:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/TAL-lead-image-TOKYORECS0625-081921efb5834d59a0b7bef5fe1f12a5.jpg "15 Best Things to Do in Tokyo, According to a Local")
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- Sing your heart out at karaoke, and don’t worry about stage fright—private rooms are the norm.
- Explore Tokyo’s dining scene, from casual izakaya meals to fine dining at the city’s many Michelin-starred restaurants.
- Go to a baseball game to witness Tokyo’s take on America’s favorite pastime.
The greater Tokyo metropolitan area spans over 5,000 square miles by some estimates. To put that in perspective, all five boroughs of New York City put together are only about 300 square miles. Needless to say, it’s a lot of ground to cover.
To help you make the most of a visit to this endless sprawl, I’ve distilled my experience from over 20 years of living here into a list of 15 unmissable experiences that will give you a feel for Tokyo’s singular culture and style.
Here are 15 of the top things to do in Tokyo, according to a local.
See a Mt. Fuji sunset.
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Although it’s two prefectures over, Japan’s iconic mountain is visible from the capital in the right conditions. On a clear, low-humidity day, the solitary volcanic cone looms in the west, emerging as a stark evening silhouette when the sun dips behind its bulk. A few high rises in town offer a nice vantage point, including the free observatory at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, but I prefer the swish lounge at Aman Tokyo, where you can appreciate Fuji-san with live koto music and a glass of Bollinger Champagne.
Have an izakaya night.
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Izakaya, often translated as Japanese pubs, are casual eateries with an emphasis on drinks and shareable plates of food. They run the gamut from ancient, beer-soaked venues with overturned sake crates for seats to sleek, modern gastropubs with elevated tapas and curated wine lists, but whatever the venue, the atmosphere when the room gets crowded and boozy is as raucous and chummy as Tokyo gets. You’ll find izakaya everywhere, but some of my favorites are Ginza’s Uokin Honten, where the cheap and plentiful fish dishes attract huge crowds; Shinjuku’s Nihonshu Genka Sakegura, a sake specialist with 50+ bottles on offer; and Shimokitazawa’s Shirubee, a venerable haunt serving savory oden.
Thrift shop in Shimokitazawa.
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Shimokitazawa is a grungy counter-culture neighborhood in western Tokyo famed for its live music scene and boho thrift shops. It’s a part of town that has mostly resisted large-scale development, retaining the winding alleyways and tiny plots of the post-war city. Even if you aren’t much of a shopper, spending a day wandering those narrow lanes and seeing what young Tokyoites are purchasing in their ever-evolving quest for self-expression is an immersion in Japan’s fashion culture. My recommendations are Flash Disc Ranch for LPs, Soma for vintage sneakers, and RAGTAG for designer labels.
Visit some shrines and temples.
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The importance of shrines and temples to the cultural life of Tokyo can’t be overstated. They also provide much-needed green spaces for rest and reflection amid the concrete jungle. Shibuya’s Meiji Jingu and Asakusa’s Senso-ji are the city’s largest and most popular shrine and temple, respectively, but peaceful Gotokuji in the western suburbs is worth a trip. It claims to be the origin of Japan’s maneki-neko beckoning cat statues, and you’ll find them all over the grounds, as well as carved into the 17th-century pagoda.
Dine at a Michelin-starred restaurant.
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Tokyo is famously the reigning king of Michelin cities, boasting 251 stars across 194 restaurants. This naturally includes a lot of sushi and kaiseki powerhouses like Harutaka and RyuGin, and the city is also home to incredible contemporary French fare, with long-time favorites like L’Effervescence and Quintessence. Many of these restaurants have maintained their stars for over a decade, but I favor some of the newer additions like Sézanne, crowned with a third star this year, and MAZ, a boundary-busting fusion of Peruvian tradition and Japanese ingredients.
Take a nap at Shinjuku Gyoen.
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Shinjuku Gyoen is a massive park run by the city of Tokyo, and it's one of the few in town with well-tended grass that you can actually lay on. Like in New York’s Central Park, locals love to bring a blanket and sprawl on the springy turf, canoodling, reading books, and snoozing beneath the skyline. There’s a strict no-alcohol policy, but you can bring your own food and non-boozy drinks. I suggest a veggie-loaded sarnie from nearby & sandwich. and a post-picnic kip.
Sing your heart out.
