The Tokyo Bucket List, Rearranged Into 5 Walkable Routes (2026)

The Tokyo bucket list is easier than it looks: almost every classic sight sits on one of five compact routes you can walk in half a day to a day, linked by short, cheap train hops. This guide puts Senso-ji, Tokyo Skytree, Meiji Jingu, Shibuya Sky, the Imperial Palace East Gardens, Tsukiji Outer Market and teamLab Planets into five routes, with times, distances, stations and 2026 prices.

Each route lists the best days to go, because closures decide the order more than anything else. Every price and opening time was re-checked on 18 October 2026.

The Tokyo bucket list in five routes: overview

Route	Area	Main sights	Start / end station	Time	Entry costs (2026)
1. Old Tokyo	Ueno, Asakusa, Oshiage	Ueno Park, Ameyoko, Senso-ji, Tokyo Skytree	Ueno / Oshiage	6–7 h	From ¥1,800 + ¥180 metro
2. Young Tokyo	Harajuku, Omotesando, Shibuya	Meiji Jingu, Takeshita Street, Omotesando, Shibuya Crossing, Shibuya Sky	Harajuku / Shibuya	6–7 h	From ¥2,700
3. Grand Tokyo	Marunouchi, Ginza, Toyosu	Imperial Palace East Gardens, Ginza, Tsukiji Outer Market, teamLab Planets	Otemachi / Shin-toyosu	7–8 h	From about ¥4,200 + ¥370 transport
4. Tokyo after dark	Shinjuku	Omoide Yokocho, Golden Gai, Kabukicho lights	Shinjuku	3–4 h	Pay as you go
5. Old-town Tokyo	Yanaka, Nezu, Sendagi	Yanaka Ginza, Yanaka Cemetery, Nezu Shrine	Nippori / Nezu	3–4 h	無料

Walking distances below are approximate street distances. Train times and fares are from NAVITIME route searches made in October 2026; JR East raised fares on 14 March 2026, with the basic fare now ¥160 by ticket or ¥155 by IC card.

Route 1: Old Tokyo – Ueno, Asakusa and Tokyo Skytree

This is the route for temples, markets and the tallest tower in Japan. Every stop is open every day, so it is the safe choice for a Monday, when other routes lose sights.

Time	Stop	Getting there	Cost
9:00	Ueno Park: museums, Shinobazu Pond	Ueno Station, Park exit	Free (museums extra)
10:30	Ameyoko market street	Walk, about 0.5 km	Street food
11:30	Asakusa	Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, 5 min	¥180
11:45	Senso-ji, Kaminarimon and Nakamise-dori; lunch	Walk	無料
15:00	Walk across Azuma Bridge to Tokyo Skytree	About 1.5 km, 20–25 min	—
16:00	Tokyo Skytree Tembo Deck for sunset	—	From ¥1,800

Senso-ji opening hours

The grounds are open around the clock and free. Senso-ji’s main hall opens 6:00–17:00, but from October to March it opens at 6:30. Go before 9:00 or after the shops close for the quietest photos.

Tokyo Skytree tickets and hours

Tokyo Skytree tickets for the Tembo Deck (350 m) start from ¥1,800 for adults, and a combo ticket that adds the Tembo Galleria (450 m) starts from ¥3,000. Buying at the 4F counter or ticket machines adds ¥500 per ticket, so book online.

In October 2026 the tower opens 10:00–22:00 on most days and 10:00–20:30 on several weekend days, per its opening hours calendar. Sunset in mid-October is around 17:05, so a 16:00 ticket catches daylight, dusk and night views. For more, see our best things to do in Asakusa guide.

Route 2: Young Tokyo – Meiji Jingu, Harajuku and Shibuya Sky

A forest shrine, Tokyo’s teen-fashion street, a designer boulevard and the famous scramble crossing, ending on a rooftop. Total walking is about 4 km on flat or gently sloping streets.

Time	Stop	Getting there	Cost
9:00	Meiji Jingu	JR Harajuku Station, then the forest approach (about 10 min walk to the shrine)	無料
10:30	Takeshita Street	Opposite Harajuku Station	—
11:30	Omotesando	Walk, about 0.5 km	—
13:00	Cat Street to Shibuya	Walk, about 1.5 km	—
14:30	Shibuya Crossing and Hachiko	—	無料
16:30	Shibuya Sky	Shibuya Scramble Square	¥3,400 from 15:00 (web)

Meiji Jingu opening hours

Meiji Jingu is free and opens at sunrise and closes at sunset: 5:40–16:40 in October and 6:10–16:10 in November. Some buildings inside keep shorter hours, mainly 9:00–16:00, so do not leave it for late afternoon.

