Planning a trip to one of the most populated cities in the world and knowing that it’s going to be busy can be somewhat overwhelming, especially when it’s your first time visiting Tokyo. The simple thought of organizing where to stay, what to eat, and which attractions to see can reduce your excitement factor immensely.
However, pre-planning and booking your day trips and attraction tickets before arriving in Japan will ensure you don’t miss seeing the below six attractions on the day and time that suits your itinerary.
We pre-booked our tickets three weeks in advance but recommend booking earlier as we did have to compromise on the entry time for Shibuya Sky and the fast pass for Universal Studios.
A visit to Tokyo wouldn’t be complete without spending a day at Tokyo Disneyland. The park is full of atmosphere, and listening to Mickey Mouse talk in Japanese was quite remarkable! Having visited Disneyland in California, we weren’t sure if Tokyo Disneyland would meet our expectations. However, we were pleasantly surprised and would visit again, it was brilliant!
Tokyo Disneyland gets very busy leading to long wait times at most attractions so once you purchase your entry tickets download the “Tokyo Disney Resort App” This will enable you to add your entry tickets to the app and secure Disney Premier Access (for a fee) or Tokyo Disney Resort 40th Anniversary Priority Pass (for free) to popular attractions as soon as you enter the park.
On most days, the park opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m. Be sure to arrive at least one hour before opening, as this will give you a good opportunity to be one of the first into the park and book designated ride times via Premier Access and the Priority Pass.
Hot Tip
Visit the Hungry Bear Restaurant in Westernland for a delicious pork cutlet curry and any popcorn stand for a fancy popcorn bucket and Mickey Mouse hand popcorn tongs.
If you are visiting Tokyo Disneyland on your birthday, speak to any cast member on Main Street. They will present you with a birthday sticker. Ask them to write your name in Japanese, and once you start wearing it, everyone will wish you a happy birthday all day.
If you stay at a Disneyland Hotel or DisneySea’s Fantasy Springs Hotel you will qualify for “Happy Entry”, which allows you to enter 15 minutes before the Park opens.
DisneySea is located next to Disneyland, we recommend visiting on separate days to ensure you have enough time to experience all rides and attractions. Disneyland was our preferred park.
Book Tokyo Disneyland
With over a thousand temples in Tokyo to choose from, we recommend visiting Senso-ji Temple as it’s one of the oldest temples in Japan and adjoins the famous Nakamise-dori Street, full of food stalls and souvenir shops.
We entered Senso-ji via the Hozo-mon Gate and covered ourselves in the “Healing Smoke” from the large incense burner “jokoro” before walking up the main temple stairs and seeing the five-storied pagoda. We chose to visit Nakamise-dori Street after seeing the temple giving us plenty of time to wander the 250-meter-long street full of souvenir shops and try Japanese delicacies like mochi and matcha ice cream.
Hot Tip
After visiting Senso-ji Temple stop by the Asahi Head Office Building for a light bite and ice-cold beer at the “Sky Room” on level 22 overlooking the city and Sumida River, this is approximately a 6-minute walk from the temple
We visited Senso-ji Temple mid-afternoon, although it was busy it created an atmosphere that added to our experience
Get ready to experience an immersive interactive museum at teamLab Tokyo, where you form part of the digital art exhibition by walking in through and amongst different elements like water and being surrounded by a moving flower garden, a crystal universe, and giant color-changing balloons.
Hot Tip
We recommend spending 1-2 hours visiting teamLabs and pre-booking an admission time of 9.00 – 9.30 this way not only are you the first in the door but you have the rest of the day to explore Tokyo
teamLab offers alternative exhibitions in Japan and around the world.
Book teamLab Planets Tokyo
Sitting 229 meters above Shibuya and boasting 360-degree views of Tokyo Shibuya Sky is a must-visit, especially if it’s your first time in Japan. Shibuya Sky has two main observation areas:
“Sky Stage” – offering the ultimate rooftop space for relaxing in a cloud hammock, taking pictures at the sky edge, and enjoying Tokyo’s skyline at sunset (or any time of day).
“Sky Gallery” is the place to enjoy a cocktail or light bite from the indoor observation lounge while admiring the city skyline.
Shibuya Sky is located on the highest floors of Shibuya Scramble Square and is accessible by Shibuya Station. We highly suggest pre-booking your tickets to ensure you can secure your preferred entry time. Book tickets for an entry time around 3 pm if you want to visit for sunset.
We could only secure an entry time between 2.20 pm and 2.40 pm, however, as there is no exit time we stayed for sunset. Tickets go on sale approximately 4 weeks in advance (sometimes a day or two earlier), so mark this in your calendar.
Hot Tip
Between April and December “The Roof Shibuya Sky” is open for bookings. For an additional fee, you can enjoy champagne, drinks, and snacks on a reserved rooftop sofa
From inside you will also get great views of Tokyo Tower and Scramble Crossing
Book Shibuya Sky
Made up of seven different pedestrian crossings working together and operating simultaneously, the crossing is as lively and entertaining to see during the day as at night. We watched cheer squads run to the center of the scramble to perform their routines, and thousands of people ran, walked, and timed themselves while crossing in all different directions.
Hot Tip
Having stayed at Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya we experienced the scramble at different times of day and from above at Shibuya Sky. If time permits we recommend experiencing the scramble during the day and night, but if time is limited visit at night and experience the vibrancy of Shibuya with neon lights, 3D billboards, and thousands of pedestrians navigating the chaos.
Located within meters of Shibuya Scramble Crossing and Station the Hachikō Memorial Statue is synonymous with Shibuya and seen as iconically Japanese.
Possibly the most famous dog in Japan Hachikō is known and admired for the loyalty displayed to his owner. Hachikō would wait at the station for his owner to return from work and even continued to do so after his owner passed away.
Hot Tip
Hachikō Statue is a popular meeting place for locals. The area gets quite busy and the photo line is long, we recommend arriving early in the morning to avoid the crowds.
Thoughts, opinions, and photos shared about Six of Tokyo’s Best Attractions That First-Time Visitors Must See are entirely my own.