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Karaoke joints are a ubiquitous part of the Tokyo cityscape. No wonder, because they are an absolute blast! Unlike the anxiety-inducing open-mic bars common in the U.S., these are floors and floors of private rooms where no one but your friends has to hear you drunkenly warble through “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Many places even supply costumes and hand percussion instruments. You’ll find a karaoke place near pretty much any station, but try resort-themed Karaoke Pasela in Shibuya for wacky themed rooms, some of which have city views.
Explore Tokyo’s cocktail culture.
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Japan’s first cocktail bars emerged in 19th-century Yokohama at foreign-run waterfront hotels that served a largely foreign clientele. The scene has come a long way since then, with Japanese bartenders lauded as some of the world’s best drawing on local spirits and produce for their original creations. At the fancy end of the spectrum, you have elegant Zen escapes like Gen Yamamoto, where seasonal craft cocktails are given the omakase treatment and served in custom flights. More toward the rowdy end are the closet-sized bars of Shinjuku’s Golden Gai, a warren of grungy alleys home to snug drinking holes with obscure themes and idiosyncratic bartender-owners.
Wander the shitamachi.
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Shitamachi is a term that’s hard to define, but think of it as something like “old town.” Most old towns are singular districts, but Tokyo’s historic streetscape survives in disparate pockets, defined by narrow, winding alleys of two-story homes and workshops that lack gardens or other buffer zones between building and street. Even in these cramped circumstances, residents of the shitamachi create beauty, lining the curbs with flowerpots and other small decorations that make for atmospheric strolling. The shitamachi neighborhoods of Yanaka and Ningyocho are good places to immerse yourself in this retro atmosphere.
Try monjayaki in Tsukishima.
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Don’t judge a book by its cover here, because I’ve sometimes described monja’s liquid mix of cabbage, dashi, and flour as looking like vomit on a hot plate. I swear it’s actually quite tasty, and scooping it straight from the griddle to your mouth with the tiny metal spatula provided tickles the childish desire to play with your food. The island of Tsukishima in eastern Tokyo is the place to try this quirky dish as there are about 80 specialty restaurants clustered on one lantern-lit street. Venerable Moheji has four stores there, so you can nearly always find a seat for their signature mentaiko and mochi version.
Soak in a public bath.
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Bathing culture is big in Japan, and before most houses had indoor plumbing, people got sudsy at the public bath or sento. These neighborhood businesses are undergoing a minor renaissance today, still frequented by local grannies and grandpas for whom it's a social center but also increasingly by young people drawn by the retro design. For the old-school experience, try Takenoyu. For something a bit more polished, try recently renovated Komaeyu, which has added craft beer and tacos to the experience.
Visit an offbeat museum.
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There’s plenty for the art lover in Tokyo, from the classic grandeur of the Tokyo National Museum and the other old-school facilities around Ueno Park to the sleek new teamLab digital art spaces. There are also some really niche museums where a curator has followed their passion to the nth degree, like the Small Worlds Miniature Museum, where entire real-world neighborhoods and even Kansai Airport are recreated in minute detail with moving parts, or the ick-inducing but fascinating Meguro Parasitological Museum. Tokyo has museums dedicated to kites, tattoos, love dolls, printing technology, luggage, children’s games, and more. You’ll definitely learn something, even if it’s just about the power of obsession.
See a ballgame.
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Japanese baseball is a can't-miss cultural experience thanks to the enthusiastic cheering section at games. These die-hard fans memorize songs, dances, and individual cheers for each player to keep the energy high, and their antics are at least as interesting as the action on the field. The greater Tokyo area is home to five teams, so there’s almost always a game on—and you might even see the next Shohei Ohtani.
Tour a sake brewery.
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Sake, a drink brewed from rice, water, and koji mold, is not only the national drink of Japan but also a staple of Japanese cooking. Learn more about how an infinite complexity of brews is coaxed out of those three simple ingredients by touring a brewery. While Tokyo isn’t known as a sake production area, breweries Toshimaya and Ozawa operate in the western suburbs and offer tours and tastings with reservations.
Have afternoon tea with a view.
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Afternoon tea is huge in Tokyo, with diners shelling out nearly 90 billion yen each year to nibble scones and petit-fours. That means hotels go all-out to capture a slice of that market, offering regularly changing seasonal sets in plush lounges with enviable views. Some of my favorite venues are Janu Tokyo’s outdoor garden terrace, where Tokyo Tower dominates the scene, and the sky-high lounge at Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, whose classic elegance and endless scones keep me coming back.
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