Shibuya Sky tickets: book early

Shibuya Sky (adult, 12+)	Online	At the counter
Entry before 15:00	¥2,700	¥3,000
Entry from 15:00	¥3,400	¥3,700

Shibuya Sky sells online tickets up to two weeks ahead, and if the web sells out, the counter is sold out too. On 18 October 2026, a Sunday, the day’s tickets were already gone. It opens 10:00–22:30 with last entry at 21:20, and bags are not allowed on the rooftop, so use a locker.

Our Shibuya guide map covers the crossing and the backstreets.

Route 3: Grand Tokyo – Imperial Palace, Ginza, Tsukiji and teamLab

Edo Castle’s ruins, Tokyo’s smartest shopping street, its best-known food market and the digital art museum everyone books. This route has the most closures, so plan the day carefully.

Time	Stop	Getting there	Cost
9:00	Imperial Palace East Gardens (Otemon Gate)	Otemachi Station, about 5 min walk	無料
10:30	Walk through Marunouchi to Ginza	About 2 km	—
11:30	Tsukiji Outer Market: brunch	Walk from Ginza, about 1 km	Street food
13:00	To teamLab Planets	Tokyo Metro Yurakucho Line from Shintomicho + Yurikamome to Shin-toyosu, about 25 min	¥370 / IC ¥367
13:30	teamLab Planets	Shin-toyosu Station	From about ¥4,200

Stuck with a Monday or Friday? Start at Tokyo Station’s Marunouchi side instead, walk the outer palace moat and Kokyo Gaien plaza, which are outside the East Gardens, and carry on to Ginza as planned. You lose the castle keep foundations but keep the rest of the day.

Imperial Palace East Gardens hours and closed days

The East Gardens are free. They are closed every Monday and Friday (except some national holidays), from 28 December to 3 January, and on days of Imperial Court functions. There is a bag check at the gate.

Period	Hours (last entry)
1 Oct – 31 Oct	9:00–16:30 (16:00)
1 Nov – end of Feb	9:00–16:00 (15:30)
1 Mar – 14 Apr	9:00–17:00 (16:30)
15 Apr – 31 Aug	9:00–18:00 (17:30)

Tsukiji Outer Market: when to go

The Tsukiji Outer Market asks the public to shop from 9:00, after the professional buyers’ hours of 6:00–9:00, and many shops wind down from 14:00. It follows the central wholesale market calendar, so check that calendar for closed days before you go; shops set their own schedules.

teamLab Planets tickets

teamLab Planets in Toyosu runs until the end of 2027. Prices change by date: on the official ticket store, adult tickets for late October and November 2026 start between ¥4,200 and ¥4,800. You walk through water, so wear shorts or trousers you can roll up. January 2027 tickets go on sale from late October.

Route 4: Tokyo after dark – Shinjuku

Shinjuku is the bucket-list night out: tiny bars, smoky yakitori alleys and neon. Do it on any evening, after Route 2 or Route 3.

• Omoide Yokocho: narrow lanes of yakitori counters by Shinjuku Station’s west exit. Go from about 18:00.
• Golden Gai: a few alleys of tiny bars in east Shinjuku, many seating only a handful. Many charge a seating fee and some are for regulars only, so look for bars with English signs and prices posted outside.
• Kabukicho: the neon district beside Golden Gai. Ignore touts.

See our things to do in Shinjuku guide for bars, food and the best viewpoints.

Route 5: Old-town Tokyo – Yanaka, Nezu and Sendagi

Yanaka is what much of Tokyo looked like before the war: temples, wooden houses and a small shopping street. It costs nothing to walk and works as a half day.

Time	Stop	Getting there
9:30	Yanaka Cemetery and temples	JR Nippori Station, west exit
10:30	Yanaka Ginza shopping street	Walk, about 0.5 km
11:30	Sendagi backstreets	Walk
12:30	Nezu Shrine and its torii tunnel	Walk, about 1 km

This route pairs well with Route 1: Nippori is two stops from Ueno on the JR Yamanote Line, so you can do Yanaka in the morning and Asakusa and Skytree in the afternoon on a long day.

Start early: many small Yanaka shops open late morning and close by late afternoon. Our Yanaka Ginza guide has the shops and snacks.

