Japan is one of our favourite countries in the world! It’s clean, orderly, efficient and the food is amazing. In fact, I’m drooling just thinking about how great the food is! The Japanese people’s astute attention to detail is unmatched anywhere on the planet. We’ve visited this wonderful country twice. Once for two weeks in 2016, and our second visit was this March for five nights in Tokyo. There is so much to do in Tokyo that five nights only just scratches the surface. With that said, we’ve compiled a list of how to spend five nights in Tokyo!
NOTE: If you are looking for an itinerary for more than just Tokyo, please reach out to us. In 2016, we visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Koya-San, and Osaka.
Where To Stay:
Let’s face it. Budget accommodation is not easy to find in Tokyo. We stuck with large chain hotels and it worked out great for us. Our biggest recommendation would be to stay in an area that is close to a metro line. The transit system is amazing in Tokyo! On our first visit to Tokyo, we stayed in Villa Fontaine near Mita station. This is a business district, well connected by metro.
On our second trip, we chose an APA hotel in Nihonbashi, a more central area, which was both close to the metro and walkable to many places. APA hotels are reliable and clean.
Hotel rooms in Japan are tiny everywhere, but the engineering and planning is perfect! Everything has its place and is designed in a way that maximizes the space in the best way possible. I wish the rest of the world would begin incorporating some of the subtle touches we noted in Japanese hotel rooms. Heated squares on bathroom mirrors to repel fog and heated toilet seats are perks that make life so much more enjoyable!
Getting Around:
As mentioned earlier, the metro is amazing and well connected to all areas of Tokyo. Pick up a PASMO or SUICA card, which are prepaid cards that can be used on all subway, buses and trains in Tokyo. You can also buy items at many stores (such as 7-11 or stores located in the train stations) using the PASMO card.
Uber in Tokyo is pretty expensive. Our flight was delayed and we arrived late at night into Haneda airport. Unfortunately, the metro was no longer running and we had to take an Uber. It was not kind to our pocketbooks, but having an Uber driver in a suit greet us with a name card put a smile on our faces!
What To Eat:
All I wanted to do in Japan is eat. Seriously. I would suggest eating small portions so you can sample as much as possible. One day, I chose a larger size for my lunch and regretted it all day because I wasn’t hungry enough to enjoy more food! Here are a few places to check out.
Tempura Tendon Tenya: A fast-food style restaurant that specializes in Tempura dishes.
Tsuru TonTan for Udon in Ginza: A super affordable place to chow down on mouthwatering Udon. Extra noodles are free of charge, but as mentioned earlier, I would recommend a single portion so you have stomach room for more food later!
Sushi Zenmai: A chain that serves some of the best sushi I’ve had in Japan. Try the location at the Tsukiji Fish Market.
Sushi Go Round: A chain conveyor-belt sushi restaurant that is reasonably priced and delicious. Ordering is done using a touch screen (with English language options!). It is a great spot to have a snack or a full meal.
Tapi-mo: Located in the Don Quijote in Shibuya, this place served a baked sweet potato filled with ice cream. I know that sounds strange, but it was one of the best desserts ever! Do yourself a favour and try it!
Taiyaki: This traditional Japanese pancake shaped like a fish filled with custard or red bean is delightfully yummy. We had it in Kyoto and a version with ice cream in Chiba. Taiyaki is served all over the place and is super easy to find!
Matsuya: Another chain restaurant that is a great place to chow down on guydon (beef bowl with rice). It is so good!
7-Eleven (or other convenience stores): Honestly, 7-Eleven all over Asia is chock-full of amazing foods, snacks, treats, and drinks. In Japan, we bought onigiri on the daily (onigiri is a ‘rice triangle’ wrapped in seaweed usually containing a filling such as fish, meat or vegetables). They also have delicious mochi!
What To Do:
Ueno Park
Ueno Park is a gorgeous park best known for its over 1000 Cherry trees that blossom in spring. If you want to escape the hustle and bustle, this is a great place to spend a few hours enjoying nature. If the weather does not cooperate, there are also many museums in Ueno Park, with the Tokyo National Museum being the most popular.
Watch a Professional Baseball Game
This is one of the best ways to have a local experience. We saw a Nippon league professional game on both of our trips to Japan and it was amazing. Tokyo has two teams, the Giants and the Chiba Lotte Marines. There is also another team close by in Yokohama. Read our post “Why You Must See A Pro Baseball Game in Japan” for everything you need to know about the overall experience and how to get tickets.
