{"id":361,"date":"2026-08-27T15:51:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T15:51:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thejapanpro.com\/blog\/?p=361"},"modified":"2026-09-02T03:16:42","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T03:16:42","slug":"tokyo-bucket-list-walkable-routes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thejapanpro.com\/blog\/zh\/tokyo-bucket-list-walkable-routes\/","title":{"rendered":"The Tokyo Bucket List, Rearranged: 25 Sights in 5 Walkable Routes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every Tokyo bucket list carries the same 25 sights, and almost none of them mention that Sens\u014d-ji and Shibuya Crossing are forty minutes and two changes apart. Ordered by fame rather than geography, that list has you criss-crossing the city all week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regrouped by neighbourhood, the same 25 sights become five walkable half-days. Each route below runs end to end on foot, in an order where the timings work, with its own rough cost. Do all five and you have covered Tokyo properly in three days. Do two and you will have had a better trip than someone who ticked off nine sights in the wrong order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a glance:<\/strong> 5 routes \u00b7 2\u20134 hrs each \u00b7 \u00a50\u2013\u00a58,000 per route \u00b7 all walkable, all year<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Price guide:<\/strong> \u00a5 budget \u00b7 \u00a5\u00a5 moderate \u00b7 \u00a5\u00a5\u00a5 splurge<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Kaminarimon<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Route 1 \u2014 Old Tokyo: Asakusa, Skytree and Ueno<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The oldest part of the city, and the one place where everything genuinely is close to everything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

09:00 \u2014 Senso-ji Temple (\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tokyo’s oldest temple. Start early \u2014 by 11:00 Nakamise is shoulder to shoulder. Free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10:00 \u2014 Asakusa backstreets (\u00a5\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One block off Nakamise the crowd disappears and the real shops begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting there:<\/strong> You’re already walking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11:30 \u2014 Tokyo Skytree (\u00a5\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Twenty minutes on foot across the river, or one stop on the Tobu Skytree Line. Two observation levels at different prices. Book online to skip the ticket queue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

14:00 \u2014 Ueno Park (\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Free, large, and home to several major museums if the weather turns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

15:30 \u2014 Ameyoko Market (\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Under the railway tracks beside Ueno Station. Street food, cheap goods, and the loudest market voices in Tokyo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udca1 Japan Pro Tip:<\/strong> This is the Monday route. Most museums close on Mondays, and the Imperial Palace East Gardens close on Mondays and Fridays. Sens\u014d-ji, Skytree, Ueno Park and Ameyoko are all open seven days a week, which makes this the safe choice when the rest of the city is shut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Route 2 \u2014 Young Tokyo: Meiji Shrine, Harajuku and Shibuya<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A straight line south, from forest to teenagers to the most photographed crossing on earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10:00 \u2014 Meiji Shrine (\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Free, and quiet at opening. Seventy hectares of planted forest in the middle of the city. Enter from the Harajuku end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11:30 \u2014 Takeshita Street, Harajuku (\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ten minutes’ walk. Crepes, thrift shops and street fashion at maximum volume.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

13:00 \u2014 Omotesando (\u00a5\u00a5\u2013\u00a5\u00a5\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Architecture and flagship stores along a zelkova-lined avenue. THE HYUNDAI Omotesando<\/a> opened here in July 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

16:00 \u2014 Shibuya Crossing (\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Twenty minutes’ walk down from Omotesando. Free, and best after dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

17:30 \u2014 Shibuya Sky<\/a> (\u00a5\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One minute from Shibuya Station, an open-air rooftop deck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udca1 Japan Pro Tip:<\/strong> Book a Shibuya Sky slot for about half an hour before sunset. Sunset slots sell out most days, so buy online in advance. One ticket gets you the city in daylight, at golden hour and lit up, for no extra cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Shibuya<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Route 3 \u2014 Grand Tokyo: Palace, Ginza and the bay<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The formal city, and the route with the most closures to check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

09:00 \u2014 Imperial Palace East Gardens<\/a> (\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The foundations of Edo Castle’s keep and a formal Japanese garden. Free to walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Closed Mondays and Fridays, and 28 December to 3 January. If a Monday or Friday falls on a public holiday, the closure moves to the next day. Hours are seasonal, from 09:00 to between 16:00 and 18:00, last entry 30 minutes before. The palace buildings themselves are not open \u2014 gardens only.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

