Tokyo is a city of layers. Step out of Yoyogi-koen station and you are at once in the deep green of Meiji Shrine and a five-minute walk from the candy-coloured chaos of Takeshita-dori — schoolgirl fashion, crêpes, character shops, all jostling for space. Across the tracks lie Shibuya's scramble crossing and the quieter cafés of Daikanyama.
Your base is Shibuya — the neighbourhood the rest of the world thinks of when it pictures Tokyo: neon, music, fashion, food, and a million side streets to lose yourself in. Four nights here is the right amount to ease in to the time zone, then push out for the day trips.
Balcony rooms overlooking the park — perfect for jet-lag mornings.
teamLab, Ghibli, museums, light and big ideas.
Walk through rooms of light, koi fish that swim along the walls and flowers that bloom under your feet. Reopened in 2024 in a new home — bigger, weirder, more photogenic. Plan to book tickets for an afternoon slot during this leg.
Miyazaki's personal museum. No photography inside, which means you experience it instead of filming it. Tiny exclusive short film in the Saturn Theatre. October tickets go on sale 10 September at 10am JST — set a calendar reminder.
Character stores, vintage finds, stationery, gifts.
The original kawaii street. Daiso, WEGO, accessories, fluffy keychains, rainbow cotton candy. Loud, busy and exactly what you came for.
Five floors of every character you've ever heard of: Sanrio, Studio Ghibli, Pokémon, Snoopy, Disney. Top floor changes seasonally — Halloween will be in full swing.
The largest Pokémon Center in Tokyo, inside Sunshine City Ikebukuro. Limited Tokyo-exclusive plushies, a Pikachu Sweets café next door.
Hello Kitty, Cinnamoroll, Kuromi, Pompompurin — the flagship Sanrio shop. Better than Puroland if you only have time for one.
Animal cafés, photo booths, things that make no sense anywhere else.
Tiny micro-pigs that climb onto your lap and fall asleep. Book a slot in advance — these are very, very popular.
Hold hedgehogs (carefully). Also has chinchillas, otters and meerkats depending on the day.
Find a games arcade in Shibuya or Harajuku and look for Purikura — Japanese photo booths that smooth your skin, enlarge your eyes and let you doodle on the prints. There's a famously good one on the top floor of Adores in Shibuya.
Tower Records, Disk Union, vinyl basements, jazz cafés.
Nine floors of CDs, vinyl, K-pop, J-pop, idol merch and listening stations. Still proudly here long after Tower closed everywhere else. The 'No Music No Life' yellow shopping bag is the souvenir.
Tokyo's record-shop institution. Multiple specialist branches in Shinjuku — one just for J-pop, one for jazz, one for soul, etc. Find rarities you can't get anywhere else.
Takoyaki, matcha, ramen, parfaits, market breakfasts.
Harajuku's twin crêpe institutions on Takeshita-dori. Fold, stuff, repeat. The whipped-cream-and-strawberry one is the classic.
Reservation-only café where every dish is a Pokémon. Reservations open 31 days in advance and go fast.
Temples, gardens, viewpoints, neighbourhoods to wander.
Open-air rooftop on top of Shibuya Scramble Square. Best at sunset — pre-book a slot to avoid the queue.
Two minutes from the hotel. Cool forest air, towering torii gates, and on Sundays Yoyogi-koen fills with rockabilly dancers, cosplayers and buskers.
Independent boutiques, coffee, second-hand vintage. Quieter than Harajuku and full of design-led little places worth photographing.