Travel itinerary | 6 days in Tokyo – Japan

In August I had the opportunity to go to Asia for the first time in my life and visit a place that I always dreamt about: Japan 🇯🇵.

If you follow my blog you already saw I’ve been posting about my food experience there, so now it’s time for an overview of my 6 days in this amazing city. Get here my Google maps with some of the places I visited there in this itinerary of 6 days in Tokyo.

This post will be huge, but I hope also very helpful for those planning a future trip to Japan. Shall we start? 🙂

Day 1: Taito and Akihabara

Tokyo Skytree
I suggest you to go there early in the morning; lines are huge all day long. In case you want to save some money, keep reading to find a better place to have an amazing view of the city of Tokyo and the best part: totally free!

Sensoji Temple
Including Asakusa Shrine

Nakamise Street
Small shops full of Japanese goodies and souvenirs.

Akihabara
If you like video games, anime, and mangas this is the place to be. Take half day (or more in case you have time) and explore the area and all its shops. Video games fans must visit a place called Super Potato store, there are so many old games, your inner teenager will go crazy!

Where to eat

Tsurujiro Okonomiyaki
Around the Sensoji Temple, you will find many restaurants with a vast variety of Japanese cuisine to pick from. This day we decided to have a traditional Japanese Okonomiyaki (savoury pancake, not gluten free), prepared by myself using the restaurant grill and the ingredients provided.

Day 2: Odaiba

Toritsu Shiokaze Park
Explore the island walking through this beautiful park, with sea views and Tokyo’s skyscrapers in the background.

FujiTv
A must for Digimon fans. Can you recognise this building?

Tokyo Joypolis
Joypolis is an amusement park full of arcade games, photo booths (anime style) and some thrilling rides. There are two different admission fees, one that includes all rides as much as you want and another that you pay just to enter the place then you pay the rides as you go.

We got the first one and I must say it was a bad decision 🙁 I’ll tell you why: it was school holidays, so the place was insanely packed and we had to face huge lines to go on any of the rides, even the silly ones. Plus, none of the arcade games are included in this ticket, so you still have to pay for them! So, I suggest you pay just to enter, and while in there (and depending on the lines) decide what to do.

The place is still fun though and deserves a visit, I’m just helping you to manage your budget better. 😛

Where to eat

Odori Yakitori
There are plenty of shopping centres in this area that are full of restaurants options that fit all budgets. We decided to try Odori Yakitori rice bowl and it was amazeballs!

Day 3: Minato and Ginza

Tokyo Tower
This is a more accessible ($) tower with great views of the city. We went there early in the morning and no lines at all. #win

Hamarikyu Gardens
Beautiful and huge Japanese style garden. Take some time to enjoy the place and feel a breeze of peace in the middle of a huge capital city. In case you are a tea fan, there is a traditional Japanese tea house inside the garden.

Tsukiji Fish Market
This is a hard one and I don’t want to be unfair. Look, when I planned my trip to Tokyo every website I checked said this place was a must, blah, blah… but it was kinda disappointing for me. I went there around lunch time and everything was closed, nothing special around, was a waste of time. I didn’t even consider taking any pictures!

Explore Ginza
Walk along Chuo Dori street, Tokyo’s version of the 5th Avenue, full of expensive and famous brand stores. Check the WAKO Main Building and the busy intersection in front of it. To finish, visit the 100% Chocolate Café, a store owned by the Japanese chocolate brand, Meiji.

Where to eat

Ippudo
Excellent ramen option, Ippudo is very easy to find all over Japan (well, at least Tokyo and Kyoto).
I’ve been specifically to the Ginza store and loved every drop of my pork broth.

Ume no Hana Ginza
You can have a truly traditional Japanese dining experience there. A selection of 14 dishes will surprise you, especially if you think Japanese food is just sushi and ramen.

Day 4: Chiyoda

Yasukuni Shrine
This beautiful shrine was built to honour of those who died in the war. There is also a war memorial and a museum that worth a visit.

Tokyo Imperial Palace
This large park area is surrounded by massive stone walls and it’s located in the centre of Tokyo. It’s also the residence of Tokyo’s Imperial Family.

Koishikawa Kōrakuen Garden
This small garden was one of my favourites in Tokyo! Perfection in every detail, it was hard to not take a photo of everything around.

Bunkyo Civic Center
This is THE place to have a great view of Tokyo city, and the best part: totally free. I found Bunkyo Civic Center much better than the other two paid towers. It is not packed either, no lines at all to enter the building. A real hidden gem. 🙂

Where to eat

Tokyo Station Buffet
This restaurant is located in the Daimaru building and is a great option for those looking for a break from ramen or that might have some food intolerance. It is a buffet restaurant with a huge variety of dishes and desserts (including Japanese meals).

Day 5: Shibuya

Meiji Shrine
Take your time to walk through the forest, breath some fresh air and see the sake barrels. There is an inner garden (paid separately), that was very nice but I believe it would be better in spring (it was summer for me, so no flowers).

Takeshita Street
Girls will love this one! Takeshita Dori is a street full of cute shops, candies, cosplay and fashion items. I would avoid the crepes stalls, though. Look, they are pretty, but totally tasteless; it doesn’t worth the calorie consumption at all. Have some traditional red bean dessert instead. 🙂

Kiddy Land
If you have time, visit one of the Kiddy Land stores, especially if you love Japanese characters.

Shibuya Crossing
Visit the busiest crossing in Tokyo! A good way to take a nice photo is to go to the second floor of the Starbuck cafe right in front of the crossing.

Where to it

UOBEI Sushi
Yummy and affordable sushi in a high-tech restaurant. There are vegetarian and meat-lover options as well, plus some noodles. Fill up your belly and have some fun!

Day 6: Shinjuku

Shinjuku Gyoen National Park
Spend at least half a day exploring this huge park, full of different gardens and breathtaking views.
I think this was my favourite park in Tokyo, good shots guaranteed. 🙂

Where to eat

Menya Musashi
Best ramen ever in Tokyo, hands down, no need to say anything else. 🙂

Tonchang Korean BBQ
Have a traditional Korean BBQ in Tokyo. Excellent paleo friendly and low carb choice.

The Station Grill
Try one of their Omurice options, a very interesting gluten free option.

Kosamu
Have a ramen break with their delicious Bibimbap. A good paleo friendly option as well.

Tokyo tips

Get a Suica card
You can recharge (top up) your card to use not only on public transportation (trains and buses), but also on vending machines, convenience stores, and even at the supermarket! Very handy if you’re like me that prefer to not walk around all the time carrying money.

Don Quijote Stores
They are everywhere and they are a mix of supermarket, convenience store, department store, and any other type of store you can imagine, I guarantee.

I went there mostly to buy food for our breakfast and things to snack on during the day, like nuts, fruit leather, and fresh fruit.

I hope this itinerary can be useful for you too.
Here is everything I’ve published about our trip to Japan.