Golden Gai in Shinjuku
This is a really fun area comprised of narrow alleys filled with small pubs. This is a great place to have a beer and eat some delicious yakitori (barbeque meat on a stick) alongside local Japanese businessmen.
Takeshita Street, Harajuku
Takeshita is a place you must see, but admittedly, both times we visited we only partially enjoyed the experience. What once was a hang out spot for trendy teenagers has become overrun with tourists, making it almost impossible to walk through the popular street. There are some pretty cool shops selling all kinds of funky items, stands selling crepes, as well as overpriced colourful cotton candy seen all over the instagram feeds of tourists. Check it out if you feel brave enough to tackle the crowds.
The Harajuku neighbourhood is also a neat place to walk around and people watch. If you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of some Japanese teenagers in full cosplay costumes! From what I’ve heard, they are usually very cool about foreigners taking photos of/with them if you ask politely.
Experience A Tea Ceremony
There are many places to experience a tea ceremony in Tokyo. We did a semi-DIY version at Nakashima tea house in the beautiful Hamarikyu garden. After a brief introduction, we were provided with an information card explaining how the elements of a tea ceremony work. We enjoyed some matcha and wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) in a serene environment. It is definitely worth checking out.
Shibuya Crossing
The Shibuya neighbourhood itself is a pretty cool place to explore and the famous crossing is the quintessential free activity in Tokyo. The traffic lights stop in four directions, allowing thousands of pedestrians to flood the intersection. Any time of day is great to see and experience the crossing for yourself. There is an excellent free vantage point in Shibuya station. Many tourists opt to get their java fix and view from the Starbucks overlooking the street.
Side note: Keep an eye out for the statue of Hachikō, the dog. The story behind this dog was that every day, he would wait at the station for his master to return. One day, his master died and Hachikō waited there every day hoping his master would eventually return.
Don Quijote
Any trip to Japan is not complete without visiting a Don Quijote store (Most locals will shorten the name and simply call it Donki). It is a discount chain store that is located all over Japan (and has locations in in other countries). You don’t have to buy anything to have a good time in the store, but I dare you to come away empty-handed! 
Most of the locations, especially the more centrally located stores, are open super late or even 24 hours. They sell a ridiculous range of products including electronics, designer clothing, cosmetics, food, and even sex toys. Be sure to try the aforementioned Tapi-mo sweet potato and ice cream treat at the Shibuya branch.
Ginza
Even if you are travelling on a budget, strolling around the fancy Ginza neighbourhood is a must. All of the designer brands are sold here and the neighbourhood has a bunch of cool restaurants, night clubs, cafes and department stores. Keep in mind that the area does house the most expensive real estate in all of Japan.
Side note: As mentioned earlier, we loved the udon restaurant in Ginza called Tsuru TonTan. It’s reasonably priced, delicious, and located in a department store with great views. Check it out.
Department Store Buildings
Sky high department stores stocked with different products on every floor are located all over Tokyo. It’s fun to explore the various floors, especially in crummy weather. Virtually every department store will have a food court where you can find delicious and inexpensive food. The department stores are also a good place to stop for toilet breaks after walking around all day!
Temple Sensō-ji
Although it is rather touristy, the Sensō-ji temple should be on your list of places to see. It is located in the Asakusa area and is Tokyo’s oldest Buddhist temple. It is a great escape from the craziness that exists in other areas of this sprawling metropolis. There are vendors leading up to the temple selling all kinds of interesting souvenirs and food items that are worth a try!
Akihabara
This is one of my favourite neighbourhoods in Tokyo! The streets are lined with arcades and anime stores, fulfilling every video game lover’s desires. Although I don’t personally play video games much, simply peeking into the various storefronts and people watching kept me entertained! 
This is also the neighbourhood that you’ll find the infamous “maid cafés”, where Japanese girls dress up in maid costumes and treat guests in a submissive fashion. We did not visit a maid cafe, as it wasn’t really our cup of tea (pun intended). If you want to try something else, there are various other types of cafes around Tokyo, including owl cafés, hedgehog cafés, and the ubiquitous cat cafés.
What did we miss?
As I mentioned earlier, there is so much to do in Tokyo. We’ve left off tons of tourist attractions, including Tokyo Disney (we were unable to visit as it was sold out), Robot Restaurant, sumo matches (during certain times of the year), ramen museum (also sold out when we were visiting), and many other interesting sites. However, we feel that our list above gives you a great cross section of what the city has to offer. In only five days, you can only see (and eat!) so much.
Is there anything that we missed that should be on this list? Fire us a message or comment!
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