Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is a city of distinct neighborhoods on Tokyo Bay, home to about 14 million people and more than 30 million in the wider region. Known as Edo when Tokugawa Ieyasu made it the seat of his shogunate in 1603, it was renamed Tokyo in 1868 and became the imperial capital soon after.
Visitors come for the contrast between old and new: the temple lanes of Asakusa beside the towers of Shinjuku, a shrine forest a few steps from the crossings of Shibuya, and food at every level, from station noodle counters to department-store food halls. A dense, punctual rail network makes it easy to stay in one district and explore the rest, and to reach Mount Fuji, Nikko or Kamakura for the day. Apartments and serviced residences suit families and longer stays, within the limits of Japan's home-sharing rules.
Shinjuku, on the west side of the center, is the most practical first base: its station is one of the city's main rail hubs, surrounded by restaurants, department stores and nightlife. Shibuya and Harajuku, a few stops south, suit younger travelers and shoppers, while Ginza, Marunouchi and the streets around Tokyo Station are polished, central and close to the bullet trains.
Asakusa and Ueno, in the northeast, keep a lower, older feel around Sensō-ji temple and Ueno Park, and suit travelers who enjoy museums and quieter evenings. Families on longer stays often look to residential districts with parks and supermarkets, such as Ebisu, Nakameguro or the neighborhoods along the Chūō line, and Shimokitazawa appeals to visitors who like small cafés and secondhand shops. Wherever you stay, a short walk to a station on the JR Yamanote loop line or a major subway line matters more than the exact neighborhood.
Sensō-ji in Asakusa, whose founding legend dates to the year 628, is approached through the Kaminarimon gate and the stalls of Nakamise-dōri. Meiji Jingū, a Shinto shrine completed in 1920 and dedicated to Emperor Meiji and Empress Shōken, stands in a planted forest beside Harajuku. The Imperial Palace occupies the site of Edo Castle, and its East Gardens are open to the public.
Ueno Park gathers several major museums, among them the Tokyo National Museum, founded in 1872. Tokyo Skytree, a 634-meter broadcasting tower opened in 2012, and the older Tokyo Tower, completed in 1958, give wide views over the city and, on clear days, as far as Mount Fuji. For open space, the gardens of Shinjuku Gyoen and Hamarikyū are restful, Odaiba sits on reclaimed islands in the bay, and Akihabara remains the center of electronics, anime and gaming culture.
Eating well in Tokyo rarely requires a reservation. Ramen and soba counters, tempura and tonkatsu specialists, izakaya pubs and the food halls in department-store basements are found in every district. Tsukiji's outer market still sells seafood, kitchen knives and street snacks, although the wholesale fish market moved to Toyosu in October 2018. Convenience stores sell fresh rice balls, sandwiches and bento boxes and are a real help during an apartment stay.
A few customs make life easier. Tipping is not expected, and many small restaurants have a ticket machine or a picture menu at the entrance. Public rubbish bins are scarce, so visitors often carry their waste back to their lodging, where it is sorted by type according to the local ward's rules. Cards and IC cards are widely accepted, but some small shops, shrines and older restaurants still take cash only.
Tokyo has two international airports. Haneda Airport (HND), on Tokyo Bay in Ōta ward, is close to the center and linked by the Tokyo Monorail and Keikyū trains. Narita International Airport (NRT) lies about 60 kilometers east of central Tokyo in Chiba Prefecture and is served by express trains and buses that take roughly an hour or more. Tokyo Station and Shinagawa are the main Shinkansen stations for Kyoto, Osaka and western Japan, and Ueno is a stop on the lines to the north.
In the city, JR East lines, Tokyo Metro and the Toei subway reach almost every neighborhood. A rechargeable IC card such as Suica or PASMO works on all of them, on most buses and in many shops. Trains are frequent and punctual but very crowded at weekday rush hours, so travelers with large luggage do better to move between stays in the middle of the day. A car is rarely useful in the city itself.
Kamakura, about an hour south by train, was the seat of the Kamakura shogunate from the late 12th century and is known for the bronze Great Buddha at Kōtoku-in and its seaside temples. Nikko, roughly two hours north, holds the ornate Tōshō-gū shrine and the other buildings that make up the Shrines and Temples of Nikko, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999.
Hakone, in the mountains to the southwest, combines hot-spring towns, a crater lake and, in clear weather, views of Mount Fuji, which was inscribed as a World Heritage cultural site in 2013. The Fuji Five Lakes area on the mountain's northern side is another base for views and walks, while climbing Fuji itself is a summer undertaking with its own rules. Yokohama, with its harbor and Chinatown, and Kawagoe, an old merchant town of clay-walled storehouses, can each be reached in about an hour or less.
Tokyo has a humid subtropical climate with four distinct seasons. Cherry blossoms usually open in late March and early April, filling parks such as Ueno and Shinjuku Gyoen, and autumn leaves peak around late November; both periods are busy, so stays are best booked early. May and the weeks from October to November are often the most comfortable for walking the city.
The rainy season usually runs from early June to mid-July, followed by hot, humid weather in July and August, when heatstroke alerts are common and air-conditioned breaks help. Typhoons can reach the region from late summer into autumn and may delay trains and flights for a day or so. Winters are cool, sunny and mostly dry, with occasional light snow, and clear winter mornings often bring the best views of Mount Fuji from high points in the city.
Short-term stays in private homes are governed nationally by the Private Lodging Business Act, in force since June 2018. A home notified under the act may host paying guests for no more than 180 nights in each year counted from 1 April, and it must display an official sign. In Tokyo's 23 special wards the notification goes to the ward itself, and many wards add their own ordinances. Shinjuku, for example, already restricts such homes on weekdays in its exclusive residential zones, and in October 2026 it published a draft amendment that would bar new ones in residential, quasi-industrial and school zones; at the time of writing this was still a proposal.
Inns, apartment hotels and serviced accommodation licensed under the Inns and Hotels Act are not bound by the 180-night limit. Because rules change, check the current rules of the ward where a property stands, and ask the host for its notification or license number before booking.
Four or five days are enough to see the main districts, sights and food at a comfortable pace. A week or more lets you add day trips to Kamakura, Nikko, Hakone or the Fuji Five Lakes and spend time in quieter residential neighborhoods.
Shinjuku and Shibuya are the most convenient for transport, food and nightlife. Ginza and the Tokyo Station area are central and close to the bullet train. Asakusa and Ueno are quieter and more traditional, and suit travelers who enjoy museums and temples.
Haneda (HND) is on Tokyo Bay close to the center, with monorail and train links that are usually quicker for most districts. Narita (NRT) is about 60 kilometers east, roughly an hour or more by express train or bus, and also handles many international flights.
Spring, for cherry blossoms in late March and early April, and autumn, from October to late November, usually bring the most comfortable weather. The rainy season runs from about early June to mid-July, and July and August are hot and humid.
Yes. Homes notified under the Private Lodging Business Act can host guests for up to 180 nights a year, and some wards limit the days or areas further. Licensed inns and serviced apartments are not bound by that cap. Check the ward's current rules and the property's notification or license number.
No. Trains and subways reach nearly every neighborhood, and a Suica or PASMO card covers fares on all of them. Parking is scarce and expensive in time and effort, so a car is only worth considering for trips into the mountains or the countryside.
Yes. Parks such as Ueno and Shinjuku Gyoen, museums, aquariums and the open spaces of Odaiba suit children, and stations generally have elevators. An apartment in a residential district with a nearby supermarket makes longer family stays easier. Avoid rush-hour trains with strollers.
Researched and written with AI assistance, then fact-checked against the sources below. Last checked .