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01
1 hr 30 min
Tokyo National Museum
東京国立博物館
Tokyo National Museum stands as Japan's oldest and largest museum. Established in 1872, it occupies grounds within Ueno Park in the Taito ward.
- Must see
- Museum
City guide · Japan
Tokyo
Tokyo is a network of major station districts rather than a single centre. Historic Asakusa and Ueno, commercial Ginza and Marunouchi, and the western hubs of S...
Photograph · Morio · CC BY-SA 3.0
22,518
Places
- Suggested stay
- 5-6 days
- Getting around
- JR, subway and private rail with an IC card
Turn this list into a plan
Set your days, your pace and the hours you actually want to be out. The planner works around closing days and travel time, and leaves room to eat.
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
Tokyo is a network of major station districts rather than a single centre. Historic Asakusa and Ueno, commercial Ginza and Marunouchi, and the western hubs of Shinjuku and Shibuya each work as separate sightseeing clusters. Rail makes movement reliable, but large stations and cross-city transfers consume time. A good itinerary stays on one side of the city for half a day and uses the Yamanote loop, subway lines and through-running rail services to connect clusters.
Checked 2026-08-26
Practical information
- Language spoken
- Japanese
- National practical orientation; regional and minority languages may also be used
- Dialling code
- +81
- International calling code; local area and mobile prefixes still apply
- Currency
- Japanese yen (JPY)
- Use the official local currency; card acceptance varies by place
- Emergency number
- 110 police · 119 fire and ambulance
- Use only for an emergency; tourist assistance may use a separate number
- Plug type
- Type A · 100 V
- Check that chargers support the recorded voltage before using an adapter
- Tap water
- Safe from the mains
- JNTO states that tap water is safe to drink
Planning a visit
September · September in Tokyo has JMA's 1991–2020 Kanto normal of 1.2 typhoon approaches. This is a route-planning risk, but the local monthly normal is below a severe-disruption threshold; the month remains NEUTRAL with a weather fallback.
- January: viable with meaningful trade-offs
- February: viable with meaningful trade-offs
- March: good time to visit
- April: best time to visit
- May: best time to visit
- June: good time to visit
- July: viable with meaningful trade-offs
- August: viable with meaningful trade-offs
- September: viable with meaningful trade-offs — current month
- October: good time to visit
- November: best time to visit
- December: viable with meaningful trade-offs
- Best time
- Good time
- Viable with trade-offs
- Difficult conditions
Sources
- worldweather.wmo.int Checked 2026-08-28
- www.data.jma.go.jp Checked 2026-08-28
Top things to see
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
Filter the list
20 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
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02 1 hr 30 minteamLab Borderless
teamLab Borderless Museum
teamLab Borderless is a digital art museum in Tokyo created by the interdisciplinary art collective teamLab. The permanent installation occupies a substantial indoor space and presents immersive artworks that dissolve boundaries between visitor and art, and between individual works.
- Must see
- Museum
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03 1 hr 30 minteamLab Planets TOKYO DMM.com
チームラボ プラネッツ
teamLab Planets TOKYO is a digital art museum operated by the art collective teamLab in the Toyosu district of Tokyo. The immersive installation invites visitors to walk barefoot through various spaces where digital artworks respond to human presence.
- Must see
- Museum
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04 1 hr 30 minEdo-Tokyo Museum
江戸東京博物館
The Edo-Tokyo Museum is a history museum in Tokyo dedicated to the history and culture of the city from the Edo period through to modern times.
- Must see
- Museum
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05 1 hr 30 minNational Museum of Western Art
国立西洋美術館
The National Museum of Western Art, known in Japanese as 国立西洋美術館, is an art museum in Tokyo dedicated to Western art. It is located in Ueno Park, a cultural district in the northern part of central Tokyo.
- Must see
- Museum
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06 1 hr 30 minMori Art Museum
森美術館
The Mori Art Museum is a contemporary art museum located in Tokyo, Japan. Its local name is 森美術館. The museum is situated within the Roppongi Hills complex, a major urban development in the Minato ward.
- Must see
- Museum
How the city is laid out
Central Tokyo is easiest to understand as an east-west sequence. Asakusa, Ueno and Yanaka carry much of the older city; Tokyo Station, Marunouchi, Nihonbashi and Ginza form the central business and shopping core; Shibuya, Harajuku and Shinjuku anchor the west. Roppongi and Akasaka sit between those spines, while Odaiba lies across the bay. The wider metropolis extends well beyond the central wards, so Mt Takao, western Tokyo and island destinations belong to separate day plans rather than a central-city route.
Checked 2026-08-26
Getting around
Use rail for nearly every cross-city journey. Tokyo Metro operates nine lines and Toei operates four subway lines, alongside JR and private railways; a rechargeable IC card removes most ticketing friction across operators. The subway alone covers more than 280 stations, but JR passes do not cover Tokyo Metro or Toei services. Trains generally stop around midnight, so late-night plans need a route check. Inside a district, walking is usually faster than making a one-stop transfer through a very large station.
Checked 2026-08-26
Common questions
How many days does Tokyo need?
Five to six days suit a first visit. Four days can cover the main eastern, central and western clusters, while extra days allow slower neighbourhood exploration or a separate trip to western Tokyo.
When is the best time to visit Tokyo?
Spring and autumn usually give the most comfortable walking weather. Peak blossom and foliage periods can be crowded, so the broader March-May and October-November windows are more useful than targeting one forecasted week.
Do visitors need a rail pass inside Tokyo?
Usually not. A rechargeable IC card is simpler because Tokyo journeys may involve JR, Tokyo Metro, Toei and private railways. A JR pass does not cover the two subway operators.
Does Tokyo public transport run all night?
No. The official Tokyo guide notes that last trains are commonly between about 23:30 and 00:30, with first services around 05:00. Check the final connection before a late evening across town.
Which districts should be combined?
Pair Asakusa with Ueno, Marunouchi with Ginza, and Shibuya with Harajuku. Shinjuku can fill its own half day. Grouping nearby station districts reduces transfers through large hubs.