Tokyo 5 Days Itinerary

A little introduction about Tokyo before the itinerary. Firstly, it’s Japan biggest metropolitan cities with more than 13 million population. Secondly, it has the most Michelin stars restaurants compare to other cities in the world. Thirdly, it was ranked one of the safest cities in the world. Lastly, it is the host country for the 2020 Summer Olympics games. So definitely worth paying a trip to this wonderful and exciting city. The following itinerary was our family trip of four ( two adults and two school-going kids) from late November to early December.

DAY 1

Ueno Park – museums and park
Akihabara

Ueno Park

After breakfast, we took the subway train to Ueno Station to get our first taste of Tokyo. When we exited the station, it was full of people. It was a Sunday and apparently, Tokyoites like to spend time going to the park during weekends. So if you do not like crowds, then avoid going there during weekends.

Ueno Park had come to live with lots of locals and visitors during the weekends. We saw people strolling, children playing chase, locals wearing traditional Japanese costumes and enjoying a dance, artists showing off their masterpieces and more. We could easily stay here for two hours if time permitted.

National Museum of Nature and Science

There are permanent and special exhibitions here at this museum. However, we decided to just visit the permanent exhibitions due to time and budget constraints. What you can find in this museum is the evolution of life on earth such as the specimen of mammal, bird, insects, sea creatures and etc, the progress of science and technology, the evolution of Japanese people and culture and nature of Japanese islands. Among all the exhibits, the most eye-catching items are the big telescope and the skeleton of Futabasaurus.

The National Museum of Western Art

This museum features paintings and sculptures from the 18th century to early 20th centuries in its permanent exhibitions. Some of the famous artists featured here are Monet, Delacroix, Manet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Picasso, Miro etc. Art lovers should not miss this museum with a wide collection of paintings and sculptures.

Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum

Another art museum to go to. This one had a special exhibition of Edvard Munch‘s famous painting The Scream and a few more of his paintings during our visit. Just like you thought, there were lots of eager art enthusiasts and visitors queuing patiently waiting to see these paintings. However, the wait was not long and we got to see the famous paintings and many more. Despite this being a special exhibition with limited time only, there are other permanent exhibitions that are worth your time to see.

Optionals

We were not able to visit these places when we were in Ueno. But if you do have time, you can check them out.

Tokyo National Museum
The Ueno Royal Museum
Ueno Zoological Garden – this should be the kids’ favourite

Akihabara

The town of techies and otaku where you can find lots of electronic gadgets, favourite comics and mangas, maid cafes, arcades etc. On Sunday, a certain section of the streets was made car-free, so you can walk on the street and take plenty of photos. We spent the whole afternoon walking and shopping here.

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DAY 2

Shibuya
Shinjuku

Shibuya

Shibuya is where you can find the Japanese pop culture, trend-setting fashion and art, modern lifestyle shopping and a wide selection of hip bars and pet cafes. Experience the chaotic scrambling of Shibuya Crossing, enjoy shopping at the global cutting-edge fashion malls like Shibuya 101 and Shibuya Hikarie, getting quirky souvenirs from Don Quijote, stroll down Omotesando street with international brands on both sides of the road, walking on the backstreet of Harajuku, enjoy a cup of coffee while petting the animals like cats and owls.

Shinjuku

A big transport hub and entertainment centre with modern skyscrapers. This is also a good place for accommodation. My recommendation for a hotel is Hundred Stay Tokyo Shinjuku. The popular landmarks in Shinjuku are the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office Building where you can get a splendid view of Tokyo city from its observation deck, shopping Takashimaya department store and try the a wide range of Japanese food at the basement food hall, visit one of the biggest lifestyle store Tokyo Hands that is next to Takashimaya, and last but not least, explore Tokyo nightlife at Kabuki-Cho entertainment district when the sun goes down. You can also visit the Robot Restaurant for a show that is mesmerising and colourful.

Click here to read about Hundred Stay Tokyo Shinjuku

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DAY 3

Day trip/overnight in Hakone

Hakone

This is a special day as we got to travel out of Tokyo to the nearby famous onsen town, Hakone, for a 2-day-1-night trip. You can make it a day trip if you decide not to stay overnight there. But my recommendation is to spend a night in a ryokan for onsen experience.

