{"id":690,"date":"2025-03-01T10:28:08","date_gmt":"2025-03-01T02:28:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php\/2025\/03\/07\/how-to-spend-a-perfect-weekend-in-tokyo\/"},"modified":"2025-11-23T09:56:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T01:56:02","slug":"how-to-spend-a-perfect-weekend-in-tokyo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/?p=690","title":{"rendered":"How to spend a perfect weekend in Tokyo"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Tokyo is a huge, sprawling city that can seem impossible to tackle \u2013 especially when you\u2019re short on time \u2013 but you can cover a lot with a little planning.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s our plan for a short visit that hits both Tokyo’s classic sights and local hotspots, and won\u2019t have you running ragged all over the city.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\nAdvertisement\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/astro-ad><\/p>\n

\"A
Hopping between Golden Gai’s closet-sized bars makes for a fun-filled Friday night \u00a9 Jon Arnold \/ Alamy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Friday evening<\/h2>\n

Shinjuku is the natural place to start your exploration of Tokyo: with its skyscrapers, cacophony of glowing signs and heaving crowds, it\u2019s become synonymous in the global imagination with the city itself. Get a feel for the enormity of the city from the (free!) observatory atop the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. For views in a (far, far) less institutional setting, go for cocktails at the chic New York Bar (get the check by 8pm to duck the \u00a52500 cover charge).<\/p>\n

There are many excellent dinner options in Shinjuku: Kozue (downstairs from New York Bar) for high-end traditional-meets-contemporary Japanese cuisine; Kanae for classic izakaya<\/em> (Japanese pub-eatery) staples like tempura and sashimi paired with full-flavoured sake; and Omoide-yokoch\u014d, a traveller favourite, for cheap yakitori<\/em> (grilled chicken skewers). Afterwards carry on over to Golden Gai, Shinjuku\u2019s landmark collection of closet-sized bohemian bars in ramshackle wooden buildings.<\/p>\n

\"People
Yoyogi-k\u014den is one of Tokyo’s best-loved green spaces \u00a9 KanokpolTokumhnerd \/ Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Saturday morning<\/h2>\n

Ease into Saturday in Harajuku. The weekend Farmer’s Market @UNU draws some of the city\u2019s best food and coffee trucks and has outside tables for casual brunching. Another great option is a picnic in Yoyogi-k\u014den, Tokyoites\u2019 favourite green space. If you enter the park from the west entrance (nearest subway stop: Yoyogi-k\u014den) you can pick up coffee from Little Nap Coffee Stand and Portuguese-style pastries from Nata de Cristiano. On most weekends during the warmer months, there are festivals at the plaza across from the park with accompanying food vendors (though quality can be hit or miss).<\/p>\n

\"Meiji-jing\u016b
Meiji-jing\u016b is Tokyo’s signature Shinto shrine \u00a9 cowardlion \/ Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Saturday afternoon<\/h2>\n

It can be tempting to spend the whole afternoon lazing around the park, but there is a lot to do in Harajuku if you\u2019re keen for more active adventures. At the very least, you have to go to Meiji-jing\u016b, the city\u2019s signature shrine, a grand wooden building set in a wooded grove.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\nAdvertisement\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

<\/astro-ad><\/p>\n

The neighbourhood is equally famous for shopping, and you can pick up items from Japanese designers at spots like Laforet and House @Mikiri Hassin. There\u2019s also some excellent, small museums here, too \u2013 perfect for a taste of classical Japanese art. The Ukiyo-e \u014cta Memorial Museum of Art specialises in ukiyo-e<\/em> (woodblock prints) while the Nezu Museum is focused on antiquities (and has a pretty strolling garden in the back). Feeling a little worn out? Take a break, and learn more about Japanese tea at Sakurai Japanese Tea Experience (reservations recommended).<\/p>\n

\"High-angle
Avoid the chaos by snapping the sprawl of the Shibuya Crossing from above \u00a9 Jonathan Stokes \/ Lonely Planet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Saturday evening<\/h2>\n

From Harajuku, it\u2019s a short walk south to Shibuya, home to Shibuya Crossing \u2013 the city\u2019s famously manic scramble intersection. It\u2019s a top Tokyo photo-op, but rather than entangle yourself in the scores of people weaving their way over the crossing, head up to Mag\u2019s Park, a rooftop space created specially for getting that perfect overhead shot.<\/p>\n

