You would want to experience the most out of Tokyo during your short visit to Tokyo, right? Doesn’t matter how long or short it is. So, if you’re lucky enough to have 7 days to spend in Tokyo, and looking for ideas of what to do and where to go, I’ve got you covered.
You don’t have to look anywhere else for things to do or where to go in Tokyo. By the time you've finished reading this article, you will have figured it all out.
I’m going to share with you some ideas of things to do and places to go during your 7-day trip in Tokyo, some itinerary ideas, ways to make your trip more interesting, and more recommendation. So, read on!
Tokyo, one of the world’s greatest cities, is a sprawling city filled with endless incredible attractions and sights. Each of them has a unique character and appeal, attracting travelers from all over the world.
There’s nowhere else quite like Tokyo. A place where the lively and modern side meets the serene and traditional side. Tokyo has everything, temples and shrines, nightlife, street food to fancy dining, flea market to high-end shopping, bustling-crowded area to quiet-suburban area, nature, anime, arcade games, themed cafés, parks and so many more.
7 days in Tokyo - too long, too short, or just right?
Even if you lived in Tokyo for a year, it would be impossible to experience all of Tokyo. So, I think it’s more of a personal preference, however long and short is enough to travel around Tokyo. It’s impossible to get bored in Tokyo with all the choices of things you can do and places you can go.
You can do a lot of things in Tokyo for 7 days. You can visit a lot of the major places, maybe even off-the-beaten-path spots (I’ll tell you a bit later on in this article how to find them), do some touristy things, experience the cultural experiences, and more. So, I’d say that it’s never too long to stay in Tokyo (unless it’s visa issues) but 7 days in Tokyo is definitely not too short to experience it.
Things to do in Tokyo
Here are some ideas of things you can do in Tokyo other than visiting the major spots in Tokyo.
Unique Experiences
- Visit the many themed cafés like Robot Restaurant, Vampire café, Monster café, maid café, owl café and so many more.
- Go go-karting around Tokyo.
- Watch sumo tournaments or sumo practice. Which you can learn how through by clicking here.
- Participate in a Japanese tea ceremony.
- See cosplay (at Harajuku) or even cosplay your own (buy costumes at Akihabara)!
Food-related
- Eat good food. Everywhere in Tokyo, literally everywhere (ramen, takoyaki, sushi, Kobe beef, anything you like!)
- Go to the convenience stores and buy some of the interesting food, snacks, and drinks.
- Try Izakayas.
- Visit Tsukiji Market to eat the freshest sushi in Japan.
Relax
- Have a picnic and enjoy the beautiful nature in some of the parks in Tokyo, such as Shinjuku Gyoen National Park and Ueno Park. Especially if it’s cherry blossom season or autumn!
- Leisurely stroll to the many different museums in Tokyo, like the Mori Art Museum, Samurai Museum, Ghibli Museum and so many more interesting ones.
- Enjoy the city view from Tokyo Skytree and Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.
- Take baths in the Onsens in Tokyo.
Other options
- Shop high-end things in Ginza or Omotesando, and also kawaii stuff in Takeshita Street.
- Go to Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Sea.
- Do a little people-watching (not in a creepy way) at the Shibuya Crossing.
- Play an arcade game or try Pachinko.
And so much more. The list of things you can do in Tokyo is endless.
Where to go in Tokyo?
I’ll list some popular areas in Tokyo and some of the major spots or related stuff in that area that you can check out and go.
Shibuya
- Shibuya crossing
- Shibuya 109
- VR park + Arcades
- Shibuya Center Gai
Harajuku
- Takeshita Street
- Omotesando
- Meiji Jingu Shrine
- Endless shoe stores
Ginza
- High-end shopping
- Fancy dining
- Nakagin Capsule Tower
Ikebukuro
- Sunshine city (Shops, Namja Town, Observation Deck, Aquarium, etc.)
- Department stores (Tobu, Seibu, etc.)
Shinjuku
Asakusa
- Sensoji temple
- Nakamise Shopping Street
- Sumida Park
Akihabara
- Themed cafés (maid café, AKB48 café, cosplay café, cat café, etc.)
