Tokyo rewards the visitor who gives it time. Seven days lets you move past the sights and into the texture of the city — its neighborhoods, its food rhythms, its surprising quietness between the chaos.
Day 1: Arrival and Shinjuku
Arrive, check in, recover from jet lag. Evening only: walk east Shinjuku — Kabukicho neon, Memory Lane (Omoide Yokocho) for yakitori under the tracks, and the observation deck of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (free, open until 10:30pm). Light evening; save energy for the rest of the week.
Day 2: Harajuku, Shibuya, Shimokitazawa
Morning: Meiji Jingu shrine (free) in its forest. Walk south through Harajuku's Takeshita Street (teen fashion, crepes) and Omotesando (architecture, flagship stores). Afternoon: Shibuya Crossing and the surrounding department stores. Evening: 20-minute train to Shimokitazawa for vintage shopping and live music bars.
Day 3: Asakusa and East Tokyo
Morning: Senso-ji temple (free) before 8am. Nakamise shopping street. Cross the Sumida River to Tokyo Skytree (¥2,100 Tembo Deck — book ahead). Afternoon: walk south to Ryogoku for sumo culture (Kokugikan sumo museum, free on non-tournament days; chankonabe lunch). Evening: traditional izakaya in Asakusa.
Day 4: Ueno and Yanaka
Ueno Park's museum district: Tokyo National Museum (¥1,000) takes a morning. After lunch, walk north into Yanaka — the old shitamachi neighborhood of temples, cats, shotengai shopping streets, and Edo-era atmosphere. This is the Tokyo that feels most like a small Japanese town.
Day 5: Day Trip to Nikko or Kamakura
Nikko: Ornate Toshogu shrine complex in mountain forest (1h50min from Asakusa by Tobu Line, ¥2,780 limited express). Kamakura: Great Buddha, cliff-carved Buddhist temples, and ocean views (55min from Tokyo by JR, ¥920). Both work as comfortable day trips returning by 7pm.
Day 6: Akihabara, Ginza, Tsukiji
Morning: Tsukiji Outer Market for a seafood breakfast (tuna nigiri, tamago, fresh juice). Walk west to Ginza for window shopping and the Itoya stationery store. Afternoon: Akihabara for electronics, retro gaming, anime, and the unique visual chaos of Japan's tech district. Evening: Roppongi for contemporary art (Mori Art Museum, ¥2,000, open late).
Day 7: Nakameguro, Daikanyama, Final Evening
Morning: Nakameguro's canal-side coffee shops and boutiques. Walk uphill to Daikanyama's Tsutaya Books (Japan's most beautiful bookstore). Afternoon: your choice of anything missed. Final evening: return to a favorite neighborhood for a slow dinner. The end of a Tokyo week reveals that the city's best experiences were the unscheduled ones.