Tokyo. It’s one of the coolest, cleanest, safest, stylish-est cities on this planet. Every year they celebrate the the blooming of their cherry trees (Sakura). For my thirtieth birthday I was in Tokyo for the start of Sakura. It was electric. It was magical. I hope to one day be in Tokyo for the peak bloom. A couple of years ago we were in Tokyo for the fall colors. Spectacular! But no matter when you are in Tokyo, it is an amazing city and you’re sure to have an amazing time. Tokyo is big, too big for me to put together an itinerary, but not too big for me to share some highlights from our trips. We waited until our kiddos were a little older to explore this city, and found it to be very family friendly for tweens and teens.
We’re not locals, and we’re by no means experts. Our list isn’t exhaustive, and we tend to play to our strengths and interests, so please continue to do your own research. This list is just a collection of what we enjoyed, but every time we’re in Japan we discover something new and wonderful because there is just so much that is wonderful and amazing in this country. With that in mind, let’s talk about the sights, food, and shopping that makes Tokyo so very special.
Lodging, Logistics, & Transportation
But first let’s get the logistics out of the way. Both times we’ve been to Tokyo we flew into the Narita airport and came by rail to Asakusa. This is a fantastic district with lots to see and do during the day and quiet, restful nights. Asakusa has an express metro to and from the airport, which is wonderfully convenient and worth waiting for/paying for IMO. Navigating public transit in Japan is easy, affordable, safe, and a good time. Some of the interior metro cars were pink! There are kawaii (cute) signs everywhere. No matter where you end up staying in Tokyo, know that getting to the other wards and districts via public transit is a snap.
This is the last hotel we stayed in when we traveled as a family in 2023. It was everything we needed and right around the corner from a metro stop and a 7-Eleven. The Japanese are true tech enthusiasts. So Google maps and Google translate are your friends when you are visiting, and are very accurate/up to date. Finding English speaking locals is easy too, but utilizing google translate is something that several locals did when we had a question at a train station or historic site. After a bow and a few of the nicities, (“Hi. Excuse me, please.” Kon’nichiwa. Shitsureishimasu.) don’t be afraid to use your phone if you need to.
Good manners go a long way no matter where you are in the world, but it is helpful to know how good manners vary from place to place when you travel. It’s a great idea to review Japanese Etiquette before you travel to Tokyo, one, because you will be able to appreciate how it serves everyone in this bustling city when you see it in action, and two, you’ll feel like less of a flopping, spluttering fish out of water. Lots of Japanese etiquette is universal. Other etiquette is delightful and unique.
Food
Tokyo Bananas are an omiyage institution, and they are life itself. They come in different flavors. Sometimes there are even special editions. I make it a point to buy the first box I see when I arrive in Tokyo, and we always bring many boxes back for family and friends. If a twinkie was fancy, filled with banana cream, lovingly made, and had no preservatives in it, you’d have the beginnings of a Tokyo Banana. There is of course alchemy at work that I will never understand, but I do appreciate whenever I eat one. Which is only when I’m in Japan, because they don’t have a long enough shelf life to ship internationally.
There’s a delightfully delicious restaurant chain called Coco Ichibanya that saved us when we were hungry, exhausting and needing a reset after navigating Tokyo Station. In Harry Potter there is a Room of Requirement, and that’s the type of magic I’m talking about here. I googled Coco Ichi. There was one only a few blocks from the station (there’s a lot of them so chances are you’ll always be within striking distances of one too). We found it, and had a wonderful, delicious sit down meal.
If you’ve never done Yakiniku, put it on your list of must-dos. These are the steakhouses of Japan with a fun twist. You grill the meet at your table over a basket of hot coals. Now, many yakinikus have clever heating/grilling elements built into the tables, but I will never forget the first time we went to one and our waiter brought out the metal basket of hot red coals and dropped it into the hole in the middle of our table. At a yakiniku you order portions of bite sized raw meat and vegetables and grill it to your liking. It’s the communal joy of fondue crossed with all the yumminess of BBQ. Other dishes like fresh salad, rice, and noodles often accompany the grill experience. Really yummy sea food is also an option for pescatarians. Come hungry and plan on spending some time because you won’t want to rush the experience.