Which day should you do each Tokyo bucket list route?

Day	Good routes	Why
Monday	1, 2, 4	East Gardens closed
Tuesday–Thursday	Any; best for 3	All Route 3 sights open; the Tsukiji calendar marks some Wednesdays as closed
Friday	1, 2, 4, 5	East Gardens closed
Saturday	1, 2, 3, 5	Busy everywhere; Skytree may close at 20:30
Sunday	1, 2, 5	Many Tsukiji shops shut; Shibuya Sky sells out

A 3-day Tokyo bucket list plan

• Day 1: Route 1 (Old Tokyo).
• Day 2: Route 2 (Young Tokyo), then Route 4 (Shinjuku) at night.
• Day 3: Route 3 (Grand Tokyo) on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

A 5-day plan

• Days 1–3 as above.
• Day 4: Route 5 (Yanaka) in the morning, then a free afternoon.
• Day 5: a day trip by train, or a slow day in one neighbourhood.

How much does the Tokyo bucket list cost?

Less than you might think, because the temples, shrines, gardens and streets are free. The paid tickets are the towers and teamLab. Here are the fixed entry and transport costs per adult, at October 2026 prices, before food and shopping.

Route	Paid entries	Transport inside the route	Fixed total
1. Old Tokyo	Skytree Tembo Deck from ¥1,800	¥180 (Ginza Line)	From about ¥1,980
2. Young Tokyo	Shibuya Sky ¥2,700–¥3,400 (web)	Walk	¥2,700–¥3,400
3. Grand Tokyo	teamLab Planets from about ¥4,200	¥370 (¥367 IC)	From about ¥4,570
4. Shinjuku after dark	None	Walk	Food and drinks only
5. Yanaka	None	Walk	¥0

Doing all five routes costs roughly ¥9,000–¥11,000 in tickets and route transport, plus your trips to and from each start station. Food is the real variable: Ameyoko, Nakamise and Tsukiji are snack-and-stand places, while Ginza and Omotesando lean expensive.

Where to eat on each route

• Route 1: street snacks on Ameyoko and Nakamise-dori, then a sit-down lunch in the Asakusa backstreets away from the temple.
• Route 2: crêpes on Takeshita Street; for a proper meal, the side streets of Omotesando and Cat Street are calmer than Shibuya Station.
• Route 3: Tsukiji is the meal. Arrive hungry and graze, then skip lunch in Ginza.
• Route 4: yakitori and a beer in Omoide Yokocho, then a nightcap in Golden Gai.
• Route 5: snacks along Yanaka Ginza, which is known for croquettes and street sweets.

Tokyo bucket list sights that are not on these routes

A few big names sit outside the five loops, either because they need a ticket booked weeks ahead or because they are a train ride away.

• Ghibli Museum: in Mitaka, next to Kichijoji, with timed tickets released monthly. Build a day around it with our Kichijoji one-day guide.
• Kiyosumi-shirakawa: coffee roasters, the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo and an Edo-style garden, 15 minutes from Tokyo Station.
• Tokyo Tower and Odaiba: easy add-ons to Route 3 if you skip teamLab.
• Akihabara: anime, games and electronics, two stops from Ueno.

Only in Tokyo for a stopover? From Haneda, Keikyu trains run straight through to Asakusa, so Senso-ji is the easiest part of Route 1 to fit between flights.

Getting around: transport costs for the five routes

Use a Suica or PASMO card. Inside the routes you walk; between them, single metro and JR rides typically cost ¥155–¥300. Route 1 needs one ¥180 metro ride; Route 3 needs about ¥370 to reach teamLab; the others can be done entirely on foot from the start station.

Rain plan: teamLab, Skytree and Shibuya Sky’s indoor floors are the wet-weather picks (Shibuya Sky posts the rooftop’s open status on its site each day). Save the gardens, Meiji Jingu and Yanaka for a dry day.

Want to add more? See our guides to things to do in Akihabara と tea ceremony experiences in Tokyo.

Tokyo bucket list FAQ

New to the city? Read our first time in Tokyo guide.

出典と確認方法

All prices, opening hours and dates on this Tokyo bucket list were checked on 18 October 2026 against the linked official sources: Senso-ji, Tokyo Skytree, Shibuya Sky, Meiji Jingu, the Imperial Household Agency, the Tsukiji Outer Market and teamLab. Train times and fares come from NAVITIME route searches in October 2026. Walking distances are approximate.