Tokyo

Tokyo: How to Navigate a City That Makes Every Other City Feel Unfinished

From July 2026, Japan’s departure tax triples to JPY 3,000 (about EUR 16) per person for all travellers leaving by air or sea. The Japan Rail Pass price also increased in October 2025 by JPY 3,000 per pass. Japan is becoming slightly more expensive as a destination – though with the yen still relatively weak against most Western currencies in 2026, the overall cost advantage for international visitors remains. This matters less than the fact that Tokyo itself is preposterously good value for the quality of what you get.

Tokyo has 14 million residents in the city proper, 37 million in the greater metro area, and the lowest violent crime rate of any city its size on earth. The trains run to the second. The convenience stores – roughly 15,000 of them – are better stocked than most supermarkets elsewhere in the world. The food, at every price point, is extraordinary. If your first visit involves feeling genuinely unsettled by how functional a city can be, that’s a normal reaction. Most people leave wanting to move here.

Orientation

Tokyo is built around the looping JR Yamanote Line, a circular train route that takes about an hour to complete and strings together the neighbourhoods first-timers most want to see: Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya, Tokyo Station, Akihabara, and Ueno. Outside the loop: Asakusa and Senso-ji to the northeast, Odaiba on a man-made island to the south, and Kichijoji to the west.

Must-Visit

Shibuya Scramble Crossing: Up to 3,000 people crossing simultaneously under the neon at a single intersection. Watch from the second-floor Starbucks or, better, from Shibuya Sky – the open-air observation deck on top of Shibuya Scramble Square at sunset.

Senso-ji in Asakusa: Tokyo’s oldest temple, founded in 645. The giant red Kaminarimon Gate, the souvenir-lined Nakamise-dori leading to the main hall. Best at early morning or evening when the lanterns glow and the crowds thin.

teamLab Planets TOKYO: An immersive digital art experience in Toyosu where you walk barefoot through mirror-floored rooms filled with light and projection. Open until end of 2027; books out weeks ahead. Over 2.5 million visitors in 2025 – the numbers confirm the hype. teamLab Borderless at its new Azabudai Hills location is a separate experience with different rooms and a different logic.

Tokyo National Museum in Ueno: Japan’s most significant collection of Japanese art and artefacts, from Jomon-period pottery through Edo-period paintings. Less crowded than it deserves to be.

Meiji Jingu: A vast Shinto shrine in a 170-acre forest dedicated to Emperor Meiji, five minutes from the teen fashion chaos of Harajuku’s Takeshita-dori. The contrast between the two is a useful summary of Tokyo generally.

Tsukiji Outer Market: The wholesale tuna auctions moved to Toyosu, but the outer market retains dozens of small shops and stalls selling tamago on a stick, sea urchin, fresh tuna sashimi, and matcha ice cream. Arrive hungry and early.

Food

  • Ramen: Queue at Ichiran (customisable tonkotsu in single-seat booths), Ippudo, or local legends like Afuri for yuzu-salt
  • Sushi: From conveyor-belt (Genki, Uobei) to reverent counter experiences booking months ahead
  • Yakitori: The alleyways of Omoide Yokocho near Shinjuku Station for the charcoal version in a setting unchanged since the 1950s
  • Depachika: The food halls under major department stores like Isetan Shinjuku are stunning – the prepared foods sections alone justify the trip

Getting Around

Buy a Suica or PASMO IC card at any major station or add it to Apple Wallet for iPhones. Tap in and out on virtually all trains, metros, buses, and convenience stores. Avoid rush hours (7:30 to 9am and 5:30 to 7pm) where possible. A Japan Rail Pass is worthwhile only if you’re making multiple long-distance shinkansen journeys.

Practical Notes

Cash works everywhere and is still required at many small restaurants and shrines; Seven Bank ATMs at 7-Eleven and Japan Post accept foreign cards reliably. No tipping. Do not eat or drink while walking. Signage is in English throughout the transit system. Download Google Translate with Japanese OCR before you arrive – the camera-based translation works remarkably well and removes most of the restaurant-menu anxiety.

Get a Suica card at the airport, queue respectfully, eat everything. The city will do the rest.