If meat is not your thing, consider an Okonomiyaki restaurant instead. Here you make savory Japanese pancakes with whatever add ins your heart desires. Cabbage, sprouts, green onions, and tempura are often typical. Mixing in meat and seafood is also an option. Topping with okonomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayo is also typical and delicious.
Taiyaki, the fish-shaped waffles stuffed with sweet custard (pictured above), are one of our favorite street foods. We found ours in the food market near the Sensoji Temple, but they’re easy to find everywhere. Trying one with the traditional anko, read bean paste, filling is also fun!
I’ve blogged at length about the Kirby Cafe. I highly recommend it even if you aren’t a Kirby fan because the level of kawaii and presentation was unbelievable. And of course it was yummy. Mr. Donuts is popular in my family too. Sushi, ramen, and most unique Kit-Kat flavors are food quests worth having in Tokyo. Lean into what brings you joy and know you can find it in Tokyo.
Before I move on to the sights of Tokyo, I need to mention one last restaurant chain. Sweets Paradise is a total vibe. I learned about it from the movie Poison Berry in My Brain, and decided I needed to experience it. The concept is simple: an all you can eat dessert buffet that also has a pasta bar. But you don’t go for the food, which is average. You go to live your best J-Pop loving, anime obsessed life, and hope that the collab they are currently running aligns with your fandoms. Or you go to console yourself because you will never be Japanese, and you don’t know when you will return to this amazing place. Reservations are required, and it has been our experience that some locations are cooler than others.
Sights
The Studio Ghibli Museum is a bit of a hike from Tokyo, so we turned it into a day trip. It is worth experiencing, particularly if you’ve enjoyed any of their films. Here you experience the artistry, passion, and joy that created masterpieces like Howl’s Moving Castle, The Boy and the Heron, and My Neighbor Totoro. It’s beautiful, emotional, and fun! The admission ticket to the museum, is also a movie ticket to see the daily film in the museum’s theater. Photos and videos are not permitted inside the museum itself, which means the experience becomes more immersive. Snapping pics outside on the grounds is totally okay, and I highly recommend you do! While it took us a metro, train, and bus ride to get to the museum, it was an easy journey. Advanced reservations are required and can be made on their website.
The Meiji Shrine is beautiful and iconic. It’s an oasis of nature is a bustling, tomorrow-land of a city. If you’re lucky, you might see a bride and groom posing for pictures or maybe a fun temporary exhibit. They had one of bonsais the last time we visited. It was amazing.
At some point in your adventure you should try to get a view of what Tokyo looks like from above. At the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building you can do this for free. And if you are lucky, you can enjoy some live music while you are taking in the view. There’s a piano and queue for anyone who wants to play for five minute stretches. And oh my goodness, the excellence of what we heard was as jaw-dropping as the views. Even if it isn’t a clear day and you can’t see Mount Fuji, seeing a view of Tokyo from above is pretty awe inspiring.
The Trent family are all suckers for a beautiful landscapes. Ueno Park is gorgeous in the spring and a great place to take in cherry blossoms. If you are headed to Tokyo in the fall (or really any time of year), the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is beautiful. When we were in Tokyo last, there was an art installation organized by NAKED at Shinjuku Gyoen. They illuminated the entire park at night with an autumn light festival (see the photo at the top of this blog post). It was magical. I’m not sure if it will happen again, but we highly recommend doing a little research because you never know what stars will align when you visit Tokyo.
I mentioned that we tried a Shiba Inu cafe in my Kyoto post, but our experience at this Cat Cafe in Tokyo was iconic. It’s not a cafe I would have picked from a line up, but we headed there based on the recommendation of our concierge (“The friendliest kitties!”). It was everything you hope a cat cafe experience will entail, adorable and affectionate feline friends. We miss our kitty so much when we travel, so spending a morning with some friendly locals goes a long way.
