Tokyo 7 Day Itinerary
This is my Tokyo guide from 2019. I am working on an updated one soon but I wanted to save this :)
A ton of my friends have been requesting travel guides for Japan! Here is a quick 7 day Tokyo Itinerary.
DAY 0 — ARRIVE IN TOKYO
Depending on your flight, you might arrive in the morning or PM.
If you fly into Haneda, you’re in luck as the transportation is SO MUCH faster than Narita. You can take the train, airport limosine, or a private car. We opted to take the airport limosine as it dropped us a block from our hotel.
We stayed at the Shinjuku JR Blossom
It’s definitely super centralized and easy to walk everywhere. Pricewise it was midrange, not too high end and nice enough to go home to at night
We arrived pretty late so we went to a convenience store and KO’ed so quickly
DAY 1 — Explore Shinjuku Area
Akasaka Umaya
Shinjuku 2 Chome-6-2 Yoyogi, Shibuya City, Tokyo 151-0053
Shinjuku is crazy big so we always use day 1 to acclimate, sort of feel out our surroundings and eat.
We had breakfast at our hotel
Akasaka Umaya
Shinjuku 2 Chome-6-2 Yoyogi, Shibuya City, Tokyo 151-0053
Toraya Cafe
151-0051 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Sendagaya, 5 Chome-24-55
For Coffee, we went to Toraya Coffee. Its close by to the station and very aesthetic
Sushi TokyoTen
5 Chome-24-55 Sendagaya, Shibuya City, Tokyo 151-0051
Lunch: we wanted a sit down sushi since its our first day and we wanted to spoil ourselves a bit. Omakase can be quite expensive in the states and in Japan. Luckily, if you go during lunch its almost half the price! Lunch at Sushi Tokyo Ten
Snack: If you have never tried Cremia Ice cream, I HIGHLY recommend it. There is something so good about this ice cream. The milk fat content is way higher than any other ice cream I’ve ever had. Its so smooth and just plain DELICIOUS!!! They sell them in a lot of places
Activity / Shopping: After you have stuffed yourself to the brim, I would highly recommend walking around the area. There are plenty of malls like Lumine, Tokyu Hands, and more! If you are into taking instagram photos, Omoide Yokocho is a super cute spot. Be careful though as EVERYONE ends up taking photos here!
Snack: Mr Waffle next to the JR station sells mini waffles that are SO delicious.
Dinner: At night, it was actually Halloween when we went so we ended up going out and eating Mcdonalds (haha). I would recommend trying any sort of Japanese fast food or combini! I could practically live in the convenience stores
DAY 2. Shinjuku + Luxury Fruit
So we actually went to two onsens, Osaka, and then BACK to Tokyo (whew our trip was kind of cray). So this is “technically” our Day 2 but it became a reset day for us as we were super tired from all the travel. We stayed in the Shinjuku Area again because of the traveling (I know you are probably like SHINJUKU AGAIN?)
Activity: I got my nails done at a Japanese nail salon. It’s been one of my “things to do” lists for a while but I never had the chance to go! If you are in the JR station, there are magazines called “HOT PEPPER BEAUTY” everywhere. You can sign up on their site (although its ALL of japanese) to make an appointment. They have everything from hair, nails, eyelash extensions!
Most places do not speak english or have english speaking staff. Be prepared and bring lots of photos and something to translate if you want something super particular.
I wanted regular gel nails and they had a menu book of designs to choose from so it was super easy!
Lunch: After the nail salon, I went to this amazing udon place. I would say one of the best udons I’ve had iN MY LIFE. Hands down so good. I got the yuzu tempura cold udon which I highly recommend as Aaron got a hot udon and you can definitely taste the bounciness of the udon more when it’s cold.
Shopping: We walked around Lumine Est mall where we went through all the floors of fashion. Lumine Est has been becoming one of my favorite malls as it’s trendier clothing.
