Attraction
Senso-ji
Tokyo's oldest and most visited Buddhist temple, reached through the Kaminarimon gate and the shop-lined Nakamise approach in historic Asakusa.
Japan combines large modern cities with temples, gardens, mountains and hot springs, and it has one of the most efficient rail networks in the world. Tokyo, the capital, is where most visitors begin, with its districts, food and museums. Kyoto is known for its temples, shrines and traditional streets, and Osaka for street food and nightlife. Nara has free-roaming deer and large historic temples, while Hiroshima and nearby Miyajima are common stops further west. Hakone and the Mount Fuji area offer onsen and views of the mountain, and Hokkaido in the north is known for skiing and summer landscapes. Shinkansen bullet trains make it easy to combine several of these in one trip.
Attraction
Tokyo's oldest and most visited Buddhist temple, reached through the Kaminarimon gate and the shop-lined Nakamise approach in historic Asakusa.
Attraction
A major Shinto shrine dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, set in a large man-made forest beside Harajuku and Yoyogi Park.
Attraction
Japan's oldest national museum, founded in 1872, with a vast collection of Japanese and Asian art and archaeology across several galleries in Ueno Park.
Attraction
The public gardens of the Imperial Palace, laid out on the Honmaru and Ninomaru grounds of the former Edo Castle in central Tokyo.
Attraction
At 634 metres, Japan's tallest tower, with observation decks at 350 and 450 metres offering sweeping views across Tokyo and, on clear days, Mount Fuji.
Attraction
A 58-hectare national garden in Shinjuku combining Japanese, English landscape and French formal styles, famed for around 1,500 cherry trees.
Café
A Jimbocho roastery-café serving light-roasted, single-origin specialty coffee designed to bring out the character of each origin.
Café
An Omotesando coffee bean shop where baristas guide customers through a curated menu of beans from roasters in Japan and abroad.
Café
The Tokyo outpost of Oslo's Fuglen, opened in Tomigaya in 2012, serving its own roastery's light Nordic-style coffee near Yoyogi Park.
Hotel
A serene luxury hotel on the top floors of Otemachi Tower, pairing minimalist Japanese design with a spa, 30-metre pool and city views.
Hotel
A luxury hotel on a Yurakucho corner between Marunouchi and Ginza, with commanding city views towards the Imperial Palace grounds.
Hotel
A luxury hotel on the upper floors of Nihonbashi Mitsui Tower, with a spa and around ten restaurants and bars in historic Nihonbashi.
Hotel
A large mid-range hotel in the Shinjuku Toho Building, famous for the life-size Godzilla head looming over its terrace in the heart of Kabukicho.
Hotel
A stylish hotel steps from Senso-ji's Kaminarimon gate, with a terrace restaurant and bar looking out over Asakusa and Tokyo Skytree.
Hotel
A calm, modern Japanese-style hotel near Suidobashi Station, arranged around gardens, with French and Japanese restaurants facing its courtyard.
Bar
A tight grid of narrow lanes in Kabukicho holding around 300 tiny bars, many seating only a handful of drinkers, each with its own theme.
Bar
The SG Group's multi-level Shibuya cocktail bar, blending Japanese and Western drinking culture, with a casual ground floor and a moody basement.
Bar
The Tokyo outpost of New York's famous jazz club, hosting international and Japanese artists in an Aoyama supper-club setting with full dinner service.
Bar
A small, dark Ebisu cocktail bar opened in 2010, known for herbal drinks, absinthe and cocktails built around unusual ingredients and stories.
Bar
A well-known club in Shibuya's Maruyama-cho, hosting DJ-led events most nights of the week from late evening until dawn.
Restaurant
Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa's acclaimed Aoyama restaurant, serving a seasonal tasting menu built around Japanese ingredients, forests and the farming landscape.
Restaurant
Zaiyu Hasegawa's playful modern kaiseki restaurant in Jingumae, known for warm hospitality and a seasonal tasting menu with a sense of humour.
Restaurant
A long-established Ginza sushi house serving Edomae-style nigiri at the counter, part of a family business that has been running for around 90 years.
Restaurant
The original branch of Maisen, a Tokyo tonkatsu specialist founded in 1965, frying breaded pork cutlets famously tender enough to cut with chopsticks.
Restaurant
A sprawling, open-late izakaya in Nishi-Azabu with handmade soba, charcoal skewers and tempura, made internationally famous by a scene in Kill Bill.
Restaurant
The Ebisu branch of AFURI, the ramen shop named after Mount Afuri and known for its light, citrusy yuzu shio ramen.
Thing to do
The lively market streets that remained in Tsukiji after the wholesale fish market moved to Toyosu, packed with seafood stalls, knife shops and breakfast counters.
Thing to do
An open-air rooftop observation deck around 229 metres up on Shibuya Scramble Square, looking straight down on the famous Scramble Crossing.
Thing to do
Tokyo's principal kabuki theatre in Ginza, rebuilt in 2013 to a Kengo Kuma design, staging traditional performances most days of the month.
Thing to do
The national sumo arena in Ryogoku, hosting the January, May and September Grand Sumo Tournaments and a small free Sumo Museum.
Thing to do
A narrow post-war alley by Shinjuku Station's west exit, packed with around 60 tiny yakitori counters, izakaya and bars under glowing lanterns.
Tour operator
A Tokyo-registered travel agency founded in 2016, running guided food and culture tours such as a Shinjuku and Golden Gai evening food walk.
Tour operator
A Tokyo tour company running guided bar-hopping nights in Shinjuku, food tours, Tsukiji visits and cultural experiences such as sumo and samurai sessions.
Tour operator
Guided bicycle tours of Tokyo starting from Shinkawa, with themed half-day and full-day routes covering the bay, old Edo, backstreets and architecture.
Tour operator
Tokyo's long-established sightseeing bus company, running half-day, full-day, night and open-top tours plus day trips to Mount Fuji and Hakone.
Tour operator
A water bus service run by the Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association, cruising the Sumida River between Asakusa, Ryogoku and Odaiba under Rainbow Bridge.
Shinkansen bullet trains link most major cities quickly, and local trains and buses cover smaller towns. Rail passes can be good value for some itineraries, so compare them with individual tickets.
Spring, during cherry blossom season, and autumn, when the leaves change colour, are the most popular times. Summer is hot and humid, and winter is good for skiing in Hokkaido and the Japanese Alps.
Popular choices include Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Hakone, Kanazawa and Hokkaido.