For dinner, d47 Shokud\u014d is an easy choice. It\u2019s reasonably priced and is located inside the towering Hikarie building (which is easy to spot even in the biggest of crowds); it serves regional specialities from all 47 of Japan\u2019s prefectures. Like Shinjuku, Shibuya is a nightlife and entertainment district with plenty going on in the evening, including popular nightclubs, like Contact and Circus Tokyo \u2013 which really get going after 11pm \u2013 and karaoke parlours, like Karaoke Rainbow, that stay open all night. If you\u2019re in the mood for something more low-key, walk down the Kamiyama-ch\u014d market street to hip Tomigaya, a sub-neighbourhood of Shibuya known for its bistros and cafes. Here locals vie for tables at Pignon, while nearby Fuglen Tokyo does excellent, creative cocktails.<\/p>\n

\"A
The atmospheric Yanaka Ginza harks back to an era before supermarkets, when market streets were the norm in Tokyo \u00a9 KPG Payless2 \/ Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sunday morning<\/h2>\n

Having gotten your fix of Tokyo\u2019s more modern delights, spend your last day of the weekend getting acquainted with the city\u2019s more traditional east side. Yanaka is one of the city\u2019s rare neighbourhoods that retains many early 20th-century wooden buildings, some of which now house cafes, boutiques and ateliers. It\u2019s equally popular with locals and tourists.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/astro-ad><\/p>\n

Start your morning at Kayaba Coffee, a classic kissa<\/em> (first-wave coffee shop). Once happily caffeinated, stroll \u2013 admiring the miscellany of tiny temples en route \u2013 in the direction of Yanaka Ginza, a mid-20th century market street. Also worth a visit here: the Asakura Museum of Sculpture, which is among the city\u2019s most charming, underrated spots and a fascinating example of the east-meets-west architecture that was in vogue in early 20th-century Tokyo.<\/p>\n

\"The
The gilded shrine of Ueno T\u014dsh\u014d-g\u016b was built in honour of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the warlord who unified Japan \u00a9 Luciano Mortula \/ Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sunday afternoon<\/h2>\n

You can walk from Yanaka to Ueno-k\u014den (or take the Yamanote line two stops from Nishi-Nippori to Ueno), a sprawling space with many cultural attractions. See the gilded shrine Ueno T\u014dsh\u014d-g\u016b (so different from sombre Meiji-jing\u016b!) and the weather-worn temple Kiyomizu Kannon-d\u014d, which dates from the 17th century.<\/p>\n

In summer, the park\u2019s pond, Shinobazu-ike, is covered in flowering lily pads. Inside the park, Innsyoutei is a wonderful place to treat yourself to a kaiseki<\/em> (traditional Japanese haute cuisine) lunch. The prices are not unreasonable and the setting, a 19th-century wooden building with a garden, is beautiful (as is the food presentation); reservations recommended. Sundays in Ueno-k\u014den also attract food carts and street performers. Before heading back to the station, consider having a quick browse for unusual souvenirs at Ameya-yokoch\u014d; formerly a WWII black market and now home to a collection of eclectic stalls \u2013 which of your friends wouldn\u2019t love a flamboyant silk bomber jacket from specialist \u014ckuma Sh\u014dkai?<\/p>\n

\"A
Whether it’s cheap yakitori or lavish kaiseki, mealtimes will be a real highlight of your time in Tokyo \u00a9 Vassamon Anansukkasem \/ Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Where to stay<\/h2>\n

Shinjuku:<\/strong> This popular base on the city\u2019s west side has a huge spread of accommodations from almost-budget to deluxe and also boasts direct access to Narita airport via both train and bus. Basic business hotels, like Hotel Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku, are the best value. For high-end digs you can\u2019t beat the Park Hyatt Tokyo. 9 Hours Shinjuku-North, a contemporary capsule hotel one station north of Shinjuku, is a good option if you\u2019re willing to give up a little comfort and convenience in order to save some yen.<\/p>\n

Ueno:<\/strong> This is the biggest hub on Tokyo\u2019s east side, closer to Narita Airport (also with direct train access) and coming in a little cheaper than Shinjuku. New in 2018, Nohga Hotel is a solid choice. In neighbouring Yanaka, there is a great guesthouse, hanare, and a wonderful, family-run ryokan<\/em> (traditional Japanese inn), Sawanoya Ryokan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tokyo is a huge, sprawlin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":693,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tokyo-travel-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=690"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1054,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/690\/revisions\/1054"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}