TAKANO FRUITS - 3 Chome-26-11 Shinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0022
Snack: After some quick shopping we went to Takano Fruits Bar. Now for noobies, I know I know. Fruit? Really? But don’t you live in California where the produce is already so good? Also wtf 10 dollars for a strawberry what are you smoking?!?
First off, fruit in japan just… hits differently. The fruit quality is so much higher its unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. When people ask what is the best thing you’ve had in Japan… most of the time I say the fruit. The artisanal quality is just so different. ANYWAY. THIS IS THE PLACE YOU GOT TO GO TO.
TAKANO FRUITS PARLOR IN THE BASEMENT OF THE JR STATION. There are multiple locations but you HAVE to go to the one in the JR Station. It is the best fruit parfait i’ve had in my life. I almost cried eating it (and I come here every time lol).
Afterwards we walked around a bit more, went to muji, bic camera, etc.
STANDING SUSHI BAR Uogashi Nihon-Ichi 〒160-0023 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Nishishinjuku, 1 Chome−12, 河西ビル1F
Dinner: For Dinner we opted to have standing sushi bar. The experience was super fun and it was very affordable but to be honest after a long day of walking I really just wanted to sit down.
Activity: Post dinner we decided to play some arcade games. We went to Taito station and played for HOURS!
Shopping / Activity: And then we went to Don Quixote. There is one in almost every district. This is where it gets crazy. Some of these stores are open 24/7 and its more of like a variety store… ON CRACK. Like anything you could ever want in one area. You got instant ramen, face rollers, back massagers, AND real gucci purses in one building. Efficiency to the max.
Since this day was a rather chill day I had the bright idea of doing ALL my souvenier shopping at Don Quixote. At 12AM…
Needless to say I was so tired by the end of it. Pro tip don’t forget your passport for tax free!
DAY 3 Shopping in Harajuku
Tonkatsu Maisen Main Store 4 Chome-8-5 Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0001
For breakfast/lunch we had Maisen Tonkatsu which is a very famous tonkatsu shop. It is a bit of a walk from Harajuku but totally worth it! You get to choose your cut of meat and there are limited qualities of some. The meat is SO JUICY and crispy at the same time. The salad is also one of my favorites. Its a shredded cabbage salad with yuzu vinegrette.
Shopping: Make your way to Takeshita Doori St. We went to Harajuku on Day 3 and did some major shopping! Takeshita Doori is the main street for shopping but there a ton of side streets like Cat St. etc Here are a few boutiques I love
Paris Kids — near the opening of Takeshita doori. Lot’s of charms and cheap accessories.
WC — Very typical “Harajuku Fashion”. They have in house designers so it’s not like the other brands that import their goods from a warehouse. super cutesy style!
We Go — Sister brand of WC. Cheap prices and kind of like the H&M or Zara of Japan in my opinion.
Style Nanda - Korean clothing store. Super popular + has cosmetics as well
Laforet Mall — Multiple floor mall home to a lot of famous alternative brands brands.
Ragtag - Very famous secondhand fashion
If you are into streetwear, Neighborhood, Undefeated, Bathing Ape, and a bunch of other stores are in this area as well.
Apeach Omotesando 〒150-0001 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Jingumae, 4 Chome−25−9 b-town C
Snacktime: After all that shopping we got thirsty so we went to apeach cafe! It’s a very instagrammable character cafe with super cute drinks.
Activities: Purikura! Purikura is japanese for photobooth machine. In some places, they are female only but you can go in if accompanied by female. There are a bunch in the Harajuku area or in game stations. Before the advent of smart phones and all these cute decorating apps, Purikura machines were the place to go to if you wanted to get cute photos of you and your friends or significant other.
Nabezo Shinjuku Shabu 〒160-0022 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Shinjuku, 3 Chome−5−4
Dinner: We went back to the Shinjuku area as we were staying there and had SHABU SHABU! Shabu shabu means swish swish in japanese. It’s Japanese style hotpot and you get to choose your broth/meat. There is an open salad area which is so bomb because salads can get pretty pricey in japan!
