Tokyo, district by district

Tokyo isn't visited like a city — it's visited like a constellation of villages.

Each district has its own mood, its own hours, its own local specialty — and crossing them without a geographic plan just hands your days over to the Yamanote Line. This guide is organised by zone: start in the north at sunrise, drift west as night falls.

North — the Tokyo of old

Asakusa · Ueno · Ryogoku

The most history-laden part of the capital: century-old shopping streets, shrines, and the Skytree's silhouette watching over the Sumida river.

Temples & old town

Asakusa

The district to start everything with. Walk up Nakamise-dori, the shopping street leading straight to the temple, snacking on a taiyaki along the way, before reaching Senso-ji and its Kaminari-mon thunder gate. Just behind it, the quieter — and equally free — Asakusa-jinja shrine.

Senso-ji · free
Interior 6am–5pm
Nakamise 9am–7pm
Skytree from ¥1,000

Retro theme park Hanayashiki (10am–6pm) for a vintage break
Kappabashi street, the kitchenware district
A Sumida river cruise aboard the Hotaluna water bus, designed by Leiji Matsumoto, out to Odaiba or Toyosu
Tokyo Skytree (634m) via the Azuma-bashi bridge — two observation decks, Fast Ticket from ¥3,200

Where to eat in Asakusa

Grilled unagi at Chikaraya or Irokawa
Tempura at Tempura Kondo or Daikokuya
Soba at Towada
Kamiya Bar — the Denki Bran, a cocktail dating to 1880
Ningyo-yaki pastries sold around the temple
Kura Sushi, all-you-can-eat conveyor-belt sushi

Museums & park

Ueno

Ueno Park brings together the major national museums and 17th-century temples: Kaneiji, Kiyomizu Kannon, and the picturesque Benten-do, set on the lily-covered Shinobazu pond.

Temples · free
9am–5pm
Zoo ¥600

Ameyoko market alleys for street food — takoyaki, yakitori
Panda-shaped dango to snack on along the way
Free zoo entry on March 20, May 4 and October 1

The sumo district

Ryogoku

The Kokugikan, opened in 1985, hosts the six annual grand sumo tournaments in front of 11,000 spectators — easy to combine with the Edo-Tokyo Museum right next door.

6 tournaments a year
11,000 seats

Centre — otaku, luxury & empire

Akihabara · Ginza · Marunouchi

Three faces that couldn't be more different sit side by side here: Akihabara's electronics and pop culture, Ginza's polish, and the quiet power of the Imperial Palace.

Pop culture & electronics

Akihabara

The district of otaku culture, manga and electronics — it's easy to lose an entire day here between the floors of stores and the maid cafés.

Yodobashi Camera, a multi-storey temple to technology
Don Quijote ("Donki") for just about everything, at rock-bottom prices
Super Potato, a retro video game paradise (11am–8pm, 10am on weekends)
Mandarake and Radio Kaikan, world references for manga and collectible figures
Kanda Myojin shrine and Koishikawa Korakuen garden, two calm breaks nearby

Shopping & dining

Ginza

Tokyo's answer to Fifth Avenue — best saved for an evening out. Early in the morning, head to the outdoor Tsukiji market for sushi and tempura.

Tsukiji 5am–2pm
Closed Sundays

Department stores: Ginza Wako, Mitsukoshi, Matsuya
Kabuki-za, the national kabuki theatre
A 12-storey Uniqlo on the main Chuo-dori avenue

Where to eat in Ginza

Marutake Honten — tamagoyaki served on a stick, in the heart of Tsukiji

The imperial heart

Marunouchi

The Imperial Palace, built in 1888, can't be toured but is best admired from its moats — the Nijubashi bridge offers the most famous angle. The East Gardens (Kokyo Higashi Gyoen), however, are open to the public.

East Gardens · free
9am–4:30pm (5pm in summer)

Tokyo Station, an 1914 brick landmark
The Tokyo International Forum, a glass vessel designed by Rafael Viñoly

West — the Tokyo that never sleeps

Shibuya · Shinjuku · Harajuku

The city's most photogenic trio: giant crossings, neon, skyscrapers and street fashion. Best saved for the end of your day.

The world's crossing

Shibuya

The world's most famous pedestrian crossing is best admired from above — from the Starbucks in Tokyu Plaza or the observation decks of Shibuya Scramble Square. Down below, the Hachiko statue honours the dog who waited nine years for his owner.

Sky Shibuya 9am–11pm
¥2,000 (¥1,800 online)
Rooftop deck at 230m

Center Gai and Koen-dori for streetwear
Shibuya 109, ten floors of fashion (10am–9pm)
Parco and its Pokémon Center

Where to eat in Shibuya

Ice Monster, snow-like shaved ice
Flipper's, soufflé pancakes in Jinnan
Maidreamin' maid café, for the experience

Gardens by day, neon by night

Shinjuku

Two opposite moods just a few streets apart: Shinjuku Gyoen garden with its three garden styles on one side; Kabuki-cho, its giant Godzilla, and the maze of Golden Gai — over 200 tiny bars — on the other.

Gyoen 7am–6pm · ¥500
City Hall observation decks · free
Golden Gai from 7pm

Omoide Yokocho for a yakitori dinner in a postwar-era alley
A 243m view from the Metropolitan Government's twin towers, lit up at night
Department stores: Isetan, Takashimaya, Odakyu

Where to eat in Shinjuku

Sushiro, conveyor-belt sushi with playful screens
Mugiemon, ramen with three noodle textures
Suzuya, tonkatsu with a view

Sacred & kawaii

Harajuku

Meiji-jingu shrine, with its tribute sake barrels and its cocoon of Yoyogi forest, contrasts sharply with the buzz of Takeshita-dori and its giant crepes. Omotesando, "Japan's Champs-Élysées," closes the loop on the luxury side.

Meiji-jingu · free
Dawn to sunset

Kiddy Land for Hello Kitty, Pokémon and Disney characters
Oriental Bazaar, traditional souvenirs (closed Thursdays)
Ōta Museum (ukiyo-e) and Nezu Museum for a quieter moment

South — the bay & the heights

Odaiba · Shiodome · Roppongi

Man-made islands, observation towers and contemporary art: the city's most futuristic face, set on the water.

The island of the future

Odaiba & Toyosu

Cross the Rainbow Bridge (798m, lit up at night) to reach the island of experiences: immersive digital art at TeamLab Planets, a life-size Gundam statue at DiverCity, and Tokyo's biggest fish market at Toyosu.

TeamLab 10am–8pm (9am on weekends)
Gundam RX-78-2 · free

The orange icon

Shiodome & Shimbashi

Zojo-ji, a temple founded in 1393 and the burial ground of the Tokugawa shoguns, stands at the foot of Tokyo Tower — 333m of steel inspired by the Eiffel Tower, dazzling at night.

Zojo-ji · free
Temple 6am–5:30pm
Tower 9am–10:30pm

Art & skyline

Roppongi

Roppongi Hills, a city within the city since 2003, announces itself with Louise Bourgeois's monumental spider. Atop Mori Tower: the Mori Art Museum and the Tokyo City View observatory at 238m, with Mount Fuji in sight on a clear day.

City View at 238m
Open-air Sky Deck

Where to eat in Roppongi

Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu — the restaurant that inspired Kill Bill

Tell us when, we'll tell you where.

That's the Les Voyagistes principle: tell us your dates, and we'll reveal the destinations that are in perfect season — Tokyo is often one of them.

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Twelve districts, four points of the compass — and always a reason to come back.