Tokyo Travel Guide: A First-Timer's Complete Handbook
Tokyo will break your brain in the best possible way. Thirty-seven million people, the world's most complex train system, more Michelin-starred restaurants than any city on Earth, and a street-level humanity so courteous it makes you question everything you thought you knew about urban life.
I arrived at Shinjuku Station for the first time and stood in the middle of the concourse for ten minutes without moving. Two hundred exits, signs in Japanese and English, streams of people moving with purpose in every direction, a department store, a supermarket, and what appeared to be a small city built inside a transit hub. I had no idea which way was out.
A station attendant appeared at my elbow. "Can I help you?" Perfect English. She walked me to the correct exit, pointed toward my hotel, and bowed slightly as she returned to her post. I'd been in Tokyo for eleven minutes and I already wanted to live here.
That combination — overwhelming complexity managed with extraordinary grace — defines Tokyo. The city is the largest metropolitan area on Earth and functions with a precision that feels almost fictional. Trains arrive within seconds of their scheduled time. Streets are clean without visible effort. Customer service operates at a level that makes everywhere else seem rude by comparison.
But Tokyo isn't just efficient. It's one of the most creative, surprising, and genuinely fun cities in the world. The food alone — from three-Michelin-star kaiseki to a $6 bowl of ramen eaten standing at a counter at midnight — justifies the 14-hour flight.
Where to Eat in Tokyo
Ichiran Ramen has locations across Tokyo and is the perfect introduction to solo dining, Japanese-style — individual booths, a focus panel between you and the kitchen, and a bowl of tonkotsu ramen so good it's been studied by food scientists. Around ¥1,000 / $7 USD per bowl.
Tsukiji Outer Market (the wholesale fish market moved but the outer market remains) opens at 5am and serves the freshest sushi breakfast in the world. A set of fatty tuna, sea urchin, and salmon roe on rice costs ¥2,000-3,000 / $13-20. Standing stools at a counter. No better breakfast exists.
Katz's? No — Sukiyabashi Jiro Honten is the most celebrated sushi counter in the world — the subject of Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Reservations require a Japanese-speaking intermediary and months of notice, but the Roppongi branch is more accessible. Around ¥40,000 / $270 for the omakase. A once-in-a-lifetime meal.
Depachika — the basement food halls of any major Tokyo department store (Isetan in Shinjuku, Mitsukoshi in Ginza) — are some of the greatest food spaces on earth. Budget ¥1,500-2,500 / $10-17 for an extraordinary assembled meal.
Any standing ramen or soba counter near a train station. This is how Tokyo actually eats at lunch — standing, efficient, extraordinary. Budget ¥700-1,200 / $5-8.
Where to Stay in Tokyo
Budget (under ¥8,000 / $55/night): Capsule hotels in Shinjuku or Asakusa are a Tokyo experience in themselves — private pods with surprisingly good sleep quality from ¥4,000-6,000 / $27-40/night. Nine Hours in Shinjuku is the best-designed capsule hotel in the city.
Mid-range (¥15,000-25,000 / $100-170/night): Shinjuku Granbell Hotel has stylish rooms, a great location, and breakfast included at ¥18,000-22,000 / $120-150/night. In Asakusa, Kaminarimon Hotel offers the best value in a traditional neighbourhood setting.
Splurge (¥60,000+ / $400+/night): Aman Tokyo occupies the top six floors of Otemachi Tower with views across the Imperial Palace gardens to Mount Fuji on clear days. The onsen bath in a room overlooking the city skyline is one of the great hotel experiences on Earth.
Top Things to Do in Tokyo
Get lost in Shinjuku at night. The neon labyrinth of Kabukicho, the intimate bars of Golden Gai (200 tiny bars in an area the size of a city block), and the department store towers create an urban experience unlike anywhere on Earth. Start at 9pm and keep walking.
Visit Tsukiji and Toyosu early. The 5am tuna auction at Toyosu Fish Market requires advance reservation ($15 USD) but is worth every effort — the scale and speed of the auction is extraordinary. The surrounding restaurant strip serves breakfast sushi to the market workers.
Spend a day in Yanaka. The old shitamachi neighbourhood that survived both the 1923 earthquake and World War II bombing. Traditional shotengai shopping street, wooden temples, and a sense of Tokyo's pre-modern past. Almost no tour groups.
Take the Shinkansen to Kyoto for a day. The bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto takes 2h15m ($130 USD each way with JR Pass). A day in Kyoto and back to Tokyo for dinner is a genuine option.
Visit teamLab Planets in Toyosu. The immersive digital art museum fills rooms with light, water, and mirror installations that need to be experienced rather than described. Book ahead — $32 USD. One of the most extraordinary art experiences in the world.
Getting There & Around
Flights: Narita (NRT) and Haneda (HND) airports both serve Tokyo. Haneda is closer to the city (30 minutes by train). From the US West Coast, flights run 11-12 hours ($600-950 return). From New York, 14 hours ($700-1100 return).
Getting around: The Tokyo Metro and JR lines cover the entire city. A Suica card (IC card loaded with credit) works on every train, bus, and at convenience stores — buy at any airport or station ($5 deposit, load as needed). A 7-day JR Pass ($250 USD, buy before arrival) covers bullet trains and all JR lines.
Currency: Japanese Yen (JPY). Current rate approximately ¥148 per USD. Japan remains significantly cash-heavy — carry ¥10,000-20,000 / $70-135 at all times. 7-Eleven ATMs reliably accept foreign cards.
Daily budget: Budget ¥8,000-12,000 / $55-80/day. Mid-range ¥20,000-35,000 / $135-235/day. Comfortable ¥50,000+ / $340+/day.
Safety: Tokyo is one of the safest major cities on Earth. Lost property is routinely turned in. The main adjustment is cultural — learn the basic etiquette (no eating while walking, quiet on trains, shoes off at ryokans) and the city opens completely.
Best Time to Visit Tokyo
Cherry Blossom Season — Plan Ahead (Late March — Early April)
The most beautiful and most crowded time to visit. Cherry blossom season lasts 1-2 weeks and varies by a week each year. Book accommodation 4-6 months ahead. Worth the planning.
Shoulder Season — Recommended (October — November and May — June)
Autumn brings coloured leaves, clear skies, and ideal temperatures. May and June offer warm weather before the summer humidity arrives. Both seasons have manageable crowds and strong hotel availability.
Avoid (July — August)
Extreme heat and humidity — temperatures 35°C+ / 95°F+ with humidity that makes outdoor sightseeing genuinely unpleasant. The Obon festival in mid-August brings domestic travel crowds. Manageable but not enjoyable.
On my last night in Tokyo I ended up in a tiny bar in Golden Gai that seated eight people and was presided over by a woman in her seventies who'd been running it since 1974. She spoke no English. I spoke no Japanese. We communicated through a combination of pointing, smiling, and a translation app on my phone that she found hilarious.
She poured me three different whiskies over two hours, charged me ¥3,500 / $23, and shook my hand firmly when I left. I walked back through the neon streets of Shinjuku thinking about how a city of 37 million people had managed to feel, repeatedly and genuinely, intimate.
A former backpacker turned travel writer, James specializes in off-the-beaten-path destinations across Asia and South America. He has lived out of a carry-on for the better part of five years.