Tokyo 6D5N Itinerary: A Practical First-Timer's Guide

Tokyo 6D5N at a glance

Day 1: Shinjuku, and learning the trains

Arrival day. Get used to the trains, and not much else.

Shinjuku Station is the busiest in the world, and its exits matter more than its platforms. Take a slow afternoon to work it out, shop around NEWoMan and the east exit, and watch the 3D cat billboard.

Before dinner, go up the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Both towers have a free observatory on the 45th floor, open into the evening, and it is the cheapest good view in the city. Each deck has its own closing days, so check first.

Then Kabukicho after dark. Our tip: search Tabelog for dinner, not Google. Locals use it, and 3.5 and above is already a good score.

Day 2: Asakusa and Ueno

The classic sightseeing day, and the one to start early.

Senso-ji is Tokyo's oldest temple, over 1,300 years old. Enter at the Kaminarimon gate and its red lantern, walk Nakamise Street to the Hozomon gate, then the main hall and the five-storey pagoda. Entry is free. The main hall opens at 6:00, or 6:30 from October to March, and closes at 17:00, with the grounds open around it.

Do the small rituals: wash your hands at the water pavilion, draw an omikuji, stand in the smoke of the Jokoro burner, pick up an omamori. Eat along Nakamise as you go.

In the afternoon, take the Ginza Line to Ueno for Ueno Park and Ameyoko market. For a quieter start, visit Senso-ji early. Many Nakamise shops open later, so arrive mid-morning if shopping and food are a priority. More detail is in our Senso-ji guide.

Day 3: Shibuya, Harajuku and Omotesando

The busiest day, and three areas walkable end to end.

Start at Shibuya Crossing, then Shibuya Sky. Entry is by timed slot in twenty minute windows, 10:00 to 22:30, last admission 21:20. Book online: cheaper than the counter, morning slots cost less, free cancellation until the day before.

• Sunset and after-3pm slots sell out first, often as soon as the date opens about two weeks ahead. No one can promise you a sunset ticket.
• There is no time limit inside, so many people enter mid-afternoon and stay for sunset.
• Tripods and selfie sticks are not allowed on the rooftop. Free lockers are available.

Our tip: if the sunset slots have gone, take a morning one. Far quieter, same view.

Then Takeshita Street in Harajuku, and finish along Omotesando. Back in Shibuya, the rooftop at Miyashita Park is worth an evening detour.

Day 4: Kamakura

Midway through the trip, swap the city for the sea. Kamakura is under an hour by direct JR train, the easiest real change of scene on this route.

In short: the Great Buddha and Hasedera at Hase, then the Enoden west along the coast through Shichirigahama and the Kamakurakokomae crossing, ending at Enoshima for sunset. The line runs in that order, so you never double back.

Our observation: the Enoden gets very crowded after 4pm, so do the coast early.

Fares, temple hours, crossing etiquette and a cost breakdown are in our full Kamakura day trip guide. If Kamakura is not your style, compare our other easy day trips from Tokyo.

Day 5: Nakameguro and Jiyugaoka

Deliberately the slow day, and the one first-timers skip and later regret.

Both sit on the Tokyu Toyoko Line from Shibuya, minutes apart. Nakameguro is a walk along the Meguro River with cafes and boutiques on both banks; Jiyugaoka is dessert shops and homeware.

Our tip: do not plan this day. Find one cafe and stay in it. After Days 2, 3 and 4 you will want it.

Seasonal note: the Meguro River is one of Tokyo's best known cherry blossom walks, so late March and early April are beautiful and very crowded.

Day 6: Ginza and Tokyo Station

Last day, so keep it near the station you leave from.

Ginza is department stores and flagship shops, a short walk or one Metro stop from Tokyo Station. Under the station, Tokyo Station First Avenue holds Character Street and a row of souvenir counters: Tokyo Banana, Royce, Press Butter Sand and most of the boxed sweets people ask you to bring home.

Our tip: buy food souvenirs here on the last day rather than carrying them all week. Narita Express and the airport buses both leave from Tokyo Station.

Getting around

Use an IC card. A Suica or PASMO, physical or in your phone, covers every train here: the JR Yamanote and Chuo lines, the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, the Tokyu Toyoko Line and the Enoden.

You do not need a nationwide JR Pass. There are no bullet trains, and Kamakura is a normal JR fare, so a pass costs far more than the journeys.

From our own trips: download Google Maps offline and a translation app before you fly, and carry both card and cash. Plenty of small shops and shrines are still cash only.

If you can, avoid Golden Week in late April and early May, New Year, and Obon in August. Japan's three peak travel periods make every part of this route harder.

Where to stay

One hotel, all five nights. The route runs around the Yamanote loop, so nothing justifies moving your bags.

There is no single best area, but four suit this route. Shinjuku has the most connections and the most noise. Shibuya puts Days 3 and 5 on your doorstep. Tokyo or Ginza is calmer, best for Day 6 and airport transfers. Ueno is usually cheapest, handy for Day 2 and Keisei trains to Narita.

How much walking to expect

More than you think, and much of it inside stations. Transfers at Shinjuku and Shibuya can take ten minutes on foot with stairs at both ends, before the temple grounds, parks and shopping streets.

Our observation: Days 2, 3 and 4 are the heavy ones, and Days 1 and 5 are light on purpose. Wear shoes you can stand in all day, and use station coin lockers rather than carrying shopping.

Staying connected

You will be on your phone constantly: routes between lines, timed-entry QR codes, translation in restaurants, maps where signs are Japanese only. We worked out the numbers in how much data you need for Japan, and the plans are in the Japan SIM and eSIM collection.

Fixed Data

eSIM Japan

From RM25.00

Good for maps, train planning, messaging and photos throughout a Tokyo itinerary.

• Choose 4, 7, 10 Days
• 12GB, 21GB, 30GB
• Full plan allowance usable for hotspot

View Plan

Unlimited Data

eSIM Japan Infinite Data

From RM26.90

Better for heavy social uploads, video, and travellers who would rather not track data across long sightseeing days.

• Choose 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 18, 21, 26 or 31 Days
• Infinite (Unlimited) High-Speed 5G data
• Hotspot capped
• Separate hotspot allowance by plan length

View Plan

Frequently asked questions