11:00 \u2014 Ginza (\u00a5\u00a5\u2013\u00a5\u00a5\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fifteen minutes’ walk. Japan’s best window shopping, galleries and department stores. The main avenue closes to cars at weekends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12:30 \u2014 Tsukiji Outer Market (\u00a5\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fifteen minutes on foot from Ginza. The outer market \u2014 the part that was always for visitors \u2014 is still here. The wholesale market moved to Toyosu years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

15:00 \u2014 teamLab Planets, Toyosu (\u00a5\u00a5\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Advance booking only. No shoes, and some rooms are knee-deep in water. Dynamic pricing from around \u00a53,600.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

18:00 \u2014 Tokyo Tower or Rainbow Bridge (\u00a5\u2013\u00a5\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Finish with a view. The Rainbow Bridge pedestrian walkway is free; Tokyo Tower charges admission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udca1 Japan Pro Tip:<\/strong> Tsukiji runs in three phases: 06:00\u201309:00 is for trade, 09:00\u201314:00 is the window for visitors, and after 14:00 is whatever is left. Turn up at 15:00 and it is half shuttered; turn up at 07:00 and you are in the way of people working. Between 09:00 and 11:00 is the answer. Individual stalls have their own closing days, so check the market calendar<\/a> before building a day around it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Route 4 \u2014 Tokyo after dark: Shinjuku’s alleys<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Two hours, one neighbourhood, no daylight required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

18:00 \u2014 Omoide Yokocho (\u00a5\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A lane of tiny yakitori counters under the tracks on Shinjuku’s west side, known as Memory Lane. Smoky, cramped, excellent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

20:00 \u2014 Golden Gai (\u00a5\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Six alleys holding around 200 bars, most seating about six people each. Ten minutes’ walk east.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

22:00 \u2014 Robata dinner (\u00a5\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Charcoal grill where the food comes to you on a wooden paddle. Reserve ahead for the good ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udca1 Japan Pro Tip:<\/strong> Many Golden Gai bars charge a cover, and some are regulars-only. That is not hostility to foreigners \u2014 it is a bar with six seats protecting the people who keep it open. Look for the ones with English signs or a posted cover charge; those want your custom. Walking into an unmarked one and being turned away is avoidable and awkward for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Lanterns<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Route 5 \u2014 The hidden-gems line: Yanaka, Nezu and Kagurazaka<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The route locals will tell you is the good one. Almost entirely free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10:00 \u2014 Nezu Shrine (\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An Edo-period shrine complex with a tunnel of vermilion torii gates, and hardly anyone in it. Free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11:30 \u2014 Yanaka Ginza (\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fifteen minutes’ walk. A cat-obsessed shopping street of cheap croquettes that somehow survived both the war and the bubble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

14:00 \u2014 Kagurazaka (\u00a5\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In on the T\u014dzai Line. Cobbled hill lanes, a geisha quarter that never quite went away, and an improbable number of good French bakeries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

16:00 \u2014 Akihabara (\u00a5)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fifteen minutes by train if you want electronics and anime to finish. Or skip it and stay in Kagurazaka for dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udca1 Japan Pro Tip:<\/strong> Nezu, Yanaka and Kagurazaka all close early \u2014 many shops by 17:00, some by 16:00 \u2014 because they serve residents rather than tourists. Front-load this route. It is also the best one for a wet day, since it is streets and caf\u00e9s rather than viewpoints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What it costs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Route<\/strong><\/td>Paid entries<\/strong><\/td>Rough cost per person<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
1 \u2014 Old Tokyo<\/td>Skytree<\/td>\u00a53,000\u20134,000<\/td><\/tr>
2 \u2014 Young Tokyo<\/td>Shibuya Sky<\/td>\u00a53,000\u20135,000<\/td><\/tr>
3 \u2014 Grand Tokyo<\/td>teamLab Planets, Tokyo Tower<\/td>\u00a56,000\u20138,000<\/td><\/tr>
4 \u2014 After dark<\/td>Food and drink only<\/td>\u00a55,000\u20138,000<\/td><\/tr>
5 \u2014 Hidden gems<\/td>Almost nothing<\/td>\u00a50\u20131,500<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Transport across all five routes runs about \u00a5600 to \u00a51,000 a day on an IC card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If it rains<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Route 5 works wet \u2014 it is streets, shrines and caf\u00e9s. Route 3 mostly holds up too, since teamLab Planets is indoors and Ginza has arcades. Routes 1 and 2 are the ones to move, because what they are selling is a view: Skytree and Shibuya Sky are both wasted in cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days, if that’s what you have<\/h2>\n\n\n\n