I mentioned above that Asakusa is our favorite district to stay in when we are in Tokyo. One of the reasons it’s ideal is that it is home of the Sensō-ji Temple. Here you will not only find the oldest temple in Tokyo, but many delicious things to eat and lots of locals enjoying the moment in traditional attire. The people and pet watching is fantastic, and the photo ops are many!
Shibuya Crossing is the Time Square of Tokyo and there is a famous statue of the Akita dog Hachikō that makes for epic photos. I was told once that it’s good manners to avoid Shibuya Crossing during rush hours, ditto with other public transportation in Tokyo. As this is the busiest pedestrian intersection in the world, seeing it during off peak hours is a good idea for lots of reasons. Better photo ops with Hachikō of course being one of them.
Shopping
The mall adjacent to the Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Solamachi, is so much fun, and it’s the location of the Kirby Cafe and the Kirby Cafe store. People watching, shopping, dining, all can be had right here. On our last trip, there was even a pop up Studio Ghibli store. Swoon! If you aren’t searching for something specific, and just want to do some casual shopping/browsing, I recommend heading here. It’s indoors, popular, and has something for everyone.
Ginza is where you will find high-end luxury. It’s totally sophisticated and inspiring to walk around this district. We didn’t head to Ginza when we were in Tokyo last, but this is a photo I snapped of a store that I thought was jaw-droppingly beautiful when we came for Sakura in 2016. Also, Tokyo Bananas makes a beautiful and delicious Ginza Strawberry Cake. If you see a box, indulge!
Gashapon are highly collectible capsule toys, and in Tokyo you can find gashapon warehouses with literally thousands of the machines to choose from. We went on a quest to the biggest gashapon warehouse that we could find, and it happened to be in a mall that was holding a J-Pop concert. It was a magical, unforgettable moment. I particularly loved how one of the bandmates was wearing a caplet. While I can’t guarantee that you’ll stumble upon a live concert in your search of gashapon, I can say with absolute certainty that there are many magical, unforgettable moments that happen daily for anyone traveling in Japan.
Akihabara is the known electronics district. It’s fantastic to go at night and see the lights and peruse the famous Yodobashi Akiba. Lots of fun anime/manga/fandom shopping abounds in this district. Japan does both minimalist and maximalist aesthetics really well, and you get the maximalist in Akihabara. The stores have floor to ceiling displaces utilizing every square inch of space, and are often half dozen stories tall. Models, toys, collectibles that are overwhelming in their detail are everywhere you look. A night here is lots of fun to experience, but it is also good to balance out some of this maximal with minimal experiences across your Tokyo adventure.
The Nintendo and Pokémon Stores should not be missed and there are lots to choose from in Tokyo. I’m pretty sure we hit every last one on our 2023 trip. Inventory is consistent throughout, but there is just enough variation to make the chase worthy of superfans.
7-Elevens in Japan are exquisite. If you need an umbrella, a magazine for your train ride (Can Cam is my daughter’s favorite), a kawaii snack, or a quick meal, don’t hesitate to stop at a 7-Eleven. The last time I was in a 7-Eleven in Tokyo, I bought a bowl of noodles, which my checker politely asked if he could reheat for me before he bagged it. I walked back to my hotel where I enjoyed a delicious, steaming bowl of beef udon. Also, if you are out adventuring and nature calls, the 7-Eleven restrooms are impeccably clean and like the rest of Japan include heated toilet seats and bidets. I’ve never felt more civilized.
Tokyo is an amazing city. I can’t wait to hear about your adventures there. It’s also very quick and easy to get to other parts of Japan from there, so if you go consider at the very least heading over to Kyoto by the Shinkansen, bullet train. If you missed my Kyoto post, you can find it here.
And if you are curious about a city that we highly recommend for families with children of all ages, I’m going to be sharing my guide to London for Littles next month. Until then, happy travels!
(All photos in this post were taken by me, Amy Trent, and may be used with permission. Just reach out via my contact form.)