in the streets of Daikan'yama
  26. go see a Sumo Tournament at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Sumida, in January, May or September
  27. watch the Tokyo Tower 🗼 from almost as high, from the Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills
  28. walk through Shimokitazawa in Setagaya, a neighborhood full of small clubs where groups play gigs
  29. take pictures of cosplay costumes at Yoyogi Park on weekends
  30. do window shopping at Ginza, with its boutiques of luxury brands from all over the world
  31. participate in the penis festival (Kanamara Matsuri) in Kawasaki each first Sunday in April
  32. get up early to visit the world's largest fish market: Tsukiji
  33. spend the day in Tokyo Disney Land, and especially at Disney Sea, a worldwide exclusive
  34. visit Tokyo Stock Exchange, the very modern Topix, free during the week
  35. be approached by touts from host(ess) clubs in Kabukicho
  36. attend Tokyo Anime Fair, the largest manga / anime convention in the world, at the end of March each year
  37. eat ramen 🍜 (noodle soup) in a small restaurant and be as loud as Japanese people eating them
  38. run the Tokyo Marathon in early February each year, with thousands of others
  39. buy some dinner food at a conbini before returning home
  40. enjoy an exceptional meal in one of Michelin 3-stars restaurants in Tokyo: Koju in Ginza, Robuchon in Ebisu, or Quintessence in Shirokane-dai
  41. recollect at Aoyama cemetery on the tombs of famous Japanese people in history
  42. breathe and enjoy nature in the huge Shinjuku Gyoen park, the heart of the city
  43. visit Tokyo on a bicycle to explore a whole different city
  44. switch topics with floors in any department store such as Yodobashi / Bic Camera 📷
  45. go to the cat 🐈 temple: Gotokuji, origin of the Maneki Neko
  46. take the membership card of a Japanese friend to buy cigarettes from a vending machine
  47. ride in front of the monorail 🚝 to get the most impressive view when crossing Odaiba Raimbow Bridge
  48. shake in fear in front of the statue of Godzilla at Hibiya Park, with its 20" high!
  49. take a ride in a boat cruise on the Sumida River
  50. see the Japanese alter-ego of Paris' Eiffel Tower: the red and white Tokyo Tower
  51. go sunbathe on Enoshima beaches 🏖 where all young ones from Tokyo spend their summer weekends
  52. visit the French district in the neighborhood of Iidabashi
  53. buy a warm can of coffee or chocolate from a heated stalls in a konbini
  54. take a short hike on Mount Takao, accessible by (1-hour) train 🚅 from Shinjuku
  55. visit the Imperial Palace gardens and, if you're patient, see the Emperor and his family on December 23rd or January 2nd
  56. take the neko-bus from Totoro movie to go visit Ghibli Museum in Mitaka
  57. go see a baseball game or a concert at Tokyo Dome, the largest stadium in the capital
  58. discover that the local police station (koban) of Ikebukuro represents an owl 🦉, symbol of the neighborhood
  59. take pictures in a purikura and decorate the photos with all flashy icons
  60. stop in front of Godzilla poop the Asahi brewery flame in Asakusa, designed by Philippe Stark
  61. watch the sunset from Tocho, Shinjuku city hall's observatory
  62. revive Edo period (15th - 19th centuries) traditional style at Edo-Tokyo Museum in Sumida
  63. browse through the floors of Yamashiroya, filled with goodies, gadgets and products of all kinds
  64. stop at Umi-hotaru, 'the sea firefly', a giant staging area / mall of Tokyo Bay freeways
  65. pet the legendary dog ​​Hachikô, coming out of Shibuya station
  66. enjoy Summer Sonic music festival, internationally renowned for its international groups and J-Rock
  67. sleep in a capsule hotel 🏨 as if you were in a sci-fi movie!
  68. wander in the booksellers neighborhood of Jinbocho
  69. take the smallest escalator in the world (834 millimeters!) at the Kawasaki More mall
  70. wander and get lost in Shinjuku Station, the largest train station in the world
  71. visit the Bandai museum, temple of Gundam, in Mibu - north of the capital
  72. admire the stunning Kanda-Myojin, a majestic sanctuary in Chiyoda
  73. go to Nakano Broadway check the price of collectible dolls and accessories
  74. taste sushi 🍣 under the passage of the subway, in a kaiten-zushi of Ameya Yokocho (Ameyoko) in Ueno
  75. challenge a Japanese arcade player, because all games are connected in a network
  76. attend a Buddhist monks ceremony at Zojoji temple in the morning
  77. ride a swan-shaped paddle on Shinobazu pond in Ueno
  78. walk all along Omotesando to find fashion boutiques: major brands and independent
  79. feel three drops of rain ☔️ and spend some ¥100-coins to buy a transparent umbrella
  80. attend an AKB48 performance, *the* Japanese-pop girls band, directly in their Akihabara theater
  81. discover the Great Mosque of Tokyo, in Yoyogi-Uehara
  82. play 7 differences in a Japanese Ikea
  83. drink a beer 🍺, then two, then three in any izakaya bar
  84. check the latest cat prototypes at the Tokyo Motor Show every late November / early December in Tokyo Big Sight
  85. wander on the campus of Todai, Tokyo University, seen in so many Japanese drama, anime and movies
  86. spend the night in the cabin of a manga kissa with Internet 📶, TV, videogames, DVDs and manga
  87. contemplate the train crossing of subways in Ochanomizu, above the river Kanda (photo at the top)
  88. go party in one of the hottest clubs in the world in Shibuya
  89. enjoy a monjayaki, the local specialty of the island of Tsukishima in Chuo
  90. get a massage for free by testing relaxing chairs on the 3rd floor of Bic Camera in Yurakucho
  91. take a dose of amusement park in kawaii Hello Kitty Sanrio Puroland in Tama
  92. spend the day in Kamakura to see the Giant Buddha and the city temples
  93. take the tram from the campus of Waseda University, to the historic districts
  94. ride the roller coaster at the heart of the city in Tokyo Dome City
  95. admire the sublime procession of a Shinto wedding at Meiji-jingu shrine
  96. discover LaVita neighborhood, a small Venice in Tokyo, Jiyugaoka
  97. spend a zen moment, petting cats in a neko cafe
  98. take a little time out for an hour or overnight, in a Shibuya love hotel 🏩
  99. do a helicopter 🚁 tour (for a high fee), as in many world capitals
  100. get out of Tokyo! Go for a walk in the second largest city in Japan: the nearby Yokohama
Updated on June 06, 2015 100 idées de visites à Tokyo !