We travelled to Hakone by Odakyu Romance Car from Shinjuku Station. Please take note that Romance Car is a limited express train with reserved seating only.

Some of the highlights of Hakone are Lake Ashinoko, Hakone Open Air Museum, Hakone Checkpoint, Owakudani and onsen. Try the Hakone Tozan Train, Hakone Ropeway and Hakone Sightseeing cruise to enjoy the beauty of Hakone. If you travel during the spring or autumn season, you will get to see the beautiful cherry blossom or fall foliage during your visit. We were lucky to see the beautiful fall foliage when we were there in late November. If you are interested to try the various transportation modes in Hakone, then you should get yourself a Hakone Free Pass like I did.

Click here to find out about Hakone Free Pass

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If you are interested in staying overnight in Hakone and looking for a recommendation on the ryokan, then click here to read about my review on the ryokan that we stayed.

Tokyo Hotel Reviews

Click here to read about the ryokan in Hakone

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DAY 4

Sumida – Tokyo Skytree, Sumida Aquarium, Tokyo Solamachi
Asakusa

Tokyo Skytree

When visiting a city, the best way to view the whole city is to see from sky-high towers or buildings. Tokyo Skytree is the tallest self-standing broadcasting tower in the world. Here you can see the panoramic view of Tokyo city. There are interactive touch screen monitors you can use to magnify the places you want to see or the names of the buildings or structures. Check out the Tokyo Skytree entrance fees here.

Click here for check out Tokyo Skytree tickets

Sumida Aquarium

One of the best place to have family activities together if you are travelling with kids. Even if you are not travelling with kids, this also a good place to relax and acquire new knowledge about sea creatures. This aquarium has a wide range of jellyfish species and a research laboratory specialises in jellyfish and its habitat in Japan. In addition, the aquarium also features other sea creatures like penguins and fur seals. The kids will have a blast! You can check out the combo tickets for Tokyo Skytree and Sumida Aquarium here.

Click here for Tokyo Skytree and Sumida Aquarium Tickets

Tokyo Solamachi

A shopping mall next to the Sumida Station. What is special about this mall is there one whole floor dedicated to souvenir shopping. So if you are looking for gifts for family and friends back home, this is the best place to shop.

Asakusa

One of the most iconic landmarks in Tokyo, the Kaminarimon a.k.a Kaminari Gate, together with Sensoji Temple and Nakamise Shopping Street, make up of top attractions in Asakusa. You will find that there are always crowded whenever you go to Asakusa because it is that popular among tourists and locals.

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DAY 5

Imperial Palace
Odaiba
Ginza
Cooking Class

Imperial Palace

This Edo castle is currently the residence of the Japan royal family. Visitors are only allowed to visit the inner palace ground during special days. Even though we could not go into the inner ground of the palace, but the garden and the park are open to the public.

Odaiba

A modern shopping district and tourists hot spot on a man-made island. Here you will find dining, entertainment, retail shops and boldest architectural creations. Some of the main attractions are Rainbow Bridge, the replica of Statue of Liberty, Fuji TV building, life-sized Gundam statue, Toyota showroom, Ferris Wheel and teamLab Borderless Digital Art Museum.

Rainbow Bridge and Statue of Liberty replica

Ginza

The shopping haven, this upmarket shopping area has everything from big brand names, department stores to entertainment and Michelin star restaurants. Some of the examples of how unique Ginza is the Tsutaya Bookstore in Ginza Six has a wide collection of art books and magazines, a Nissan showroom displaying a few shiny sports cars, the world largest Uniqlo store which holds 12 floors of Uniqlo fashion items and accessories.

12-storey Uniqlo Tokyo flagship store in Ginza

Cooking Class

I know some people may not want to go shopping but instead of enjoying some new experiences or activities. My suggestion is to take up Japanese cooking classes while you are in Tokyo.

Have you heard of airKitchen? It is a website just like airbnb but instead of renting apartments or rooms, airKitchen offers us cooking classes from locals who would teach you to cook Japanese cuisine. At the end of the class, you get to sample your master creations together with the hosts/instructors and others. What a good way to get to know your hosts and others through cooking and eating! There is a wide variety of cooking classes such as preparing sashimi, making sushi, pan-fried gyoza, ramen noodle from scratch, anime characters lunchbox, homemade udon and many more.