6 Days: Tokyo and Beyond
Six days turns Tokyo from a highlight reel into an actual understanding of the region, three full days in the city itself and three day trips that show you how differently the rest of Japan moves. This builds on the 5-day itinerary by adding Nikko; round the trip out to a full week with the 7-day version , which closes with Yokohama.
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | Shinjuku and Shibuya: free observatories, the Scramble, Meiji Shrine |
| 2 | Asakusa, Ueno and Akihabara: Senso-ji, the National Museum, electronics |
| 3 | Harajuku, Omotesando and Ginza, plus teamLab Borderless in the evening |
| 4 | Day trip to Kamakura: the Great Buddha and a beach town |
| 5 | Day trip to Hakone: ropeway, Lake Ashi cruise, Mt Fuji views |
| 6 | Day trip to Nikko: the UNESCO-listed Toshogu Shrine |
Book these before you go
- teamLab Borderless: book ahead on GetYourGuide .
- A Hakone day tour or Free Pass: check current tours on Viator .
- A guided Nikko day trip: browse options on GetYourGuide if you’d rather not plan the Tobu transfer yourself.
- Six nights on the Yamanote loop: compare rates on Agoda .
Land and tap in before day 1
Choose Haneda over Narita if your flight allows it, the monorail or Keikyu Line gets you into the city in under 20 minutes instead of the hour-plus from Narita. Load Welcome Suica Mobile onto your phone before you fly (free, no counter line) or grab a physical Welcome Suica on arrival. One card runs every train, bus, and vending machine for the rest of the trip.
Day 1: Shinjuku and Shibuya
Base yourself in Shinjuku or Shibuya, both sit on the Yamanote Line loop. Start at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building’s free observatories, a skyline view that rivals Skytree for zero yen, plus a nightly light show on the east facade. Ride the loop to Shibuya, cross the Scramble , and grab lunch at a yakitori counter in Nonbei Yokocho. Afternoon is Meiji Shrine ’s quiet forest near Harajuku Station, and evening winds down through Golden Gai’s shoebox bars back in Shinjuku.
Day 2: Asakusa, Ueno and Akihabara
Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa is free, and Nakamise shopping street on the approach earns the crowd for the snacks alone. Ueno Park follows, the Tokyo National Museum and a walk around Shinobazu Pond filling the late morning. Spend the afternoon in Akihabara’s electronics shops and multi-floor arcades, then close with a conveyor-belt sushi dinner, ¥1,500 to 2,500 for a full meal.
Day 3: Harajuku, Omotesando and Ginza
Takeshita Street’s fashion and crepes fill the morning, then Omotesando’s calmer, upscale stretch takes over. The Imperial Palace East Garden is free and genuinely peaceful in early afternoon. Book ahead for teamLab Borderless at Azabudai Hills in the evening, it reopened here in 2024 after the original Odaiba site closed, tickets ¥3,600 to 5,600.
Day 4: Day Trip to Kamakura
The JR Yokosuka Line covers the roughly hour-long ride from Tokyo or Shinagawa. The open-air Great Buddha at Kotoku-in, hillside temples, and a real beach town make for an easy, unrushed day.
Day 5: Day Trip to Hakone
The Odakyu Romancecar from Shinjuku takes about 90 minutes, and the Hakone Free Pass bundles the round-trip train, the Tozan railway and bus, the ropeway, and a pirate-ship cruise across Lake Ashi into one ticket, roughly ¥7,100 for two days. Owakudani and the lake both offer Mt Fuji views on a clear day, weather permitting.
Day 6: Day Trip to Nikko
The Tobu Limited Express from Asakusa covers the roughly two-hour ride, and Toshogu Shrine alone deserves a full day, this UNESCO-listed complex is dense with ornate carvings and mausoleum halls that reward slow walking, not a rushed pass-through. Don’t try to bolt anything else onto this day, Nikko earns the whole thing.
By now you’ve done the math on transit without even trying, and here’s the opinion that math backs up: skip the nationwide JR Pass even with three separate day trips on the schedule. At roughly ¥50,000 for seven days, it only pencils out on a long-haul round trip, something like Tokyo to Hiroshima and back within the week. Kamakura, Hakone, and Nikko each cost a fraction of that on individual tickets plus your IC card for local hops, and you keep the flexibility to add or drop a day trip without losing money on an unused pass.
Where to stay
Shinjuku or Shibuya works well as a single base for all six days, both sit on the Yamanote loop and both put you close to the Romancecar, Yokosuka Line, and Tobu Limited Express departure points.
Is Nikko worth a full day on top of Kamakura and Hakone?
Yes, and it needs the full day rather than a rushed add-on. Toshogu Shrine’s carvings and mausoleum halls reward slow walking, and the two-hour Tobu Limited Express ride each way already eats a chunk of the day before you’ve seen a single gate. Don’t try to combine it with anything else.
Things to know before you land
Tipping isn’t customary in Japan and can genuinely confuse staff if attempted. Carry some yen anyway, since smaller shops, older izakayas, and shrine stalls still prefer cash over cards. And with the yen sitting weak against the dollar, near or above ¥160 lately, this is a genuinely good window to be spending here.
Six days, three day trips, one IC card the entire way. Book teamLab and your Hakone Free Pass before you fly, and give Nikko the full day it deserves. Pack comfortable shoes too, between the city loop and three train trips out of it, you’ll rack up more walking than you expect, and the last thing you want on Toshogu’s stone steps is a blister slowing you down.
Official references: Go Tokyo , JR East , Hakone Navi , and Nikko’s official tourism site for Toshogu Shrine hours and seasonal closures.