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Tokyo · 4-Day First Visit

Tokyo, Japan·4 days
by TripHelm·Spring

Four days, one neighborhood per day. Shibuya energy, Asakusa history, Shinjuku food crawl, and one quiet day in Yanaka. No theme parks. No robot restaurant.

Day 1

Breakfast · Onigiri Bongo (or hotel)

8:30 AM9:30 AM

Best onigiri in Tokyo. Open 11:30 if you're flexible — otherwise hotel.

Meiji Shrine

10:00 AM12:00 PM

Enter from Harajuku side. Walk slow under the torii. 30 min if you don't dawdle.

Takeshita Street + Cat Street walk

12:00 PM1:30 PM

Takeshita for the chaos, Cat Street for the actual shopping. Stop at Flying Tiger.

Lunch · Afuri ramen

1:30 PM2:30 PM

Yuzu-shio ramen. Light, citrusy, perfect mid-day.

Shibuya Scramble + Shibuya Sky

3:00 PM5:00 PM

Cross the scramble from the Starbucks side. Pre-book Shibuya Sky for sunset — non-negotiable.

Cocktails · Bar Trench

5:30 PM6:30 PM

8 seats. Negronis on the menu. Speak softly.

Dinner · Fuunji (tsukemen)

7:00 PM10:00 PM

Line up by 6pm or wait an hour. Tsukemen ai-mori is the order.

Hotel · Hoshinoya Tokyo

11:00 PM12:00 AM
Day 2

Breakfast at hotel onsen

8:00 AM9:00 AM

Senso-ji (before crowds)

9:30 AM11:00 AM

Be at Kaminarimon by 9:30 or it's a zoo. Walk Nakamise both ways.

Asakusa side-streets + Hoppy Street

11:30 AM1:00 PM

The 5 blocks west of Senso-ji are the real Asakusa. Hoppy Street for the visual.

Lunch · Daikokuya tempura

1:30 PM2:30 PM

1887. Ten-don with two shrimp. The line moves.

Walk · Sumida River to Ueno

3:00 PM4:00 PM

20-min walk along the river. Or take the Ginza line two stops if you're tired.

Ueno Park + Tokyo National Museum

4:00 PM7:00 PM

Skip Toshogu shrine. Spend 90 min in the Honkan building of TNM. Don't try to see everything.

Coffee · Kayaba Coffee

7:30 PM9:00 PM

1938 kissaten. Egg sandwich + iced coffee.

Dinner · Bird Land (yakitori, Michelin)

9:30 PM12:00 AM

Reservation 2 months out. Counter only. Course menu, no menu choosing.

Day 3

Breakfast · Café de l'Ambre

8:30 AM9:30 AM

1948 coffee bar. Aged-bean pour-over. Sit at the counter, watch the brew.

Yanaka Ginza shopping street

10:00 AM12:00 PM

Low-rise old Tokyo. Get the menchi-katsu from Niku no Suzuki.

SCAI The Bathhouse (gallery)

12:00 PM1:30 PM

Contemporary art in a 200-year-old bathhouse. Check what's on — sometimes it's closed between shows.

Lunch · Hantei (kushiage)

2:00 PM3:00 PM

Wooden building from 1899. Skewers come 6 at a time until you say stop.

Train to Shimokitazawa

4:00 PM6:00 PM

Shimokitazawa wander · vintage + indie

6:00 PM9:00 PM

Best vintage shopping in Tokyo. Loop the south side. Stop at Bear Pond Espresso.

Dinner · Shirube (izakaya)

9:30 PM12:00 AM

Loud, packed, perfect. Order the salt-grilled mackerel and the dashimaki.

Day 4

Breakfast · Verve Coffee

9:00 AM10:00 AM

Big-windowed, fast wifi. Avocado toast + cortado.

Shinjuku Gyoen garden

10:30 AM1:00 PM

Cherry blossoms if you timed it right. The English landscape section in the back is empty.

Lunch · Tsunahachi tempura (1923)

1:30 PM2:30 PM

Counter seats only. Anago tendon.

Department-store basement crawl (depachika)

3:00 PM5:00 PM

B1 + B2 of Isetan. Free samples. Buy a bento for the train home.

Omoide Yokocho walk-through

6:00 PM7:30 PM

Don't eat here — too touristy now. Just walk it for the visual. 15 minutes.

Dinner · Donjaca (izakaya)

8:00 PM11:00 PM

Run by the same family since 1979. Pork katsu sandwich + agedashi tofu + cold sake.

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