DAY 4 Eating Through Akihabara
Hotel Gajoen 1 Chome-8-1 Shimomeguro, Meguro City
Lunch: I met up with a few of my friends at this fancy AF tea palace. Apparently, a lot of weddings happen here and its quite a historic site. We opted to have tea because they told me the experience is exactly what we needed
The whole day we caught up drinking tea and little did we notice that time passed SO QUICKLY. Catching up with friends is honestly the best.
Gyukatsu Motomura 〒101-0021 Tokyo, Chiyoda City, Sotokanda, 1 Chome-15-15
Dinner: After tea, we decided to go to get grilled beef! The line for this place when they opened apparently wrapped around the block! Now a few more locations opened up so the line shortened quite a bit.
This beef is special because they give you a hot plate to grill. The meat comes out semi-cooked and you can grill as much as you want! The taste is nothing I’ve ever experienced and I highly recommend it.
Akihabara holds a great place in my heart because its the anime central! I’ve wandered through here a bunch with my otaku friends as a young potato but now I come for the food haha! We did go to a few anime shops and then right after we decided we must eat some more!
Snacks: Some snack highlights include
Cheese Tart - Pablo Cheese Tarts 〒101-0025 Tokyo, Chiyoda City, Kanda Sakumacho, 1 Chome-6-5
Galaxy Donuts (whaaat) - Jack in the Donuts 1-1 Kanda Hanaokacho, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 101-0028
Warabi Mochi - so amazing!!! Need to try Kanesue Sweets 1 Chome-1-25 Nishiikebukuro, Toshima City, Tokyo 171-0021
Magikarp Taiyaki . I didn’t have it this time but it is VERY good! - Kurikoan 1-chōme-15-1 Sotokanda
DAY 6 Ginza + Shibuya Luxury Shopping
Ishijima 1 Chome-8-11 Shintomi, Chuo City, Tokyo 104-0041
I’ve always been a little apprehensive about going to Ginza. But I made the trek over because my good friend Meilyne told me there is a special chirashi that is made with black vinegar rice that is to die for. And just between us, she has amazing tastebuds. I keep telling her to insure those bad boys or start a food channel.
Lunch: We got to the shop ten minutes before opening and there was already a line. The place only seats around ten so it is important you get here right when they open or you risk waiting. The sushi chef is good friends with Meilyne and her husband so they banter away as they make the chirashi.
The chirashi was oh my god out of this world. I’ve never had anything like it. The fish is cut into bit sized pieces vs strips overtip and it was honestly one of the best things I’ve had on this trip.
After this, we went on a very long food adventure (again, after eating). Meilyne told us that we had to try a few items she highly recommended such as
Shine Muskat and Pione Grapes
Special Bread - Ginza Nishikawa Bread 1 Chome-27-12 Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo 104-0061
The grapes were amazing. So complex and interesting. And again I would highly recommend any produce in Japan. It’s a must!
Activity/Shopping: Afterwards we went to Shibuya to do some more shopping. Shibuya is known as a very “young” and vibrant district. It’s super busy and sometimes gives me slight anxiety for how tight the streets are! I love it though
We went inside a few massive malls in Shibuya. 109 is an old stomping ground for “gyaru” fashion. I used to be really into it (haha) back when I was like 20 so it’s very nostalgic for me to go back. Here is a list of shopping
Bershka Shibuya Zerogate Building, 16-9, Tokyo 150-0042, Japan
Shibuya 109 - 2 Chome-29-1 Dogenzaka, Shibuya City, Tokyo 150-0043, Japan
Some Brands inside 109:
Gyda
Fig and Viper
Sly
Punyus
Redayzel (just discovered this brand and it’s awesome for more mature styles)
109 Men’s - 〒150-0041 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Jinnan, 1 Chome-23-10
Activity: After walking, we decided to go to a Minipig cafe in Harajuku. Now I know a lot of animal cafes are very inhumane. I’ve gone to two in the past and I told myself that I would not go to another until I researched more about the cafe. This cafe actually helps the pigs socialize with other humans to incorporate them into their next life when they are adopted. The pigs are super happy and are treated humanely (free to roam around). They also instruct the humans to not touch the pigs, and to not aggravate them which is very different from the cafes I went to in the past where animals were just handed around.