- Anime
- Bic cameras
- Pachinkos (gambling/ recreational game)
- Don Quijote Akihabara
Ueno
Roppongi
- Mori Art Museum
- Roppongi Hills
- Nightlife (bars, restaurants, nightclubs)
Odaiba
- Miraikan – The National Museum of Emerging Science
- Rainbow Bridge
- Shopping malls (Zepp Divercity, Venus Fort, etc.)
- Amusement Parks (Joypolis, Legoland, etc.)
There are still so many places like temples, parks, and other places to go in Tokyo, which you can click here to check out.
Itinerary ideas for 7-day Tokyo trip
To make your trip a great one, you would need a great itinerary as well.
If you are looking for 7-day Tokyo itinerary, you can check this Tokyo 3-day itinerary for first-timers and follow this for the first 3 days. For the next 4 days, you can freely stroll around Tokyo to possibly discover lesser-known places, or plan an itinerary on your own, or follow these itinerary suggestions:
Travel plan for first timers in Tokyo - packed with the major destinations that represent Tokyo.
Tokyo 1 day itinerary (Imperial Palace, Ginza, Skytree) - a great itinerary that includes the popular spots of authentic Tokyo and popular shopping district Ginza.
Tokyo Rainy 1 day itinerary - You can’t always expect to have sunny weather during your Tokyo trip, so just in case it rains, you can follow this itinerary.
Easier way for your 7-day travel in Tokyo
If you don’t feel like following some random itinerary on the internet that may or may not include your interest, or making a great one your own, you can always make your travel so much easier!
How?
Hire a private guide!
Advantages of hiring a private guide →
- You don’t have to make an itinerary yourself or follow some random itinerary that may or may not include your interests.
- You can have a great and hassle-free Tokyo experience.
- Furthermore, you can have itineraries tailor-made just for you to match your preferences and interests.
- An enhanced and more interesting trip.
- Extra safety.
- A deeper understanding of the places and culture in Tokyo.
- So many more.
Like I said above, I’ll tell you how you can discover off-the-beaten-track spots in Tokyo. One way to discover them is through hiring a private guide. They are highly knowledgeable about things in Tokyo and have discovered so many places equally beautiful and interesting as the major ones, but are not packed with tourists. They can bring you to experience Tokyo from another angle.
Also...
You won't have to worry about direction, transportation, language difficulty or other issues if you have private guides by your side. You can get their suggestions of where are the best places to go, the best restaurants to eat at, and ways to make the most out of your trip. They can tell you many different interesting things to do, and you won’t ever get bored. Hiring a guide can make your trip more interesting and memorable.
Recommended Tour Guides
Get this:
There are many websites where you can hire tour guides, but you never know what you are getting into, whether the guides are quality guides or not. Or whether the website is trustworthy or not.
That’s why I’m recommending you GoWithGuide. The website offers many qualified tour guides options in Tokyo and other areas of Japan, from which you can choose according to your needs and preferences.
Through the website, you can watch the guides’ personalized videos, read the reviews of each guide, check their availability and service cost to help you find the right guide.
Wait, there's more:
The website also has many different private tour options in many different areas of Tokyo, which you can check out by clicking here, and also different cultural experiences like Japanese tea ceremony, sumo practice watching, samurai experience, and more. You can check them out by clicking here.
Where to hire a private guide for your Tokyo trip?
You don’t have to look very hard to find a great private guide for you. Here is a list of great tour guides in Tokyo. And if you are looking for guides in other areas of Japan, you may want to click here.
You can choose private tours with customizable itineraries. Here is a list of my recommended private tours in Tokyo and other areas of Japan.
Another thing!
If you think that joining a private tour or hiring a private guide is the best option for you, you can still make your trip in Tokyo easier. You can rent a private charter van or car (depending on the size of your group) to charter you around in Tokyo. Click here to check the many options of private chartered cars in Tokyo. So convenient!
I hope this article helps provide information on what you can do in Tokyo, where to go in Tokyo with itinerary suggestions, another way to make your 7 days in Tokyo more interesting and easier, and other suggestions. I hope you have a great time in Tokyo!