Having just 24 hours in Tokyo is akin to taking a single bite of sashimi and no more. A city that makes even New York look sleepy; Tokyo seems to delight in cruising at a supersonic speed. Enchanting, dizzying and even slightly intimidating on arrival, Japan’s capital really deserves more than a day. But if time is of the essence, keep reading – we have a plan. From Shibuya Crossing, where you’ll believe you’ve accidentally stumbled across the pedestrianised Formula 1, to the Tokyo Skytree (aka the world’s tallest tower), which boasts a bird’s eye view of the city’s patchwork of different and distinct neighbourhoods, we have the perfect itinerary to get you going for your fast (but hopefully not too furious) Tokyo adventure. Just prepare for it to go a little awry – in the best possible way.
9am
Tokyo appears to live and die by the phrase ‘go hard or go home’ and Tsukiji Fish Market is no different. The largest in the world, it underwent a makeover in 2018 to become a strictly street food vendor space. Still as appealing as ever though, the market is the perfect spot to fuel up for your 24 hours in Tokyo. Slurp up bowls of miso soup, chow down on uni sandwiches and sink your teeth into squid-ink sticky buns. And if you’re still hankering for the authentic fish market experience, meander a couple miles south to Toyosu Market. Peek in on auctions and fish sales, purchase some katsuo-bushi (dried bonito flakes) for a mid-morning snack and, when the hustle and heat become too much, head up to its rooftop for misty morning views of the capital.
Image by Vincent Leroux
11.30am
After a fabulous (albeit slightly frenetic) fish-filled feast, a peaceful stroll through Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden will feel like the perfect palette cleanser. Boasting numerous greenhouses of botanic plants and landmarks like the Taiwan Pavilion, all linked by winding paths along ponds and over bridges, Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden offers a masterclass in manicured tranquillity. With three distinct garden styles (French, English and Japanese), it is most popular during March and April when its 1,000 cherry trees turn the park powder pink. But come in winter and the national garden becomes a frosted fantasy that looks like something only Frozen’s snow queen Elsa could have created.
1pm
No visit to Tokyo could be complete without a dose of history – after all, this is a city that has been inhabited since ancient times. Make your way to the centre of its shitamachi (‘low city’) to the Asakusa district. Harking back to the city’s Edo rule with its quintessentially Japanese feel, Asakusa is renowned for its riverside views, traditional temples and hanamachi. Hop off the [E] Ōedo metro line at Kuramae and walk up to the Kaminari-mon (or Thunder Gate), a 12.8-foot-tall lantern, which greets visitors at the entrance of the Sensō-ji temple. Continue through the chock-a-block Nakamise-dōri shopping street, which never fails to enthral visitors with its stalls selling trinkets and treats, to the grand temple. While you won’t be able to find the mysterious statue of the goddess of mercy (which Sensō-ji was built in tribute of), you’ll find an atmosphere that is more than worthy of a bullet point on a Tokyo bucket list.
2.30pm
We’ll keep lunch short and sweet (time is of the essence, after all). Head to Sometaro, just six blocks from Thunder Gate. In this old-school okonomiyaki, housed in an atmospheric wooden house, you’ll feel as if you’ve just stumbled across a private family home rather than a restaurant. Okonomiyaki translates to ‘cooked as you like’ so prepare to get down (literally) to floor level tables with in-built hot plates and try your hand at cooking pancakes with chargrilled sides of rape blossom, flowering fern and bamboo shoots. Be warned though – they don’t have air conditioning. But we think it rather adds to the atmosphere.
4pm
24 hours in Tokyo deserves at least one bird’s eye view photo op. The Tokyo SkyTree, a whopping 2,080 ft above ground level, certainly meets this criteria. Making the city look like a souped up Scalextric track, it puts it and its patchwork of sprawling neighbourhoods into a whole new perspective. Follow the snaking Arakawa and Sumida Rivers, catch a glimpse of the futuristic glow emanating off Akihabara’s eccentric electronic shops and spot the snow-capped tip of Mount Fuji (if you’re lucky enough to visit on a clear day).
5.30pm
If you want to stray off the beaten track (which is unsurprisingly incredibly easy to do in a city spanning 1,515 square miles), head to Koenji. Just a hop, skip and a metro ride away from the shimmering districts of Shibuya and Shinjuku, Koenji is Tokyo’s Hackney. Quietly cool, it has found itself at the epicentre of Tokyo’s underground culture. While away a late afternoon sipping experimental infusions of pineapple apple gin to the sounds of ambient techno. Score vintage steals at its plethora of second-hand clothes and record shops and discover up-and-coming artists at BnA art hotel’s regular exhibitions.
8pm
When night falls on your 24 hours in Tokyo, there is only one place for it – Shibuya and Shinjuku. Scramble across its famed crossing, which can see as many as 3,000 people descend on it at a time, and head to the 52nd floor New York Bar at the Park Hyatt to feel suitably found but Lost in Translation (yes, the film was set here). Toast the day with a scrumptious feast of bluefin tuna loin, grilled lobster and seared hakkaido scallops and, when suitably full, head back down to earth to the nocturnal neighbourhoods’ neon-lit streets. Browse the wild and whacky and treat your fellow travellers to a late night karaoke session (a celebrated national pastime) at Uta Hiroba, near Shibuya Station. You may find yourself literally singing for Tokyo joy…
Written by Naomi Pike
Header Image by Nuria Val/Coke Bartrina
