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Tokyo

Japan · Ancient shrines and neon skylines, block by block

Tokyo is less a single city than a cluster of very different ones stitched together by train lines. Shibuya's scramble crossing and Shinjuku's neon canyons sit twenty minutes from Yanaka's wooden temple lanes, where the 1923 earthquake and WWII firebombing largely passed the neighborhood by, leaving pre-war Tokyo intact.

What makes the city work for visitors is the precision underneath the chaos: trains run to the minute, neighborhoods are safe to wander at any hour, and even the most anonymous-looking basement noodle counter is usually excellent. The best Tokyo trip has no fixed itinerary — just a rail pass and a willingness to get off at an unfamiliar stop.

Highlights

Shibuya Scramble at night

Up to 3,000 people cross at once under a wall of neon screens — best viewed from the Starbucks or Shibuya Sky above.

Yanaka's old wooden streets

One of the few Tokyo neighborhoods that escaped both the 1923 earthquake and WWII bombing — cemetery cats, incense shops, pre-war houses.

Tsukiji Outer Market

The wholesale tuna auctions moved to Toyosu, but the outer market's food stalls and knife shops remain, and remain excellent for breakfast.

A standing-room ramen counter

The best bowl is rarely at street level — look for a queue down a stairwell or in a basement arcade.

Best time to visit

Late March to April for cherry blossoms, or October–November for autumn foliage and mild, dry weather.

Getting there

Narita (NRT) or Haneda (HND) airports; Haneda is closer, about 30 minutes to central Tokyo by monorail or train.

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