Mi Pig Cafe Jingumae 1-15-4, Shibuya-ku
Snack: After the cafe session we wanted to have a few snacks so we went to get boba tea and a street kebab! So good!!
Tiger Sugar 〒150-0001 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Jingumae, 1 Chome-8-8
Kebab Box J 〒160-0022 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Shinjuku, 3 Chome-32-10
Dinner: We went to a casual Italian style Japanese diner called Saizeriya. Saizeriya is known for their high value food so it’s popular amongst college students. I personally LOVE 300 yen pasta and it’s surprisingly fresh for what it is. You can also get a glass of wine for 150 yen (1.50 USD). It’s not luxurious by any means but it’s a fun experience. It’s crazy how much you can stretch your money here!
DAY 7 - Shinjuku Gifts + Luxury Shopping
We decided that since this is our last day, we wanted to buy some souvenirs and go second hand shopping. I made a video about thrifting luxury in Tokyo before so I’m no stranger to the second hand luxury boutiques. It’s so much crazier in Tokyo because Japanese consumers switch out their nice bags / clothing more often than we do. Japan is very “trend focused” so what is in this season might not be in the next.
Here are a few of my favorite secondhand shops. Most of them are in Shinjuku (funnily close to the red light district) but there are some nationwide chains that have multiple outlets in various districts
It’s so crazy to see floor to window Birkins or door to door Louis Vuitton Spendys. The stores don’t even look like the secondhand stores we imagine but more like department stores. If you guys want an more indepth review of each let me know and I’ll make a separate blog post about that!
Favorite Luxury Secondhand Stores in Shinjuku:
RAG TAG Shinjuku 〒160-0022 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Shinjuku, 3 Chome-32-10
Komehyo Shinjuku 3 Chome-5-6 Shinjuku, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0022
Daikokuya Shinjuku 〒160-0021 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Kabukicho, 1 Chome-5-3
We also went to Tokyu Hands for gifts. Its a really awesome variety store with many floors of fun souvenirs! here is a pro-tip under almost every giant mall, there is the “food floor” in the basement. Depending on the tier of mall you are at, it’s filled with really amazing treats! The one on the bottom of Tokyu Hands was MASSIVE! I’m talking about I can get lost forever in this mall. Another plus is there’s a ton of food on the bottom and at around 7pm all the fish is HALF OFF. Sadly I did not get to do my 50% off fish run this time but there will always be next!
Numazukou Sushi 〒160-0022 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Shinjuku, 3 Chome−34−16
Lunch: Conveyer belt sushi! I was actually surprised we didn’t go to this sooner. Japan has so many different amazing cuisines that I barely ate sushi this trip (a waste I totally know). But weird fact — I just got lingual braces this year and I’m not sure if its the metal or the texture but I haven’t been craving sushi as much. It tastes super different with braces on the inside!
After lunch, we went back to the arcades and played for a few hours. I love that there are so many activities you can do other than drinking in Tokyo. This year I really tried to cut down on my drinking so I only drank maybe once or twice on this trip! (I have gotten DRUNK in Japan many a time so I knew exactly what I missed out on haha).
Dinner:
Hanamaru, Ginza
So i think the idea of leaving Japan finally got to us because we had ANOTHER round of sushi. This time we went a bit farther to Ginza. This brand is from Hokkaido and apparently has the freshest seafood for conveyer sushi standards! It was AMAZING and we had so much fun choosing our sushi. In fact I’m gettin hungry just looking at these images (LOL).
Alright we made one more convenience store run after our sushi for good measure and then it was GOODBYE TOKYO AND JAPAN
if you liked this don’t forget to check out my Youtube. I have a few videos up there that go far more in depth than the bloggity blog.
Until Next Time,
Cristina