5 Things to Do in Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo's oldest temple, founded in 645 AD, sits at the end of Nakamise-dori, a pedestrian street lined with shops selling traditional snacks, crafts, and souvenirs that leads up to the temple's massive red Kaminarimon ('Thunder Gate') lantern. The surrounding Asakusa neighborhood retains more of old Tokyo's low-rise, traditional character than almost anywhere else in the city, and a rickshaw ride through its backstreets is a good way to see beyond the main temple approach.

Good to know: Go at dawn to see the temple grounds without crowds, or in the evening after the shops close, when the temple itself stays lit and open but the crowds have thinned.

Shibuya Crossing is the busiest pedestrian intersection in the world, with up to 3,000 people crossing at once when the lights change — genuinely disorienting to experience at street level. For the view down onto it (and the rest of the city), Shibuya Sky's rooftop observation deck, open-air with no barriers overhead, is the best vantage point in the neighborhood, especially near sunset.

Good to know: Shibuya Sky requires a timed-entry ticket booked online in advance, and sunset slots sell out — book at least a few days ahead if you want that slot.

Meiji Shrine, dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shoken, sits inside a forested 170-acre park in the middle of the city — a genuinely calm, green space that feels far removed from Tokyo's density despite being minutes from Harajuku's Takeshita Street, one of the most concentrated pockets of youth fashion, crepe stands, and pop-culture shops in the country. The contrast between the two, a five-minute walk apart, is one of Tokyo's best one-two combinations.

Good to know: Visit the shrine first thing in the morning for the quietest experience, then walk into Harajuku as it wakes up around midday.

Though the main wholesale fish auctions moved to Toyosu in 2018, the Tsukiji Outer Market remains one of the best food destinations in the city — a dense grid of stalls selling fresh sushi, grilled seafood skewers, tamagoyaki, and knives and kitchenware from shops that have supplied Tokyo's restaurants for generations. It's the best place in the city for a grazing-style breakfast or lunch of genuinely top-tier seafood.

Good to know: Go early (before 10am) for the freshest food and shortest lines at the most popular stalls; most vendors are cash-only.

This immersive digital art museum — walked through barefoot, often wading through shallow water — uses projection, light, and sound across a series of large-scale installations to create environments that are as much physical experience as art exhibit. It's one of the most distinctly Tokyo things to do in the city: nothing else quite like it exists anywhere else in this form.

Good to know: Wear clothes you don't mind getting a little wet (shorts or a change of pants help), and book tickets online in advance — walk-up entry is not reliable.